The 6th congressional district of Tennessee is a

congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...

. It has been represented by Republican John Rose since January 2019.

Current boundaries

The district is located in north-central Tennessee and borders Kentucky to the north. It is currently composed of the following counties:

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to: People * Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War Places Municipalities in the United States * DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb **DeKal ...

, Fentress,

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam,

Robertson Robertson may refer to: People * Robertson (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Robertson (given name) * Clan Robertson, a Scottish clan * Robertson, stage name of Belgian magician Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763–1837) Places ...

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

, Sumner, Trousdale,

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, and Wilson. It also contains very small parts of Cheatham and Van Buren counties.

Characteristics

Much of the sixth district is rural and wooded. It is spread across the geographic regions known as the

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...

, the

Highland Rim The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions. Geologically, the Central Basin is a dome. The Highland Rim is a cuesta surround ...

, and the Central Basin. The area is known for its waterfalls, such as Burgess Falls and Cummins Falls. Much of the western part of the district is located in the

Nashville metropolitan area The Nashville metropolitan area (officially, the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area) is a metropolitan statistical area centered on Nashville, Tennessee, the capital and largest city in Tennessee, in the ...

. With close access to interstates 24, 40, and 65, subdivisions are sprouting almost exponentially, fast filling with

new economy The New Economy refers to the ongoing development of the American economic system. It evolved from the notions of the classical economy via the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy, and has been driven by ...

managers. Recently, many companies have opened either manufacturing or distribution centers in the 6th district. This includes Amazon and Bridgestone-Firestone in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

, gun manufacturer

Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and militar ...

in Gallatin, and clothing manufacturer

Under Armour Under Armour, Inc. is an American sports equipment company that manufactures footwear, sports and casual apparel. Under Armour's global headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland, with additional offices located in Amsterdam (European hea ...

in Mt. Juliet. Politically speaking, the region was traditionally a "

Yellow Dog Democrat Yellow Dog Democrats is a political term that was applied to voters in the Southern United States who voted solely for candidates who represented the Democratic Party. The term originated in the late 19th century. These voters would allegedly "v ...

" district. However, it began shifting rightward as Nashville's suburbs bled into the district and the rural counties trended Republican. It supported

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

in 1992, partly due to the presence of

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

, who represented it from 1977 to 1985, as Clinton's running mate. However, it has not supported a Democrat for president since. Longtime Democratic incumbent

Bart Gordon Barton Jennings Gordon (born January 24, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 until 2011. The district includes several rural areas and fast-growing suburbs east of Nashville. He was Chairman of ...

consistently won reelection easily even as the district swung rightward after the turn of the millennium. By the mid-2000s, however, it was believed that the Democrats would have a hard time keeping the seat after Gordon retired. Gordon retired in 2010, and Republican state senator

Diane Black Diane Lynn Black (née Warren; January 16, 1951) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for from January 3, 2011, to January 3, 2019. The district includes several suburban and rural areas east of Nashville. A Republican, ...

won the seat in a landslide, proving just how Republican this district had become. The 2010 redistricting made the district even more Republican, even as its longtime anchor of

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

was drawn into the neighboring 4th District. Since 2012, no Democrat has won an entire county within the district in any presidential, gubernatorial, senate, or congressional election. Indeed, no Democrat has crossed the 30 percent mark in the district since Gordon's retirement. According to the 2010 census, the five largest cities are Hendersonville (51,372), Cookeville (30,425), Gallatin (30,278),

(26,190), and Mt. Juliet (23,671).

Election results from presidential races

History

Prior to the 1980 census, when Tennessee picked up a district, most of what is now the 6th district was in the 4th district. During the 1940s, this area was represented by Albert Gore, Sr. of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

. Gore was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1952, where he was instrumental in creating the

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

system. From 1953 to 1977, the area was represented by

Joe L. Evins Joseph Landon Evins (October 24, 1910 – March 31, 1984) was an American lawyer and politician who served 15 terms as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1947 to 1977. Early life Evins was a native of the Blend Community ...

of Smithville. Evins's nephew,

Dan Evins Danny Wood Evins (October 11, 1935 – January 14, 2012) was an American entrepreneur and Entrepreneur, co-founder of Cracker Barrel, a Southern-themed restaurant chain. Early life Evins was born in Smithville, Tennessee, on October 11, 1935. As a ...

, was the founder of

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., doing business as simply Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969. Its first store was in Lebanon, ...

restaurant/retail chain. Cracker Barrel's headquarters are still located in

. In 1976, Evins was succeeded by

, then-future Vice President and son of Albert Gore, Sr. He was representing the area when much of it was moved into the present 6th district. Shortly following the redistricting into the 6th district, Gore was elected to the

. He was then succeeded by former Tennessee Democratic Party chairman

. Gordon held the post for the next 26 years, generally with little difficulty. The only year he faced serious opposition was 1994, when attorney

Steve Gill Steve Gill (born November 15, 1956) is an American conservative talk radio host based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a political commentator and radio host, and was the political editor of the website ''The Tennessee Star'' prior to his August 20 ...

ran against him. Gordon defeated Gill by only one percentage point.

of Gallatin was elected in the Republican landslide of 2010 when Gordon retired after 26 years in Congress. Black's victory marked the first time that much of the district had been represented by a Republican since 1921, and for only the second time since Reconstruction. After four terms in Congress, Black ran for Governor of Tennessee in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, but lost in the Republican primary. Businessman former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner John Rose, a Republican from Cookeville, was elected to replace her.

List of members representing the district

References

* *
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

* Congress.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennessee's 6th Congressional District 06 Bedford County, Tennessee Cannon County, Tennessee Clay County, Tennessee DeKalb County, Tennessee Jackson County, Tennessee Macon County, Tennessee Marshall County, Tennessee Overton County, Tennessee Putnam County, Tennessee Robertson County, Tennessee Rutherford County, Tennessee Smith County, Tennessee Sumner County, Tennessee Trousdale County, Tennessee Wilson County, Tennessee Al Gore Constituencies established in 1813 1813 establishments in Tennessee