Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
Becoming an Informed Voter:
Researching Your Congressional Delegation
Michael C. Johnson
Liberty University
Page 1 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
The Congressional District that I hail from is the Thirteenth District of Pennsylvania.
The 13th District is made up of Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County of which I was
raised in. Montgomery County sits west by northwest, right up next to the “City of Brotherly
Love,” Philadelphia, in what is called the suburbs. The Almanac of America Politics describes it
well calling it “the proximate hinterland of Philadelphia: rolling hills cut on one side by the
Schuylkill River and at intervals by the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad lines radiating
outward from Center City.”(Barone & McCutcheon, Pg. 1440) Many of the older suburbs such
as the town where I am from, Glenside, sprung up and thrived around the first rail stations that
populated the area. Many of these suburbs fit into the either the rich and somewhat modest
categories with Glenside definitely filling the modest role. Further out still, about a thirty minute
drive you are in farm country and the towns get increasingly smaller, resembling almost small
villages such as North Wales where my brother lives.
I remember as a child, of the few trips that we did take, a twenty-minute drive out west
instantly transported you into farm country where there was nothing by farms in all direction, as
far as the eye could see. That has changed in the past two decades with subdivisons and their
cancerous, repulsive Home Owners Associations taking root and destroying the once tranquil
countryside of Montgomery County. Out there and in my hometown of Glenside, unless you are
going into the city, the odds are very high that you will be driving your own personal vehicle to
get around rather than taking the train, its just more practical. As far as affluence or monies are
concerned, Montgomery is the second richest county in the state with Chester County coming in
first. I find this hard to believe since I grew up there and the struggles we had to endure as being
one from a large family of ten children but then again we could never afford to really travel
outside of our immediate surroundings and walking was the primary mode of transportation.
Page 2 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
As far as population goes, Montgomery comes in third with Philadelphia clocking in first
and Allegheny Country coming in at second. As of December 2014, Montgomery County held
an unemployment rate of 3.8% compared to the national average of 5.6%. Compared to the
neighboring counties, Bucks County held an unemployment rate of 4.2% with Chester County
clocking in at 3.4%. As to the real number including all of those who dropped out of the
workforce altogether, I could not find that number.
Now, Northeast Philadelphia is a completely different ball of wax as they say. My father
always told me and warned me that I was to never to go into Northeast Philly unless I was
packing heat. Northeast Philadelphia back in my Father’s day was considered the suburbs. It
was until the second half of the 20th Century that it started to become more urbanized. Today,
Northeast Philly is considered urban area and is incorporated in Philadelphia County. Many
Hispanics populate the now run down industrial wards that run along the Delaware River but the
remaining sections are still densely populated by mostly white and other various ethnicities.
Philadelphia as a whole and Northeast Philly especially is still very much a blue-collar town/city
with only a very light dusting of white-collar industries.
The 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania does not include all of Montgomery
County but rather the southeast and central parts of the county and Northeast Philadelphia. In
2011, redistricting brought the old Philadelphia suburb communities of Cheltenham, Elkins Park,
and Glenside out from West Philadelphia 2nd District and under the umbrella of the 13th District.
Cheltenham specifically has always had a large concentration of Jews call it home. In fact, the
current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, actually attended Cheltenham High
School and was a very active member on the debate team.
Page 3 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
Historically speaking, Montgomery County and the 13th Congressional District always
voted Republican. Republican men with their Ivy League educations set a certain style of
politics in the area that seemed forever entrenched. Then the 1990s rolled around. In the 90’s,
economic concerns fell to the wayside and apparently to the dustbin of history as far as national
politics are concerned with cultural rights specifically abortion trumping the classics of
economics. Since then, a vivacious Republican organization has won some elections here and
there in Northeast Philadelphia and has shown the ability to make deals with the Democrats to
satiate those Republicans still left in the district. As stated above, after redistricting redrew the
map of the 13th Congressional District of Philadelphia and adding in swarms of Democrats, the
13th District has forever been lost to the Democratic (socialist) Party. The past two Presidential
elections, the 13th District went To Barack Hussein Obama both times in landslide fashion.
Congressman Brendan Boyle now represents the 13th Congressional District in the U.S
House of Representatives today. Our former Representative, Allyson Schwartz, did not seek
reelection but decided instead to unsuccessfully run for governor losing to Tom Wolfe in the
democratic primary. Since Representative Boyle is so green, I decided to go with the woman
who represented my district the past 10 years, Allyson Schwartz.
