| Virginia's 5th congressional district | |
|---|---|
.svg)  Interactive map of district boundaries since 2023 | |
| Representative | |
| Distribution |
|
| Population (2024) | 805,334[2] |
| Median household income | $73,090[2] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | R+6[3] |
| Created | 1789 |
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Virginia's fifth congressional district is aUnited States congressional district in the commonwealth ofVirginia. The 5th district includes the majority of ruralSouthside Virginia, though it stretches as far as theRichmond suburbs. Within the district are the cities ofCharlottesville,Danville, andLynchburg. It has been represented byRepublicanJohn McGuire since 2025.
The district's first representative in Congress wasJames Madison, who defeatedJames Monroe inthe district's first congressional election. Madison and Monroe would go on to serve as the 4th and 5th Presidents of the United States. The current Congressman isRepublicanJohn McGuire.
Historically, the 5th was one of the first districts of Virginia to turn Republican in presidential elections. Southside was one of the fountainheads for theByrd Organization, and the region's Democrats began splitting their tickets in presidential elections as early as the 1930s. Large portions of the area's limited and almost entirely white electorate who preferred conservative positions onblack civil rights supported either Republicans or "States' Rights" nomineesStrom Thurmond andThomas Coleman Andrews. The district was to be one of two in Virginia which gave a plurality of the vote to segregationistGeorge Wallace in 1968, and has never supported a Democrat for president sinceHarry S. Truman in 1948.
Despite this, the congressional seat remained in the hands of Democrats who were very conservative even by Virginia standards. This ended in 1999, whenVirgil Goode became an independent; he became a Republican in 2002. In 2008, DemocratTom Perriello defeated Goode with significant Democratic down-ballotcoattails from the Obama campaign. RepublicanRobert Hurt defeated Perriello in 2010, going on to serve three terms. After Hurt left office, the district continued to elect Republicans, includingTom Garrett,Denver Riggleman, who both served one term, andBob Good, who was re-elected in 2022. However, Republican State SenatorJohn McGuire successfully primaried Good in June 2024 and won the general election.
Redistricting after the 2020 census added Lynchburg to the district; most of its suburbs have been in the 5th for decades. It was also pushed as far east asHanover County on Richmond's northern fringe.
According to the APM Research Lab's Voter Profile Tools[4] (featuring the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey), the district contained about 580,000 potential voters (citizens, age 18+). Of these, 75% are White and 20% are Black. Immigrants make up 3% of the district's potential voters. Median income among households (with one or more potential voter) in the district is about $57,700, while 12% of households live below the poverty line. As for the educational attainment of potential voters in the district, 12% of those 25 and older have not earned a high school degree, while 27% hold a bachelor's or higher degree.
For the118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities:[5]
AlbemarleCounty(15)
AmeliaCounty(1)
LouisaCounty(3)
NelsonCounty(7)
| Year | Office | Results[6] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 52% - 47% |
| Senate | Warner 61% - 37% | |
| 2009 | Governor | McDonnell 63% - 37% |
| Lt. Governor | Bolling 62% - 38% | |
| Attorney General | Cuccinelli 63% - 37% | |
| 2012 | President | Romney 54% - 45% |
| Senate | Allen 54% - 46% | |
| 2013 | Governor | Cuccinelli 52% - 40% |
| Lt. Governor | Jackson 51% - 48% | |
| Attorney General | Obenshain 58% - 42% | |
| 2014 | Senate | Gillespie 54% - 43% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 53% - 42% |
| 2017 | Governor | Gillespie 54% - 45% |
| Lt. Governor | Vogel 57% - 43% | |
| Attorney General | Donley Adams 56% - 44% | |
| 2018 | Senate | Stewart 50% - 48% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 53% - 45% |
| Senate | Gade 52% - 48% | |
| 2021 | Governor | Youngkin 60% - 39% |
| Lt. Governor | Earle-Sears 60% - 40% | |
| Attorney General | Miyares 60% - 40% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 55% - 43% |
| Senate | Cao 55% - 45% | |
| 2025 | Governor | Earle-Sears 54% - 46% |
| Lt. Governor | Reid 55% - 45% | |
| Attorney General | Miyares 57% - 43% |
2024 Virginia's 5th congressional district election
Republican John McGuire III, who had ousted Bob Good in the Republican primary, defeated Democrat Gloria Witt in the November general election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.[7]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| John McGuire III | Republican | 249,564 | 57.26% |
| Gloria Witt | Democratic | 184,229 | 42.27% |
| Write-in | 2,048 | 0.47% | |
| Total votes cast | 435,839 | 100.0% |
2022 Virginia's 5th congressional district election
Incumbent Bob Good defeated Josh Throneburg in the November general election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.[8]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Good | Republican | 177,191 | 57.57% |
| Josh Throneburg | Democratic | 129,996 | 42.24% |
| Write-in | 603 | 0.20% | |
| Total votes cast | 307,790 | 100.0% |
2020 Virginia's 5th congressional district election[9]
Republican Bob Good defeated Dr. Cameron Webb in the November general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.[10]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Good | Republican | 210,988 | 52.6% |
| Cameron Webb | Democratic | 190,315 | 47.4% |
| Total votes cast | 401,303 | 100.0% |
2018 Virginia's 5th congressional district election[11]
Took place on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with Republican Denver Riggleman winning the election. The incumbent, Tom Garrett, did not run for re-election.[12]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Riggleman | Republican | 165,339 | 53.18 |
| Leslie Cockburn | Democratic | 145,040 | 46.65 |
| All others | Write In | 547 | 0.18 |
| Total votes cast | 310,926 | 100 |
2016 Virginia's 5th congressional district election[13]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Garrett | Republican | 207,758 | 58.2% |
| Jane Dittmar | Democratic | 148,339 | 41.6% |
| All others | 668 | 0.2% | |
| Total votes cast | 356,765 |
The Virginia Fifth District was originally created in 1788, including the counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Fluvanna, Goochland, Louisa, Spotsylvania, Orange, and Culpepper.[14]
37°3′31.8″N79°5′11.2″W / 37.058833°N 79.086444°W /37.058833; -79.086444
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