Arizona's 8th congressional district

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Arizona's 8th congressional district
Area 9,057 mi²
Distribution 87.3% urban, 12.7% rural
Population (2000) 641,329
Median income $40,656
Ethnic composition 73.9% White, 3% Black, 2.1% Asian, 18.2% Hispanic, 0.8% Native American, 0.1% other
Cook PVI R+1

Arizona's 8th Congressional District encompasses the extreme southeastern of the state. It includes all of Cochise County, Arizona and parts of Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties.

It is currently represented by Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat. George W. Bush received 53% of the vote in this district in 2004.

Contents

[edit] Statistics

  • Male 49.1%, Female 50.9%
  • Median age: 39.1
  • Median Household Income: $40,656

[edit] Competitiveness

This seat was in Republican hands until the election in Giffords in 2006. The seat has a slight GOP lean with most of the latino areas of Tucson contained in the neigboring 7th District. Tucson's GOP leanings are more socially liberal than its neighbor to the north Phoenix which helped Giffords in her bid over Randy Graf.

Campaign signs in the 2006 election
Campaign signs in the 2006 election

[edit] Recent results

[edit] 2002

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections, 2002
Party Candidate Votes  %
  Republican Party Jim Kolbe 112,872 63
  Democratic Party Mary Judge Ryan 60,536 34
  Libertarian Party Joe Duarte 5,520 3

[edit] 2004

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections, 2004
Party Candidate Votes  %
  Republican Party Jim Kolbe 183,363 60.4
  Democratic Party Eva Bacal 109,963 36.2
  Libertarian Party Robert Anderson 10,443 3.4

[edit] 2006

Main article: Arizona's 8th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes  %
  Democratic Party Gabrielle Giffords 114,794 54.1
  Republican Party Randy Graf 89,609 42.2
  Libertarian Party David Nolan 4,025 1.9

[edit] 2008 Election

Tim Bee, current President of the Arizona Senate is running against incumbent Gabrielle Giffords.

[edit] List of Representatives

Representative Party Years District home Notes
Jim Kolbe Republican 2003-01-03 – 2007-01-03 Redistricted from the fifth district
Retired
Gabrielle Giffords Democratic 2007-01-03 – present Incumbent

[edit] History

In the late 1800s, Apache chief Cochise and a band of Chiricahuas built their stronghold on the Dragoon range of mountains. Similar to a European robber-baron of the Middle Ages, the tribe would often ambush and rob passer-by. The presence of the tribe deterred the settlement of the area for far longer than the rest of the Arizona territory. Cochise, after a few decades, was eventually starved out of his stronghold and hanged. The district, containing a county now called by his name, developed when its varied and valuable resources were found in the 1870s. The discovery of mines in 1878 in the Tombstone district spurred much growth in the area.

[edit] Geography

The District is mountains and wide valleys. The district is considered to be high desert grasslands with elevations from 3500 to 6000 feet. Several mountain ranges run through the district with the highest peak in the Chiricahua Mountains at 9,796 feet. Southeast Arizona is at an ecological crossroads where habitats and species from the Sierra Madre of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts can all be found. The abrupt rise of mountains from the surrounding grasslands creates unique habitats harboring rare species and communities of plants and animals. The area has a semi-arid climate with moderate winters and very warm summers. Precipitation rarely exceeds one inch in any month other than July, August, and September, when high intensity, but short-lived thunderstorms and monsoons can occur.

[edit] Main industries

Primary job fields of the people in the district include: agriculture, ranching, livestock, mining, and tourism which make up the base of the economy in my district. The main irrigated crops are cotton, wheat, corn, grain, sorghum, alfalfa hay, apples, peaches, cherries, grapes, pistachios, pecans, lettuce, chilis, and other vegetables. The area has a multitude of U-pick vegetable farms and orchards, including several organic farms. Greenhouse tomato and cucumber operations have been completed in the past few years with good success. In Cochise County there is the U.S. Army base Fort Huachuca and numerous defense-related companies In suburban and urban areas, Wal-Marts are the most abundant superstores.

[edit] Schools

In the district, there is Cochise College, a 2-year college. The University of Arizona is within a couple miles of the district border, located in Pima County. 2.8% of adults 25 and older have completed less than 9th grade; 5.5% between 9th and 12th grade; but have not received a diploma. 17.9% are high school graduates; 26.8% have some college but no degree; 7.5% have an Associate’s degree; 26.1% have a Bachelor’s degree; and 13.5% have a Graduate or professional degree.

[edit] Tourism, recreation

Tourism is a big industry; it has numerous natural wonders, national forests, parks, and conservation areas. There are multiple caverns which have daily tours, and canyons available for visitation. National parks and reserves for hiking, camping, fishing and boating can be found throughout the region. There are also Apache historical sites, war memorials, museums, tour trains, and mine tours. Golfing is very popular, and there are multiple golf courses across the district.

[edit] References

  1. Demographic information at census.gov
  2. 2004 Election data at CNN.com
  3. 2002 Election data from CBSNews.com
  4. Cochise County Page
  5. Arizona Genealogy
  6. Apache Tribe
  7. Giffords House Website
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Arizona's congressional districts