Tennessee's 5th congressional district

The 5th congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle Tennessee. It has been represented by Democrat Jim Cooper since January 2003.

Tennessee's 5th congressional district
Tennessee's 5th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Representative
  Jim Cooper
D–Nashville
Distribution
  • 88.68% urban[1]
  • 11.32% rural
Population (2016)762,535[2]
Median income$57,116[3]
Ethnicity
Cook PVID+7[4]

Current boundaries

The district is located slightly northwest of the state's geographical center. It is currently composed of Davidson and Dickson counties, as well as most of Cheatham County. It is the only Tennessee congressional district which does not border another state.

Characteristics

The fifth district is nearly synonymous with Tennessee's capital city, Nashville, as the district has almost always been centered on Nashville throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries. The city is a center for the music, healthcare, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home to numerous colleges and universities (its old nickname was "the Athens of the South"). It is also home to the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, earning it the nickname "Music City".[5]

The district stretches west of Nashville, and into Cheatham and Dickson counties, which are far less suburbanized than the communities to the south and east of Nashville.

Political characteristics

The 5th is historically a very safe seat for the Democratic Party, due almost entirely to the influence of heavily Democratic Nashville. Some pockets of Republican influence exist in Belle Meade, and portions of neighboring Cheatham County, as well as Dickson County. However, they are no match for the overwhelming Democratic trend in most of Nashville.

No Republican has represented Nashville in Congress since Horace Harrison in 1875.[6]

Election results from presidential races
Year Office Result
2000 President Al Gore 57% - George W. Bush 42%
2004 President John Kerry 52% - George W. Bush 48%
2008 President Barack Obama 57.5% - John McCain 41.3%
2012 President Barack Obama 56% - Mitt Romney 42.5%
2016 President Hillary Clinton 56.5% - Donald Trump 38.2%

History

Following the 1950 census, Tennessee expanded briefly to ten districts. Even though it has since contracted back to nine districts, that marked the beginning of the continuous period where the 5th district was centered on Davidson County/Nashville.[7]

From 1941 to 1957, Nashville was represented by J. Percy Priest, who was the House majority whip in the 81st and 82nd Congresses. A dam in eastern Davidson County and the lake formed by the dam are both named in his memory.

Priest died just before the Election of 1956,[8] and the Democrats turned to Carlton Loser. Loser won that election, and then to two more Congresses after that. Loser appeared to win another Democratic nomination in 1962, but his primary came under investigation for voter fraud, and a court ordered a new election. In this new election, Loser was defeated by former state senator Richard Fulton.[9]

Richard "Dick" Fulton represented the 5th from 1963 until 1977, when retired from Congress to become the second mayor of metropolitan Nashville.

Following the 1970 census, while Fulton was representing the district, Tennessee briefly contracted to eight congressional districts. During the 70s, the district encompassed Davidson, Cheatham, and Robertson counties. This contraction of congressional districts forced the first time in thirty years where Davidson County was not the sole county in the district. (The fifth was Davidson County and only Davidson County from 1943 to 1972.)[7]

Once Fulton was Nashville mayor, he was succeeded in Congress by former state senator Clifford Allen. Allen served for only a term and a half (Nov.1975- Jun.1978) before he died in office due to complications from a heart attack he'd suffered a month earlier.[10]

In the election of 1978, the fifth district selected state senator Bill Boner. He served in Congress for ten years, and then succeeded Fulton as mayor of Nashville.

Boner was succeeded in 1988 by Bob Clement, former president of Cumberland University and son of former governor Frank G. Clement. Clement ended up serving seven terms in Congress, where he served Davidson and Robertson counties. He was one of the 81 Democratic congressmen who voted for the Iraq Resolution of 2002.[11]

Clement did not run for re-election in 2002, as he was running for the open US Senate seat left by retiring Fred Thompson. He won the Democratic nomination easily, but was defeated in the general election by former governor Lamar Alexander.[12] Clement was succeeded in Congress by Jim Cooper, who, like Clement, was also the son of a former governor.

Jim Cooper is considered a blue dog Democrat. According to On The Issues, he is deemed "moderate", but is slightly to the left of the political center.[13] As of summer 2019, he is in his ninth term in Congress.

