| Virginia's 9th congressional district | |
|---|---|
.svg)  Interactive map of district boundaries since 2023 | |
| Representative | |
| Area | 9,113.87 sq mi (23,604.8 km2) |
| Distribution |
|
| Population (2024) | 782,270[2] |
| Median household income | $59,156[2] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | R+22[3] |
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Virginia's ninth congressional district is aUnited States congressional district in the Commonwealth ofVirginia, covering much of the ruralsouthwestern part of the state. The district includes the city ofSalem, along with the towns ofAbingdon andBlacksburg. It has been represented byRepublicanMorgan Griffith since 2011. Griffith took office after defeating 14-term incumbentDemocratRick Boucher.[4] With aCook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+22, it is the most Republican district in Virginia.[3]
The Ninth was the most competitive Virginia congressional district in the early 20th century, when the state was part of theSolid South. For twenty years (1903–1923), it was the only congressional district in Virginia — and one of the few in the entire former Confederacy – to be represented by a Republican. The district alternated between Democratic and Republican representation over the rest of the century. Some of the election results were so close – and questionable – that the district became known as "The Fighting Ninth."[5]
Since the 1990s, the district has increasingly trended Republican in federal and state races, and it has taken over from theShenandoah Valley-basedSixth as the most Republican district in the state. It last supported a Democrat for president in1996, and has supported a Democrat in only two statewide contests since then.
The Ninth is the only district in Virginia that cast more votes forHillary Clinton thanBarack Obama in the2008 Democratic Presidential Primary. Clinton won more than 60% of the vote, despite local CongressmanRick Boucher endorsing Obama. Republican presidential candidateJohn McCain received 59% of the vote in the 9th district in the2008 General Election, however, his best performance in any of Virginia's eleven congressional districts. Voters in the 9th district supported McCain over Obama in the general election, despite reelecting Democratic Congressman Rick Boucher.[6] In the 2010 midterm elections, in which Democrats lost their majority in Congress, Virginia State Delegate Morgan Griffith unseated Congressman Boucher by aligning Boucher with President Barack Obama and SpeakerNancy Pelosi, both unpopular figures in the district at the time. Boucher's support for the American Clean Energy and Security Act, or Cap and Trade was unpopular in the district. Since then, the district has not supported a Democrat in a statewide or federal election.[7]
The district includes the entireties of the following counties:Bland,Buchanan,Carroll,Craig,Dickenson,Floyd,Franklin,Giles,Grayson,Henry,Lee,Montgomery,Patrick,Pulaski,Russell,Scott,Smyth,Tazewell,Washington,Wise, andWythe, along with parts ofBedford andRoanoke counties. It also encompasses the independent cities ofBristol,Galax,Martinsville,Norton, andRadford.
| Year | Office | Results[8] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 59% - 39% |
| Senate | Warner 62% - 36% | |
| 2009 | Governor | McDonnell 67% - 32% |
| Lt. Governor | Bolling 67% - 33% | |
| Attorney General | Cuccinelli 67% - 33% | |
| 2012 | President | Romney 63% - 34% |
| Senate | Allen 62% - 38% | |
| 2013 | Governor | Cuccinelli 61% - 31% |
| Lt. Governor | Jackson 61% - 39% | |
| Attorney General | Obenshain 67% - 32% | |
| 2014 | Senate | Gillespie 60% - 37% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 68% - 27% |
| 2017 | Governor | Gillespie 68% - 31% |
| Lt. Governor | Vogel 70% - 30% | |
| Attorney General | Donley Adams 69% - 31% | |
| 2018 | Senate | Stewart 64% - 34% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 70% - 28% |
| Senate | Gade 66% - 34% | |
| 2021 | Governor | Youngkin 75% - 25% |
| Lt. Governor | Sears 74% - 26% | |
| Attorney General | Miyares 74% - 26% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 71% - 27% |
| Senate | Cao 67% - 33% |
For the118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities:[9]
Bland County(4)
Craig County(1)
Floyd County(1)
Giles County(6)
Henry County(11)
Lee County(8)
Pulaski County(10)
Scott County(7)
Smyth County(9)
TazewellCounty(16)
Wise County(14)
Wythe County(6)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rick Boucher | 137,488 | 69.80 | |
| Republican | Michael Osborne | 59,335 | 30.1 | |
| Total votes | 196,855 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rick Boucher (inc.) | 100,075 | 65.76 | |
| Republican | Jay Katzen (write-in) | 52,076 | 34.22 | |
| Write-ins | 32 | 0.02 | ||
| Total votes | 152,183 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rick Boucher (inc.) | 150,039 | 59.32 | |
| Republican | Kevin R. Triplett | 98,499 | 38.94 | |
| Independent | Seth A. Davis | 4,341 | 1.72 | |
| Write-ins | 68 | 0.03 | ||
| Total votes | 252,947 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rick Boucher (incumbent) | 129,705 | 67.76 | |
| Republican | Bill Carrico | 61,574 | 32.17 | |
| Write-ins | 136 | 0.07 | ||
| Total votes | 191,415 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rick Boucher (incumbent) | 207,306 | 97.07 | |
| Write-ins | 6,264 | 2.93 | ||
| Total votes | 213,570 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith | 95,726 | 51.21 | |||
| Democratic | Rick Boucher (incumbent) | 86,743 | 46.41 | |||
| Independent | Jeremiah Heaton | 4,282 | 2.29 | |||
| Write-in | 166 | 0.09 | ||||
| Total votes | 186,917 | 100 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith (inc.) | 184,882 | 61.29 | |
| Democratic | Anthony Flaccavento | 116,400 | 38.59 | |
| Write-in | 376 | 0.12 | ||
| Total votes | 301,658 | 100 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith (incumbent) | 117,465 | 72.1 | |
| Independent | William Carr | 39,412 | 24.2 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 5,940 | 3.7 | |
| Total votes | 162,817 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith (incumbent) | 212,838 | 68.6 | |
| Democratic | Derek Kitts | 87,877 | 28.3 | |
| Independent | Janice Boyd | 9,050 | 2.9 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 549 | 0.2 | |
| Total votes | 310,314 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith (incumbent) | 160,933 | 65.2 | |
| Democratic | Anthony Flaccavento | 85,833 | 34.7 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 214 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 246,980 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith (incumbent) | 271,851 | 94.0 | |
| Write-in | 17,423 | 6.0 | ||
| Total votes | 289,274 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith (incumbent) | 182,207 | 73.2 | |
| Democratic | Taysha DeVaughan | 66,027 | 26.5 | |
| Write-in | 558 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 248,792 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Morgan Griffith (incumbent) | 290,645 | 72.5 | |
| Democratic | Karen Baker | 109,570 | 27.3 | |
| Write-in | 748 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 400,963 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
The Virginia Ninth District started in 1788 covering the counties of Brunswick, Sussex, Greensville, Prince George, Dinwiddie, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Ameila, Cumberland and Powhatan.[10]
36°59′00″N81°21′02″W / 36.98333°N 81.35056°W /36.98333; -81.35056
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