On heels of PA’s new congressional map, Rep. Fred Keller reverses course on reelection plans
After announcing last week that he would seek reelection, U.S. Representative Fred Keller, R-Kreamer, said Monday he would not be running for reelection after all.
In a press release Monday evening, he wrote that the control of Congress and “the direction of our nation” are at stake, and the election is “bigger than any one person.”
“Rather than pit Republicans against Republicans, which the congressional map chosen by the liberal Pennsylvania Supreme Court does, I am committed to helping take back the House, holding Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, and electing a conservative Governor. To that end, I am not going to run against another member of Pennsylvania’s Republican Congressional Delegation,” Keller said.
The reversal comes less than a week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court approved a new map of the state’s congressional districts. The map has Pennsylvania losing a seat, going from 18 to 17, due to slow population growth. The new map lumps two districts currently represented by Keller and Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, into one northern district. Keller and Thompson currently represent parts of Centre County and with the new map, Thompson will represent all of it.
Last week, Keller said he would seek reelection in the new 9th District rather than challenging Thompson, facing off in that district against Republican incumbent Dan Meuser. Thompson announced last week he would seek reelection to the newly defined 15th District.
In a press release, Keller said the state’s Supreme Court did the commonwealth a “great injustice” by selecting the map, which he says favors Democrats.
“The liberal Pennsylvania Supreme Court did the Commonwealth a great injustice when it once again overstepped its authority and selected a partisan map favoring Democrats. Make no mistake, this map — submitted by a national Democrat group — intends to diminish the voices of conservative voters in central and northeast Pennsylvania. As I said last week, I am not going to let that happen,” Keller wrote.
The court ended up with the decision after Pennsylvania’s Democrat Governor Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Legislature deadlocked on a new plan, the Associated Press reported. The court has selected boundaries twice before in the past three decades. The decision is expected to be final, although a federal court challenge by Republicans is pending, AP reported.
Keller said he is committed to providing the 12th District’s constituents service.
“My team and I will continue to work to provide the constituents of Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District with the highest level of service. Representing the values of the outstanding people of central and northeast Pennsylvania, who go to work every day and get the job done, has been the privilege of a lifetime. Thank you to everyone who has allowed me to do it.”
