Alabama's 7th congressional district

Alabama's 7th congressional district
	Alabama's 7th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
	Terri Sewell; D–Birmingham
Area	8,780 sq mi (22,700 km2)
Distribution	72.16% urban[1]; 27.84% rural;
Population (2016)	665,630[2]
Median income	$35,988[3]
Ethnicity	63.45% black; 33.01% white; 2.61% Hispanic; 1% Asian; 0.16% Native American;
Occupation	53.4% White-collar; 28.6% Blue-collar; 18% Gray-collar;
Cook PVI	D+20[4]

Alabama's 7th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Alabama that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. The district encompasses Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Pickens, Perry, Sumter and Wilcox counties, and portions of Clarke, Jefferson, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa counties. The district encompasses portions of the Birmingham, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa/Northport urban areas. The largest city entirely within the district is Selma.

The district has been majority nonwhite, with a majority of African-American residents, since the redistricting following the 1990 census. It is represented by Democrat Terri Sewell, who succeeded Artur Davis in 2010.

Character

Alabama's 7th congressional district was first defined in 1843; it has continued since then with the exception of the years 1867–1873 during the Reconstruction era. The geographic area represented by this district has changed over time, depending upon the number of U.S. Representatives apportioned to Alabama. Around the turn of the 20th century, the district included the city of Gadsden. Over time, the district was redefined to include the area around Tuscaloosa. The last two representatives for the district before its reconfiguration as a majority-minority area were Richard Shelby (now Alabama's senior senator) and Claude Harris, both Tuscaloosa residents.

The shape of the current district was largely established in 1992, when it was reconstituted as a majority-minority district under provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended in 1982 to encourage greater representation for minorities in Congress.[5] Half of the western Alabama portion of the district was moved to the 4th district, and a large portion of Tuscaloosa County was moved into the 6th district, which had primarily been based around Birmingham. To counter the loss in population and to create the majority minority, many counties from the Black Belt region, a rural expanse in Alabama with a high proportion of African-American residents descended from workers on cotton plantations, were added to the district, as was an arm extending from Tuscaloosa roughly along the Interstate 20/59 corridor into Jefferson County to take in most of the black precincts of Birmingham. Most of Birmingham's white residents remained in the 6th district. The three representatives elected from the district following reconfiguration—Earl F. Hilliard, Artur Davis and Terri Sewell—have all been residents of Birmingham.

Mostly minor changes in the following two redistrictings have not substantially changed the shape of the district. But, western portions of Montgomery County have been restored to this district, including large swaths of inner-city Montgomery in the redistricting following the 2010 census. This area had earlier been removed after the 2000 census. The district contains urbanized areas of Birmingham, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa, and ten of the fourteen rural counties in the Black Belt. Three of the state's largest colleges are located in the district: Alabama State University in Montgomery, the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Democrats have represented the 7th district in all but 6 years since 1843.

Recent election results from statewide races

A majority of voters in the district are African Americans who support the Democratic Party and its candidates.

Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Gore 66–33%
2004	President	Kerry 64–35%
2008	President	Obama 72–27%
2012	President	Obama 72–27%
2016	President	Clinton 70–29%

