On Feb. 4, the Legislative Reapportionment Commission approved the Final Reapportionment Plan for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Pennsylvania Senate.
In a 4-1 vote, the commissioners approved redrawing district maps, despite resistance from many Republican lawmakers, according to WGAL8.
House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Bellefonte) voted against the final State House map put forward by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission but was in support of the alternative, according to the Pennsylvania House website.
According to WGAL8, Benninghoff argued that the maps were drawn in a way that it splits cities up to benefit Democrats. “You should not point out problems without coming up to the table with some possible solutions,” he said in a Feb. 4 Facebook post.
A legal challenge is likely, with less than two weeks to go before candidates can start petitions for the May 17 primary ballot.
“On its face, this map dilutes minority voting power in order to preserve districts for white Democrat incumbents,” Benninghoff said, according to the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus. “I cannot think of any worse use of this commission’s power than to put forward and then advance a plan that significantly hurts the likelihood of minority representation in the General Assembly, especially since last year’s decennial census data showed the largest population growth over the past 10 years was in the Latino community. While some on this commission have believed their path to the majority only lies in hijacking the work of this body, I felt like we are called to a higher standard. Unfortunately, the impact of the poor, politically motivated decisions some commissioners will make today will outlast this temporary commission to the detriment of Pennsylvania communities.”
Benninghoff represents the 171st District and has served as Majority Leader for the House of Representatives since 2020. Prior to this position, Benninghoff served as Majority Whip and the House Majority Policy Committee chairman for two terms.
