Alabama's 4th congressional district
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| Alabama's 4th congressional district | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Current Representative | Robert Aderholt (R) | |
| Area | 8,524 mi² | |
| Distribution | 26.5% urban, 73.5% rural | |
| Population (2000) | 635,300 | |
| Median income | $31,344 | |
| Ethnicity | 90.4% White, 5.1% Black, 0.2% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American, 0.8% other | |
| Occupation | 40.8% blue collar, 46% white collar, 13.2% gray collar | |
| Cook PVI | R+26 | |
Alabama's Fourth Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It encompasses the counties of Franklin, Marion, Lamar, Fayette, Walker, Winston, Cullman, Blount, Marshall, Etowah, and DeKalb. It also includes parts of Morgan and Pickens counties, as well as parts of the Decatur Metropolitan Area and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.
It is currently represented by Republican Robert Aderholt.
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[edit] Character
Alabama's 4th Congressional District is a collection of smaller towns, mid-major, and major cities north of Birmingham, the largest being Decatur and Gadsden. Other cities in the district include Cullman, Jasper, Russellville, Ft. Payne, and Albertville. Stretching right across the state and crossing the Appalachian ranges, this district covers lightly populated rural areas. The district has the lowest percentage of African American population in the state.
Only the southeastern portions of Decatur, the areas of Point Mallard, Burningtree Mountain, and Flint are within the 4th Conrgressional District.
This area of northern Alabama faces the same economic challenges of much of the state - the most prominent being the loss of jobs in areas like textiles or manufacturing to international competitors. Fort Payne, the self-proclaimed "Sock Capital of the World," in particular has drawn political attention to its 150 sock factories which face strong competition from China and India. The district also has a large amount of military veterans.
While Democrats have a substantial majority in voter registration, most of them tend to be quite conservative on social issues; controversial former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore is from this area. Some counties voted against secession before the Civil War; they were among the few areas of Alabama to support Republicans prior to the Civil Rights Movement. The district was one of five to elect a Republican in 1964 when Barry Goldwater swept the state. However, it returned to the Democratic fold and remained there for 30 years until it elected a Republican in 1996.
The district gave a 71% vote to George W. Bush in 2004, his second-best performance in the state behind only the neighboring 6th District. This was a major factor in making the state of Alabama Bush's best Southern state (one of the 11 states of the old Confederacy) and seventh best overall; even ahead of Texas, considerably more affluent and Bush's home state.
In 2008, the district gave John McCain 76.32% of the vote, his best showing in the state. Barack Obama received 22.48% of the vote here, making it his worst-performing congressional district in the nation.
[edit] Representation
- ^ Alabama elected all 5 of its representatives at-large during the 27th Congress
- ^ Election contested.
- ^ Re-elected to fill vacancy in 47th. Election to 48th contested, left office January 9, 1885
- ^ Successfully contested election, took office on January 9, 1885
- ^ Election contested, left office on June 4, 1890
- ^ Successfully contested election, took office on June 4, 1890
- ^ Election contested, left office on March 13, 1896
- ^ Successfully contested election, took office on March 13, 1896
- ^ Election contested, left office on February 9, 1898
- ^ Successfully contested election, took office on February 9, 1898
- ^ Election contested, left office on March 8, 1900
- ^ Successfully contested election, took office on March 8, 1900
- ^ Died in office on February 8, 1921
- ^ Elected to fill vacancy on June 7, 1921
[edit] Election results
[edit] 2004
| Party | Canadidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | Robert Aderholt | 191,110 | 74.8 | |
| Democratic Party | Carl Cole | 64,278 | 25.2 | |
[edit] 2006
99% of precincts reporting [1]
| Party | Canadidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | Robert Aderholt | 128,412 | 70 | |
| Democratic Party | Barbara Bobo | 54,338 | 30 | |
[edit] 2008
100% of precincts reporting [2]
| Party | Canadidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | Robert Aderholt | 196,517 | 75 | |
| Democratic Party | Nicholas Sparks | 65,996 | 25 | |
[edit] External links
- CNN coverage of the 2006 election
- CNN converage of the 2004 election
- CNN converage of the 2002 election
- CNN converage of the 2000 election
[edit] References
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