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38°54′15″N 77°01′02″W / 38.90417°N 77.01722°W / 38.90417; -77.01722
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

District of Columbia's at-large congressional district
Delegate
  Eleanor Holmes Norton
DWashington
Area61 sq mi (160 km2)
Distribution
  • 100.0% urban
  • 0.0% rural
Population (2019)705,749
Median household
income
$82,372 [1]
Ethnicity
Cook PVID+43 [2] [3]

The District of Columbia's at-large congressional district is a congressional district encompassing all of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. Article One of the United States Constitution instructs that only "States" may be represented in the United States Congress. Because the District of Columbia does not meet that criterion, the member elected from the at-large district is not permitted to participate in votes on the floor of the House. Instead, constituents of the seat elect a non-voting delegate to the chamber. Though the delegate lacks full voting privileges, they are permitted to sit on, cast votes in, and chair congressional committees and subcommittees. The delegate may also join party caucuses, introduce legislation, and hire staff to assist with constituent services.

The modern office of delegate from the District of Columbia was established in 1971. Since then, it has been represented by just two individuals, both of them African American Democrats. Its current delegate is Eleanor Holmes Norton, an advocate for D.C. statehood who assumed office in 1991. Accordingly, she has held the seat for more than 60% of its existence.

History of the office

The office of delegate from the District of Columbia was initially established by Radical Republicans during the Reconstruction era. From 1871 to 1875, it was held by Norton P. Chipman, a Republican who had been appointed the first secretary of the District of Columbia by President Ulysses S. Grant. The position was abolished in 1875 and remained nonexistent for 96 years.

District of Columbia Delegate Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act to establish a Commission on the Organization of the Government of the District of Columbia and to provide for a Delegate to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia.
Enacted bythe 91st United States Congress
EffectiveSeptember 22, 1970
Citations
Public law Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States)  91–405
Statutes at Large84  Stat.  845
Codification
Titles amended Title 2—The Congress
U.S.C. sections created 2 U.S.C.  § 25a
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 18725 by Ancher Nelsen ( RMN) on July 30, 1970
  • Committee consideration by House District of Columbia
  • Passed the House on August 10, 1970 ( 302–57)
  • Passed the Senate on September 9, 1970 
  • Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on September 22, 1970

During the mid-20th century, there was a renewed push to extend greater voting rights to residents of Washington, D.C. By 1961, the necessary 37 states had successfully ratified the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, which extended the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections. Still, there remained bipartisan agreement that the District of Columbia – which in 1970 had more residents than 10 individual states [a] — deserved at least some representation in the U.S. Congress.

Federal legislation to recreate a congressional delegate position for D.C. was first seriously debated by Congress in 1970. President Richard Nixon had repeatedly expressed his support for full voting representation for the District of Columbia. An initial proposal by Rep. Earle Cabell ( DTX) suggested creating two non-voting delegate positions for D.C.: one for the House and one for the Senate. Concerns that the Senate would stall such a proposal spurred the consideration of a compromise bill introduced by Rep. Ancher Nelsen ( RMN), who at the time served as ranking member of the House Committee on the District of Columbia. Nelsen's proposal guaranteed non-voting representation only in the House.

In a written message to House Minority Leader Gerald Ford on August 6, 1970, Nixon reaffirmed that "voting representation for the District of Columbia is my goal" and strongly urged Ford to press for the bill's passage. Ford and House Majority Leader Carl Albert both crafted messages to their respective caucuses in response, encouraging their members to support the measure. During closing arguments on the House floor, two representatives made particularly passionate pleas on the capital city's behalf. The first came from Rep. John Conyers (D– MI), who decried the "rank hypocrisy" of denying "a voice in our Government to the people who live closest to it." The second came from Rep. Michael J. Harrington (D– MA), who noted the lack of attention shown by the Congress to Washington:

