U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, Bradford Woods, R-4th District, made her first political stop in the Shenango Valley area Monday.

State lawmakers passed legislation early this year dividing Mercer County between two congressional districts for the first time in the modern political era.

While most of the county remains in its traditional place in the state's northwest district -- now the 3rd District and currently represented by U.S. Rep. Phil English -- the southwest corner of the county will be at the northern tip of Hart's 4th District, which stretches south into Allegheny County.

The district is currently represented by Ms. Hart, a freshman congresswoman who is seeking re-election in the fall.

Mercer County communities affected by the change include Farrell, Wheatland, West Middlesex, Shenango Township and part of Hermitage.

Ms. Hart met Monday with a host of local leaders and toured some of the Shenango Valley's largest employers.

Everywhere she went she was surrounded by a throng of people, many reaching for business cards and clamoring for a moment of her time.

At a luncheon at Oak Tree Country Club in Shenango Township, Ms. Hart said she believes the southwest part of the county is comparable to communities in her existing district. She represents all of Lawrence and Beaver counties and parts of Butler, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

"These are areas with good families and strong ties to their communities. We've seen heavy manufacturing suffer in many of these towns," Ms. Hart said.

"I'll continue to make every effort to see these towns grow and prosper," Ms. Hart said.

She said she would work to help the area get seed money for local projects and millions for regional development projects.

Ms. Hart also talked about being half of a western Pennsylvania congressional alliance that includes English. Combined, their two congressional districts -- under redistricting legislation passed this year -- include all or part of 13 counties and nearly 1.3 million people in the region.

The two have worked together in the past. Before he became a congressman in 1994, English was Ms. Hart's chief of staff when she was a state senator.

After the luncheon, Hart toured CCL Container in Hermitage, Sharon Tube in Wheatland and Duferco Farrell Corp. and Daffin's Candies in Farrell.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Tom Fontaine at tfontaine@sharon-herald.com