U.S. House district for Texas
Texas's 13th congressional district Texas's 13th congressional district since January 3, 2023.
Representative Distribution Population (2023) 790,888[ 1] [ 2] Median household $64,830[ 2] Ethnicity Cook PVI R+26[ 3]
Texas's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Texas that includes most of the Texas Panhandle , parts of Texoma and northwestern parts of North Texas . The principal cities in the district are Amarillo , Gainesville and Wichita Falls .[ 4] South Plains , then runs east across the Red River Valley . Covering over 40,000 square miles (100,000 km2 ), it is the 19th-largest district by area in the nation, the 14th-largest that does not cover an entire state, as well as the second-largest in Texas behind the 23rd congressional district . After the 2020 census was completed, the 13th district was heavily redrawn to incorporate Denton , an increasingly Democratic-leaning suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex which had previously anchored the 26th district [ 5] Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+26, it is one of the most Republican districts in Texas.[ 3]
The district has been represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republican Ronny Jackson since 2021, and previously by Republican Mac Thornberry , from 1995 until his decision not to run for reelection in 2020 .[ 6]
The Panhandle had been one of the first areas of Texas to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. While the region's voters began splitting their tickets as early as the 1940s (and actually elected a Republican during a 1950 special election), Democrats continued to hold most local offices, as well as most of the area's seats in the state legislature, well into the 1990s. As late as 1976 , Jimmy Carter won 33 of the 44 counties in the district, getting 60% to 70% of the vote in many of them.
Since Thornberry's ouster of three-term Democrat Bill Sarpalius in 1994 , however, a Democrat has only crossed the 30 percent mark in 1996 , 1998 and 2000 . Republicans now dominate at nearly every level of government, routinely winning by landslide margins when they face any opposition at all. By the turn of the millennium, there were almost no elected Democrats left above the county level.
In 2012 , Barack Obama took just 18.5% of the vote in the 13th, his lowest percentage of any congressional district in the nation. In 2016 , it was Hillary Clinton 's second largest margin of defeat in a congressional district after Alabama's 4th Donald Trump 's 79.9%.
Election results from presidential races [ edit ] List of members representing the district [ edit ]
Member
Party
Term
Cong
Election history
District established March 4, 1893
Jeremiah V. Cockrell (Anson )
Democratic
March 4, 1893 –
53rd 54th
Elected in 1892 .Re-elected in 1894 .[data missing
John H. Stephens (Vernon )
Democratic
March 4, 1897 –
55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th
Elected in 1896 .Re-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 .[data missing
J. Marvin Jones (Amarillo )
Democratic
March 4, 1917 –
65th
Elected in 1916 .18th district
Lucian W. Parrish (Henrietta )
Democratic
March 4, 1919 –
66th 67th
Elected in 1918 .Re-elected in 1920 .
Vacant
March 27, 1922 –
67th
Guinn Williams (Decatur )
Democratic
May 22, 1922 –
67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd
Elected to finish Parrish's term .Re-elected in 1922 .Re-elected in 1924 .Re-elected in 1926 .Re-elected in 1928 .Re-elected in 1930 .[data missing
William D. McFarlane (Graham )
Democratic
March 4, 1933 –
73rd 74th 75th
Elected in 1932 .Re-elected in 1934 .Re-elected in 1936 .[data missing
Ed Gossett (Wichita Falls )
Democratic
January 3, 1939 –
76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd
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 .
Vacant
July 31, 1951 –
82nd
Frank N. Ikard (Wichita Falls )
Democratic
September 8, 1951 –
82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th
Elected to finish Gossett's term .Re-elected in 1952 .Re-elected in 1954 .Re-elected in 1956 .Re-elected in 1958 .Re-elected in 1960 .
Vacant
December 15, 1961 –
87th
Graham B. Purcell Jr. (Wichita Falls )
Democratic
January 27, 1962 –
87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd
Elected to finish Ikard's term .Re-elected in 1962 .Re-elected in 1964 .Re-elected in 1966 .Re-elected in 1968 .Re-elected in 1970 .
Bob Price (Pampa )
Republican
January 3, 1973 –
93rd
Redistricted from the 18th district re-elected in 1972 .
Jack Hightower (Vernon )
Democratic
January 3, 1975 –
94th 95th 96th 97th 98th
Elected in 1974 .Re-elected in 1976 .Re-elected in 1978 .Re-elected in 1980 .Re-elected in 1982 .
Beau Boulter (Amarillo )
Republican
January 3, 1985 –
99th 100th
Elected in 1984 .Re-elected in 1986 .Retired to run for U.S. Senator .
Bill Sarpalius (Amarillo )
Democratic
January 3, 1989 –
101st 102nd 103rd
Elected in 1988 .Re-elected in 1990 .Re-elected in 1992 .
Mac Thornberry (Amarillo )
Republican
January 3, 1995 –
104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th
Elected in 1994 .Reelected in 1996 .Reelected in 1998 .Reelected in 2000 .Reelected in 2002 .Reelected in 2004 .Reelected in 2006 .Reelected in 2008 .Reelected in 2010 .Reelected in 2012 .Reelected in 2014 .Reelected in 2016 .Reelected in 2018 .
Ronny Jackson (Amarillo )
Republican
January 3, 2021 –
117th 118th
Elected in 2020 .Re-elected in 2022 .Re-elected in 2024 .
Often in recent years, the incumbent has either run unopposed or has only a third/fourth party candidate who is opposing them. Generally, the incumbent gets over 70% of the vote, even during years with huge opposition party pickups.
Historical district boundaries [ edit ] 2007–2013 2013–2023
^ "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (State-based) - Geography - U.S. Census Bureau" . www.census.gov . Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2024 .^ a b Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District" . www.census.gov . ^ a b "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List" . Cook Political Report . July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023 .^ "NationalJournal - Log In" . www.nationaljournal.com .^ Wegman, Jesse; Winter, Damon (July 13, 2022). "Opinion | Gerrymander, U.S.A." The New York Times . ^ Gilman, Todd J. (September 30, 2019). "Rep. Mac Thornberry becomes 6th Texas Republican in House to announce retirement ahead of 2020 election" . Dallas Morning News . Retrieved September 30, 2019 . ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Elections Division, Office of the Texas Secretary of State" . elections.sos.state.tx.us . Archived from the original on May 12, 2000. Retrieved January 14, 2022 .^ "Office of the Secretary of State, Race Summary Report, 2016 General Election" . elections.sos.state.tx.us .^ "2018 General Election - RESULTS" . enrpages.sos.state.tx.us . Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2022 .
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.
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