Kentucky's 5th congressional district

"KY-5" redirects here. For the state route, see Kentucky Route 5.

Kentucky's 5th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Hal Rogers R–Somerset
Distribution	76.49% rural 23.51% urban
Population (2023)	738,681
Median household income	$44,175
Ethnicity	93.7% White 2.6% Two or more races 1.5% Hispanic 1.4% Black 0.4% Asian 0.3% other
Cook PVI	R+32

Sign in front of the McCracken, Kentucky Courthouse (in Paducah, Kentucky) commemorating early members of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Jackson Purchase (U.S. historical region). The "First District" in the title actually changed over time. It refers to the Jackson Purchase, which was in the 5th district from 1819 to 1823, the 12th district until 1833, and then the 1st district until the end of the sign's lineage in 1855.

Kentucky's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in the heart of Appalachia in Southeastern Kentucky, it represents much of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield. The rural district is the second most impoverished district in the nation and, as of the 2010 U.S. census, has the highest percentage of White Americans in the nation. It contains the counties of Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Clay, Elliot, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe, and parts of Bath, and Carter counties. Within the district are the economic leading cities of Ashland, Pikeville, Prestonsburg, Middlesboro, Hazard, Jackson, Morehead, London, and Somerset. It is the most rural district in the United States, with 76.49% of its population in rural areas. It has been represented by Republican Hal Rogers since 1981.

With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+32, it is the most Republican district in Kentucky. The 5th congressional district is one of the few ancestrally Republican regions south of the Ohio River. Much of the region now in the district strongly supported the Union in the Civil War, and identified with the Republicans after hostilities ceased. By contrast, the northeastern portion of the district borders West Virginia. Much of this section of the district was once part of the 7th congressional district, long a Democratic stronghold, which was disbanded in 1992 after the 1990 census. Geographically, the district consists of flat land areas to the west, to Appalachia highland mountains to the east and southeast. To the north and northeast of the district are rolling hills that end at the Ohio River.

Despite the district's strong Republican lean, it features Elliott County, which, before being carried by Donald Trump in 2016, had never voted for a Republican president since its founding in 1869, making it the longest Democratic voting streak. Until 2018, when the county gave Rogers 54.6% of its vote, the county had never voted for Rogers, despite him winning at least 65% of the vote in the district in every election except 1992.

Rogers is the dean of the Kentucky delegation and of the entire House of Representatives. Due in part to his seniority, Rogers has served in a number of leadership positions in the chamber.

Characteristics

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 2023
Party		Number of voters	Percentage
	Republican	312,498	55.12%
	Democratic	216,402	38.17%
	Other	20,645	3.65%
	Independent	17,363	3.06%
Total		566,908	100%

Until January 1, 2006, Kentucky did not track party affiliation for registered voters who were neither Democratic nor Republican. The Kentucky voter registration card does not explicitly list anything other than Democratic Party, Republican Party, or Other, with the "Other" option having a blank line and no instructions on how to register as something else.

Recent statewide elections

Election results from statewide races
Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Bush 57–42%
2004	President	Bush 61–39%
2008	President	McCain 67–31%
2012	President	Romney 75–23%
2016	President	Trump 79–19%
	Senate	Paul 65–35%
2019	Governor	Bevin 59–38%
	Attorney General	Cameron 67–33%
2020	President	Trump 79–20%
	Senate	McConnell 73–23%
2022	Senate	Paul 75–25%
2023	Governor	Cameron 58–42%

Composition

#	County	Seat	Population
11	Bath	Owingsville	12,975
13	Bell	Pineville	23,317
19	Boyd	Catlettsburg	47,826
25	Breathitt	Jackson	12,953
43	Carter	Grayson	26,366
51	Clay	Manchester	19,648
63	Elliott	Sandy Hook	7,245
71	Floyd	Prestonsburg	34,423
95	Harlan	Harlan	25,324
109	Jackson	McKee	13,104
115	Johnson	Paintsville	22,116
119	Knott	Hindman	13,659
121	Knox	Barbourville	29,794
125	Laurel	London	63,296
127	Lawrence	Louisa	16,000
129	Lee	Beattyville	7,293
131	Leslie	Hyden	9,864
133	Letcher	Whitesburg	20,423
137	Lincoln	Stanford	24,776
147	McCreary	Whitley City	17,050
153	Magoffin	Salyersville	11,228
159	Martin	Inez	10,928
165	Menifee	Frenchburg	6,286
175	Morgan	West Liberty	14,283
189	Owsley	Bonneville	4,001
193	Perry	Hazard	27,133
195	Pike	Pikeville	55,973
199	Pulaski	Somerset	66,191
203	Rockcastle	Mount Vernon	16,190
205	Rowan	Morehead	24,409
231	Wayne	Monticello	19,580
235	Whitley	Williamsburg	36,825
237	Wolfe	Campton	6,282