Allyson Schwartz graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a master’s degree in social
work and went on to start the Elizabeth Blackwell Center, a Planned Parenthood office in
Philadelphia, and ran it from 1975-1988. In 1988, she was the deputy commissioner of the
Philadelphia Department of Human Services and resigned after she ran for and won election to
the Pennsylvania state Senate. In 2000, she ran for the U.S. Senate seat but lost in the
Democratic primary to Representative Ron Klink by a 41% - 21% margin.
Page 4 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
When the 13th District seat opened up with Democratic Representative Joe Hoeffel
running unsuccessfully to unseat former Republican Senator Arlen Spector, Schwartz faced
serious competition from her peers. In the primary, her main competitor carried the city but
Schwartz took Montgomery County with a whopping 62% of the vote for an overall victory of
52% - 48%. Also, to add a little context, the pro-abortion group, Emily’s List donated $170,000
to her campaign and did extensive canvassing of the district on her behalf. In the general
election, both candidates, the Democrat and the Republican, were pro-abortion and the race put a
large emphasis on healthcare. In the end, Schwartz won against her Democrat-lite (Republican)
challenger, winning 56% - 41%. As a Roman Catholic, I abstained from voting for my district
that year. I don’t like to label myself as a one-position voter but I am when it comes to abortion.
Allyson Schwartz has a long history in the House of Representatives as one for
championing the liberal cause. The most recent year that I can go back and get ratings from the
four interest groups provided in our instructions is 2013. For that year, the ACLU gave her a
70% approval rating with the ADA giving her a 75% approval rating. The ACU gave Schwartz a
14% approval rating with the FRC bestowing upon her a big old goose egg, 0% approval rating.
Based on the ratings provided by the four interest groups above it is crystal clear where Allyson
Schwartz falls in the political spectrum. She is a dyed in the wool liberal. Like most liberals,
one who champions the murdering of defenseless babies in the womb. When one receives such
favorability ratings from the liberal interest groups such as American Civil Liberties Union and
Americans for Democratic Action and such low ratings as she did from conservative interest
groups such as American Conservatives Union and the Family Research Council you can clearly
differentiate where one will stand on the issues and how they will vote on bills in Congress.
Page 5 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which translates from the Latin into “Penn’s
Woods,” is the birthplace of America’s independence and the U.S. Constitution, the “why” and
“how” of the United States America. The U.S. Constitution, which still governs us, is the oldest
constitution still in use to this day. Before 1776 and 1791 happened, Pennsylvania was a colony
that was granted its charter by King Charles II to William Penn back in 1682. The charter was
given to him to pay off a political debt that the king owed to his father who was an admiral in the
Royal Navy. William Penn, himself a Quaker, decided to set up Pennsylvania as a sort of refuge
for the religiously persecuted peoples of Europe.
The tolerance/acceptance of all forms of religion in Pennsylvania attracted folks of all
walks of life, background, and faith. It attracted many Englishmen but especially those that we
today call the Pennsylvania Dutch. The Pennsylvania Dutch was a unique branch of Lutherans
who were seeking to revive the piety movement in the Lutheran Church. With this great influx
of immigrants seeking asylum if you will from persecutions abroad, Pennsylvania quickly
became one of the major settlement destinations of the 13 original colonies with Philadelphia
becoming the largest commercial port in Colonial America.
In the 18th Century, immigrants of what is now modern day Great Britain made the
voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, arrived in Philadelphia and kept their journey going westward,
going over the Allegheny mountain range and settling in the mountainous interior of present day
Pennsylvania. Known as the Keystone State, she was centrally located amongst all of the other
colonies. Just like in architecture, Pennsylvania was the keystone that held the fledgling young
nation together during the American Revolution. Pennsylvania also held a crucial. She also held
a very critical role in the economic, social, and political development of the United States as we
know her today.
