Virginia's 6th congressional district
Virginia's 6th congressional district | |
---|---|
Representative | |
Distribution |
|
Population (2016) | 754,859[2] |
Median household income | $50,061 |
Ethnicity |
|
Cook PVI | R+13[3] |
Virginia’s sixth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It covers much of the west-central portion of the state, including Roanoke, Lynchburg and most of the Shenandoah Valley. The current representative is Ben Cline (R), who has held the seat since the 2019 retirement of incumbent Republican Bob Goodlatte.
The district was an open seat in 2018. In November 2017, Goodlatte announced that he would retire from Congress at the end of his current term, and would not seek re-election.[4]
Historically, the 6th district was one of the first areas of Virginia to turn Republican. Many of the old Byrd Democrats in the area began splitting their tickets and voting Republican at the national level as early as the 1930s. It was also one of the first areas of Virginia where Republicans were able to break the long Democratic dominance at the state and local level. The district itself was in Republican hands from 1953 to 1983. Democrat Jim Olin then won the seat in 1982, and held it for a decade before Goodlatte won it.
Some counties in the district have not supported a Democrat for president since Franklin D. Roosevelt. For instance, Highland and Shenandoah counties last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1932, and Augusta and Roanoke counties have not supported a Democrat since 1944.[5] The district as a whole has not supported a Democrat for president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Area covered
It covers all or part of the following political subdivisions:
Counties
The entirety of:
- Amherst County
- Augusta County
- Bath County
- Botetourt County
- Highland County
- Page County
- Rockbridge County
- Rockingham County
- Shenandoah County
- Warren County
Portions of:
Cities
Recent election results from statewide races
Year | Office | Results |
---|---|---|
1996 | President | Dole 50–40%[citation needed] |
Senator | Warner 54–46%[citation needed] | |
1997 | Governor | Gilmore 60–38%[citation needed] |
Lieutenant Governor | Hager 53–43%[citation needed] | |
Attorney General | Earley 62–38%[citation needed] | |
2000 | President | Bush 60–37%[citation needed] |
Senator | Allen 58–42%[citation needed] | |
2001 | Governor | Earley 51–49%[citation needed] |
Lieutenant Governor | Katzen 54–45%[citation needed] | |
Attorney General | Kilgore 67–33%[citation needed] | |
2004 | President | Bush 63–36%[citation needed] |
2008 | President | McCain 57–42%[citation needed] |
List of members representing the district
Historical district boundaries
See also
References
- ^ Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ Bureau, Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- ^ Forman, Carmen (November 9, 2017). "After nearly a quarter century in D.C., Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke County will not seek re-election". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, VA. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004; pp. 326-330 ISBN 0786422173
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
{{cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
{{cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present