| Washington's 3rd congressional district | ||
|---|---|---|
| Current Representative | Jaime Herrera Beutler (R–Camas) | |
| Population (2000) | 654,898 | |
| Median income | $44,426 | |
| Ethnicity | 89.8% White, 1.2% Black, 2.6% Asian, 4.6% Hispanic, 1.1% Native American, 0.4% other | |
| Cook PVI | EVEN | |
Washington's 3rd congressional district encompasses the southernmost portion of Western Washington, from Olympia south to the Columbia River. It includes the counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, and Clark, and the majority of Thurston and Skamania counties. The 3rd District is represented by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler.
Established after the 1900 census, the Third District was represented by Democrats for most of the latter half of the 20th century, until Rep. Jolene Unsoeld was defeated by maverick Republican Linda Smith as part of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Smith retired after two terms and was succeeded by Democrat Brian Baird.
In presidential elections, the 3rd District is rather competitive, unlike the rest of western Washington. It is one of the few districts in the country that cannot be considered safe for either party. George W. Bush narrowly carried the district in 2000 with 48% of the vote and again in 2004 with 50%. The district swung Democratic in 2008, giving Barack Obama 52% of the vote and 46% to John McCain. Baird announced he wouldn't run for reelection in 2010. Republican Jaime Herrera won the open seat in the 2010 general election by defeating Democrat Denny Heck 53%-47% and succeeded Baird.
Contents |
| Representative | Party | Term | District Home | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created | March 4, 1909 | |||
| Miles Poindexter | Republican | March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1911 | ||
| William L. La Follette | Republican | March 4, 1911 – March 4, 1915 | Redistricted to the 4th district | |
| Albert Johnson | Republican | March 4, 1915 – March 4, 1933 | Redistricted from the 2nd district | |
| Martin Fernard Smith | Democratic | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1943 | ||
| Fred B. Norman | Republican | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945 | ||
| Charles Raymon Savage | Democratic | January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 | ||
| Fred B. Norman | Republican | January 3, 1947 – April 18, 1947 | Died | |
| Vacant | April 18, 1947 – July 7, 1947 | |||
| Russell Vernon Mack | Republican | July 7, 1947 – March 28, 1960 | Died | |
| Vacant | March 28, 1960 – November 8, 1960 | |||
| Julia Butler Hansen | Democratic | November 8, 1960 – December 31, 1974 | ||
| Vacant | December 31, 1974 – January 3, 1975 | |||
| Don Leroy Bonker | Democratic | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1989 | ||
| Jolene Unsoeld | Democratic | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | ||
| Linda Smith | Republican | January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999 | Hazel Dell | |
| Brian Baird | Democratic | January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2011 | Vancouver | |
| Jaime Herrera Beutler | Republican | January 3, 2011 - present | Camas | |
The Washington Redistricting Commission is charged with adjusting the lines of congressional and legislative district boundaries after each decennial census. Given Washington State's growth over the previous decade, Washington will have an additional congressional district for the 113th congress, which means that all districts in the state will need to shrink to accommodate the new district. The third district will need to lose 106,894 people in the redistricting process in order to meet the ideal population of 672,454.[1] On September 13, 2011, the four voting commissioners on the Redistricting Commission submitted draft proposals for the congressional map. All four draft proposals left the entirety of Lewis, Whakiakum, Cowlitz, and Clark Counties, and all or most of Skamania county in the 3rd district. In addition, each proposal added population from one or more of Pacific, Thurston, Pierce, or Klickitat counties. [2] [3] [4] [5]
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