Alabama's 6th congressional district
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Alabama's 6th congressional district is a United States
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 ...
in
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
that elects a representative to the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
. It is composed of the wealthier portions of
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, nearly all of Jefferson County outside Birmingham, most of Blount County, and the entirety of
Bibb Bibb may refer to: Places in the United States * Bibb County, Alabama * Fort Bibb, Alabama, constructed in 1818 * Bibb City, Georgia, in Muscogee County * Bibb County, Georgia People * Bibb (surname) * Bibb (given name) Ships * , a Revenue Mari ...
, Chilton, Coosa, and Shelby counties. It is currently represented by
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Gary Palmer.


Character

Once encompassing all of
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
and Jefferson County, Alabama's 6th congressional district is now the suburban Birmingham-area district, with nearly all of the urban precincts having been removed since 1992. Due to a continual process of redistricting since the 1990s, the 6th district has taken on an increasingly unusual shape (typical of
gerrymander In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
ed districts); it has included all of Jefferson County except for a long gash where most of Birmingham itself has been drawn into the neighboring majority-black 7th district. The demography of the district consists mostly of middle and upper middle-class white-collar white families whose adults work in Birmingham. Increasingly, the population of the Birmingham districts has become racially and politically polarized. Since the 1990s, most wealthier whites moved from the city to the suburbs, settling in newer housing in nearby Shelby County. The
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
population of the region has remained largely in more urban areas, even as the upper-class live in income-related neighborhoods. Since assuming its present configuration in 1993, it has become one of the most Republican districts in the country. In 2004 it voted 78% for Republican
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in the
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(in keeping with the current proportion of white majority of its population).
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
swept the district in
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, taking 75.91% of the vote while
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
received 23.28%. The district's Republican bent is no less pronounced at the congressional level. Since it assumed its current configuration after the 1990 census, a Democrat has only won as much as 30 percent of the vote twice. Birmingham was once the vanguard district for steel production and metalworking in the South, but restructuring of heavy industries hollowed out the economy of the city, taking many jobs with it. The economy of the 6th district since the late 20th century has centered on the banking industry (Birmingham is the second-largest banking area in the South) and health care/medical research. Voters are socially conservative; however,
fiscal conservatism Fiscal conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, and ''laissez-faire'' economics.M. O. Dickerson et al., ''An ...
is the most salient feature of this district.


History

Alabama's 6th congressional district was originally created in 1843. It encompassed the northeastern portion of Alabama, approximately the modern counties of
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,
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,
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,
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, Etowah, St. Clair, Blount and Cullman. The district had a population of 66,111 as of the 1840 U.S. Census, which made it the second least populous district in Alabama. Neither Cullman County nor Etowah County existed at the time, so only the eastern portion of what today is Cullman County was in the district. In the case of St. Clair County, it appears that only about half of St. Clair County in 1843 was in the district. The district was redrawn in 1855. This was done in time for the election of representatives to the 34th Congress which was held August 6, 1855. The new boundaries put
Cherokee County Cherokee County is the name of eight counties in the United States: * Cherokee County, Alabama * Cherokee County, Georgia * Cherokee County, Iowa * Cherokee County, Kansas * Cherokee County, North Carolina * Cherokee County, Oklahoma * Cherokee Co ...
in the 6th district and removed St. Clair County. These boundaries remained in place until the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. When Alabama again elected representatives to the U.S. Congress in 1868 for the halfway completed 40th Congress, the 6th district consisted of northwestern Alabama. The only county remaining in the district from before was Blount County. It also encompassed
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
,
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,
Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...
, Morgan,
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,
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,
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and Winston counties. Colbert County did not exist at the time, but was part of Franklin County. This was one of the areas of Alabama where the Democrats soonest regained control after the Civil War. In 1876, the 6th district was redrawn again. The sixth-most northern counties (including
Colbert County Colbert County () is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the county's population was 57,227. The county seat is Tuscumbia. The largest city is Muscle Shoals. The county is named i ...
which now existed) were transferred to the new Alabama 8th Congressional district, while the six counties southwestward from Jefferson County were transferred to the 6th district. This set of boundaries only existed for one election. By the time of the 1878 election, Cullman County had been formed. It was in the 6th district, but Blount County was moved to the 8th district. The boundaries did not exactly correspond to county lines at that time, and with another change in county boundaries by 1880 even more area in the general vicinity of Blount County was moved to the 7th district. This process was continued in 1884 with the removal of Cullman County from the district. The year of 1892 saw more changes in the boundaries of the 6th district. Winston County was moved to the 7th district. At the same time Jefferson County was placed in the new 9th district. By this time the 6th district consisted of west central Alabama. In the 1892 election there were about 22,000 votes cast in the 6th district as opposed to 30,000 cast in the 9th district. In 1902, Perry County and some other areas in the southern portion of Alabama's 9th Congressional district were transferred to the 6th district. The state legislature did not redistrict for several decades, resulting in urban and industrial areas being under-represented in congressional and state districts. It was forced to redistrict after a 1972 Supreme Court case based on the principle of one man-one vote.


Recent results in statewide elections


List of members representing the district


Recent election results

These are the results from the previous ten election cycles in Alabama's 6th district.


2002


2004


2006


2008


2010


2012


2014


2016


2018


2020


2022


Notes

Alabama will hold their Primary Elections on May 24th, 2022. Should no candidate receive 50% of the Primary Election vote, than a Primary Runoff Election will be held on June 21, 2022. There are currently only two declared candidates for Alabama's 6th Congressional District for the 2022 Election Cycle and two rumored candidates. ''The incumbent office holder is denoted by an *. Any rumored candidates are denoted by an +.''


Historical district boundaries


See also

*
Alabama's congressional districts The U.S. state of Alabama is currently divided into seven congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. Since the 1973 redistricting following the 1970 U.S. Census, Alabama has had seven con ...
*
List of United States congressional districts Congressional districts in the United States are electoral divisions for the purpose of electing members of the United States House of Representatives. The number of voting seats in the House of Representatives is currently set at 435, wit ...


References

;Specific ;General * *
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
* {{USCongDistStateAL 06 Constituencies established in 1843 1843 establishments in Alabama Constituencies disestablished in 1861 1861 disestablishments in Alabama Constituencies established in 1868 1868 establishments in Alabama Constituencies disestablished in 1963 1963 disestablishments in Alabama Constituencies established in 1965 1965 establishments in Alabama