Colorado's 6th Congressional District
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Colorado's 6th congressional district 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 ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. Located in central Colorado, the district encompasses much of the eastern part of the
Denver metropolitan area Denver is the central city of a conurbation region in the U.S. state of Colorado. The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. The Denver r ...
, including all of
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, as well as portions of the southern (
Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...
and Littleton) and northern metro area (
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
and
Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...
). The district is currently represented by
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
Jason Crow. The district was created in 1983 as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 Census, and was originally a classic suburban Republican bastion; this was once the safest seat for Colorado Republicans outside of
Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
. However, changing demographics in the
Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountere ...
, especially in Arapahoe County which went from a traditional conservative suburban/exurban stronghold to a densely populated, ethnically and culturally diverse Democratic-leaning inner suburban county, has made suburban Denver much friendlier to Democrats. The 2010 redistricting shifted the more rural, GOP-dominated sections of the district to the nearby 4th and added heavily populated and Democratic parts of
Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
, turning the 6th district into a Democratic-leaning swing district. However, Republicans are still competitive downballot, and the Democratic strength was limited to western Arapahoe County for much of its history, as the components of Douglas County and Adams County in the 6th were still Republican leaning: this changed in 2020, as Joe Biden and Representative Jason Crow won all county areas in the district. After the 2020 redistricting, the 6th will become a purely inner suburban district anchored in western Arapahoe County, however small parts of
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 ...
, Douglas, and Adams Counties will be included as well to completely take in the cities of Littleton and
Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
.


History


1990s

Following the 1990 U.S. Census and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 6th Congressional district consisted of portions of
Arapahoe The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...
and
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 ...
counties.


2000s

Following the
2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 6th Congressional district consisted of
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
and Elbert counties as well as portions of
Arapahoe The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...
,
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 ...
, and
Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
counties.


2010s

During the 2010 Colorado Redistricting, the 6th Congressional district lost most of its previous area; the district now consisted of the western portions of
Arapahoe The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...
and Adams counties plus the community of
Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The po ...
in Douglas County and a very little part of Jefferson County.


2020s

During the 2020 Colorado Redistricting, the 6th Congressional district became a pure inner-suburban district consisting of western Arapahoe County, the portions of the City of Aurora located in Adams and
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
counties, as well as parts of Jefferson County bordering Littleton near Highway 470.


Characteristics

A suburban swing district anchored by
Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
, Republicans are the strongest in the Adams County and Douglas County portions of the district, while the Democrats are strongest in the
Arapahoe The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...
suburbs. While Adams County leans Democratic, most of the denser and more populated areas of the county lie in the 7th congressional district, leaving the more Republican leaning parts of the county in the district such as
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
and
Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...
: similarly, while Douglas County is a Republican stronghold, the parts of the county in the 6th, such as
Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The po ...
, is not nearly as Republican as the rest of the county and is slowly swinging towards the Democrats. Arapahoe County makes up the bulk of the population and is historically a mixed bag, though it has been becoming a Democratic stronghold as of late.
Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
, a racially and economically diverse city, provides a large base for the Democrats, although not uniformly throughout the city: central Aurora near I-225 is one of the most Democratic parts of Colorado and votes similarly to neighboring parts of Denver, however the further parts of the city are far more competitive between parties. Similarly, Englewood and Sheridan are strongly Democratic due to their sociological and economic proximity to nearby Denver neighborhoods. The more southern and eastern parts of the county were formerly Republican strongholds, however have swung rapidly to the Democrats in recent years, as cities such as
Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...
and Littleton swung from high single digit cities for McCain and Romney to mild wins for Clinton and double digit wins for Biden. Similarly, the district's PVI has changed from R+1 when it was first drawn to a D+6 district in its current iteration.


Voting

Election results from presidential racesPresidential Election Results, by district
swingstateproject.com


List of members representing the district


Election results


1982


1983 (Special)


1984


1986


1988


1990


1992


1994


1996


1998


2000


2002


2004


2006


2008


Republican primary


General election


2010


2012


2014


2016


2018


2020


Historical district boundaries


See also

*
Colorado's congressional districts Colorado is divided into 7 congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. The districts are currently represented in the 117th United States Congress by 4 Democrats and 3 Republicans. Star ...
*
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


Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
{{coord, 39, 45, 18, N, 104, 45, 55, W, region:US_type:city_source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title 6 Douglas County, Colorado Elbert County, Colorado Arapahoe County, Colorado Jefferson County, Colorado Park County, Colorado 1983 establishments in Colorado