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created March 4, 1843.
Felix G. McConnell	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – September 10, 1846	28th 29th	Elected in 1842. Re-elected in 1844. Died.	1843–1853 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		September 10, 1846 – December 7, 1846	29th
Franklin W. Bowdon	Democratic	December 7, 1846 – March 3, 1851	29th 30th 31st	Elected to finish McConnell's term. Re-elected in 1846. Re-elected in 1848. [data unknown/missing]
Alexander White	Whig	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1850. [data unknown/missing]
James F. Dowdell	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected in 1852. Redistricted to the 3rd congressional district.	1853–1863 [data unknown/missing]
Sampson W. Harris	Democratic	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	34th	Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1854. [data unknown/missing]
Jabez L. M. Curry	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – January 21, 1861	35th 36th	Elected in 1856. Re-elected in 1858. Withdrew.
Vacant		January 21, 1861 – March 3, 1863	36th 37th	Members withdrew during the American Civil War.
District eliminated in 1863 and re-established in 1877.
William H. Forney	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1893	45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd	Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. [data unknown/missing]	1873–1893 [data unknown/missing]
William H. Denson	Democratic	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895	53rd	Elected in 1892. [data unknown/missing]	1893–1903 [data unknown/missing]
Milford W. Howard	Populist	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899	54th 55th	Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. [data unknown/missing]
John L. Burnett	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – May 13, 1919	56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th	Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Died.
Vacant		May 13, 1919 – September 30, 1919	66th
Lilius Bratton Rainey	Democratic	September 30, 1919 – March 3, 1923	66th 67th	Elected to finish Burnett's term. Re-elected in 1920. [data unknown/missing]	1913–1933 [data unknown/missing]
Miles C. Allgood	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933	68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd	Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Redistricted to the 5th congressional district.	1913–1933 [data unknown/missing]
William B. Bankhead	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – September 15, 1940	73rd 74th 75th 76th	Redistricted from the 10th district and re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Died.	1933–1943 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		September 15, 1940 – November 5, 1940	76th
Zadoc L. Weatherford	Democratic	November 5, 1940 – January 3, 1941	76th	Elected to finish William Bankhead's term. Retired.
Walter W. Bankhead	Democratic	January 3, 1941 – February 1, 1941	77th	Elected in 1940. Resigned.
Vacant		February 1, 1941 – June 24, 1941	77th
Carter Manasco	Democratic	June 24, 1941 – January 3, 1949	77th 78th 79th 80th	Elected to finish Walter Bankhead's term. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. [data unknown/missing]
Carl Elliott	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 At-large district.	1953–1963 [data unknown/missing]
District inactive		January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965	88th	All representatives elected at-large on a general ticket.
James D. Martin	Republican	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967	89th	Elected in 1964. Retired to run for Governor.	1965–1973 [data unknown/missing]
Tom Bevill	Democratic	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973	90th 91st 92nd	Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Redistricted to the 4th district.	1965–1973 [data unknown/missing]
Walter Flowers	Democratic	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979	93rd 94th 95th	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. [data unknown/missing]	1973–1983 [data unknown/missing]
Richard Shelby	Democratic	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987	96th 97th 98th 99th	Elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Retired when elected to the U.S. Senate.	1983–1993 [data unknown/missing]
Claude Harris Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993	100th 101st 102nd	Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Retired.	1983–1993 [data unknown/missing]
Earl Hilliard	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003	103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th	Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Lost renomination.	1993–2003 [data unknown/missing]
Artur Davis	Democratic	January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011	108th 109th 110th 111th	Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Retired to run for Governor.	2003–2013
Terri Sewell	Democratic	January 3, 2011 – Present	112th 113th 114th 115th 116th	Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018.	2003–2013
Terri Sewell	Democratic	January 3, 2011 – Present	112th 113th 114th 115th 116th		2013–Present

Recent election results

2002

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Artur Davis	153,735	92.30%
	Libertarian	Lauren Orth McCay	12,100	7.31%
	Write-in	Write-ins	474	0.29%
Majority			141,635	84.9%
Total votes			166,309	100.00%
	Democratic hold

2004

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Artur Davis (Incumbent)	183,408	75%
	Republican	Steve Cameron	61,019	25%
	Write-in	Write-ins	211	0.09%
Majority			122,389	50%
Total votes			244,638	100%
	Democratic hold

2006

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Artur Davis (Incumbent)	133,870	99%
	Write-in	Write-ins	1,297	1%
Majority			132,573	98%
Total votes			135,167	100%
	Democratic hold

2008

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Artur Davis (Incumbent)	228,518	99%
	Write-in	Write-ins	3,183	1%
Majority			225,335	98%
Total votes			231,701	100%
	Democratic hold

2010

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Terri Sewell	136,223	72%
	Republican	Don Chamberlain	51,882	28%
Majority			84,341	44%
Total votes			188,105	100%
	Democratic hold

2012

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Terri Sewell (Incumbent)	232,520	76%
	Republican	Don Chamberlain	73,835	24%
Majority			158,685	52%
Total votes			299,057	100%
	Democratic hold

2014

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Terri Sewell (Incumbent)	133,687	98%
	Write-in	Write-ins	2,212	2%
Majority			131,475	96%
Total votes			135,899	100%
	Democratic hold

2016

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Terri Sewell (Incumbent)	229,330	98%
	No party	Write-ins	3,698	2
Total votes			233,028	100%
	Democratic hold

2018

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2018[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Terri Sewell (Incumbent)	185,010	97%
	No party	Write-ins	4,153	2%
Total votes			189,163	100%
	Democratic hold

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References

Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov.
Bureau, Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=01&cd=07
"Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
Pear, Robert (August 3, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Congressional Districts; Redistricting Expected to Bring Surge in Minority Lawmakers". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
"2018 Official General Elections Results" (PDF). Alabama Secretary of State. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.

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

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Tennessee's 5th congressional district	Home district of the Speaker of the House June 4, 1936 – September 15, 1940	Succeeded by Texas's 4th congressional district

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[1] Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov.

[2] Bureau, Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.

[3] ttps://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=01&cd=07

[Cook-4] "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.

[5] Pear, Robert (August 3, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Congressional Districts; Redistricting Expected to Bring Surge in Minority Lawmakers". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.

[AL-RESULTS-6] "2018 Official General Elections Results" (PDF). Alabama Secretary of State. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.