Arkansas's 1st congressional district
| Arkansas's 1st congressional district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Representative |
| ||
| Area | 17,521 sq mi (45,380 km2) | ||
| Distribution |
| ||
| Population (2019) | 719,048[1] | ||
| Median household income | $43,193[1] | ||
| Ethnicity |
| ||
| Occupation |
| ||
| Cook PVI | R+21[2] | ||
Arkansas's 1st congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in eastern Arkansas that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It is currently represented by Republican Rick Crawford. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+21, it is the most Republican district in Arkansas, a state with an all-Republican congressional delegation.[2]
Geography[]
2003–2013[]
Before the 2010 census, the 1st district represented portions of northeastern Arkansas, encompassing the counties of Arkansas, Baxter, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Saint Francis, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, and Woodruff.
2013–2023[]
The district took in additional counties in the southeastern portion that were part of the 4th district which in turn took the entire eastern Arkansas border. It fully encompasses the counties of Arkansas, Baxter, Chicot, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Saint Francis, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, and Woodruff. The district also encompasses parts of Jefferson county.
Character[]
The Mississippi Delta has long been home to American industrial agriculture, with cotton, rice and soybeans by far the biggest export from the region. The 1st District covers most of the Arkansas Delta area and stretches as far west to the Ozarks. The farming areas, despite their fertility, are generally poor by national standards, with unemployment and undereducation as some of the greatest problems. Rice farms are the amongst the greatest recipients of federal farming subsidization - and three of the top five subsidy farms in the United States are in the 1st District, receiving over $100 million since 1996.
Some manufacturing has been sited in the region recently, with several auto parts factories being built in Marion and Toyota considering it as the site for its seventh North American plant.
Jonesboro is the largest town, home to a sizable food processing industry with companies such as Nestle and Frito-Lay sited here. Jonesboro is also home to Arkansas State University (ASU)-Jonesboro. While Jonesboro itself sports a Republican trend, along with some of the hill counties, it is balanced by the strong Democratic presence in the African American-dominated Mississippi River Delta.
Until recently, this resulted is a fairly closely divided vote in national politics. However, the district has been swept up in the growing Republican trend in Arkansas. While Al Gore narrowly carried the district in 2000 with 50% of the vote, George W. Bush won the district in 2004. The district swung even more Republican in 2008, giving John McCain 58.69% of the vote while Barack Obama received 38.41% here. The Republican vote has steadily increased since then, culminating in Donald Trump tallying 65 percent of the vote in 2016, his best showing in the state.
Recent election results from statewide races[]
| Year | Office | Results |
| 2000 | President | Bush 51 - 45% |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | President | Bush 54 - 44% |
| 2008 | President | McCain 59 - 38% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 61 - 36% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 65 - 30% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 69 - 28% |
List of members representing the district[]
The district was created in 1853 after the 1850 United States Census added a second seat to the state. The at-large seat then was split between this district and the second district.
| Member | Party | Year | Cong ress |
Electoral history |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created on March 4, 1853 | ||||
 Alfred B. Greenwood |
Democratic | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859 |
33rd 34th 35th |
Elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Retired. |
 Thomas C. Hindman |
Democratic | March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 |
36th | Elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860 but resigned due to Civil War. |
| Vacant | March 4, 1861 – June 22, 1868 |
37th 38th 39th 40th |
Civil War and Reconstruction | |
 Logan H. Roots |
Republican | June 22, 1868 – March 3, 1871 |
40th 41st |
Elected in 1868 to finish term. Re-elected in 1868. Lost re-election. |
| James M. Hanks | Democratic | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 |
42nd | Elected in 1870. Retired. |
 Asa Hodges |
Republican | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
43rd | Elected in 1872. Retired. |
 Lucien C. Gause |
Democratic | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879 |
44th 45th |
Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Retired. |
| Poindexter Dunn | Democratic | March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1889 |
46th 47th 48th 49th 50th |
Elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired.
