Arkansas's 1st congressional district

"AR 1" redirects here. For the state highway, see Arkansas Highway 1.
Arkansas's 1st congressional district
Current Representative Rick Crawford (R–Jonesboro)
Area 17,521 mi2 (45,379 km2)
Distribution 44.5% urban, 55.5% rural
Population (2000) 668,360
Median income $28,940
Ethnicity 80.2% White, 16.6% Black, 0.3% Asian, 1.9% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% other
Occupation 35% blue collar, 48.8% white collar, 16.2% gray collar
Cook PVI R+14[1]

Arkansas's 1st congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in northeastern and part of southeastern Arkansas that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives.

It is currently represented by Republican Rick Crawford.

Geography

2003–2013

The district from 2003 to 2013

Before the 2012 census, it was only in northeastern Arkansas, encompassing the counties of Arkansas, Baxter, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Saint Francis, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, and Woodruff.

2013–2023

The district took in additional counties in the southeastern portion that were part of the 4th district which in turn took the entire eastern Arkansas border. It fully encompasses the counties of Arkansas, Baxter, Chicot, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Saint Francis, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, and Woodruff. The district also encompasses parts of Jefferson county.

Character

The Mississippi Delta has long been home to American industrial agriculture, with cotton, rice and soybeans by far the biggest export from the region. The 1st District covers most of the Arkansas Delta area and stretches as far west to the Ozarks. The farming areas, despite their fertility, are generally poor by national standards, with unemployment and undereducation as some of the greatest problems. Rice farms are the amongst the greatest recipients of federal farming subsidization - and three of the top five subsidy farms in the United States are in the 1st District, receiving over $100 million since 1996.

Some manufacturing has been sited in the region recently, with several auto parts factories being built in Marion and Toyota considering it as the site for its seventh North American plant.

Jonesboro is the largest town, home to a sizable food processing industry with companies such as Nestle and Frito-Lay sited here. Jonesboro is also home to Arkansas State University (ASU)-Jonesboro. While Jonesboro itself sports a Republican trend, along with some of the hill counties, it is balanced by the strong Democratic presence in the African American-dominated Mississippi River Delta. The result is a fairly closely divided vote in national politics. While Al Gore narrowly carried the district in 2000 with 50% of the vote, George W. Bush won the district in 2004. The district swung even more Republican in 2008, giving John McCain 58.69% of the vote while Barack Obama received 38.41% here.

Voting

Election results from statewide races
Year Office Results
2012 President Romney 61 - 36%
2008 President McCain 59 - 38%
2004 President Bush 52 - 47%
2000 President Gore 50 - 48%

List of representatives

The district was created in 1853 after the 1850 United States Census added a second seat to the state. The at-large seat then was split between this district and the second district.

Representative Party Year Notes
District created March 4, 1853
Alfred B. Greenwood Democratic March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859
Thomas C. Hindman Democratic March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861
Civil War and Reconstruction
Logan H. Roots Republican June 22, 1868 – March 3, 1871
James M. Hanks Democratic March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873
Asa Hodges Republican March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875
Lucien C. Gause Democratic March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879
Poindexter Dunn Democratic March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1889
William H. Cate Democratic March 4, 1889 – March 5, 1890 Lost contested election
Lewis P. Featherstone Labor March 5, 1890 – March 3, 1891 Won contested election
William H. Cate Democratic March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893
Philip D. McCulloch, Jr. Democratic March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903
Robert B. Macon Democratic March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913
Thaddeus H. Caraway Democratic March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1921
William J. Driver Democratic March 4, 1921 – January 3, 1939
Ezekiel C. Gathings Democratic January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1969
Bill Alexander, Jr. Democratic January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1993
Blanche Lincoln Democratic January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1997
Marion Berry Democratic January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011
Rick Crawford Republican January 3, 2011 – present Incumbent

Recent election results

2002

Arkansas’s 1st Congressional District House Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert Marion Berry* 129,701 66.84%
Republican Tommy F. Robinson 64,357 33.16%
Majority 65,344 33.68%
Total votes 194,058 100.00
Democratic hold

2004

Arkansas’s 1st Congressional District House Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert Marion Berry* 162,388 66.57%
Republican Vernon Humphrey 81,556 33.43%
Majority 80,832 33.14%
Total votes 243,944 100.00
Democratic hold

2006

Arkansas’s 1st Congressional District House Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert Marion Berry* 127,577 69.26%
Republican Mickey Stumbaugh 56,611 30.74%
Majority 70,966 38.52%
Total votes 184,188 100.00
Democratic hold

2008

Arkansas’s 1st Congressional District House Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert Marion Berry* 124,304 100.00%
Majority 100.00%
Total votes 124,304 100.00
Democratic hold

2010

Arkansas’s 1st Congressional District House Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Rick Crawford 93,224 51.79%
Democratic Chad Causey 78,267 43.48%
Green Ken Adler 8,320 4.62%
Write-in Write-ins 205 0.11%
Majority 14,957 8.31%
Total votes 180,016 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic

2012

Arkansas’s 1st Congressional District House Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Rick Crawford* 138,800 56.23%
Democratic Scott Ellington 96,601 39.13%
Libertarian Jessica Paxton 6,427 2.60%
Green Jacob Holloway 5,015 2.03%
Majority 42,199 17.10%
Total votes 246,843 100.00
Republican hold

Living former Members

As of April 2015, there are three former members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 1st congressional district that are currently living.

Representative Term in office Date of birth (and age)
Bill Alexander 1969–1993 January 16, 1934
Blanche Lincoln 1993–1997 September 30, 1960
Robert M. Berry 1997–2011 August 27, 1942

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.

Coordinates: 35°17′38″N 91°15′30″W / 35.29389°N 91.25833°W / 35.29389; -91.25833

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