Page 6 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
As being the centrally located colony, Philadelphia was naturally chosen as the home of
the Continental Congress, which began meeting in the Pennsylvania State House, Carpenter’s
Hall, now famously known as Independence Hall, in 1774. In the early days of he republic, it
appeared that Philadelphia was “destined to become the London of America, the metropolis of
government and commerce and culture.”(Barone, & McCutcheon Pg. 1395) Way out West, a
small frontier town known as Pittsburgh was rapidly developing into a new and upcoming
metropolis herself and positioning herself as the epicenter of western expansion. After the
Revolution, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in particular failed to maintain being the center of the
political and geographical universe. The Founders decided that the capital should be located not
in a state but its own autonomous city, free from state pressure and influence. So it was chosen
that Foggy Bottom would be the location of the new republic’s capital with Maryland and
Virginia ceding land to make that possible.
As time marched on, Pennsylvania was transformed into the capital of America’s energy
and manufacturing. Pennsylvania is rich in two distinct types of coal, anthracite and bituminous.
Northeast Pennsylvania is rich in anthracite, which is a hard coal that was used as the primary
means for heating all the homes in America. In western Pennsylvania, bituminous was abundant.
This type of coal was used in steel production and what helped make Pittsburgh the Mecca of
steel production in the world. By 1890, Pittsburgh had cemented its reputation as the nation’s
steel capital with the Pennsylvania Railroad connecting her with her sister city in the East,
Philadelphia. Immigrants flowed into Pennsylvania from all corners of Europe and from the
surrounding countryside to work in her mines and factories, which turned Pittsburgh into the
poster child of industrial prosperity.
Page 7 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
From the first census in 1790 to 1940, Pennsylvania was the second largest state in the
Union though after the Great Depression, its rapid growth declined sharply and some parts of the
state never recovered from the drying up of immigrants and those towns simply dried up and
blew away. After World War Two, the nation turned away from coal as its primary source for
home heating and industrial use. Even when coal prices shot up in the 1970’s there was little
interest in the strip mining business to create new jobs. Consequently, in the 1960’s, this turn
away from coal caused a shape decline in the demand for Pennsylvania steel. By the 90’s, steel
production had been modernized but it was mostly done in gargantuan new mills out in Indiana
and smaller operations that had scattered to the wind, far from their home in western
Pennsylvania.
Since the 1930’s, Pennsylvania as compared to other major states in the Union has seen
the slowest population growth. In 1930, 9.6 million people called Pennsylvania home and in
2010, 80 years later, that number had only grown to 12.7 million. To put that is perspective, in
1940, Pennsylvania cast 36 electoral votes for FDR and 72 years later, only cast 20 for Barack
Hussein Obama. In 1960, she had 30 members of the House of Representatives, equal to that of
California and more than Texas but today, she only boasts of 18 with California having 53 and
Texas having 36. Over the decades that have passed since World War Two, those likely leaving
and those staying is a toss up with very few outsiders moving into the state.
In the past two decades, things appeared to start to turn around. Economic growth can be
seen in diverse economic growth. The large hospitals being built in metro Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh, replacing the large steel mills and factories of old as a major source of employment.
Although Pennsylvania has seen its share of hiccups from the ever-famous trash incinerator that
bankrupted Harrisburg to the parking structures in Scranton no place is immune to political folly.
Page 8 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
Where Pennsylvania once led the nation in coal output, she is once again becoming a
major energy prodder for the country. The Marcellus Shale that sits beneath 60% of the state is
the nation’s largest reserves of natural gas, which is embedded in hard rock. A new technology
known as fracking has been able to harvest this natural gas and wells have been springing up all
over the state. To put that into perspective, in 2007, Pennsylvania imported 75% of its natural
gas needs but by 2012 was exporting natural gas to the rest of the country creating hundreds of
thousands of new jobs.
For generations after the Civil War, of all the large states, Pennsylvania was the most
Republican of them all. From the 1860’s to the 1920’s she was solid red. In fact she was the
only large state that went to Herbert Hoover in the 1932 presidential election while all the others
went to FDR. The Republican party of that time did not single out one type of ethnicity to
represent but had a place for those of all races and backgrounds. In the 1930’s things started to
go the Democratic way with the New Deal and a series of bloody strikes to John L. Lewis’
United Mine Workers and the CIO industrial union movement. The Democrats wield the power
in the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia but the outlying communities and counties are still
very much in the hands of the Republicans. This has resulted in Pennsylvania sitting on the
sidelines in presidential elections but as of the new millennium is now once again being
considered by many to be a swing state. Since 1976, Pennsylvania has been seriously fought
over by presidential candidates with either party usually squeaking out with a margin of victory
of 51% - 49%. In 2008, Obama won the state handily over John McCain by a 54%-44% margin
but four years later, he nearly lost it to Romney winning it by a margin of 52% - 47%. It was
assumed that Pennsylvania was easily in Democrat control but October polling of that year
showed that it was quickly slipping away from the Democrats and into Romney’s hands.
