Arizona's 2nd congressional district
Arizona's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona. It contains the northwestern corner of the state and most of the western suburbs of Phoenix as well as a small portion of the city itself.
The odd shape of the district is indicative of the use of gerrymandering in its construction. The unusual division was not, however, drawn to favor politicians. Owing to historic tensions between the Hopi and the Navajo Native American tribes and since tribal boundary disputes are a federal matter, it was thought inappropriate that both tribes should be represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by the same member.[1] Since the Hopi reservation is completely surrounded by the Navajo reservation, and in order to comply with current Arizona redistricting laws, some means of connection was required that avoided including large portions of Navajo land, hence the narrow riverine connection.
The district is currently represented by Republican Trent Franks.
Demographics
The district consists of all of Peoria (within the exception of the portion of that city within Yavapai County) and Surprise and portions of Glendale in Maricopa County, all of Mohave County, and the Hopi Nation in Navajo and Coconino counties. Despite the size and diversity of the district (it includes nearly all of the northwestern portion of the state), the wide majority of its population lives in the strongly conservative western suburbs of Phoenix, making this a fairly safe Republican seat.
George W. Bush carried the district in 2004 with 61% of the vote. Native son John McCain won the district in 2008 with 60.75% of the vote while Barack Obama received 38.07%.
During the Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008 Arizona Democratic Primary, the district was won by Hillary Rodham Clinton with 54.52% of the vote while Barack Obama received 35.62% and John Edwards took in 7.43%. In the Arizona Republican Primary, the 2nd District was won by favorite son John McCain with 49.51% while Mitt Romney received 29.51% and Mike Huckabee took in 10.46% of the vote in the district.
Voting
List of representatives
Arizona transitioned from electing its members of the House from separate districts with the 1948 elections, after using a general ticket since gaining a second seat in the House with the 1940 Census.
| Representative |
Party |
Term |
Congress |
Counties[2][3][4] |
Description |
Note |
| Harold A. Patten |
Democratic |
January 3, 1949 - January 3, 1955 |
81st-83rd |
All except Maricopa |
Retired |
| Stewart L. Udall |
Democratic |
January 3, 1955 - January 18, 1961 |
84th-87th |
Resigned after being appointed Secretary of the Interior |
| Vacant |
January 21, 1961 - May 2, 1961 |
87th |
Special election |
| Morris K. Udall |
Democratic |
May 2, 1961 - January 3, 1963 |
Resigned |
| January 3, 1963 - January 3, 1973 |
88th-92nd |
Cochise, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yuma |
S Arizona, including Tucson |
| January 3, 1973 - January 3, 1983 |
93rd-97th |
Cochise, Pima, Santa Cruz, Maricopa (part), Pinal (part) |
| January 3, 1983 - May 4, 1991 |
98th-102nd |
Maricopa (part), Pima (part), Pinal (part), Santa Cruz (part), Yuma (part) |
SW Arizona, including parts of Metro Phoenix and of Tucson |
| Vacant |
May 4, 1991 - October 3, 1991 |
102nd |
Special election |
| Edward L. Pastor |
Democratic |
October 3, 1991 - January 3, 1993 |
Redistricted to 4th district (most territory went to 7th district) |
| January 3, 1993 - January 3, 2003 |
103rd-107th |
Yuma, Maricopa (part), Pima (part), Pinal (part) |
| Trent Franks |
Republican |
January 3, 2003 – Current |
108th-112th |
Mohave, Coconino (part), La Paz (part), Maricopa (part), Navajo (part) |
Parts of Metro Phoenix, extending to NW Arizona, plus the Hopi Reservation |
Incumbent |
Recent elections
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
References
- ^ Pitzi, Mary Jo, 2011. Navajos seek tribal-dominated district in Arizona. Arizona Republic, Published 16 September 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
- ^ Martis, Kenneth C., The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts, 1789-1983. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1982.
- ^ Martis, Kenneth C., The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1989.
- ^ Congressional Directory: Browse 105th Congress