Six-term Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA-6), who took five election campaigns to even break 52 percent of the vote, announced today that he will not seek a seventh term from his Philadelphia suburban congressional district.
Aside from spending what will be 12 years in the US House at the end of the current Congress, Gerlach also served a dozen years in the Pennsylvania legislature. He is tenth in Republican seniority on the Ways & Means Committee, serving on the Health and Select Revenue Measures subcommittees.
As Gerlach’s 53 percent career average win percentage suggests, the 6th District is highly competitive and will be rated as a toss-up in an open seat situation. The Gerlach retirement means there are now 25 open House seats: 18 Republican, 7 Democrat.
