West Virginia's 2nd congressional district

West Virginia's 2nd congressional district
	West Virginia's 2nd congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
	Alex Mooney; R–Charles Town
Population (2010)	648,186
Median income	$48,426[1]
Ethnicity	94.4% white; 3.6% black; 0.8% Hispanic; 0.5% Asian; 0.2% Native American; 0.1% other;
Cook PVI	R+17[2]

West Virginia's 2nd congressional district stretches from the Ohio River border with Ohio to the Potomac River border with Maryland and the border with Virginia. It includes the capital city of Charleston and the rapidly growing residential communities of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions connected by a narrow strip of nearly unpopulated counties. It is 20 miles (32 km) wide and 300 miles (480 km) long.

The district is currently represented by Alex Mooney, a Republican.

West Virginia had four Congressional seats from 1973 to 1993. Previously, much of the western portion of the current 2nd District had been in the 3rd District, based in Charleston. The eastern portion of the district had been in the 2nd District, which had been anchored in Martinsburg and Morgantown for all but a few years since statehood. For all but two years from 1949 to 1993, it was held by the Democratic Staggers family--Harley O. Staggers from 1949 to 1981 and Harley "Buckey" Staggers, Jr. from 1983 to 1993. When West Virginia lost a seat following the 1990 Census, the state legislature divided Staggers's district among the remaining three districts. Much of Staggers's old territory was merged with the 3rd District, represented by five-term Democrat Bob Wise and renumbered the 2nd. However, Staggers's home in Mineral County wound up in the 1st District, where he was routed in the Democratic primary by Alan Mollohan. Wise represented the new district until 2000, when he ran for and won West Virginia's governorship. Following the 2010 Census, Mason County was transferred to the 3rd District, which changed the character of the district only slightly. This change took effect for the 2012 election.[3]

The district is very expensive to campaign in, because six counties on the district's eastern fringe are in the very expensive Washington, D.C. television market. The two main parts, Charleston and the Eastern Panhandle, have very little in common and very little interaction.

The district is slightly more conservative and prosperous than the rest of the state. It also shares West Virginia's tendency to give congressmen long tenures in Washington. The 2000 election that resulted in Capito's victory marked the first open-seat race in the district since 1945. The old 2nd District had only five congressmen from 1933 until its elimination in 1993.

George W. Bush carried the district twice in 2000 with 54% of the vote and in 2004 with 57% of the vote. John McCain also won the district in 2008 with 54.63% of the vote while Barack Obama received 43.77%.

The district contains much of the territory that was represented by longtime Senator Robert Byrd when he served in the House from 1953 to 1959.

History

The Second District as originally formed in 1863 included Taylor, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Tucker, Barbour, Upshur, Webster, Pocahontas, Randolph, Pendleton, Hardy, Hampshire, Berkeley, and Morgan counties (Jefferson county's status in the state was still in dispute, and Grant and Mineral counties were still part of other counties, but the modern territory of all was also included). It was essentially the successor of Virginia's 10th congressional district. The district was unchanged for 1882.

In 1902, the district was changed to Monongalia, Preston, Tucker, Taylor, Barbour, Tucker, Randolph, Pendleton, Grant, Hardy, Mineral, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties. The district was unchanged for 1916. Taylor was removed for 1934. The district was again unchanged for 1954. In 1962 Upshur, Webster, Pocahontas, and Greenbrier counties were added. In 1972, Lewis, Monroe, Summers, and Fayette were added. In 1982, Barbour was added.

1992 first saw the district as currently constituted, consisting of Berkeley, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Glimer, Hampshire, Hardy, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Mason, Morgan, Nicholas, Pendleton, Putnam, Randolph, Roane, Upshur, and Wirt counties. In 2002, Gilmer and Nicholas were removed and for the election cycle beginning in 2012, Mason was removed.[4]

Recent presidential elections

Election results from presidential races
Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Bush 54 - 44%
2004	President	Bush 57 - 42%
2008	President	McCain 55 - 44%
2012	President	Romney 60 - 38%
2016	President	Trump 66 - 29%

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Dates	Cong ress	Electoral history
District created		December 7, 1863
William G. Brown Sr.	Unconditional Unionist	December 7, 1863 – March 3, 1865	38th	[data unknown/missing]
George R. Latham	Unconditional Unionist	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1867	39th	[data unknown/missing]
Bethuel Kitchen	Republican	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869	40th	[data unknown/missing]
James McGrew	Republican	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873	41st 42nd	[data unknown/missing]
John Hagans	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	[data unknown/missing]
Charles J. Faulkner	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	[data unknown/missing]
Benjamin F. Martin	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881	45th 46th	[data unknown/missing]
John B. Hoge	Democratic	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	[data unknown/missing]
William L. Wilson	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1895	48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd	[data unknown/missing]
Alston G. Dayton	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 16, 1905	54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th	[data unknown/missing] Resigned when appointed as a judge of US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
Vacant		March 16, 1905 – June 6, 1905	59th
Thomas B. Davis	Democratic	June 6, 1905 – March 3, 1907	59th	Elected to finish Dayton's term. [data unknown/missing]
George C. Sturgiss	Republican	March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1911	60th 61st	[data unknown/missing]
William G. Brown Jr.	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 9, 1916	62nd 63rd 64th	[data unknown/missing] Died.
Vacant		March 9, 1916 – May 9, 1916	64th
George M. Bowers	Republican	May 9, 1916 – March 3, 1923	64th 65th 66th 67th	Elected to finish Brown's term. [data unknown/missing]
Robert E. L. Allen	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1925	68th	[data unknown/missing]
Frank L. Bowman	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933	69th 70th 71st 72nd	[data unknown/missing]
Jennings Randolph	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1947	73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th	Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Lost re-election.
Melvin C. Snyder	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949	80th	Elected in 1946. Lost re-election.
Harley O. Staggers	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1981	81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th	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. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Retired.
Cleve Benedict	Republican	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983	97th	Elected in 1980. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Harley O. Staggers Jr.	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 1st district and lost renomination.
Bob Wise	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001	103rd 104th 105th 106th	Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Retired to run for Governor of West Virginia.
Shelley Capito	Republican	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2015	107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th	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. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Alex Mooney	Republican	January 3, 2015 – present	114th 115th 116th	Elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018.

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

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References

https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=54&cd=02
"Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2011/1x/maps/senate/Enr%20SB1008%20Map.pdf
West Virginia Blue Book (pp 535, 2012 edition)

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

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[1] ttps://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=54&cd=02

[Cook-2] "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.

[3] ttp://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2011/1x/maps/senate/Enr%20SB1008%20Map.pdf

[4] West Virginia Blue Book (pp 535, 2012 edition)