Charlie Dent "Vulnerable" Under New Political Map

Four-term Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent, a Republican, will see the legislative district he serves change under a new political map - and some say those changes will make him vulnerable to defeat next year.

PoliticsPa ranks Dent fourth in a list of U.S. representatives made vulnerable by redistricting.

Morning Call columnist Bill White says the new gerrymandered congressional district map looks like "somebody holding a crayon had a series of seizures."

For the last 10 years, the 15th district has consisted of all of Northampton County, most of Lehigh County and small parts of Berks and Montgomery Counties. 

Under the new map, the district will extend across five counties from Northampton County to Dauphin County.

The district will include all of Lehigh County and the following parts of Northampton County: 

• Bethlehem (Northampton County portion) wards 1 through 9 and 15 through 17
• Townships: Allen, Bushkill, East Allen, Hanover, Lehigh, Lower Nazareth, Lower Saucon, Williams; the Belfast, Kesslersville and Plainfield Church districts of Plainfield and the west district of Upper Nazareth
• Boroughs: Bath, Chapman, Hellertown, North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport

The Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley condemned the change as the “disintegration of the Lehigh Valley's political power and cultural, social and economic unity by a state commission with either an errant understanding of theLehighValley, a disregard for the region or some sinister political agenda."

The Reapportionment Commission consists of five representatives: the Pennsylvania House majority caucus, the House minority caucus, the Senate majority caucus and the Senate minority caucus as well as the governor’s office.