Washington's 5th congressional district

Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin. It is centered on Spokane, the state's second largest city.

Washington's 5th congressional district
Representative	Cathy McMorris Rodgers R–Spokane
Population (2019)	734,322
Median household income	$57,837[1]
Ethnicity	89.7% White 4.5% Hispanic 2.4% Native American 1.7% Asian 1.3% Black 0.4% other
Cook PVI	R+8[2]

Since 2005, the 5th District has been represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican. Rodgers's predecessor, George Nethercutt, defeated Democrat Tom Foley, then Speaker of the House, in the 1994 elections; Foley had held the seat since 1965.

In presidential elections, the 5th District was once fairly competitive, but in recent years has generally been a safe bet for the Republicans. Although George W. Bush carried the district with 57% in 2000 and 2004, John McCain just narrowly won the district with 52% of the vote, while Barack Obama received 46% in 2008. In 2012, President Obama's share of the vote dropped to 44%.

The first election in the 5th District was in 1914, won by Democrat Clarence Dill. Following the 1910 census, Washington gained two seats in the U.S. House, from three to five, but did not reapportion for the 1912 election. The two new seats were elected as statewide at-large, with each voter casting ballots for three congressional seats, their district and two at-large. After that election, the state was reapportioned to five districts for the 1914 election. The state's 6th District was added after the 1930 census and first contested in the 1932 election.

The district from 2003 to 2013

Recent results from statewide races

Year	Office	Won District	Lost District	Winning Margin
1992	President	Clinton 40%	Bush 36%	4%
1996	President	Clinton 44%	Dole 43%	1%
2008	President	McCain 52%	Obama 46%	6%
2012	President	Romney 54%	Obama 44%	10%
2016	President	Trump 52%	Clinton 39%	13%
2020	President	Trump 53%	Biden 44%	9%

List of members representing the district

Member (Residence)	Party	Years	Cong ess	Electoral history
District created March 4, 1915
Clarence Dill (Spokane)	Democratic	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919	64th 65th	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election.
J. Stanley Webster (Spokane)	Republican	March 4, 1919 – May 8, 1923	66th 67th 68th	Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Resigned to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
Vacant		May 8, 1923 – September 25, 1923	68th
Samuel B. Hill (Waterville)[3]	Democratic	September 25, 1923 – June 25, 1936	68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th	Elected to finish Dill's term. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Resigned to become member of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals.
Vacant		June 25, 1936 – January 3, 1937	74th
Charles H. Leavy (Veradale)[4]	Democratic	January 3, 1937 – August 1, 1942	75th 76th 77th	Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Resigned to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Vacant		August 1, 1942 – January 3, 1943	77th
Walt Horan (Wenatchee)	Republican	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1965	78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th	Elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Lost re-election.
Tom Foley (Spokane)	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1995	89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd	Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Lost re-election.
George Nethercutt (Spokane)	Republican	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2005	104th 105th 106th 107th 108th	Elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Spokane)	Republican	January 3, 2005 – present	109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th	Elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020.

Recent election results

2012

Washington 5th Congressional District - 6 November 2012 [5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Incumbent)	191,066	61.9
	Democratic	Rich Cowan	117,512	38.1
Total votes			308,578	100.0

2014

Washington's 5th congressional district, 2014 [6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Cathy McMorris Rodgers (incumbent)	135,470	60.7
	Democratic	Joseph Pakootas	87,772	39.3
Total votes			223,242	100.0
	Republican hold

2016

Washington's 5th congressional district, 2016[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Cathy McMorris Rodgers (incumbent)	192,959	59.6
	Democratic	Joe Pakootas	130,575	40.4
Total votes			323,534	100.0
	Republican hold

2018

Washington's 5th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Cathy McMorris Rodgers (incumbent)	175,422	54.8
	Democratic	Lisa Brown	144,925	45.2
Total votes			320,347	100.0
	Republican hold

2020

Washington's 5th congressional district, 2020[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Cathy McMorris Rodgers (incumbent)	247,815	61.29
	Democratic	Dave Wilson	155,737	38.51
	Write-in		808	0.2
Total votes			404,360	100
	Republican hold

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2008
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2010
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2012
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2014
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2016
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2018
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2020

References

1. https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=53&cd=05
2. "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
3. "Hill elected to Congress". Spokane Daily Chronicle. September 26, 1923. p. 1.
4. Reilly, W. Newland (July 19, 1943). "Leavy returns to preside over federal court". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 3.

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

• Washington State Redistricting Commission
• Find your new congressional district: a searchable map, Seattle Times, January 13, 2012