"I have visited those parts of the city which the tourist never sees, and I am shaken. Many areas damaged in the riot of 1968 have never been repaired. Many buildings are still blackened and boarded up. Housing is inadequate, schools are inadequate, transportation is inadequate, and no one has real authority to act effectively for the black majority of this city. The Congress simply does not have the time or the interest to run a large city. It is time we recognized this fact, and permitted the city to govern itself. The complexities of city government, the day-to-day decisions should not be placed in the hands of 535 different people — all of whom have to pass on matters about which they have little concern and about which they lack the time to be informed." [4]

Opposition to the legislation was largely spearheaded by Rep. John L. McMillan (D– SC), the segregationist chairman of the House Committee on the District of Columbia. As chairman, McMillan repeatedly opposed home rule and greater rights for residents of D.C., largely because of its sizable Black population. The bill ultimately passed the House with 302 votes in favor and 57 votes against. The "nay" votes came predominately from conservative Southerners. On September 9, 1970, the legislation passed the Senate. President Nixon, who called the District's lack of voting rights "one of the truly unacceptable facts of American life," [5] signed the District of Columbia Delegate Act 13 days later.

The first election for the seat was held on March 23, 1971. Democrat Walter Fauntroy won the race and went on to serve in the Congress for nearly 20 years. A week after being sworn in, Fauntroy became one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

A further effort to grant the District of Columbia full voting rights in Congress via a constitutional amendment came in 1978. The District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment passed both chambers of Congress, but it failed to receive the necessary number of state ratifications by its 1985 deadline. Reflecting increased political polarization, efforts to secure D.C. further voting rights since have largely failed along party lines.

Since 1993, when the House of Representatives has been under Democratic control, delegates, including the District of Columbia's delegate, have been allowed to cast non-binding floor votes when the House of Representatives was operating in the Committee of the Whole. [6] [7]

The district has been represented by Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton since 1991.

List of delegates representing the district

Delegate Party Term Cong
ress
Electoral history
District established March 4, 1871
Vacant March 4, 1871 –
April 21, 1871
42nd

Norton P. Chipman
Republican April 21, 1871 –
March 3, 1875
42nd
43rd
Elected to finish the vacant term.
Re-elected in 1872.
Seat eliminated.
District dissolved March 4, 1875
District re-established September 22, 1970
Vacant September 22, 1970 –
March 23, 1971
91st
92nd

Walter Fauntroy
Democratic March 23, 1971 –
January 3, 1991
92nd
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
Elected to finish the vacant term.
Re-elected in 1972.
Re-elected in 1974.
Re-elected in 1976.
Re-elected in 1978.
Re-elected in 1980.
Re-elected in 1982.
Re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Retired to run for Mayor of the District of Columbia

Eleanor Holmes Norton
Democratic January 3, 1991 –
present
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
109th
110th
111th
112th
113th
114th
115th
116th
117th
118th
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.

Election results

1870s

D.C. At Large Congressional District Special Election (April 21, 1871) [8] [9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Norton P. Chipman 15,196 57.78
Democratic Richard T. Merrick 11,104 42.22
Total votes 26,300 100.00
Republican win (new seat)
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1873) [10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Norton P. Chipman (Incumbent) 12,443 63.86
Democratic L.G. Hine 7,042 36.14
Total votes 19,485 100.00
Republican hold

1970s

D.C. At Large Congressional District Special Election (March 23, 1971) [11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy 68,166 58.44
Republican John Nevius 29,249 25.08
DC Statehood Julius Hobson 15,427 13.23
Independent Frank Kameny 1,888 1.62
Independent Douglas Moore 1,301 1.12
Socialist Workers James E. Harris 431 0.37
Write-in 173 0.15
Total votes 116,635 100.00
Democratic win (new seat)
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1972)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 95,300 60.64
Republican William Chin-Lee 39,487 25.12
DC Statehood Charles I. Cassell 18,730 11.92
Independent David H. Dabney 2,514 1.60
Socialist Workers Herman Fagg 1,133 0.72
Total votes 157,164 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1974)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 66,337 63.78
Independent James G. Banks 21,874 21.03
Republican William R. Phillips 9,166 8.81
DC Statehood Anton V. Wood 3,039 2.92
U.S. Labor Susan Pennington 1,813 1.74
Independent David H. Dabney 1,539 1.48
Write-in 246 0.24
Total votes 104,014 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1976)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 12,149 77.18
Republican Daniel L. Hall 1,566 9.95
DC Statehood Louis S. Aronica 1,076 6.84
Socialist Workers Charlotte J. Reavis 499 3.17
U.S. Labor Susan Pennington 377 2.39
Write-in 75 0.48
Total votes 15,742 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1978)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 76,557 79.59
Republican Jackson R. Champion 11,677 12.02
DC Statehood Gregory Rowe 3,886 4.04
Socialist Workers Charlotte J. Reavis 1,649 1.71
U.S. Labor Cloid John Green 1,064 1.10
Write-in 1,473 1.53
Total votes 96,306 100.00
Democratic hold