Cities of 10,000 or more people

• Ashland – 21,342
• Somerset – 12,218

2,500 – 10,000 people

• Middlesboro – 9,131
• Corbin – 9,012
• London – 7,578
• Pikeville – 7,358
• Morehead – 6,734
• Monticello – 5,755
• Williamsburg – 5,163
• Hazard – 4,999
• Westwood – 4,387
• Paintsville – 4,200
• Grayson – 3,820
• Prestonsburg – 3,791
• Stanford – 3,644
• West Liberty – 3,434
• Barbourville – 3,157
• Louisa – 2,623

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created March 4, 1803
John Fowler (Lexington)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1807	8th 9th	Redistricted from the 2nd district and re-elected in 1803. Re-elected in 1804. Retired.	1803–1813 Clarke, Fayette, Jessamine, Montgomery, and Woodford counties
Benjamin Howard (Lexington)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1807 – April 10, 1810	10th 11th	Elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Resigned to become governor of the Louisiana Territory.
William T. Barry (Lexington)	Democratic-Republican	August 8, 1810 – March 3, 1811	11th	Elected to finish Howard's term. Retired.
Henry Clay (Lexington)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813	12th	Elected in 1810. Redistricted to the 2nd district.
Samuel Hopkins (Henderson)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815	13th	Elected in 1812. Retired.	1813–1823 Breckinridge, Caldwell, Christian, Grayson, Henderson, Hopkins, Livingston, Muhlenberg, Ohio, and Union counties
Alney McLean (Greenville)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	14th	Elected in 1814. Retired.
Anthony New (Elkton)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819	15th	Elected in 1816. Retired.
Alney McLean (Greenville)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821	16th	Elected in 1818. Retired.
Anthony New (Elkton)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823	17th	Elected in 1820. Retired.
John T. Johnson (Georgetown)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th	Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1822. Retired.	1823–1833 [data missing]
James Johnson (Great Crossings)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – August 13, 1826	19th	Elected in 1824. Died.
Vacant		August 13, 1826 – December 7, 1826
Robert L. McHatton (Georgetown)	Jacksonian	December 7, 1826 – March 3, 1829	19th 20th	Elected to finish Johnson's term. Re-elected in 1827. Retired.
Richard M. Johnson (Great Crossings)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833	21st 22nd	Elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Redistricted to the 13th district.
Vacant		March 4, 1833 – August 6, 1834	23rd	House declared new election after election was contested.	1833–1843 Garrard County added to the district.
Robert P. Letcher (Lancaster)	Anti-Jacksonian	August 6, 1834 – March 3, 1835		Elected to finish the vacant term. Retired.
James Harlan (Harrodsburg)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24th 25th	Elected in 1835. Re-elected in 1837. Retired.
	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839
Simeon H. Anderson (Lancaster)	Whig	March 4, 1839 – August 11, 1840	26th	Elected in 1839. Died.
Vacant		August 11, 1840 – December 7, 1840
John B. Thompson (Harrodsburg)	Whig	December 7, 1840 – March 3, 1843	26th 27th	Elected to finish Anderson's term. Re-elected in 1841. Retired.
James W. Stone (Taylorsville)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	28th	Elected in 1843. Lost re-election.	1843–1853 [data missing]
Bryan Young (Elizabethtown)	Whig	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847	29th	Elected in 1845. Retired.
John B. Thompson (Harrodsburg)	Whig	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851	30th 31st	Elected in 1847. Re-elected in 1849. Retired.
James W. Stone (Elizabethtown)	Democratic	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1851. Lost re-election.
Clement S. Hill (Lebanon)	Whig	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected in 1853. Retired.	1853–1863 [data missing]
Joshua Jewett (Elizabethtown)	Democratic	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859	34th 35th	Elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Lost re-election as an Opposition Party candidate.
Vacant		March 4, 1855 – December 3, 1860	36th
John Y. Brown (Elizabethtown)	Democratic	December 3, 1860 – March 3, 1861		Elected in 1859 but did not take seat until 2nd session because did not meet age requirement for office. Retired.
Charles A. Wickliffe (Bardstown)	Union Democratic	March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863	37th	Elected in 1861. Retired.
Robert Mallory (La Grange)	Union Democratic	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865	38th	Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1863. Lost re-election.	1863–1873 [data missing]
Lovell Rousseau (Louisville)	Unconditional Union	March 4, 1865 – July 21, 1866	39th	Elected in 1865. Resigned following his assault of Rep. Josiah Grinnell.
Vacant		July 21, 1866 – December 3, 1866
Lovell Rousseau (Louisville)	Unconditional Unionist	December 3, 1866 – March 3, 1867		Elected to finish his own term. Lost re-election.
Asa Grover (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869	40th	Elected in 1867. Retired.
Boyd Winchester (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873	41st 42nd	Elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Retired.
Elisha Standiford (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected in 1872. Renominated but declined.	1873–1883 [data missing]
Edward Y. Parsons (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – July 8, 1876	44th	Elected in 1874. Died.
Vacant		July 8, 1876 – August 12, 1876
Henry Watterson (Louisville)	Democratic	August 12, 1876 – March 3, 1877		Elected to finish Parsons's term. Retired.
Albert S. Willis (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1887	45th 46th 47th 48th 49th	Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Lost renomination.
1883–1893 [data missing]
	Asher G. Caruth (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1895	50th 51st 52nd 53rd	Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Lost renomination.
1893–1903 [data missing]
	Walter Evans (Louisville)	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899	54th 55th	Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Lost re-election.
	Oscar Turner (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901	56th	Elected in 1898. Retired.
	Harvey S. Irwin (Louisville)	Republican	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1903	57th	Elected in 1900. Lost re-election.
J. Swagar Sherley (Louisville)	Democratic	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1919	58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th	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. Lost re-election.	1903–1933 [data missing]
Charles F. Ogden (Louisville)	Republican	March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1923	66th 67th	Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Retired.
Maurice Thatcher (Louisville)	Republican	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. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
District inactive		March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	73rd
Brent Spence (Fort Thomas)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1963	74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th	Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-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. Retired.	1935–1943 [data missing]
					1943–1953 [data missing]
					1953–1963 [data missing]
Eugene Siler (Williamsburg)	Republican	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965	88th	Redistricted from the 8th district and re-elected in 1962. Retired.	1963–1965 [data missing]
Tim Lee Carter (Tompkinsville)	Republican	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1981	89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th	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.	1965–1973 [data missing]
					1973–1983 [data missing]
Hal Rogers (Somerset)	Republican	January 3, 1981 – present	97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-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. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022.
					1983–1993 [data missing]
					1993–2003 [data missing]
					2003–2013
					2013–2023
					2023–present

