32°33′5.2″N 87°52′17.04″W / 32.551444°N 87.8714000°W / 32.551444; -87.8714000

Alabama's 7th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries
Representative
  Terri Sewell
DBirmingham
Area8,780 sq mi (22,700 km2)
Distribution
  • 72.16% urban[1]
  • 27.84% rural
Population (2022)716,121[2]
Median household
income
$45,784[3]
Ethnicity
Cook PVID+14[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. As such, and with a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+14, it is the only Democratic district in Alabama.[4] However, the district is set to be overhauled due to the judicial selection of a new congressional map as a result of the case Allen v. Milligan, with portions of the district to be shifted to the 2nd district. It is currently represented by Democrat Terri Sewell.

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 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. Alabama's 7th Congressional district is a good example of a state that has experienced partisan gerrymandering over the last decade. In the 2010 redistricting cycle, Republicans drew district lines to pack together several major Democratic communities into a single district, ensuring that Democrats were only elected to one seat. Alabama's District 7 reaches into several other districts' regions to pick out Democratic voters. The 7th district is the most gerrymandered in the state.[6]

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%
2020 President Biden 71–29%

List of members representing the district

Member Party Years Cong
ress
Electoral history Location
District created March 4, 1843
Felix Grundy McConnell
(Talladega)
Democratic March 4, 1843 –
September 10, 1846
28th
29th
Elected in 1843.
Re-elected in 1845.
Died.
1843–1853
[data missing]
Vacant September 10, 1846 –
December 7, 1846
29th
Franklin Welsh Bowdon
(Talladega)
Democratic December 7, 1846 –
March 3, 1851
29th
30th
31st
Elected to finish McConnell's term.
Re-elected in 1847.
Re-elected in 1849.
Retired.
Alexander White
(Talladega)
Whig March 4, 1851 –
March 3, 1853
32nd Elected in 1851.
Retired.

James Ferguson Dowdell
(Chambers)
Democratic March 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855
33rd Elected in 1853.
Redistricted to the 3rd district.
1853–1863
[data missing]
Sampson Willis Harris
(Wetumpka)
Democratic March 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1857
34th Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1855.
Retired.

Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry
(Talladega)
Democratic March 4, 1857 –
January 21, 1861
35th
36th
Elected in 1857.
Re-elected in 1859.
Withdrew due to Civil War.
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
(Jacksonville)
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.
Retired.
1877–1893
[data missing]

William Henry Denson
(Gadsden)
Democratic March 4, 1893 –
March 3, 1895
53rd Elected in 1892.
Lost renomination.
1893–1903
[data missing]

Milford W. Howard
(Fort Payne)
Populist March 4, 1895 –
March 3, 1899
54th
55th
Elected in 1894.
Re-elected in 1896.
Retired.

John L. Burnett
(Gadsden)
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.
1913–1933
[data missing]
Vacant May 13, 1919 –
September 30, 1919
66th

Lilius Bratton Rainey
(Gadsden)
Democratic September 30, 1919 –
March 3, 1923
66th
67th
Elected to finish Burnett's term.
Re-elected in 1920.
Retired.

Miles C. Allgood
(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 district.

William B. Bankhead
(Jasper)
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 missing]
Vacant September 15, 1940 –
November 5, 1940
76th
Zadoc L. Weatherford
(Red Bay)
Democratic November 5, 1940 –
January 3, 1941
76th Elected to finish William Bankhead's term.
Retired.
Walter W. Bankhead
(Jasper)
Democratic January 3, 1941 –
February 1, 1941
77th Elected in 1940.
Resigned.
Vacant February 1, 1941 –
June 24, 1941
77th
Carter Manasco
(Jasper)
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.
Lost renomination.

Carl Elliott
(Jasper)
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 missing]
District inactive January 3, 1963 –
January 3, 1965
88th All representatives elected at-large on a general ticket.

James D. Martin
(Gadsden)
Republican January 3, 1965 –
January 3, 1967
89th Elected in 1964.
Retired to run for Governor.
1965–1973
[data missing]

Tom Bevill
(Jasper)
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.

Walter Flowers
(Tuscaloosa)
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.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
1973–1983
[data missing]

Richard Shelby
(Tuscaloosa)
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 to run for U.S. senator.
1983–1993
[data missing]

Claude Harris Jr.
(Tuscaloosa)
Democratic January 3, 1987 –
January 3, 1993
100th
101st
102nd
Elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Re-elected in 1990.
Retired.

Earl Hilliard
(Birmingham)
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 missing]

Artur Davis
(Birmingham)
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
(Birmingham)
Democratic January 3, 2011 –
present
112th
113th
114th
115th
116th
117th
118th
Elected in 2010.
Re-elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Re-elected in 2022.
2013–2023
2023–2025

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[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Terri Sewell (Incumbent) 185,010 97%
No party Write-ins 4,153 2%
Total votes 189,163 100%
Democratic hold

2020

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Terri Sewell (incumbent) 225,742 97.2
Write-in 6,589 2.8
Total votes 232,331 100.0
Democratic hold

2022

Alabama's 7th congressional district election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Terri Sewell (incumbent) 123,060 63.53
Republican Beatrice Nichols 67,353 34.77
Libertarian Gavin Goodman 3,207 1.66
Write-in 79 0.04
Total votes 193,699 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

References

Specific
  1. "Congressional Districts | 113th 114th Congress Demographics | Urban Rural Patterns".
  2. Bureau, Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "My Congressional District".
  4. 1 2 "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  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.
  6. Anderton, Kevin. "Middle School Students Solve The Issue Of Gerrymandering And Win $10,000 Prize [Infographic]". Forbes. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  7. "2018 Official General Elections Results" (PDF). Alabama Secretary of State. November 27, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
General
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