Tennessee's 5th congressional district

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The current boundaries of Tennessee's 5th District
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The current boundaries of Tennessee's 5th District

The 5th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle Tennessee. The district was formed in 1827. It currently includes almost all of Davidson County, half of Wilson County, and half of Cheatham County.

Nearly two-thirds of the district's voting population lives in the state capital, Nashville, a Democratic stronghold. While some pockets of Republican influence exist in Cheatham and Wilson counties, those counties are always heavily outnumbered at the ballot box by Nashville. As a result, the 5th is a very safe seat for the Democrats. A Republican hasn't represented the 5th District since 1875. While Republicans made several strong bids for the district in the late 1960s and early 1970s, they have only put up token candidates since 1972.

Democrat Jim Cooper has represented the district since 2003.

Contents

[edit] Representatives

Name Took Office Left Office Party District Residence
Robert Desha 1827 1831 Jacksonian Democrat Gallatin
William Hall 1831 1833 Jacksonian Democrat Sumner County
John B. Forester 1833 1837 Jacksonian Democrat unknown
Abram P. Maury 1837 1839 Whig Williamson County
Hopkins L. Turney 1839 1843 Democrat Winchester
George Washington Jones 1843 1853 Democrat Fayetteville
Charles Ready 1853 1859 Whig, American Murfreesboro
Robert H. Hatton 1859 1861 Opposition Lebanon
American Civil War
William B. Campbell 1866 1867 Unionist Wilson County
John Trimble 1867 1869 Republican Nashville
William F. Prosser 1869 1871 Republican Nashville
Edward I. Golladay 1871 1873 Democrat Lebanon
Horace Harrison 1873 1875 Republican Nashville
John M. Bright 1875 1881 Democrat Fayetteville
Richard Warner 1881 1885 Democrat Lewisburg
James D. Richardson 1885 1905 Democrat Murfreesboro
William C. Houston 1905 1919 Democrat Woodbury
Ewin L. Davis 1919 1933 Democrat Tullahoma
Jo Byrns 1933 1936* Democrat Nashville
Richard M. Atkinson 1937 1939 Democrat Nashville
Jo Byrns, Jr. 1939 1941 Democrat Nashville
Percy Priest 1941 1943 Democrat Nashville
Jim Nance McCord 1943 1945 Democrat Lewisburg
Harold Earthman 1945 1947 Democrat Murfreesboro
Joe L. Evins 1947 1953 Democrat Smithville
Percy Priest 1953 1956* Democrat Nashville
J. Carlton Loser 1957 1963 Democrat Nashville
Richard Fulton 1963 1975 Democrat Nashville
Clifford Allen 1975** 1978* Democrat Nashville
Bill Boner 1979 1988 Democrat Nashville
Bob Clement 1988** 2003 Democrat Nashville
Jim Cooper 2003 present Democrat Nashville

* Died in office
** Assumed office by special election

Source: Political Graveyard database of Tennessee congressmen

[edit] Recent election results

United States House elections, 2006: Tennessee District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jim Cooper 122,919 69.0 -0.3
Republican Thomas F. Kovach 49,702 27.9 -2.8
Independent Ginny Welsch 3,766 2.1
Independent Scott Knapp 1,755 1.0

Source: November 7, 2006 General Election Official Returns (Accessed 2006-12-11)

United States House elections, 2004: Tennessee District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jim Cooper 168,970 69.3 +5.5
Republican Scott Knapp 74,978 30.7 -2.5
Write-in candidate Thomas F. Kovach 15 0.0

Source: Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 2004

[edit] History of district boundaries

Below are the counties included in Tennessee District 5 from 1921 to 2000:

  • 1921-1930: Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, Rutherford
  • 1931-1940: Davidson, Macon, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale
  • 1941-1950: Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, Rutherford, Wilson
  • 1951-1970: Davidson
  • 1971-1980: Cheatham, Davidson, Robertson
  • 1981-1990: Davidson and Robertson
  • 1991-2000: Davidson and most of Robertson

Source: Tennessee Blue Books

[edit] External links

Tennessee Congressional districts