List of members representing the district
Member Party Years Cong
ress		 Residence Electoral history District location
District created March 4, 1813

Felix Grundy		 Democratic-Republican March 4, 1813 –
July, 1814		 13th [data unknown/missing] Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1813.
Resigned.		 Bedford, Davidson, Lincoln, Rutherford, and Williamson counties

Newton Cannon		 Democratic-Republican September 16, 1814 –
March 3, 1817		 13th
14th		 [data unknown/missing] Elected to finish Grundy's term.
Re-elected in 1815.
Lost re-election.

Thomas Claiborne		 Democratic-Republican March 4, 1817 –
March 3, 1819		 15th [data unknown/missing] Elected in 1817.
[data unknown/missing]

Newton Cannon		 Democratic-Republican March 4, 1819 –
March 3, 1823		 16th
17th		 [data unknown/missing] [data unknown/missing]
Robert Allen Jackson Democratic-Republican March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825		 18th
19th		 Carthage Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1823.
Re-elected in 1825.
[data unknown/missing]		 Smith, Sumner, and Wilson counties
Jacksonian March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1827
Robert Desha Jacksonian March 4, 1827 –
March 3, 1831		 20th
21st		 Gallatin [data unknown/missing]

William Hall		 Jacksonian March 4, 1831 –
March 3, 1833		 22nd Sumner County [data unknown/missing]
John B. Forester Jacksonian March 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1835		 23rd
24th		 [data unknown/missing] [data unknown/missing]
Anti-Jacksonian March 4, 1835 –
March 3, 1837		 [data unknown/missing]

Hopkins L. Turney		 Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1843		 25th
26th
27th		 Winchester [data unknown/missing]

George Washington Jones		 Democratic March 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1853		 28th
29th
30th
31st
32nd		 Fayetteville [data unknown/missing]
Redistricted to the 6th district.
Charles Ready Whig March 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855		 33rd
34th
35th		 Murfreesboro [data unknown/missing]
Know Nothing March 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1859		 [data unknown/missing]

Robert H. Hatton		 Opposition March 4, 1859 –
March 3, 1861		 36th Lebanon [data unknown/missing]
American Civil War

William B. Campbell		 Unionist July 24, 1866 –
March 3, 1867		 39th Wilson County [data unknown/missing]
John Trimble Republican March 4, 1867 –
March 3, 1869		 40th Nashville [data unknown/missing]

William F. Prosser		 Republican March 4, 1869 –
March 3, 1871		 41st Nashville [data unknown/missing]

Edward I. Golladay		 Democratic March 4, 1871 –
March 3, 1873		 42nd Lebanon [data unknown/missing]

Horace Harrison		 Republican March 4, 1873 –
March 3, 1875		 43rd Nashville [data unknown/missing]

John M. Bright		 Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1881		 44th
45th
46th		 Fayetteville Redistricted from the 4th district.
[data unknown/missing]

Richard Warner		 Democratic March 4, 1881 –
March 3, 1885		 47th
48th		 Lewisburg [data unknown/missing]

James D. Richardson		 Democratic March 4, 1885 –
March 3, 1905		 49th
50th
51st
52nd
53rd
54th
55th
56th
57th
58th		 Murfreesboro [data unknown/missing]

William C. Houston		 Democratic March 4, 1905 –
March 3, 1919		 59th
60th
61st
62nd
63rd
64th
65th		 Woodbury [data unknown/missing]

Ewin L. Davis		 Democratic March 4, 1919 –
March 3, 1933		 66th
67th
68th
69th
70th
71st
72nd		 Tullahoma [data unknown/missing]

Jo Byrns		 Democratic March 4, 1933 –
June 4, 1936		 73rd
74th		 Nashville Redistricted from the 6th district.
Died.
Richard M. Atkinson Democratic January 3, 1937 –
January 3, 1939		 75th Nashville [data unknown/missing]

Jo Byrns Jr.		 Democratic January 3, 1939 –
January 3, 1941		 76th Nashville [data unknown/missing]

Percy Priest		 Independent Democratic January 3, 1941 –
January 3, 1943		 77th Nashville [data unknown/missing]
Redistricted to the 6th district.

Jim Nance McCord		 Democratic January 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1945		 78th Lewisburg [data unknown/missing]
Harold Earthman Democratic January 3, 1945 –
January 3, 1947		 79th Murfreesboro [data unknown/missing]

Joe L. Evins		 Democratic January 3, 1947 –
January 3, 1953		 80th
81st
82nd		 Smithville [data unknown/missing]
Redistricted to the 4th district.

