HARRISBURG (AP) — U.S. Rep. Fred Keller of Pennsylvania changed his mind Monday and said he will not run for reelection if he must face a primary election against another Republican incumbent.
Pennsylvania’s highest court selected new boundaries for congressional districts last week, and Keller and U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson — who represent vast swaths of northern Pennsylvania where population is shrinking or stagnant — found their homes drawn into the same district, as the state adjusts to losing a seat.
In a statement, Keller said, “I am not going to run against another member of Pennsylvania’s Republican Congressional Delegation.”
Keller, 56, was elected in a special election in 2019 and is the newest member of Pennsylvania’s delegation.
However, the boundaries of his current district and Thompson’s current 15th District needed to grow substantially because of shrinking population there.
Thompson’s current district includes all of Venango, Clarion, and Forest counties, but the western portion of Venango County would switch to the 16th District in the new map. The 16th District is represented by Mike Kelly.
The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision picked a 17-district map that had been proposed by a group of Democratic Party-aligned voters. The court picked the map after Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled Legislature deadlocked.