Texas's 4th congressional district

"TX-4" redirects here. TX-4 may also refer to Texas State Highway 4.
Texas's 4th congressional district

Texas's 4th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative John Ratcliffe (R)
Distribution
  • % urban
  • % rural
Population (2015) 725,212[1]
Median income 46,846[2]
Ethnicity
Occupation
Cook PVI R+25 (2014)

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.[3]

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
Edward Degener Republican March 31, 1870 –
March 3, 1871
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
John Hancock Democratic March 4, 1871 –
March 3, 1875
Redistricted to the 5th district
Roger Q. Mills Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1883
Redistricted from the At-large district;
Redistricted to the 9th district
David B. Culberson Democratic March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1897
Redistricted from the 2nd district
John W. Cranford Democratic March 4, 1897 –
March 3, 1899
Died
Vacant March 3, 1899 –
March 4, 1899
John Levi Sheppard Democratic March 4, 1899 –
October 11, 1902
Died
Vacant October 11, 1902 –
November 15, 1902
Morris Sheppard Democratic November 15, 1902 –
March 3, 1903
Redistricted to the 1st district
Choice B. Randell Democratic March 4, 1903 –
March 3, 1913
Redistricted from the 5th district
Sam Rayburn Democratic March 4, 1913 –
November 16, 1961
Died
Vacant November 16, 1961 –
January 30, 1962
Ray Roberts Democratic January 30, 1962 –
January 3, 1981
Retired
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 Republican January 3, 2015 –
First elected in 2014

Recent elections

2004

US House election, 2004: Texas District 4[4]
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[5]
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[6]
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[7]
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/
  2. Office of the Secretary of State (November 2, 2004). "Race Summary Report". 1992 - Current Election History. Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  3. Office of the Secretary of State (November 7, 2006). "Race Summary Report". 1992 - Current Election History. Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  4. Office of the Secretary of State (November 4, 2008). "Race Summary Report". 1992 - Current Election History. Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  5. Office of the Secretary of State (November 2, 2010). "Race Summary Report". 1992 - Current Election History. Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Alabama's 7th congressional district
Home district of the Speaker of the House
September 16, 1940 – January 3, 1947
Succeeded by
Massachusetts's 14th congressional district
Preceded by
Massachusetts's 14th congressional district
Home district of the Speaker of the House
January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953
Succeeded by
Massachusetts's 14th congressional district
Preceded by
Massachusetts's 14th congressional district
Home district of the Speaker of the House
January 3, 1955 – November 16, 1961
Succeeded by
Massachusetts's 12th congressional district

Coordinates: 33°18′19″N 95°25′17″W / 33.30528°N 95.42139°W / 33.30528; -95.42139

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