Population (2000) 654,904 Median income 35,720 | Cook PVI R+6 | |
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Current Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R–Spokane) Ethnicity 89.7% White; 1.3% Black; 1.7% Asian; 4.5% Hispanic; 2.4% Native American; 0.4% other | ||
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.
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 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.