Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 is represented by Devlin Robinson (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Pennsylvania state senators represented an average of 260,237 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 254,698 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Pennsylvania State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Pennsylvania legislators assume office on the first day of December after a general election.[1]
Qualifications
Article II of the Pennsylvania Constitution states:
| “ | Senators shall be at least 25 years of age and Representatives 21 years of age. They shall have been citizens and inhabitants of the State four years, and inhabitants of their respective districts one year next before their election (unless absent on the public business of the United States or of this State), and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service.[2][3] | ” |
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $106,422.33/year | $185/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election. There are no deadlines set in the state constitution on when a special election can be held.[5]
See sources: Pennsylvania Cons. Art. II, §2
District map
Redistricting
2020-2022
On February 4, 2022, the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted 4-1 to approve new state House and Senate maps.[6] House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R) voted no, while Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R), state Rep. Joanna McClinton (D), state Sen. Jay Costa (D), and chairman Mark Nordenberg voted yes.[6] These maps took effect for Pennsylvania's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Pennsylvania work? In Pennsylvania, the statutory authority to draw congressional district boundaries is vested with the Pennsylvania General Assembly. These lines are subject to gubernatorial veto.[7]
State legislative district lines are drawn by a politician commission. Established in 1968, the commission comprises five members:[7]
- The majority leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate appoints one member.
- The minority leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate appoints one member.
- The majority leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives appoints one member.
- The minority leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives appoints one member.
- The first four commissioners appoint a fifth member to serve as the commission's chair. If the commission is unable to reach an agreement, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court must appoint a commission chair.[7]
The Pennsylvania Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. Further, state legislative districts should "respect county, city, incorporated town, borough, township and ward boundaries." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.[7]
Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
until November 30, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
starting December 1, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Incumbent Devlin Robinson defeated Nicole Ruscitto in the general election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Devlin Robinson (R) | 52.9 | 79,014 |
 | Nicole Ruscitto (D) | 47.1 | 70,292 | |
| Total votes: 149,306 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Nicole Ruscitto advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nicole Ruscitto | 98.7 | 24,709 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 325 | ||
| Total votes: 25,034 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Incumbent Devlin Robinson advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Devlin Robinson | 98.9 | 17,913 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 196 | ||
| Total votes: 18,109 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020
General election
General election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Devlin Robinson defeated incumbent Pam Iovino in the general election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Devlin Robinson (R) | 52.1 | 92,027 |
 | Pam Iovino (D) | 47.9 | 84,582 | |
| Total votes: 176,609 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Incumbent Pam Iovino advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Pam Iovino | 100.0 | 43,051 |
| Total votes: 43,051 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Devlin Robinson defeated Jeff Neff in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Devlin Robinson | 58.1 | 16,861 |
 | Jeff Neff | 41.9 | 12,181 | |
| Total votes: 29,042 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
A special election for District 37 of the Pennsylvania State Senate, which was located in the Pittsburgh suburbs, was called for April 2, 2019.[8] The seat became vacant after Guy Reschenthaler (R) was elected to represent Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District in the U.S. House on November 6, 2018. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 26-21 majority in the state Senate, with three vacancies. The three vacancies were in seats previously held by Republicans.
Candidates running for special elections in Pennsylvania are selected by their respective political parties. Democrats nominated Pam Iovino, a U.S. Navy veteran who served as assistant secretary for congressional affairs in George W. Bush's administration. Republicans nominated D. Raja, a businessman who served as chairman of the Allegheny County GOP and previously ran for the seat in 2012.[9]
The seat changed partisan control in the years before the special election. Sen. Matthew Smith (D) was elected to the seat in 2012 to replace retiring incumbent John Pippy (R). Smith defeated Raja by less than 5 percentage points in the general election. Smith resigned in 2015 to become president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. Reschenthaler won a November 2015 special election to replace Smith by 10 percentage points and was then elected to a full term in 2016 by more than 20 percentage points. In the 2016 presidential election, the district voted for Donald Trump (R) over Hillary Clinton (D) by 5.8 percentage points.[10]
General election
Special general election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37
Pam Iovino defeated D. Raja in the special general election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 on April 2, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Pam Iovino (D) | 52.0 | 33,401 |
| D. Raja (R) | 48.0 | 30,854 | |
| Total votes: 64,255 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Pennsylvania State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on April 26, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 16, 2016.
