Virginia's 5th congressional district

Virginia's fifth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. The 5th district includes the majority of Southside Virginia. Within the district are the cities of Charlottesville, Danville, and Lynchburg.

The district's first representative in Congress was James Madison, who defeated James Monroe in the district's first congressional election. Madison and Monroe would go on to serve as the 4th and 5th Presidents of the United States. The current Congressman is Republican Bob Good.

Historically, the 5th was one of the first districts of Virginia to turn Republican in presidential elections. Southside was one of the fountainheads for the Byrd Organization, and the region's Democrats began splitting their tickets in presidential elections as early as the 1930s. The trend accelerated in the years before the Civil Rights Act of 1965, as large portions of the area's limited and almost entirely white electorate who preferred conservative positions on black civil rights. The district was to be one of two in Virginia which gave a plurality of the vote to segregationist George Wallace in 1968, and has never supported a Democrat for president since Harry S. Truman in 1948.

Despite this, the congressional seat remained in the hands of Democrats who were very conservative even by Virginia standards. This ended in 1999, when Virgil Goode became an independent; he became a Republican in 2002. In 2008, Democrat Tom Perriello defeated Goode with significant Democratic down-ballot coattails from the Obama campaign. Republican Robert Hurt defeated Perriello in 2010, going on to serve three terms. After Hurt left office, the district continued to elect Republicans, including Tom Garrett, Denver Riggleman, who both served one term, and Bob Good, who was re-elected in 2022.

Redistricting after the 2020 census added Lynchburg to the district; most of its suburbs have been in the 5th for decades. It was also pushed as far east as Goochland County on Richmond's western fringe.

Demographics
According to the APM Research Lab's Voter Profile Tools (featuring the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey), the district contained about 580,000 potential voters (citizens, age 18+). Of these, 75% are White and 20% are Black. Immigrants make up 3% of the district's potential voters. Median income among households (with one or more potential voter) in the district is about $57,700, while 12% of households live below the poverty line. As for the educational attainment of potential voters in the district, 12% of those 25 and older have not earned a high school degree, while 27% hold a bachelor's or higher degree.

Area covered
It covers all or part of the following political subdivisions:

Counties
The entirety of:
 * Amelia County
 * Amherst County
 * Appomattox County
 * Buckingham County
 * Campbell County
 * Charlotte County
 * Cumberland County
 * Fluvanna County
 * Goochland County
 * Halifax County
 * Louisa County
 * Lunenburg County
 * Mecklenburg County
 * Nelson County
 * Nottoway County
 * Powhatan County
 * Pittsylvania County
 * Prince Edward County

Portions of:
 * Albemarle County
 * Bedford County
 * Hanover County

Cities

 * Charlottesville
 * Danville
 * Lynchburg

Recent results in statewide elections

 * Results under current lines (since 2023)

2022
2022 Virginia's 5th congressional district election

Incumbent Bob Good defeated Josh Throneburg in the November general election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

2020
2020 Virginia's 5th congressional district election

Republican Bob Good defeated Dr. Cameron Webb in the November general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

2018
2018 Virginia's 5th congressional district election

Took place on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with Republican Denver Riggleman winning the election. The incumbent, Tom Garrett, did not run for re-election.

2016
2016 Virginia's 5th congressional district election

Historical district boundaries
The Virginia Fifth District started in 1788 covering the counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Fluvanna, Goochland, Louisa, Spotsylvania, Orange and Culpepper.