West Virginia's 3rd congressional district

West Virginia's 3rd congressional district
West Virginia's 3rd congressional district since January 3, 2013
Representative	Carol Miller R–Huntington
Distribution	59.84% rural[1] 40.16% urban
Population (2019)	567,297[2]
Median household income	$42,553[3]
Ethnicity	94.4% White 4.1% Black 0.6% Hispanic 0.4% Asian 0.2% Native American 0.0% other
Cook PVI	R+27[4]

West Virginia's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in southern West Virginia. The district covers the state's second largest city, Huntington, includes Bluefield, Princeton and Beckley, and has a long history of coal mining (especially in the southwestern counties), forestry and farming.^[5]

The district is currently represented by Republican Carol Miller.

Due to 2020 census, West Virginia lost a congressional seat. As a result, the 3rd district will become obsolete from 2023.^[6] On October 22, 2021, Governor Jim Justice signed the new congressional map plans into law. Under the plan, all of the current 3rd would be the part of the proposed 1st. Incumbent representative Carol Miller announced her candidacy for the new 1st district.^[7][8]

Character[]

The modern district has grown in geographic size over the years, as it contains the area of the state that has lost the most population. Most of the congressmen listed below prior to the 1992 election cycle actually represented other parts of the state, as most of the modern 3rd district's history is found in the obsolete 4th, 5th, and 6th districts.

The modern 3rd district began to take shape in the 1960s. For much of its history, the 4th district had been focused on Huntington and the mill towns and farm communities north of that city along the Ohio River, while the 5th and 6th districts were focused on the then safely Democratic coal fields. In the 1970 redistricting, the 5th (which had absorbed most of the 6th due to population loss 10 years earlier) was eliminated, and most of its territory was merged into the 4th to form what is now the western half of the modern 3rd. In the 1990 redistricting the old 4th was renumbered as the 3rd and took in what is now the eastern half of its current shape from a previous version of the 2nd district.

The current major areas of the district include the industrial and university city of Huntington, the coal producing southwestern part of the state, and the more conservative farm and timber region of the southeastern part of the state. 2010 census figures again showed a major population loss, and Mason County was transferred from the 2nd to the 3rd district. This will not change the character of the district in a significant way.

Despite the strength of Democrats at the local and state level, in presidential elections the district has followed the increasing Republican trend in West Virginia. While Bill Clinton twice carried the district handily in three-way races, Al Gore just narrowly won the district in 2000 with 51% of the vote. George W. Bush won the district in 2004 with 53% of the vote, and John McCain carried the district in 2008 with 55.76% of the vote, continuing the district, and the state's rightward shift despite a large shift towards the Democrats nationally in 2008. In 2012, the district shifted significantly towards the Republicans yet again, with Republican Mitt Romney defeating President Barack Obama 65.0% to 32.8% in the district. In 2016, the district shifted even further towards the Republican Party, with Republican Donald Trump defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton (wife of Bill Clinton, who carried the district by significant margins in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections), by a massive margin of 72.5% to 23.3%.

Future[]

The district will become obsolete following the 2020 United States census.^[9]

Statewide election results[]

Election results from presidential races:

History[]

The third district, as originally formed in 1863, included Kanawha, Jackson, Mason, Putnam, Cabell, Clay, Wayne, Logan, Boone, Braxton, Nicholas, Roane and McDowell counties. It was essentially the successor of Virginia's 12th congressional district.

In 1882, the district was reformed to include Logan, Wyoming, McDowell, Mercer, Raleigh, Boone, Kanawha, Fayette, Clay, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers, Webster, Pocahontas, and Upshur counties. In 1902, Logan, Wyoming, McDowell, Raleigh, Boone and Mercer were removed. In 1916 the district was, more or less, renumbered as the new 6th district, and the 3rd was totally reconstituted as Ritchie, Doddridge, Harrison, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lewis, Upshur, Braxton, Clay, Nicholas, and Webster counties. In 1934, Fayette was added. In 1952, Wirt was added. In 1962, the district was again totally broken up and reconstituted as Boone, Clay, Kanawha, Nicholas and Raleigh. In 1972, Raleigh was removed and Ritchie, Wirt, Gilmer, Calhoun, Mason, Jackson, Roane, Braxton, Putnam, Lincoln, and Boone were added. In 1982, Lewis was added.