1980s

D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1980)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 111,631 74.44
Republican Robert J. Roehr 21,021 14.02
DC Statehood Josephine D. Butler 14,325 9.55
Write-in 2,979 1.99
Total votes 149,956 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1982)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 93,422 83.01
Republican John West 17,242 15.32
Write-in 1,879 1.67
Total votes 112,543 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1984)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 154,583 95.56
Write-in 7,188 4.44
Total votes 161,771 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1986)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 101,604 80.09
Republican Mary L. H. King 17,643 13.91
DC Statehood Julie McCall 6,122 4.83
Write-in 1,486 1.17
Total votes 126,855 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1988)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter E. Fauntroy (Incumbent) 121,817 71.27
Republican Ron Evans 22,936 13.42
DC Statehood Alvin C. Frost 13,802 8.07
Independent David H. Dabney 10,449 6.11
Write-in 1,929 1.13
Total votes 170,933 100.00
Democratic hold

1990s

D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1990)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton 98,442 61.67
Republican Harry M. Singleton 41,999 26.31
Independent George X. Cure 8,156 5.11
DC Statehood Leon Frederick Hunt 4,027 2.52
Independent David H. Dabney 3,334 2.09
Write-in 3,669 2.30
Total votes 159,627 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1992)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 166,808 84.78
Republican Susan Emerson 20,108 10.22
DC Statehood Susan Griffin 7,253 3.69
Socialist Workers Sam Manuel 1,840 0.94
Write-in 745 0.38
Total votes 196,754 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1994)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 154,988 89.25
Republican Donald A. Saltz 13,828 7.96
DC Statehood Rasco P. Braswell 2,824 1.63
Socialist Workers Bradley Downs 1,476 0.85
Write-in 548 0.32
Total votes 173,664 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1996)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 134,996 90.00
Republican Sprague Simonds 11,306 7.54
Independent Faith 2,119 1.41
Socialist Workers Sam Manuel 1,146 0.76
Write-in 431 0.29
Total votes 149,998 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (1998)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 122,228 89.64
Republican Edward Henry Wolterbeek 8,610 6.31
DC Statehood Pat Kidd 2,323 1.70
Independent Natale "Lino" Stracuzzi 1,647 1.21
Socialist Workers Mary Martin 1,087 0.80
Write-in 464 0.34
Total votes 136,359 100.00
Democratic hold

2000s

D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2000)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 158,824 90.43
Republican Edward Henry Wolterbeek 10,258 5.84
Libertarian Robert D. Kampia 4,594 2.62
Socialist Workers Sam Manuel 1,419 0.81
Write-in 536 0.31
Total votes 175,631 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2002)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 119,268 93.01
Independent Pat Kidd 7,733 6.03
Write-in 1,232 0.96
Total votes 128,233 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2004)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 202,027 91.33
Republican Michael Andrew Monroe 18,296 8.27
Write-in 890 0.40
Total votes 221,213 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2006)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 111,726 97.34
Write-in 3,051 2.66
Total votes 114,777 100.00
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2008)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 228,376 92.28
DC Statehood Green Maude Hills 16,693 6.75
Write-in 2,402 0.97
Total votes 247,471 100.00
Democratic hold

