Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023. Points indicate major cities in the district (Spokane, Spokane Valley, Pullman, and Walla Walla respectively).
In presidential elections, the 5th district was once fairly competitive, but in recent years has generally been a safe bet for the Republicans. Although George W. Bush carried the district with 57% in 2000 and 2004, John McCain just narrowly won the district with 52% of the vote, while Barack Obama received 46% in 2008. In 2012, President Obama's share of the vote dropped to 44%.
The first election in the 5th district was in 1914, won by Democrat Clarence Dill. Following the 1910 census, Washington gained two seats in the U.S. House, from three to five, but did not reapportion for the 1912 election. The two new seats were elected as statewide at-large, with each voter casting ballots for three congressional seats, their district and two at-large. After that election, the state was reapportioned to five districts for the 1914 election. The state's 6th district was added after the 1930 census and first contested in the 1932 election.
^"Federal - All Results". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
^"Federal - All Results". Washington Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
^"November 8, 2016 General Election Results". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
^Johnson, Cheryl L. (February 28, 2019). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 2018". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^"November 3, 2020 General Election Results". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
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
External links
Washington State Redistricting Commission
Find your new congressional district: a searchable map, Seattle Times, January 13, 2012