Virginia's 9th congressional district



Virginia's ninth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, covering much of the southwestern part of the state. The 9th is Virginia's second-largest district in area, covering 9,113.87 square miles (slightly larger than the whole state of New Jersey). It has been represented by Republican Morgan Griffith since 2011. He took office after defeating 14-term incumbent Democrat Rick Boucher. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+23, it is the most Republican district in Virginia.

The Ninth was the most competitive Virginia congressional district in the early 20th century, when the state was part of the Solid South. For twenty years (1903-1923), it was the only congressional district in Virginia — and one of the few in the entire former Confederacy — to be represented by a Republican. The district alternated between Democratic and Republican representation over the rest of the century. Some of the election results were so close — and questionable — that the district became known as "The Fighting Ninth."

Since the 1990s, the district has increasingly trended Republican in federal and state races, and it has taken over from the Shenandoah Valley-based Sixth as the most Republican district in the state. It last supported a Democrat for president in 1996, and has supported a Democrat in only two statewide contests since then.

The 9th is the only district in Virginia that cast more votes for Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary. Clinton won more than 60% of the vote, despite local Congressman Rick Boucher endorsing Obama. Republican presidential candidate John McCain received 59% of the vote in the 9th district in the 2008 General Election, however, his best performance in any of Virginia's eleven congressional districts. Voters in the 9th district supported McCain over Obama in the general election, despite reelecting Democratic Congressman Rick Boucher. In the 2010 midterm elections, in which Democrats lost their majority in Congress, Virginia State Delegate Morgan Griffith unseated Congressman Boucher by aligning Boucher with President Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both unpopular figures in the district at the time. Boucher's support for the American Clean Energy and Security Act, or Cap and Trade was unpopular in the district. Since then, the district has not supported a Democrat in a statewide or federal election.

As of 2017, the 9th district had the highest poverty rate of any Virginia congressional district, at 18.7 percent.

Area covered
The 9th district covers all or part of the following political subdivisions:

Counties
The entirety of:
 * Lee
 * Wise
 * Dickenson
 * Buchanan
 * Scott
 * Russell
 * Tazewell
 * Washington
 * Smyth
 * Bland
 * Giles
 * Grayson
 * Wythe
 * Pulaski
 * Montgomery
 * Carroll
 * Craig
 * Floyd
 * Patrick

Portions of:
 * Alleghany
 * Roanoke
 * Henry

Cities

 * Bluefield
 * Bristol
 * Covington
 * Galax
 * Martinsville
 * Norton
 * Radford
 * Salem

Historical district boundaries
The Virginia Ninth District started in 1788 covering the counties of Brunswick, Sussex, Greensville, Prince George, Dinwiddie, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Ameila, Cumberland and Powhatan.