PA-4: Returning Congressman?

With redistricting creating an open Democratic 4th District in Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County, former US Rep. Joe Hoeffel (D) just filed a new campaign committee with the FEC and expects to soon announce his candidacy.  Mr. Hoeffel was first elected to Montgomery County’s then-13th Congressional District in 1998 and served three terms before leaving to unsuccessfully challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (R) in the 2004 statewide election.  Mr. Hoeffel would return to the Montgomery County Commission in a 2007 election, and then competed for the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination.  He retired from elective politics in 2012. 
 
The new 4th District contains almost all of Montgomery County and a sliver of Berks County.  It is a safely Democratic seat, so the May 15th Democratic primary winner punches his or her ticket to Washington.  Already in the campaign are state Reps. Mary Jo Daley (D-Narbeth) and Madeleine Dean (D-Abington), along with gun control activist Shira Goodman.

--Jim Ellis