Texas's 4th congressional district

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Texas's 4th congressional district
Texas's 4th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Texas's 4th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative John Ratcliffe (RHeath)
Population (2000) 651,619
Median income $38,276
Ethnicity 83.0% White, 10.4% Black, 0.6% Asian, 7.9% Hispanic, 0.8% Native American, 0.2% other
Cook PVI R+21 (2012)

Texas District 4 of the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that serves an area that includes some counties along the Red River north of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, including semi-rural Rockwall County and the large non-urbanized portion of Collin County. It also includes counties in East Texas such as Rains County. As of the 2000 census, District 4 represents 651,620 people who are predominantly Caucasian (80.8%) and middle-class (median family income is US$46,086, compared to $50,046 nationwide).

Texas has had at least four congressional districts since the state was readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. The district's current seat dates from 1903; only four men have represented it since then.

Once a reliably Democratic district, the district swung rapidly into the Republican column as Dallas' suburbs spilled into the western portion of the district. In fact, it has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964. For many years, it was based in Tyler, but a controversial 2003 redistricting orchestrated by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay drew it and neighboring Longview out of District 4 and into neighboring District 1 which made District 1 significantly more Republican. In the process, District 4 was pushed slightly to the north, picking up Texarkana from District 1.

Ralph Hall, the one-time dean of the Texas congressional delegation, represented the district from 1981 to 2015. Originally a Democrat, he became a Republican in 2004. Hall's voting record had been very conservative even by Texas Democratic standards, which served him well as the district abandoned its Democratic roots. By the turn of the century, he was the only elected Democrat above the county level in much of the district. He had been rumored as a party switcher for some time, and many experts believed his district was almost certain to be taken over by a Republican anyway once he retired.

Hall was defeated in the 2014 Republican primary by John Ratcliffe, a former United States Attorney and the former mayor of Heath, near Hall's hometown of Rockwall. No Democrat even filed, though the district is so heavily Republican that any Democratic candidate would have faced nearly impossible odds in any event. Ratcliffe took office in January 2015, becoming only the fourth person to hold the seat.

The district's best-known congressman was Sam Rayburn, the longtime Speaker of the House.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in the fourth district.

Even as late as 1996, Bill Clinton carried 10 of the 16 counties currently in this district; many of those counties were in District 1 at the time.

2012 redistricting

After the 2012 redistricting process, a large portion of Collin County had been removed, and replaced with the portion of Cass County that had been in Texas's 1st congressional district, all of Marion County, and a large portion of Upshur County.[1]

Election results from recent presidential races

Year Result
2000 Bush 66 - 34%
2004 Bush 70 - 29%
2008 McCain 69 - 30%

List of representatives

The district was created in 1869, one of two new districts that Texas gained after the 1860 Census, but was not filled due to the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Name Party Years Electoral history
American Civil War/Reconstruction
No image.svg Edward Degener Republican March 31, 1870 –
March 3, 1871
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
John Hancock (Texas).jpg John Hancock Democratic March 4, 1871 –
March 3, 1875
Redistricted to the 5th district
75px Roger Q. Mills Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1883
Redistricted from the At-large district;
Redistricted to the 9th district
D.B. Culberson.jpg David B. Culberson Democratic March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1897
Redistricted from the 2nd district
No image.svg John W. Cranford Democratic March 4, 1897 –
March 3, 1899
Died
Vacant March 3, 1899 –
March 4, 1899
75px John Levi Sheppard Democratic March 4, 1899 –
October 11, 1902
Died
Vacant October 11, 1902 –
November 15, 1902
75px Morris Sheppard Democratic November 15, 1902 –
March 3, 1903
Redistricted to the 1st district
Choice B. Randell.jpg Choice B. Randell Democratic March 4, 1903 –
March 3, 1913
Redistricted from the 5th district
Sam Rayburn2.jpg Sam Rayburn Democratic March 4, 1913 –
November 16, 1961
Died
Vacant November 16, 1961 –
January 30, 1962
Ray Roberts 1979 congressional photo.jpg Ray Roberts Democratic January 30, 1962 –
January 3, 1981
Retired
Ralph Hall, official photo portrait, color.jpg Ralph Hall Democratic January 3, 1981 –
January 5, 2004
First elected in 1980
Changed party in 2004
Lost renomination
Republican January 5, 2004 –
January 3, 2015
John Ratcliffe official congressional photo.jpg John Ratcliffe Republican January 3, 2015 –
First elected in 2014

Recent elections

2004

US House election, 2004: Texas District 4[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ralph Hall 182,866 68.2
Democratic Jim Nickerson 81,585 30.4
Libertarian Kevin D. Anderson 3,491 1.3
Total votes 267,942 '
Republican hold

2006

US House election, 2006: Texas District 4[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ralph Hall 106,495 64.43
Democratic Glenn Melancon 55,278 33.34
Libertarian Kurt G. Helm 3,496 2.11
Total votes 165,269 '
Republican hold

2008

US House election, 2008: Texas District 4[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ralph Hall 206,906 68.79
Democratic Glenn Melancon 88,067 29.28
Libertarian Fred Annett 5,771 1.91
Total votes 300,744 '
Republican hold

2010

US House election, 2010: Texas District 4[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ralph Hall 136,338 73.18
Democratic VaLinda Hathcox 40,975 21.99
Libertarian Jim D. Prindle 4,729 2.53
Independent Shane Shepard 4,224 2.27
Total votes 186,286 '
Republican hold

Historical district boundaries

2007 - 2013

See also

References

  1. http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/
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United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Home district of the Speaker of the House
September 16, 1940 – January 3, 1947
Succeeded by
Massachusetts's 14th congressional district
Preceded by Home district of the Speaker of the House
January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953
Succeeded by
Massachusetts's 14th congressional district
Preceded by Home district of the Speaker of the House
January 3, 1955 – November 16, 1961
Succeeded by
Massachusetts's 12th congressional district

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