Virginia's 9th congressional district

Virginia's 9th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since 2023
Representative	Morgan Griffith R–Salem
Area	9,113.87 sq mi (23,604.8 km2)
Distribution	58.25% rural[1] 41.75% urban
Population (2023)	776,692[2]
Median household income	$53,640[2]
Ethnicity	85.9% White 5.6% Black 3.3% Two or more races 3.0% Hispanic 1.7% Asian 0.5% other
Cook PVI	R+23[3]

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^[4][5] 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.^[6] With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+23, it is the most Republican district in Virginia.^[3]

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."^[7]

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.^[8] 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.^[9]

As of 2017, the 9th district had the highest poverty rate of any Virginia congressional district, at 18.7 percent.^[10]

The 9th district also includes Franklin County.

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

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

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

Representative	Party	Term	Cong- ress	Electoral history
District established March 4, 1789
Theodorick Bland (Prince George County)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 – June 1, 1790	1st	Elected in 1789. Died.
Vacant		June 2, 1790 – December 6, 1790
William B. Giles (Amelia Courthouse)	Anti-Administration	December 7, 1790 – March 3, 1795	1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th	Elected in July 1790 to finish Bland's term and seated December 7, 1790. Re-elected later in 1790. Re-elected in 1793. Re-elected in 1795. Re-elected in 1797. Resigned.
	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – October 2, 1798
Vacant		October 3, 1798 – December 2, 1798	5th
Joseph Eggleston (Egglestetton)	Democratic-Republican	December 3, 1798 – March 3, 1801	5th 6th	Elected to finish Giles's term. Re-elected in 1799. [data missing]
William B. Giles (Amelia Courthouse)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803	7th	Elected in 1801. Redistricted to the 16th district and retired.
Philip R. Thompson (Fairfax)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1807	8th 9th	Redistricted from the 18th district and re-elected in 1803. Re-elected in 1805. Re-elected in 1807. Re-elected in 1809. Retired.
John Love (Alexandria)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1811	10th 11th	Elected in 1807. Re-elected in 1809. Moved to the 7th district and lost re-election there.
Aylett Hawes (Woodville)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813	12th	Elected in 1811. Redistricted to the 10th district.
John P. Hungerford (Leedstown)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1817	13th 14th	Elected in 1813. Re-elected in 1815. Lost re-election.
William L. Ball (Nuttsville)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1823	15th 16th 17th	Elected in 1817. Re-elected in 1819. Re-elected in 1821. Redistricted to the 13th district.
Andrew Stevenson (Richmond)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd	Redistricted from the 23rd district and re-elected in 1823. Re-elected in 1825. Re-elected in 1827. Re-elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Redistricted to the 11th congressional district
	Jackson	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1833
William P. Taylor (Fredericksburg)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835	23rd	Elected in 1833. Lost re-election.
John Roane (Rumford Academy)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24th	Elected in 1835. Retired.
Robert M. T. Hunter (Lloyds)	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843	25th 26th 27th	Elected in 1837. Re-elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1841. Lost re-election.
Samuel Chilton (Warrenton)	Whig	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	28th	Elected in 1843. Retired.
John S. Pendleton (Culpeper)	Whig	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849	29th 30th	Elected in 1845. Re-elected in 1847. Lost re-election.
Jeremiah Morton (Raccoon Ford)	Whig	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851	31st	Elected in 1849. Lost re-election.
James F. Strother (Rappahannock)	Whig	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1851. Lost re-election.
John Letcher (Lexington)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859	33rd 34th 35th	Elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Retired to run for Governor of Virginia.
John T. Harris (Harrisonburg)	Independent Democratic	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	36th	Elected in 1859. Retired.
District inactive		March 4, 1861 – June 19, 1863	37th 38th	Civil War
District moved to West Virginia June 20, 1863
District re-established March 4, 1873
Rees T. Bowen (Maiden Spring)	Democratic	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected in 1872. Retired.
William Terry (Wytheville)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	Elected in 1874. Lost re-election.
Auburn L. Pridemore (Jonesville)	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879	45th	Elected in 1876. Lost re-election.
James B. Richmond (Estillville)	Democratic	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	46th	Elected in 1878. Lost re-election.
Abram Fulkerson (Bristol)	Democratic	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	Elected in 1880. Retired.
Henry Bowen (Tazewell)	Readjuster	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Elected in 1882. Lost re-election.
Connally F. Trigg (Abingdon)	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887	49th	Elected in 1884. Lost re-election.
Henry Bowen (Tazewell)	Republican	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889	50th	Elected in 1886. Lost re-election.
John A. Buchanan (Abingdon)	Democratic	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893	51st 52nd	Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Retired.
James W. Marshall (New Castle)	Democratic	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895	53rd	Elected in 1892. Lost re-election.
James A. Walker (Wytheville)	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899	54th 55th	Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Lost re-election.
William F. Rhea (Bristol)	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903	56th 57th	Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Lost re-election.
Campbell Slemp (Big Stone Gap)	Republican	March 4, 1903 – October 13, 1907	58th 59th 60th	Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Died.
Vacant		October 14, 1907 – December 16, 1907	60th
C. Bascom Slemp (Big Stone Gap)	Republican	December 17, 1907 – March 3, 1923	60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th 67th	Elected to finish Slemp's term. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Retired.
George C. Peery (Tazewell)	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929	68th 69th 70th	Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Retired.
Joseph C. Shaffer (Wytheville)	Republican	March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1931	71st	Elected in 1928. Lost re-election.
John W. Flannagan Jr. (Bristol)	Democratic	March 4, 1931 – March 3, 1933	72nd	Elected in 1930. Redistricted to at-large seat.
District inactive		March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	73rd
John W. Flannagan Jr. (Bristol)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1949	74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th	Redistricted from at-large seat and re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Retired.
Thomas B. Fugate (Ewing)	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953	81st 82nd	Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Retired.
William C. Wampler (Bristol)	Republican	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955	83rd	Elected in 1952. Lost re-election.
W. Pat Jennings (Marion)	Democratic	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1967	84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th	Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Lost re-election.
William C. Wampler (Bristol)	Republican	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1983	90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th	Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Lost re-election.
Frederick C. Boucher (Abingdon)	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2011	98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th	Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election.
Morgan Griffith (Salem)	Republican	January 3, 2011 – present	112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th 119th	Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.

The Virginia Ninth District started in 1788 covering the counties of Brunswick, Sussex, Greensville, Prince George, Dinwiddie, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Ameila, Cumberland and Powhatan.^[13]

• Virginia's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

36°59′00″N 81°21′02″W / 36.98333°N 81.35056°W / 36.98333; -81.35056