West Virginia's 2nd congressional district

West Virginia's 2nd congressional district

West Virginia's 2nd congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative Alex Mooney (R)
Distribution
  • % urban
  • % rural
Population (2010) 648,186
Median income 33,198
Ethnicity
Occupation
Cook PVI R+11[1]

West Virginia's 2nd congressional district stretches from the Ohio River border with Ohio to the Potomac River border with Maryland and the border with Virginia. It includes the capital city of Charleston and the rapidly growing residential communities of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions connected by a narrow strip of nearly unpopulated counties. It has been accurately described as 20 miles wide and 300 miles long.

The district is currently represented by Alex Mooney, a Republican.

West Virginia had four Congressional seats from 1973 to 1993. Previously, much of the western portion of the current 2nd District had been in the 3rd District, based in Charleston. The eastern portion of the district had been in the 2nd District, which had been anchored in Martinsburg and Morgantown for all but a few years since statehood. For all but two years from 1949 to 1993, it was held by the Democratic Staggers family--Harley O. Staggers from 1949 to 1981 and Harley "Buckey" Staggers, Jr. from 1983 to 1993. When West Virginia lost a seat following the 1990 Census, the state legislature divided Staggers's district among the remaining three districts. Much of Staggers's old territory was merged with the 3rd District, represented by five-term Democrat Bob Wise and renumbered the 2nd. However, Staggers's home in Mineral County wound up in the 1st District, where he was routed in the Democratic primary by Alan Mollohan. Wise represented the new district until 2000, when he ran for and won West Virginia's governorship. Following the 2010 Census, Mason County was transferred to the 3rd District, which changed the character of the district only slightly. This change took effect for the 2012 election.[2]

The district is very expensive to campaign in, because six counties on the district's eastern fringe are in the very expensive Washington, D.C. television market. The two main parts, Charleston and the Eastern Panhandle, have very little in common and very little interaction.

The district is slightly more conservative and prosperous than the rest of the state. It also shares West Virginia's tendency to give congressmen long tenures in Washington. The 2000 election that resulted in Capito's victory marked the first open-seat race in the district since 1945. The old 2nd District had only five congressmen from 1933 until its elimination in 1993.

George W. Bush carried the district twice in 2000 with 54% of the vote and in 2004 with 57% of the vote. John McCain also won the district in 2008 with 54.63% of the vote while Barack Obama received 43.77%.

History

The Second District as originally formed in 1863 included Taylor, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Tucker, Barbour, Upshur, Webster, Pocahontas, Randolph, Pendleton, Hardy, Hampshire, Berkeley, and Morgan counties (Jefferson county's status in the state was still in dispute, and Grant and Mineral counties were still part of other counties, but the modern territory of all was also included). The district was unchanged for 1882. In 1902, the district was changed to Monongalia, Preston, Tucker, Taylor, Barbour, Tucker, Randolph, Pendleton, Grant, Hardy, Mineral, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties. The district was unchanged for 1916. Taylor was removed for 1934. The district was again unchanged for 1954. In 1962 Upshur, Webster, Pocahontas, and Greenbrier counties were added. In 1972, Lewis, Monroe, Summers, and Fayette were added. In 1982, Barbour was added.

1992 first saw the district as currently constituted, consisting of Berkeley, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Glimer, Hampshire, Hardy, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Mason, Morgan, Nicholas, Pendleton, Putnam, Randolph, Roane, Upshur, and Wirt counties. In 2002, Gilmer and Nicholas were removed and for the election cycle beginning in 2012, Mason was removed.[3]

List of representatives

Representative Party Dates District home Note
District created December 7, 1863
William G. Brown, Sr. Unconditional Unionist December 7, 1863 - March 4, 1865
George R. Latham Unconditional Unionist March 4, 1865 - March 4, 1867
Bethuel Kitchen Republican March 4, 1867 - March 4, 1869
James McGrew Republican March 4, 1869 - March 4, 1873
John Hagans Republican March 4, 1873 - March 4, 1875
Charles J. Faulkner Democratic March 4, 1875 – March 4, 1877
Benjamin F. Martin Democratic March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881
John B. Hoge Democratic March 4, 1881 – March 4, 1883
William L. Wilson Democratic March 4, 1883 – March 4, 1895
Alston G. Dayton Republican March 4, 1895 - March 16, 1905 Resigned after being appointed as a judge of US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
Vacant March 16, 1905 – June 6, 1905
Thomas B. Davis Democratic June 6, 1905 – March 4, 1907
George C. Sturgiss Republican March 4, 1907 - March 4, 1911
William G. Brown, Jr. Democratic March 4, 1911 – March 9, 1916 Died
Vacant March 9, 1916 – May 9, 1916
George M. Bowers Republican May 9, 1916 - March 4, 1923
Robert E. L. Allen Democratic March 4, 1923 – March 9, 1925
Frank L. Bowman Republican March 4, 1925 - March 4, 1933
Jennings Randolph Democratic March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1947
Melvin C. Snyder Republican March 4, 1947 - March 4, 1949 Defeated in general election
Harley O. Staggers Democratic January 3, 1949 - January 3, 1981 Retired
Cleve Benedict Republican January 3, 1981 - January 3, 1983 Ran for U.S. Senate seat
Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Democratic January 3, 1983 - January 3, 1993 Ran for the 1st district following redistricting, lost primary to Alan Mollohan
Bob Wise Democratic January 3, 1993 - January 3, 2001 Redistricted from the 3rd district
Shelley M. Capito Republican January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2015 elected to the US Senate
Alex Mooney Republican January 3, 2015 –

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2014" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  2. ↑ http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2011/1x/maps/senate/Enr%20SB1008%20Map.pdf
  3. ↑ West Virginia Blue Book (pp 535, 2012 edition)

Coordinates: 38°50′20″N 80°10′26″W / 38.83889°N 80.17389°W / 38.83889; -80.17389

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