Virginia's 3rd congressional district (from 2023)

Virginia's third congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, serving the independent cities of

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, Newport News, Hampton,

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, and part of the independent city of

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. The district is represented by Democrat Bobby Scott. VA-03 is majority-minority and has a plurality

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electorate, and is heavily Democratic.

2016 redistricting

The Virginia Legislature's 2012 redistricting was found unconstitutional and replaced with a court-ordered redistricting on January 16, 2016 for the

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. One reason for the redistricting is the racial

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. From 1993 to 2016, the 3rd had covered most of the majority-black precincts in and around

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and

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. The court-drawn map shifted the area near Richmond to the

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. The dispute over the district borders went to the U.S. Supreme Court in '' Wittman v. Personhuballah''.

Recent election results from statewide races

Historical composition of the district

In 1788 Virginia's 3rd Congressional District consisted of all of modern Virginia including and west of the counties of Carroll, Floyd, Roanoke, Botetourt, Augusta and Rockingham. It also included what is today Pendleton County, West Virginia and also about the southern third of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

which in 1788 was all Greenbrier County. This area that is today about 48 counties and 13 independent cities was in 1788 only nine counties. In the 1790 census this area had a population of 66,045. For the 1792 congressional elections the number of congressional districts in Virginia rose from 10 to 19. The only county that remained in the third district was Pendleton County. Harrison, Randolph, Hardy, Hampshire, Monongalia and Ohio Counties, all now in West Virginia were also in the district. This was all of northern West Virginia except the far eastern panhandle area. The new district's 1790 population was 30,145. The 1800 Census lead to another increase in Virginia's congressional districts in 1802. The third district was again moved, this time to what was then Frederick and Shenandoah Counties in Virginia, which besides those counties also included the modern counties of Clarke, Warren and part of Page. The new 3rd district had a population of 38,767 in 1800. For most of the time from the end of the Civil War to 1993, the 3rd District was a relatively compact district centered on Richmond. The district's current configuration dates to 1993, when the

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ordered Virginia to create a majority-minority district. At that time, portions of the old 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th districts were combined to create a new 3rd District. As of 2016, the 3rd district has been ruled unconstitutional. The new map gave the 3rd a slight plurality of blacks.

List of members representing the district

Election results

Historical district boundaries

Sources

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Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia's 3rd Congressional District 03 Constituencies established in 1789 1789 establishments in Virginia Constituencies disestablished in 1933 1933 disestablishments in Virginia Constituencies established in 1935 1935 establishments in Virginia