Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 120

Summary

The 120th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Luzerne County and has been represented by Aaron Kaufer since 2015. The district includes the following areas:[1]

Pennsylvania's 120th State
House of Representatives
district

Representative
  Aaron Kaufer
RLuzerne
Demographics93.8% White
3.4% Black
2.2% Hispanic
Population (2011)
 • Citizens of voting age
62,171
50,332

Representatives edit

Representative Party Years District home Note
Prior to 1969, seats were apportioned by county.
Frank J. O'Connell, Jr. Republican 1969–1978 Kingston Ran for State Senate
Franklin Coslett Republican 1979–1986 Kingston Retired
Scott Dietterick Republican 1987–1990 Kingston Defeated for reelection
Phyllis Mundy Democrat 1991 – 2015 Kingston Retired
Aaron Kaufer Republican 2015 – present Kingston Incumbent

During the 1990s, the district was predominantly Republican, especially in the towns of Kingston, West Pittston, and Shavertown. In recent years, the district has become increasingly Democratic. 57 percent of voters in the district are registered Democrats. It is a district that was carried by Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, and Barack Obama in 2008. However, Republican Tom Corbett won the district in his race for governor in 2010. In 2012, incumbent President Obama won 55 percent of the district electorate. In 2016, businessman Donald Trump won the district. Kingston has been mostly Democratic since the late 2000s, West Pittston is now evenly split between the two parties, and Shavertown is only narrowly Republican now.

The current state representative for the district, lifelong Kingston resident Aaron Kaufer, is a Republican. He easily won his first election in November 2014 by a 56% to 44% margin over Democrat Eileen Cipriani of West Wyoming. Kaufer succeeded longtime Democratic representative Phyllis Mundy, who represented the district for 24 years before retiring in 2014.

The home seat of the district is Kaufer's hometown of Kingston, by far the largest municipality in the district.

Every representative that has served the 120th district has been a resident of Kingston.

Recent election results edit

PA House election, 2010:
Pennsylvania House, District 120
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Phyllis Mundy 10,153 52.98
Republican Bill Goldsworthy 6,154 32.11
Libertarian Tim Mullen 2,858 14.91
Margin of victory 3,999 24.52
Turnout 19,165 100
PA House election, 2012:
Pennsylvania House, District 120
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Phyllis Mundy 14,133 56.12
Republican Aaron Kaufer 11,050 43.88
Margin of victory 3,083 12.24   12.28
Turnout 25,183 100
PA House election, 2014:
Pennsylvania House, District 120
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Aaron Kaufer 9,514 56.01
Democratic Eileen Cipriani 7,472 43.99
Margin of victory 2,042 12.02
Turnout 16,986 100
PA House election, 2016:
Pennsylvania House, District 120
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Aaron Kaufer 18,843 67.85
Democratic Robert McDonald 8,929 32.15
Margin of victory 9,914 35.69   23.67
Turnout 27,772 100

References edit

  • Cox, Harold (2004). "Legislatures – 1776–2004". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  1. ^ "2022 Pennsylvania House of Representatives Districts". Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved March 1, 2023.

External links edit

  • District Map from the United States Census Bureau
  • Pennsylvania House Legislative District Maps from the Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission.
  • Population Date for District 45 from the Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission.