Tennessee's 7th congressional district

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Tennessee's 7th congressional district
Tennessee US Congressional District 7 (since 2013).tif
Tennessee's 7th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Representative
  Mark Green
RClarksville
Distribution
  • 50.71% urban[1]
  • 49.29% rural
Population (2021)838,746[2]
Median household
income
$67,685[2]
Ethnicity
Cook PVIR+21[3]

The 7th congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district located in parts of Middle and West Tennessee. It has been represented by Republican Mark E. Green since January 2019.

Current boundaries

The district is located in both West and Middle Tennessee. It stretches as far north as the Kentucky border, as far south as Mississippi/Alabama border, as far east as Franklin, and as far west as Bolivar.

It is currently composed of the following counties: Chester, Decatur, Giles, Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, McNairy, Montgomery, Perry, Stewart, Wayne, and Williamson. It also includes significant portions of Benton and Maury.

Characteristics

The seventh district has significant suburban and rural areas. Although most of the area is rural, more than half of the district's vote is cast in either Montgomery County (Clarksville) or Williamson County (Franklin, Brentwood).

By most measures, Williamson County is the wealthiest county in the state and is usually ranked near the top nationally.[4]

The district has a very strong military presence, as it includes Tennessee's share of Fort Campbell.

Politically speaking, the area was secessionist and part of the Democrats' “Solid South” for a century after the Civil War, excluding the Unionist Highland Rim bloc of Henderson, McNairy, Hardin and Wayne Counties. However, since being carried by George Wallace in 1968 it has become and remained one of the most Republican areas in Tennessee, and has not been represented by a Democrat since the early 1970s. The presence of Nashville's suburbs gives it a character similar to those of most affluent suburban districts in much of the South until the mid-2000s. It has a strong social conservative bent; many of the state's most politically active churches are either located here or draw most of their congregations from here.

The rural secessionist counties are similar demographically to the 8th district and returned to the Democrats until the 2000s; four of the five Tennessee counties won by George McGovern lie within this district. However, since the mid-2000s these counties have turned overwhelmingly Republican in all elections. The only area where Democrats currently compete on anything resembling an even basis is in Clarksville, which still occasionally elects Democrats to the state legislature.

According to the 2010 census the five largest cities entirely within the district are: Clarksville (132,929), Franklin (62,487), Brentwood (38,060), Lawrenceburg (10,428), and Pulaski (7,870).

Election results from presidential races

Year Office Result
2000 President George W. Bush 59% - Al Gore 40%
2004 President George W. Bush 66% - John Kerry 33%
2008 President John McCain 65% - Barack Obama 34%
2012 President Mitt Romney 65% - Barack Obama 33%
2016 President Donald Trump 67% - Hillary Clinton 28%
2020 President Donald Trump 66% - Joe Biden 31%

History

Districts stretching from Clarksville to West Tennessee have existed in one form or another since 1871. For most of the time from 1933 to 1983 (except for 1943 to 1953), it was numbered as the 6th district.

This district assumed something approaching its current configuration in 1973, when Tennessee lost a congressional district. At that time, the 6th was redrawn to stretch from Williamson County, south of Nashville, to the eastern suburbs of Memphis and covering the rural areas in between. Republican Robin Beard represented this area from 1973 to 1983.

Tennessee gained a congressional district following the 1980 census. At this time, the district was re-numbered as the 7th and lost its eastern counties to the 4th and 6th districts. At the same time, most of its black residents closer to Memphis were drawn into the 9th district. Following this re-districting, Beard made an unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid, and was replaced by former Shelby County Republican Party chair Don Sundquist.

Sundquist served through the rest of the 1980s through the 1990 re-districting, which saw the district lose some of its rural counties while picking up Maury County.

In 1994, Sundquist successfully ran for Governor of Tennessee, defeating future governor Phil Bredesen. Sundquist was then replaced by Ed Bryant.

Bryant served from 1995 until 2002, when the district was gerrymandered by the Democrat-led Tennessee General Assembly to pack the consistently Republican suburbs of Nashville and Memphis into one district. The result was a district that was 200 miles (320 km) long, but only two miles (3.2 km) wide at some points in the Middle Tennessee portion.

Following that re-districting, the area chose Brentwood-based state senator Marsha Blackburn. She served from 2003 to 2019.

Redistricting after the 2010 census made the district somewhat more compact, restoring a configuration similar to the 1983-2003 lines. However, it lost its share of the Memphis suburbs to the 8th, a move which made the 8th as heavily Republican as the 7th.

In 2018, Blackburn successfully ran for US Senate, defeating former governor Phil Bredesen. In the concurrent election, the district selected doctor and former state senator Mark E. Green.

List of members representing the district

Name Party Years Cong
ress
District Residence Electoral history
District created March 4, 1823
Thomas Flintoff - Sam Houston - Google Art Project.jpg
Sam Houston
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1823 - March 4, 1825 18th
19th
Lebanon Elected in 1823.
Re-elected in 1825.
Retired to run for Governor of Tennessee.
Jacksonian March 4, 1825 - March 4, 1827
Hon. John Bell, Tenn - NARA - 528752.jpg
John Bell
Jacksonian March 4, 1827 –
March 3, 1835
20th
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
Nashville Elected in 1827.
Re-elected in 1829.
Re-elected in 1831.
Re-elected in 1833.
Re-elected in 1835.
Re-elected in 1837.
Re-elected in 1839.
Retired to become U.S. Secretary of War.
Anti-Jacksonian March 4, 1835 –
March 3, 1837
Whig March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1841
Robert-caruthers-grand-lodge.jpg
Robert L. Caruthers
Whig March 4, 1841 –
March 3, 1843
27th Lebanon Elected in 1841.
Retired.
David W. Dickinson Whig March 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1845
28th Murfreesboro Elected in 1843.
Retired.
Meredith-gentry-tn1.png
Meredith P. Gentry
Whig March 4, 1845 –
March 3, 1853
29th
30th
31st
32nd
Franklin Elected in 1845.
Re-elected in 1847.
Re-elected in 1849.
Re-elected in 1851.
Retired.
Robert M. Bugg Whig March 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855
33rd Giles County Elected in 1853.
Retired.
John V. Wright Democratic March 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1861
34th
35th
36th
Purdy Elected in 1855.
Re-elected in 1857.
Re-elected in 1859.
Could not seek re-election, as West Tennessee seceded.
American Civil War
IsaacRobertsHawkins.jpg
Isaac R. Hawkins
Unionist July 24, 1866 –
March 3, 1867
39th
40th
41st
Huntingdon Elected in 1865.
Re-elected in 1867.
Re-elected in 1868.
Retired.
Republican March 4, 1867 –
March 3, 1871
RobertPorterCaldwell.jpg
Robert P. Caldwell
Democratic March 4, 1871 –
March 3, 1873
42nd Trenton Elected in 1870.
Lost renomination.
John DeWitt Clinton Atkins - Brady-Handy.jpg
John Atkins
Democratic March 4, 1873 –
March 3, 1875
43rd Paris Elected in 1872.
Redistricted to the 8th district.
Washington C. Whitthorne - Brady-Handy.jpg
Washington C. Whitthorne
Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1883
44th
45th
46th
47th
Columbia Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1874.
Re-elected in 1876.
Re-elected in 1878.
Re-elected in 1880.
Retired.
John Goff Ballantine (Tennessee Congressman).jpg
John G. Ballentine
Democratic March 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1887
48th
49th
Pulaski Elected in 1882.
Re-elected in 1884.
Retired.
Washington C. Whitthorne - Brady-Handy.jpg
Washington C. Whitthorne
Democratic March 4, 1887 –
March 4, 1891
50th
51st
Columbia Elected in 1886.
Re-elected in 1888.
Retired.
Nicholas N. Cox (Tennessee Congressman).jpg
Nicholas N. Cox
Democratic March 4, 1891 –
March 3, 1901
52nd
53rd
54th
55th
56th
Franklin Elected in 1890.
Re-elected in 1892.
Re-elected in 1894.
Re-elected in 1896.
Re-elected in 1898.
Retired.
Portrait of Lemuel P. Padgett.jpg
Lemuel P. Padgett
Democratic March 4, 1901 –
August 2, 1922
57th
58th
59th
60th
61st
62nd
63rd
64th
65th
66th
67th
Columbia 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.
Re-elected in 1920.
Died.