The district's current configuration dates from the 1990 round of redistricting. From 1992 to 2002, it consisted of Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Webster, and Wyoming. In 2002, Nicholas was added. For the 2012 cycle, Mason was added.^[10]

List of members representing the district[]

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District created December 7, 1863
Kellian Whaley	Unconditional Unionist	December 7, 1863 – March 3, 1867	38th 39th	Elected in 1863. Re-elected in 1864. Retired.
Daniel Polsley	Republican	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869	40th	Elected in 1866. Retired.
John Witcher	Republican	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871	41st	Elected in 1868. Lost re-election.
Frank Hereford	Democratic	March 4, 1871 – January 31, 1877	42nd 43rd 44th	Elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Retired to run for U.S. Senator and resigned when elected.
Vacant		January 31, 1877 – March 3, 1877	44th
John E. Kenna	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883	45th 46th 47th	Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882, but resigned when elected U.S. Senator.
Vacant		March 4, 1883 – May 15, 1883	48th
Charles P. Snyder	Democratic	May 15, 1883 – March 3, 1889	48th 49th 50th	Elected to finish Kenna's term. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired.
John D. Alderson	Democratic	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895	51st 52nd 53rd	Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Lost re-election.
James Hall Huling	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897	54th	Elected in 1894. Retired.
Charles Dorr	Republican	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	Elected in 1896. Retired.
David Emmons Johnston	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901	56th	Elected in 1898. Lost re-election.
Joseph H. Gaines	Republican	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1911	57th 58th 59th 60th 61st	Elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Lost re-election.
Adam Brown Littlepage	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913	62nd	Elected in 1910. Lost re-election.
Samuel B. Avis	Republican	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	63rd	Elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
Adam Brown Littlepage	Democratic	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1917	64th	Elected in 1914. Redistricted to the 6th district.
Stuart F. Reed	Republican	March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1925	65th 66th 67th 68th	Elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Retired.
John M. Wolverton	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1927	69th	Elected in 1924. Lost re-election.
William S. O'Brien	Democratic	March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1929	70th	Elected in 1926. Lost re-election.
John M. Wolverton	Republican	March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1931	71st	Elected in 1928. Lost re-election.
Lynn Hornor	Democratic	March 4, 1931 – September 23, 1933	72nd 73rd	Elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Died.
Vacant		September 23, 1933 – November 28, 1933	73rd
Andrew Edmiston Jr.	Democratic	November 28, 1933 – January 3, 1943	73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th	Elected to finish Hornor's term. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election.
Edward G. Rohrbough	Republican	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945	78th	Elected in 1942. Lost re-election.
Cleveland M. Bailey	Democratic	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947	79th	Elected in 1944. Lost re-election.
Edward G. Rohrbough	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949	80th	Elected in 1946. Lost re-election.
Cleveland M. Bailey	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1963	81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th	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. Redistricted to the 1st district and lost re-election.
John M. Slack Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – March 17, 1980	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th	Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Died.
Vacant		March 17, 1980 – June 30, 1980	96th
John G. Hutchinson	Democratic	June 30, 1980 – January 3, 1981		Elected to finish Slack's term. Lost re-election.
Mick Staton	Republican	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983	97th	Elected in 1980. Lost re-election.
Bob Wise	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993	98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd	Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Redistricted to the 2nd district.
Nick Rahall	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2015	103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th	Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-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. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Lost re-election.
Evan Jenkins	Republican	January 3, 2015 – September 30, 2018	114th 115th	Elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Resigned to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
Vacant		September 30, 2018 – January 3, 2019	115th
Carol Miller	Republican	January 3, 2019 – Present	116th 117th	Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Redistricted to the 1st district.
District to be eliminated January 3, 2023

Recent election results[]

2000s[]

2010s[]

2020s[]

Historical district boundaries[]

2003 - 2013

See also[]

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

References[]

Specific

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: 37°59′28″N 81°13′06″W / 37.99111°N 81.21833°W / 37.99111; -81.21833