Percy Priest		 Democratic January 3, 1953 –
October 12, 1956		 83rd
84th		 Nashville Redistricted from the 6th district.
Died.

J. Carlton Loser		 Democratic January 3, 1957 –
January 3, 1963		 85th
86th
87th		 Nashville [data unknown/missing]

Richard Fulton		 Democratic January 3, 1963 –
August 14, 1975		 88th
89th
90th
91st
92nd
93rd
94th		 Nashville [data unknown/missing]
Resigned after becoming Mayor of Nashville

Clifford Allen		 Democratic November 25, 1975 –
June 18, 1978		 94th
95th		 Nashville [data unknown/missing]
Died.
Vacant June 18, 1978 –
January 3, 1979

Bill Boner		 Democratic January 3, 1979 –
October 5, 1987		 96th
97th
98th
99th
100th		 Nashville [data unknown/missing]
Resigned after becoming Mayor of Nashville

Bob Clement		 Democratic January 19, 1988 –
January 3, 2003		 100th
101st
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th		 Nashville Ran unsuccessfully for a House seat in 1982 and for Senate in 2002.

Jim Cooper		 Democratic January 3, 2003 –
Present		 108th
109th
110th
111th
112th
113th
114th
115th
116th		 Nashville Served as the representative of the 4th district district from 1983-1994 and ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 1994. Davidson County, Dickson, and Cheatham counties.

Recent election results
United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2004: District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 168,970 69.3 +5.5
Republican Scott Knapp 74,978 30.7 -2.5
Write-in candidate Thomas F. Kovach 15 0.0

Source: Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 2004

United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2006: District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 122,919 69.0 -0.3
Republican Thomas F. Kovach 49,702 27.9 -2.8
Independent Ginny Welsch 3,766 2.1
Independent Scott Knapp 1,755 1.0
United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2008: District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 181,467 65.8 -3.2
Republican Gerard Donovan 85,471 31.0 +3.1
Independent Jon Jackson 5,464 2.0
Green John Miglietta 3,196 1.2
Write-in candidate Thomas F. Kovach 4 0.0
United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2010: District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 99,162 56.2 -9.6
Republican David Hall 74,204 42.1 +11.1
Libertarian Stephen Collings 584 .3
Independent John "Big John" Smith 533 .3
Independent Jackie Miller 444 .3
Green John Miglietta 396 .2 -1
Independent Bill Crook 391 .2
Independent James Whitfield 333 .2
Independent Joe Moore 159 .1
Independent Clark Taylor 156 .1

Source: TN Department of State

United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2012: District 5 (Unofficial)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 171,358 65.22 +9.0
Republican Brad Staats 86,153 32.79 -9.3
Green John Miglietta 5,208 1.98 +1.8

Source: TN Department of State

United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2014: District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 96,148 62.32 -2.9
Republican Bob Ries 55,078 35.70 +2.91
Independent Paul Deakin 9,634 6.24 +6.2

Source:

United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2016: District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 171,111 62.55 +0.23
Republican Stacy Ries Snyder 102,433 37.44 +1.74

Source:

United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2018: District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim Cooper 177,923 67.84 +5.29
Republican Jody M. Ball 84,317 32.15 -5.29

Source:

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See also

References
  1. Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. Bureau, Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  3. https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=47&cd=05
  4. "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20010707123558/http://www.bmi.com/library/brochures/historybook/musiccity.asp
  6. "Horace Harrison HARRISON". InfoPlease. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  7. "JeffreyBLewis/congressional-district-boundaries". GitHub. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  8. "J. PERCY PRIEST, 56, LEGISLATOR, DEAD; Tennessee Representative 16 Years, Ex-Democratic Whip, Was Commerce Chairman Was Teacher and Coach". 13 October 1956. Retrieved 10 April 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  9. http://www.thenashvillebanner.com/politics/2015/01/14/it-starts-with-richard-fulton.1311947%5B%5D
  10. "Observer-Reporter - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. "H.J.Res. 114 (107th): Authorization for Use of Military Force Against ... -- House Vote #455 -- Oct 10, 2002". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  12. "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate Race - Nov 05, 2002". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  13. OnTheIssues.org. "Jim Cooper on the Issues". house.ontheissues.org. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Illinois's 20th congressional district		 Home district of the Speaker of the House
January 3, 1935 – June 4, 1936		 Succeeded by
Alabama's 7th congressional district

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