Washington's 5th congressional district

Washington's 5th congressional district
Current Representative	Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R–Spokane)
Population (2000)	654,904
Median income	35,720
Ethnicity	89.7% White 1.3% Black 1.7% Asian 4.5% Hispanic 2.4% Native American 0.4% other
Cook PVI	R+8[1]

Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin. It is centered on Spokane, the state's second largest city.

Since 2005, the 5th District has been represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican. Rodgers's predecessor, George Nethercutt, defeated Tom Foley, then Speaker of the House, in the 1994 elections; Foley had held the seat since 1965.

In presidential elections, the 5th District was once fairly competitive, but in recent years has generally been a safe bet for the Republicans. Although George W. Bush carried the district with 57% in 2000 and 2004, John McCain just narrowly won the district with 52% of the vote, while Barack Obama received 46% in 2008. In 2012, President Obama's share of the vote dropped to 44%.

The first election in the 5th District was in 1914, won by Democrat Clarence Dill. Following the 1910 census, Washington gained two seats in the U.S. House, from three to five, but did not reapportion for the 1912 election. The two new seats were elected as statewide at-large, with each voter casting ballots for three congressional seats, their district and two at-large. After that election, the state was reapportioned to five districts for the 1914 election. The state's 6th District was added after the 1930 census and first contested in the 1932 election.

The district from 2003 to 2013

Recent results from statewide races

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Years	District Home	Electoral history
District created		March 4, 1915
Clarence C. Dill	Democratic	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919	Spokane	Lost re-election.
J. Stanley Webster	Republican	March 4, 1919 – May 8, 1923	Spokane	Resigned to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
Vacant		May 8, 1923 – September 25, 1923
Samuel B. Hill	Democratic	September 25, 1923 – June 25, 1936	Waterville[2]	Resigned to become member of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals.
Vacant		June 25, 1936 – January 3, 1937
Charles H. Leavy	Democratic	January 3, 1937 – August 1, 1942	Veradale[3]	Resigned to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Vacant		August 1, 1942 – January 3, 1943
Walt Horan	Republican	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1965	Wenatchee	Lost re-election.
Tom Foley	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1995	Spokane	Lost re-election.
George R. Nethercutt Jr.	Republican	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2005	Spokane	Retired to run for U.S. Senator
Cathy McMorris Rodgers	Republican	January 3, 2005 – present	Spokane	First elected in 2004.

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2008
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2010
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2012

References

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

• Washington State Redistricting Commission
• Find your new congressional district: a searchable map, Seattle Times, January 13, 2012

Coordinates: 48°N 118°W / 48°N 118°W / 48; -118