Vacant August 2, 1922 –
November 6, 1922
67th
ClarenceWTurner.jpg
Clarence W. Turner
Democratic November 7, 1922 –
March 3, 1923
Waverly Elected to finish Padgett's term.
Retired.
WilliamCharlesSalmon.jpg
William C. Salmon
Democratic March 4, 1923 –
March 3, 1925
68th Columbia Elected in 1922.
Retired.
Edward E. Eslick (Tennessee Congressman).jpg
Edward E. Eslick
Democratic March 4, 1925 –
June 14, 1932
69th
70th
71st
72nd
Pulaski Elected in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Re-elected in 1928.
Re-elected in 1930.
Died.
Vacant June 14, 1932 –
August 12, 1932
72nd
Willa McCord Blake Eslick.jpg
Willa Eslick
Democratic August 13, 1932 –
March 3, 1933
Pulaski Elected to finish her husband's term.
Retired.
Browning-gordon-harris-ewing.jpg
Gordon Browning
Democratic March 4, 1933 –
January 3, 1935
73rd Huntingdon Redistricted from the 8th district and re-elected in 1932.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Herron C. Pearson Democratic January 3, 1935 –
January 3, 1943
74th
75th
76th
77th
Jackson Elected in 1934.
Re-elected in 1936.
Re-elected in 1938.
Re-elected in 1940.
Retired.
W. Wirt Courtney (Tennessee Congressman).jpg
W. Wirt Courtney
Democratic January 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1949
78th
79th
80th
Franklin Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Re-elected in 1946.
Lost renomination.
James Patrick Sutton (US Congressman).jpg
James P. Sutton
Democratic January 3, 1949 –
January 3, 1953
81st
82nd
Wartrace Elected in 1948.
Re-elected in 1950.
Redistricted to the 6th district.
Tom J. Murray.jpg
Tom J. Murray
Democratic January 3, 1953 –
December 30, 1966
83rd
84th
85th
86th
87th
88th
89th
Jackson Redistricted from the 8th district and 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.
Lost renomination and resigned early.
Vacant December 31, 1966 –
January 2, 1967
89th
Ray Blanton.jpg
Ray Blanton
Democratic January 3, 1967– January 3, 1973 90th
91st
92nd
Adamsville Elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
Re-elected in 1970.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Ed Jones Congressional Photo.jpeg
Ed Jones
Democratic January 3, 1973 –
January 3, 1983
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
Yorkville Redistricted from the 8th district and re-elected in 1972.
Re-elected in 1974.
Re-elected in 1976.
Re-elected in 1978.
Re-elected in 1980.
Redistricted to the 8th district.
Don Sundquist 103rd Congress.jpg
Don Sundquist
Republican January 3, 1983 –
January 3, 1995
98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd
103rd
Memphis Elected in 1982.
Re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Re-elected in 1990.
Re-elected in 1992.
Retired to run for Governor of Tennessee.
EdBryant.jpg
Ed Bryant
Republican January 3, 1995 –
January 3, 2003
104th
105th
106th
107th
Henderson Elected in 1994.
Re-elected in 1996.
Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Marsha Blackburn 6.jpg
Marsha Blackburn
Republican January 3, 2003 –
January 3, 2019
108th
109th
110th
111th
112th
113th
114th
115th
Brentwood Elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Re-elected in 2006.
Re-elected in 2008.
Re-elected in 2010.
Re-elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Mark Green, official portrait, 116th Congress.jpg
Mark E. Green
Republican January 3, 2019 –
Present
116th
117th
Ashland City Elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

References

  1. ^ "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (State-based) - Geography - U.S. Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Introducing the 2021 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". The Cook Political Report. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "7. Williamson County, TN (Median household income: $104,367)". Forbes. Retrieved January 28, 2021.

Coordinates: 35°38′02″N 87°49′59″W / 35.63389°N 87.83306°W / 35.63389; -87.83306