|
| William H. Cate | Democratic | March 4, 1889 – March 5, 1890 |
51st | Elected in 1888. Lost contested election. |
| Lewis P. Featherstone | Labor | March 5, 1890 – March 3, 1891 |
51st | Successfully contested William H. Cate's 1888 election. Lost re-election. |
| William H. Cate | Democratic | March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893 |
52nd | Elected in 1890. Retired.[3] |
 Philip D. McCulloch Jr. |
Democratic | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903 |
53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th |
Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Retired.
|
 Robert B. Macon |
Democratic | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913 |
58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd |
Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Lost renomination. |
 Thaddeus H. Caraway |
Democratic | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1921 |
63rd 64th 65th 66th |
Elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
 William J. Driver |
Democratic | March 4, 1921 – January 3, 1939 |
67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th |
Elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Lost renomination. |
 Ezekiel C. Gathings |
Democratic | January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1969 |
76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th |
Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Retired. |
 William Vollie Alexander Jr. |
Democratic | January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1993 |
91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd |
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. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Lost renomination. |
 Blanche Lincoln |
Democratic | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1997 |
103rd 104th |
Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Retired. |
 Robert Marion Berry |
Democratic | January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011 |
105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th |
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. Retired. |
 Rick Crawford |
Republican | January 3, 2011 – present |
112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th |
Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Incumbent. |
Recent election results[]
2002[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 129,701 | 67% | ||
| Republican | Tommy F. Robinson | 64,357 | 33% | ||
| Majority | 65,344 | 33% | |||
| Total votes | 194,058 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2004[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 162,388 | 67% | ||
| Republican | Vernon Humphrey | 81,556 | 33% | ||
| Majority | 80,832 | 33% | |||
| Total votes | 243,944 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2006[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 127,577 | 69% | ||
| Republican | Mickey Stumbaugh | 56,611 | 31% | ||
| Majority | 70,966 | 39% | |||
| Total votes | 184,188 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2008[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 124,304 | 100% | ||
| Majority | 100% | ||||
| Total votes | 124,304 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2010[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford | 93,224 | 52% | ||
| Democratic | Chad Causey | 78,267 | 43% | ||
| Green | Ken Adler | 8,320 | 5% | ||
| Write-In | Write-ins | 205 | 0.11% | ||
| Majority | 14,957 | 9% | |||
| Total votes | 180,016 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
2012[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford* | 138,800 | 56% | ||
| Democratic | Scott Ellington | 96,601 | 39% | ||
| Libertarian | Jessica Paxton | 6,427 | 3% | ||
| Green | Jacob Holloway | 5,015 | 2% | ||
| Majority | 42,199 | 17.10% | |||
| Total votes | 246,843 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2014[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford* | 124,139 | 63% | ||
| Democratic | Jackie McPherson | 63,555 | 32% | ||
| Libertarian | Brian Scott Willhite | 8,562 | 5% | ||
| Majority | 60,584 | 31% | |||
| Total votes | 196,256 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2016[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford* | 183,866 | 76.28% | ||
| Libertarian | Mark West | 57,181 | 23.72% | ||
| Majority | 126,685 | 52.56% | |||
| Total votes | 241,047 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2018[]
The 2018 election was held on November 6, 2018.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (incumbent) | 138,757 | 68.9 | |
| Democratic | Chintan Desai | 57,907 | 28.8 | |
| Libertarian | Elvis Presley | 4,581 | 2.3 | |
| Total votes | 201,245 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2020[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (incumbent) | 237,596 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 237,596 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
See also[]
- United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas, 2010
References[]
- Specific
- ^ a b "My Congressional District". www.census.gov (in American English). Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ a b "Introducing the 2021 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". The Cook Political Report. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Welch, Melanie. "William Henderson Cate (1839–1899)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ 2016 election results
- General
- 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: 35°17′38″N 91°15′30″W / 35.29389°N 91.25833°W
- Congressional districts of Arkansas