Page 9 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
While in most recent presidential elections (2004, 2008, & 2012) the state has gone to the
Democrats it is once again entering the arena as a battleground that must be fought for. I mean
Romney almost won the state in 2012 and lost by only 300,000 votes, the majority of those
coming out of metro Philadelphia that has been plagued in recent history with voting
irregularities.
The senior Senator from Pennsylvania is Robert Casey Jr., a Democrat. He was elected
to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and reelected 2012. While he won reelection in 2012, he almost lost
to a nobody Republican challenger. Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator, he was the State Treasurer
from 2004-2006 and before that the Pennsylvania auditor general from 1996-2004. In 2002, he
lost a very bitterly fought and rather expensive primary battle for the Democratic nomination for
governor to Philadelphia mayor, Ed Rendell. Even though he lost this battle, he returned two
years later and won the state treasurer’s office. In 2005, the Democratic National Senatorial
Campaign Committee was seeking a robust challenger to Republican Senator Rick Santorum.
Chuck Schumer of New York wanted Casey to run but that fact that Casey was a pro-life
Democrat did not sit well with the rank and file Dems of in the metro Philadelphia area. At first
there was opposition to Casey but the Democrats eventually came around and voted for Casey
over Santorum. It wasn’t just that people liked Casey more than Santorum but it was
Santorum’s’ passionate defense of the ever increasing unpopular Bush administration that caused
his downfall and the Democratic wave that swept Congress in the 2006 elections. Santorum
never really had a chance; he trailed in the polls from the very beginning and never over came
the original double-digit deficit that was present at the beginning of the campaigning. Casey
ultimately defeated Santorum by a 59% - 41% margin.
Page 10 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
In the Senate, Casey is in lock step with the Democratic agenda of the day, rarely straying
from how the party votes only straying when his strict Roman Catholic upbringing and social
conservatism are in opposition to what the Democrats are doing. Robert Casey has voted with
Barack Obama on most of the major issues to include sponsoring a bill that would allow the
federal government the right to regulate hydro fracking, which has been a major cause of the
economic boom in Pennsylvania. The interest groups are pretty clear in how they have rated the
senior Senator from Pennsylvania. Going back to 2012, I was able to find ratings from all
required interest groups for this paper. The ADA gave Casey an 85% approval rating with the
ACLU bestowing upon him a rating of 100%. As one might expect, on the other side of the
spectrum, the ACU gave him a 12% approval rating with the FRC giving him a similar score of
14%. Based on these ratings, I would clearly classify my senior Senator as a liberal. With the
exception of a few social issues in which he bucked the establishment Democrats you can rest
assured that he is going to vote with the Democrats 98% of the time.
I must say that I have not always been an informed voter. I was one of those drones who
merely voted the party line. As of late (past 4 years) I have been paying much more attention to
the candidates and where they stand on all of the issues. This research paper definitely opened
up my eyes even more than what they were and now I know of more tools on how to do even
more research on candidates in the future. This will not only make me an informed voter but it
will also enable me to talk to my fellow citizens about the issues and why which candidate has
earned my vote.
Page 11 of 12
Running Head: Becoming an Informed Voter GOVT 220
Bibliography
Barone, M., & McCutcheon, C. (2013). The Almanac of American Politics 2014. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
FRC Action – Allyson Schwartz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.frcaction.org/get.cfm?
i=PG10J04&id=3554716&s=300&d=FH.
ACU Federal Legislative Ratings – Allyson Schwartz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2015, from
http://acuratings.conservative.org/acu-federal-legislative-ratings/?year1=2013&chamber=12&state1=51.
2014 Report Cards – Allyson Schwartz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2015, from
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/allyson_schwartz/400647/report-card/2014.
Inside Gov – Allyson Schwartz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2015, from
http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/l/13/Allyson-Schwartz.
The Keystone State. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/pennsylvania/state-nickname/keystone-state.
The Voter's Self Defense System – Bob Casey. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from
http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/2541/bob-casey-jr#.VTajw87svTQ.
Page 12 of 12
