Texas's 4th congressional district
Texas's 4th congressional district | |
---|---|
Texas's 4th congressional district - since January 3, 2013. | |
Representative | Vacant |
Distribution |
|
Population (2017) | 747,188[2] |
Median income | $56,062[2] |
Ethnicity |
|
Cook PVI | R+28[3] |
Texas's 4th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in an area of Northeast Texas, that includes some counties along the Red River northeast of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. As of 2017, the 4th district represents 747,188 people who are predominantly white (80.8 percent) and middle-class (median family income is US$56,062, compared to $50,046 nationwide).[2]
District[edit]
All or portions of the following counties are currently in the 4th congressional district:[4]
- Bowie County
- Camp County
- Cass County
- Collin County
- Delta County
- Fannin County
- Franklin County
- Grayson County
- Hopkins County
- Hunt County
- Lamar County
- Marion County
- Morris County
- Rains County
- Red River County
- Rockwall County
- Titus County
- Upshur County
History[edit]
Texas has had at least four congressional districts since the state was readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. The district’s current seat dates from 1903; only five men have represented it since then.
Once a reliably Democratic district, the district swung rapidly into the Republican column as Dallas’ suburbs spilled into the western portion of the district. In fact, it has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964, nor did a Democrat file to run in the district in either the 2014 or 2016 elections. However, even as late as 1996, Bill Clinton carried ten of the sixteen counties currently in this district; many of those counties were in the 1st district at the time. For many years, it was based in Tyler, but a controversial 2003 redistricting orchestrated by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay drew it and neighboring Longview out of the 4th district and into neighboring 1st which made it significantly more Republican. In the process, the 4th district was pushed slightly to the north, picking up Texarkana from the 1st district.
Ralph Hall, the one-time dean of the Texas congressional delegation, represented the district from 1981 to 2015. Originally a Democrat, he became a Republican in 2004. Hall’s voting record had been very conservative even by Texas Democratic standards, which served him well as the district abandoned its Democratic roots. By the turn of the century, he was the only elected Democrat above the county level in much of the district. He had been rumored as a party switcher for some time, and many experts believed his district was almost certain to be taken over by a Republican anyway once he retired.
Hall was defeated in the 2014 Republican primary by John Ratcliffe, a former United States Attorney and the former mayor of Heath, near Hall’s hometown of Rockwall. No Democrat even filed, though the district is so heavily Republican that any Democratic candidate would have faced nearly impossible odds in any event. Ratcliffe took office in January 2015, becoming only the fifth person to hold the seat. In May 2020, Ratcliffe resigned his seat ahead of his swearing in to become the 6th Director of National Intelligence.[5]
The district’s best-known congressman was Sam Rayburn, the longtime Speaker of the House.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in the fourth district.
2012 redistricting[edit]
After the 2012 redistricting process, a large portion of Collin County had been removed, and replaced with the portion of Cass County that had been in Texas's 1st congressional district, all of Marion County, and a large portion of Upshur County.[4]
Election results from recent presidential races[edit]
Year | Result |
---|---|
2000 | Bush 66 - 34% |
2004 | Bush 70 - 29% |
2008 | McCain 69 - 30% |
2012[6] | Romney 74 - 25% |
2016[6] | Trump 75 - 22% |
List of members representing the district[edit]
The district was created in 1869, one of two new districts that Texas gained after the 1860 Census, but was not filled due to the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Recent elections[edit]
2004[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Hall | 182,866 | 68.2 | |
Democratic | Jim Nickerson | 81,585 | 30.4 | |
Libertarian | Kevin D. Anderson | 3,491 | 1.3 | |
Total votes | 267,942 | |||
Republican hold |
2006[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Hall | 106,495 | 64.43 | |
Democratic | Glenn Melancon | 55,278 | 33.34 | |
Libertarian | Kurt G. Helm | 3,496 | 2.11 | |
Total votes | 165,269 | |||
Republican hold |
2008[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Hall | 206,906 | 68.79 | |
Democratic | Glenn Melancon | 88,067 | 29.28 | |
Libertarian | Fred Annett | 5,771 | 1.91 | |
Total votes | 300,744 | |||
Republican hold |
2010[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Hall | 136,338 | 73.18 | |
Democratic | VaLinda Hathcox | 40,975 | 21.99 | |
Libertarian | Jim D. Prindle | 4,729 | 2.53 | |
Independent | Shane Shepard | 4,224 | 2.27 | |
Total votes | 186,286 | |||
Republican hold |
2012[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Hall | 182,679 | 72.97 | |
Democratic | VaLinda Hathcox | 60,214 | 24.05 | |
Libertarian | Thomas Griffing | 7,262 | 2.90 | |
Write-in | Fred Rostek | 188 | 0.08 | |
Total votes | 250,343 | |||
Republican hold |
2014[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Ratcliffe | 115,085 | 100.00 | |
Total votes | 115,085 | |||
Republican hold |
2016[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Ratcliffe | 216,643 | 87.99 | |
Libertarian | Cody Wommack | 29,577 | 12.01 | |
Total votes | 246,220 | |||
Republican hold |
2018[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Ratcliffe | 188,667 | 75.7 | |
Democratic | Catherine Krantz | 57,400 | 23.0 | |
Libertarian | Ken Ashby | 3,178 | 1.3 | |
Total votes | 249,245 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
Historical district boundaries[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS BY URBAN AND RURAL POPULATION AND LAND AREA". US Census Bureau. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ a b c Bureau, Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ "Arranged by State District" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^ a b http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/
- ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/05/21/senate-poised-to-confirm-rep-john-ratcliffe-as-director-of-national-intelligence/
- ^ a b "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/05/21/senate-poised-to-confirm-rep-john-ratcliffe-as-director-of-national-intelligence/
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 2, 2004). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 7, 2006). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 4, 2008). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 2, 2010). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 6, 2012). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 4, 2014). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 8, 2016). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (November 6, 2018). "Race Summary Report". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- 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
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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Preceded by Alabama's 7th congressional district |
Home district of the Speaker of the House September 16, 1940 – January 3, 1947 |
Succeeded by Massachusetts's 14th congressional district |
Preceded by Massachusetts's 14th congressional district |
Home district of the Speaker of the House January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953 |
Succeeded by Massachusetts's 14th congressional district |
Preceded by Massachusetts's 14th congressional district |
Home district of the Speaker of the House January 3, 1955 – November 16, 1961 |
Succeeded by Massachusetts's 12th congressional district |
Coordinates: 33°18′19″N 95°25′17″W / 33.30528°N 95.42139°W