Incumbent Guy Reschenthaler defeated Edward Eichenlaub in the Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 general election.[11][12]
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 37, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Guy Reschenthaler Incumbent |
60.65% | 90,987 | |
| Democratic | Edward Eichenlaub | 39.35% | 59,044 | |
| Total Votes | 150,031 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
Edward Eichenlaub ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 Democratic primary.[13][14]
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 37, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Edward Eichenlaub (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Guy Reschenthaler ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 Republican primary.[13][14]
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 37, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Guy Reschenthaler Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2015
A special election for the position of Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 was called for November 3. Candidates were nominated by parties rather than chosen in primaries.[15]
The seat was vacant following Matthew Smith's (D) resignation on June 21, 2015, to become president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.[16]
Guy Reschenthaler (R) defeated Heather Arnet (D) in the special election.[17][18]
| Pennsylvania State Senate, District 37, Special Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Guy Reschenthaler |
55.1% | 30,565 | |
| Democratic | Heather Arnet | 44.9% | 24,888 | |
| Total Votes | 55,453 | |||
2012
Elections for the office of Pennsylvania State Senate consisted of a primary election on April 24, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 16, 2012. Matthew Smith (D) defeated D. Raja (R) in the general election and was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Raja defeated Mark Mustio and Sue Means in the Republican primary.[19][20]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Matthew Smith Incumbent |
52.6% | 70,883 | |
| Republican | D. Raja | 47.4% | 63,854 | |
| Total Votes | 134,737 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
D. Raja |
43.6% | 10,035 |
| Mark Mustio | 24.7% | 5,691 |
| Sue Means | 31.6% | 7,281 |
| Total Votes | 23,007 | |
Campaign contributions
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From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 raised a total of $12,752,390.
Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $708,466 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $1,152,558 | 2 | $576,279 |
| 2020 | $4,266,847 | 3 | $1,422,282 |
| 2019 | $4,001,174 | 2 | $2,000,587 |
| 2016 | $1,799,238 | 2 | $899,619 |
| 2010 | $183,629 | 1 | $183,629 |
| 2008 | $419,440 | 2 | $209,720 |
| 2006 | $201,731 | 1 | $201,731 |
| 2004 | $274,246 | 3 | $91,415 |
| 2002 | $101,177 | 1 | $101,177 |
| 2000 | $352,350 | 1 | $352,350 |
| Total | $12,752,390 | 18 | $708,466 |
See also
- Pennsylvania State Legislature
- Pennsylvania State Senate
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Pennsylvania state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pennsylvania Constitution, "Article II, Section 2," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ The Constitution of Pennsylvania, "Article II, Section 5: Qualifications of members," accessed February 3, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ State of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania Constitution," accessed February 15, 2021 (Article II, Section 2)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddr - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 All About Redistricting, "Pennsylvania," accessed May 8, 2015
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Special election set for April 2 to fill Pa. Senate seat left vacant by Guy Reschenthaler," January 5, 2019
- ↑ Politics PA, "SD37: Iovino and Raja Balance Moderate Message with Turning Out the Base," April 1, 2019
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," accessed April 1, 2019
- ↑ Pennsylvania Voter Services, "Candidate listing," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "November 8, 2016, official election results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Pennsylvania Secretary of State, "Election Information," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2016 Presidential Primary," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ post-gazette.com, "State Senate vacancy attracts candidates," accessed June 25, 2015
- ↑ Politics PA, "BREAKING: State Sen. Matt Smith Resigning," accessed May 28, 2015
- ↑ politicspa.com, "SD-37: Heather Arnet Wins Democratic Nomination," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "37th Senatorial Special Election," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ "Pennsylvania Secretary of State - Official General Election Results," accessed November 4, 2013
- ↑ "Pennsylvania Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results," accessed November 4, 2013
