Virginia's 6th congressional district

Virginia's sixth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It covers much of the west-central portion of the state, including Roanoke, Lynchburg and most of the Shenandoah Valley. Due to recent redistricting, the district now covers all or part of Warren, Shenandoah, Page, Rockingham, Highland, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Rockbridge, Botetourt, Roanoke, and Amherst Counties as well as the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, Lexington, Buena Vista, Lynchburg, and Roanoke. The current representative is Bob Goodlatte (R), who has held the seat since 1993.

Businessman Sam Rasoul received the Democratic Party's nomination, unsuccessfully challenging Goodlatte in 2008. Businesswoman Janice Lee Allen Ph.D. ran as an Independent.

In 2010, Jeffrey Vanke ran for the seat, also as an Independent, with endorsement from the Modern Whig Party as did Libertarian candidate Stuart Bain.

Bob Goodlatte won the Republican nomination in the June 12, 2012 GOP primary, fending off a challenge from Karen Kwiatkowski. Democratic candidate Andy Schmookler challenged Bob Goodlatte in the November 6, 2012 general election.

The district was one of the first areas of Virginia to turn Republican. Many of the old Byrd Democrats in the area began splitting their tickets and voting Republican at the national level as early as the 1930s, and some counties in the district haven't supported a Democrat for president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Voting

List of representatives

Representative	Lived	Party	Term	Note
District created: March 4, 1789
Isaac Coles	(1747–1813)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	Defeated
Abraham B. Venable	(1758–1811)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	Elected to VA-7
Isaac Coles	(1747–1813)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795
		Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	Declined to run
Matthew Clay	(1754–1815)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803	Elected to VA–14
Abram Trigg	(1750-.......)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1809	Declined to run
Daniel Sheffey	(1770–1830)	Federalist	March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1817	Defeated
Alexander Smyth	(1765–1830)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1823	Elected to VA-22
George Tucker	(1775–1861)	Crawford D-R	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	Defeated
Thomas Davenport	(.......–1838)	Jackson	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1833
		Anti-Jackson	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835	Defeated
Walter Coles	(1790–1857)	Jackson	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837
		Democratic	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843	Elected to VA-3
John W. Jones	(1791–1848)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	Declined to run
James A. Seddon	(1815–1880)	Democratic	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847	Declined to run
John M. Botts	(1802–1869)	Whig	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849	Defeated
James A. Seddon	(1815–1880)	Democratic	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851	Declined to run
John S. Caskie	(1821–1869)	Democratic	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	Elected to VA-3
Paulus Powell	(1809–1874)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859	Defeated
Shelton F. Leake	(1812–1884)	Independent Democrat	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	Declined to run
Vacant			March 4, 1861 – January 26, 1870	Civil War
William Milnes, Jr.	(1827–1889)	Conservative	January 27, 1870 – March 3, 1871	Defeated
John T. Harris	(1823–1899)	Democratic	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873	Elected to VA-7
Thomas Whitehead	(1825–1901)	Democratic	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	Declined to run
John R. Tucker	(1823–1897)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1885	Elected to VA–10
John W. Daniel	(1842–1910)	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887	Elected to the U.S. Senate
Samuel I. Hopkins	(1843–1914)	Labor Party	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889	Declined to run
Paul C. Edmunds	(1836–1899)	Democratic	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895	Declined to run
Peter J. Otey	(1840–1902)	Democratic	March 4, 1895 – May 4, 1902	Died
Vacant			May 5, 1902 – November 3, 1902
E. Carter Glass	(1858–1946)	Democratic	November 4, 1902 – December 16, 1918	Appointed U.S. Secretary of Treasury
Vacant			December 17, 1918 – February 24, 1918	Special election
James P. Woods	(1868–1948)	Democratic	February 25, 1918 – March 3, 1923	Defeated
Clifton A. Woodrum	(1887–1950)	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933	Elected to VA-AL
District eliminated March 4, 1933
District recreated January 3, 1935
Clifton A. Woodrum	(1887–1950)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – December 31, 1945	Resigned
Vacant			December 31, 1945 – January 22, 1946	Special election January 22, 1946
J. Lindsay Almond, Jr.	(1898–1986)	Democratic	January 22, 1946 – April 17, 1948	Elected Attorney General of Virginia
Vacant			April 17, 1948 – November 2, 1948
Clarence G. Burton	(1886–1982)	Democratic	November 2, 1948 – January 3, 1953	Defeated
Richard H. Poff	(1923-2011)	Republican	January 3, 1953 – August 29, 1972	Appointed Virginia Supreme Court justice
Vacant			August 29, 1972 – November 7, 1972
M. Caldwell Butler	(1925-2014)	Republican	November 7, 1972 – January 3, 1983	Declined to run
James R. Olin	(1920-2006)	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993	Declined to run
Robert W. Goodlatte	(b. 1952)	Republican	January 3, 1993 – present

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

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

References

1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10. 

• 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

Coordinates: 38°7′51.6″N 79°2′38″W / 38.131000°N 79.04389°W / 38.131000; -79.04389