Cook PVI D+8 | ||
 | ||
Current Representative Alan Lowenthal (D–Long Beach) Ethnicity 34.1% White
7.3% Black
21.4% Asian
34.1% Hispanic
3.1% other | ||
California's 47th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is centered in Long Beach and extends into the western Orange County cities of Garden Grove, Westminster, Stanton, Los Alamitos and Cypress. The district is represented by Democrat Alan Lowenthal.
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Characteristics
While the district's Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+8 suggests a fairly safe Democratic district, it is actually split between heavily Democratic portions of eastern Los Angeles County, centered around Long Beach, and Republican-leaning portions of western Orange County. However, the Los Angeles County portion has more than double the population of the Orange County portion (Long Beach alone accounts for half the population), pushing the district into the Democratic column.
In popular culture
California's 47th congressional district was the scene of a congressional election (won by a deceased Democratic challenger), and later a congressional special election (won by the Republican incumbent), featured in several episodes of the political drama The West Wing. However, in that context, several Orange County place names were referenced that are not within the current boundaries of the district, such as the city of Newport Beach. Many of these places are currently located in the 46th and 48th districts.
Living former Members
As of April 2015, there are two former members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 47th congressional district that are currently living.