Frank Pecora is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania State Senate

The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...

, who represented the 44th District

Pennsylvania Senate, District 44

Pennsylvania's 44th Senatorial district includes parts of Berks, Chester, and Montgomery CountiesBerks County* Amity Township* Douglass Township* Robeson TownshipChester County* Caln Township* Coatesville* East Brandywine Township* East Nantmeal Township...

 from 1979 to 1995.

Political career

Pecora was first elected to the Senate in 1978.

Several prominent Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 Democrats previously worked for Pecora, including former State Senator Sean Logan

Sean Logan

Sean F. Logan is a Democratic politician and former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who represented the 45th District from 2001 until his resignation on August 24, 2010.-External links:...

 and Congressman Michael Doyle

Michael F. Doyle

Michael F. "Mike" Doyle is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Pittsburgh and includes most of Allegheny County....

.

Reapportionment

Pecora, a political moderate, had fallen out of favor with his party's leadership by the early 1990s, despite the fact that he had served over thirteen years in the State Senate as a member of the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

. In 1991, the Republican-controlled legislature passed a reapportionment plan that moved Pecora's district

Pennsylvania Senate, District 44

Pennsylvania's 44th Senatorial district includes parts of Berks, Chester, and Montgomery CountiesBerks County* Amity Township* Douglass Township* Robeson TownshipChester County* Caln Township* Coatesville* East Brandywine Township* East Nantmeal Township...

 several hundred miles across the state, from Allegheny County

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...

 to Chester County

Chester County, Pennsylvania

-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...

. Determined to continue in the Senate, Pecora followed his district and rented an apartment in Chester County, and continued serving his new constituents.

Party switch

By late 1992, Republicans held a 26-24 majority in the chamber. Pecora, still upset with the reapportionment decision, decided to switch parties and vote with the Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. This decision changed the Senate's partisan makeup to an even 25-25, allowing Democratic Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor. Jim Cawley of Bucks County is the incumbent Lieutenant Governor...

 Mark Singel

Mark Singel

Mark Stephen Singel served as the Democratic lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995 under Bob Casey He was acting governor from June 14, 1993, to December 13, 1993, during Casey's lengthy battle with amyloidosis and subsequent multiple organ transplant.A graduate of Pennsylvania...

 to cast the tie-breaking vote that allowed Democrats to gain control of the chamber. Republican Bob Jubelirer

Robert Jubelirer

Robert C. Jubelirer is a Republican Pennsylvania political leader. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1975 to 2006, and simultaneously served as the President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania between 2001 and...

, who lost his position as President pro tempore

President pro tempore

A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...

 of the body to Bob Mellow, characterized the decision as "a knife in the back".

Retirement

Pecora announced prior to the 1994 elections that he would not seek re-election in his new district. His former seat was won by Republican State Representative Jim Gerlach

Jim Gerlach

James "Jim" Gerlach is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.- Early life, education and career :...

(who was later elected to Congress), helping Republicans regain control of the Senate.