2010s

D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2010)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 117,990 88.94
Republican Missy Reilly Smith 8,109 6.11
DC Statehood Green Rick Tingling-Clemmons 4,413 3.33
Write-in 2,144 1.61
Total votes 132,656 100.00
Turnout   29.99
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2012)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 246,664 88.54
Libertarian Bruce Majors 16,524 5.93
DC Statehood Green Natale "Lino" Stracuzzi 13,243 4.75
Write-in 2,132 0.78
Total votes 278,563 100.00
Turnout   60.94
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2014)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 143,923 83.73
Republican Nelson F. Rimensnyder 11,673 6.79
Independent Timothy J. Krepp 9,101 5.29
DC Statehood Green Natale "Lino" Stracuzzi 6,073 3.53
Write-in 1,123 0.65
Total votes 171,893 100.00
Turnout   38.45
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2016) [12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 265,178 84.84
Libertarian Martin Moulton 18,713 5.99
DC Statehood Green Natale "Lino" Stracuzzi 14,336 4.59
Write-in 2,679 0.86
Total votes 300,906 100.00
Turnout   65.30
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2018) [13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (Incumbent) 199,124 87.04
Republican Nelson F. Rimensnyder 9,700 4.24
DC Statehood Green Natale "Lino" Stracuzzi 8,636 3.77
Independent John Cheeks 5,509 2.41
Libertarian Bruce Majors 4,034 1.76
Write-in 1,766 0.77
Total votes 228,769 100.00
Turnout   46.29
Democratic hold

2020s

D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2020) [14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (incumbent) 231,327 86.83
Libertarian Patrick Hynes 7,525 2.82
Independent Barbara Washington Franklin 5,969 2.24
Socialist Workers Omari Musa 5,106 1.92
DC Statehood Green Natale Lino Stracuzzi 4,463 1.68
Independent Amir Lowery 4,025 1.51
Independent David Krucoff 3,817 1.43
Independent John Cheeks 2,336 0.88
Write-in 1,836 0.69
Total votes 266,404 100.00
Turnout   66.90
Democratic hold
D.C. At Large Congressional District Election (2022) [15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eleanor Holmes Norton (incumbent) 174,238 86.54
Republican Nelson Rimensnyder 11,701 5.81
DC Statehood Green Natale Stracuzzi 9,867 4.90
Libertarian Bruce Major 4,003 1.99
Write-in 1,521 0.76
Total valid votes 201,330 97.84
Rejected ballots 4,444 2.16
Total votes 205,774 100.00
Turnout   40.76
Democratic hold

See also


Notes

References

  1. ^ "My Congressional District".
  2. ^ "Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). Partisan Voting Index. The Cook Political Report. October 11, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  3. ^ Barone, Michael; McCutcheon, Chuck (2013). The Almanac of American Politics 2014. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 358–. ISBN  978-0-226-10544-4. Copyright National Journal.
  4. ^ "Congressional Record" (PDF). United States Government Publishing Office. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "D.C. Delegate". The New York Times. September 16, 1970. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  6. ^ The practice began with the 103rd Congress, but was revoked when the Republicans retook the House for the 104th Congress. Democrats reinstated the practice in the 110th Congress, but Republicans again revoked it in the 112th Congress.
  7. ^ Portnoy, Jenna (January 3, 2017). "Republican-led Congress denies D.C. delegate a vote. Again". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  8. ^ Gibbs, C. R. (March 2, 1989). "The District Had a Voice, if Not a Vote, in the 42nd Congress". The Washington Post. p. DC3.
  9. ^ "The Washington Election". The Baltimore Sun. April 20, 1871. p. 1.
  10. ^ Gibbs, C. R. (March 2, 1989). "The District Had a Voice, if Not a Vote, in the 42nd Congress". The Washington Post. p. DC3.
  11. ^ "Fauntroy Election Certified". The Washington Post. April 6, 1971. p. C6.
  12. ^ "General Election 2016 – Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  13. ^ "General Election 2018 — Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  14. ^ "General Election 2020 – Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "General Election 2022 – Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. November 30, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.

External links

38°54′15″N 77°01′02″W / 38.90417°N 77.01722°W / 38.90417; -77.01722