Texas's 4th congressional district

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Texas's 4th congressional district
Population (2000)	651,619
Median income	$38,276
Ethnic composition	83.0% White, 10.4% Black, 0.6% Asian, 7.9% Hispanic, 0.8% Native American, 0.2% other
Cook PVI	R+17

Texas District 4 of the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that serves an area that includes some counties along the Red River north of Dallas, including all of Collin County outside of the area around Plano. It then snakes down east of Dallas to include some counties in East Texas like Van Zandt and portions of Kaufman. As of the 2000 census, District 4 represents 651,620 people who are predominantly Caucasian (80.8%) and middle-class (median family income is US$46,086, compared to $50,046 nationwide).

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 four 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. 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 District 4 and into neighboring District 1 which made District 1 significantly more Republican.

Ralph Hall, the current dean of the Texas congressional delegation, has represented the district since 1981. Originally a Democrat, he became a Republican in 2004. 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.

The district's best-known congressman was Sam Rayburn, the longtime Speaker of the House.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in the fourth district.

[edit] Representatives from Texas District 4

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.

• ^  Cranford died early in his second term and was succeeded by John L. Sheppard who was elected in a special election.
• ^  John L. Sheppard died in the middle of his term and was succeeded by his son, Morris Sheppard who was elected in a special election.
• ^  Rayburn died in late 1961 in the middle of his 25th term; Roberts succeeded him in a special election.
• ^  Hall switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican in 2004.

[edit] Election results

Ralph Hall's Democratic opponent in the 2006 election was Dr. Glenn Melancon.