Recent election results

2002

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2002)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	137,986	78.29
	Democratic	Sidney Jane Bailey	38,254	21.71
Total votes			176,240	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2004

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2004)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	177,579	100.00
Total votes			177,579	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2006

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2006)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	147,261	73.76
	Democratic	Kenneth Stepp	52,384	26.24
Total votes			199,645	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2008

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2008)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	177,024	84.11
	Independent	Jim Holbert	33,444	15.89
Total votes			210,468	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2010

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2010)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	151,019	77.43
	Democratic	Jim Holbert	44,034	22.58
Total votes			195,053	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2012

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	195,408	77.90
	Democratic	Kenneth S. Stepp	55,447	22.10
Total votes			250,855	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2014

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	171,350	78.30
	Democratic	Kenneth S. Stepp	47,617	21.70
Total votes			218,967	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2016

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2016)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	221,242	100.00
Total votes			221,242	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

2018

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2018)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	172,093	78.9
	Democratic	Kenneth Stepp	45,890	21.0
	Independent	Bill Ray (write-in)	34	0.1
Total votes			218,017	100.0
	Republican hold

2020

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2020)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	250,660	84.2
	Democratic	Matthew Best	46,993	15.8
Total votes			297,653	100.0
	Republican hold

2022

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District Election (2022)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hal Rogers*	177,712	82.1
	Democratic	Conor Halblieb	38,549	17.8
		Stephan William (write-in)	9	0.004
Total votes			216,270	100
	Republican hold

See also

• Kentucky's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

• 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