Free Republic

U.S. Rep. Todd Platts' announcement Tuesday that he would not seek reelection this year could not have come at a worse time for ambitious Republicans and combative Democrats. ... Retired Penn State University political science professor Michael Young agreed that Platts’ district is still too Republican for a Democrat to compete. “It’s 10 years away from being a truly competitive district” for Democrats, Young said. “It’s so packed [full of Republicans] that Democrats don’t have much incentive to put a whole lot of resources into it.” That assessment acknowledges that the district has become less Republican through last year’s redistricting....