Reddest congressional districts in America
The clamor of politics and looming elections have many Americans looking at the country in hues of red and blue, so Stacker decided to find the reddest, most solidly Republican congressional districts in the county.
Far and away, most are rural and agricultural, growing the country's supplies of wheat, corn, and peanuts, grazing herds of cattle, and raising flocks of chickens. Others draw from the sea, building their economies on fishing and commercial seafood production.
Many share an interest in resource exploration, extraction, and production of energy—particularly oil, natural gas, and hydroelectricity.
A significant number of the districts are intimately involved with national pursuits, whether by processing nuclear weaponry, testing rockets, or serving as homes to military bases and specialized training centers.
Other currents are more troubling. Several of the country's reddest districts, in states such as in Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri, are nearly entirely white and suburban, and they sit adjacent to troubled inner cities with significant communities of people of color.
Most are so solidly red that for many locals, a victory by a Democratic candidate may be a hazy memory at best.
To find the reddest congressional districts in the land, Stacker used 2017 data from the Cook Political Report, which was updated in 2018, to compile the 50 most Republican congressional districts based on Cook's Partisan Voter Index (PVI) score. The PVI compares the district's vote in recent presidential elections to the U.S. national average. Each congressional district is first ranked by its PVI score and then ranked by the percent of the district that voted for Donald Trump in 2016. This link will help readers understand more about the PVI methodology.
And remember—whether you lean red, blue, or toward another color altogether—don't forget to vote.
#49. Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District (tie)
- Partisan Voter Index: R+18
- 2016 election results: 65.1% Donald Trump, 30.0% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 63.4% Mitt Romney, 35.0% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Chuck Fleischmann
This Republican district in Tennessee features Lookout Mountain, the city of Chattanooga, and the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, created as part of the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons and energy. Also, there is the Y-12 National Security Complex, the government's national center for handling, processing, and storing highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.
#49. Kentucky's 4th Congressional District (tie)
- Partisan Voter Index: R+18
- 2016 election results: 65.1% Donald Trump, 29.2% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 63.4% Mitt Romney, 34.8% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Thomas Massie
Kentucky's 4th District sits in the northernmost part of the state along the Ohio River, bordering the state of Ohio and the city of Cincinnati. More than 90% white, it abuts Louisville, a city that is nearly a quarter Black and was home to Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot and killed in her home by police executing a warrant involving her ex-boyfriend.
#48. Florida's 2nd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+18
- 2016 election results: 66.2% Donald Trump, 30.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: data not available
Stretching along the Florida panhandle, the 2nd district includes Panama City and the Gulf of Mexico coastline. It is the state's largest congressional district, as measured by land area. The district's Republican House incumbent faces a minor challenge in 2020 from an independent write-in candidate.
#47. Missouri's 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+18
- 2016 election results: 67.0% Donald Trump, 28.0% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 62.1% Mitt Romney, 36.0% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Blaine Luetkemeyer
Jefferson City, the Lake of the Ozarks recreational destination, and suburbs to the west and south of St. Louis, compose Missouri's 3rd District. It is largely white, at more than 90%, and its biggest industry is manufacturing. Neighboring St. Louis County, by comparison, is more than 45% Black.
#46. Indiana's 6th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+18
- 2016 election results: 67.5% Donald Trump, 27.3% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 60.4% Mitt Romney, 37.3% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Greg Pence
Sitting to the south and east of Indianapolis, Indiana's 6th Congressional District runs from the city of Muncie in the north to Madison in the south near the Kentucky border. The district's seat once was held by Vice President Mike Pence, and the Republican incumbent in 2020 is his brother Greg Pence.
#45. Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+19
- 2016 election results: 61.9% Donald Trump, 30.5% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 65.5% Mitt Romney, 31.6% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Steve Womack
Tucked in the state's northwest corner, Arkansas' 3rd District includes the cities of Fayetteville and Bentonville, home to the headquarters of retail giant Walmart. The Republican incumbent has gotten support this year from conservative groups and businesses with local connections such as McKee Foods, Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin, the National Chicken Council, and Koch Industries.
#44. Louisiana's 6th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+19
- 2016 election results: 65.3% Donald Trump, 31.3% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 66.2% Mitt Romney, 32.0% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Garret Graves
The city of Baton Rouge, northern Louisiana, rural farmland, and bayous along the Gulf of Mexico compose the state's 13-parish 6th Congressional District. The Mississippi River courses its way through the district, with the maritime industry, an inland waterway system, and five major ports. It boasts of a bustling energy industry and is one of the nation's top producers of commercial seafood. It is roughly two-thirds white, while the neighboring district that includes New Orleans is almost two-thirds Black.
#43. Tennessee's 8th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+19
- 2016 election results: 65.8% Donald Trump, 30.5% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 66.3% Mitt Romney, 32.7% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: David Kustoff
The northwestern corner of Tennessee, bordering Missouri and Kentucky, is home to the state's 8th Congressional District. Agriculture is key, as the district is home to more than 10,000 farm operators, as is commercial navigation on the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers. Its flatlands and river plains are prone to frequent flooding and severe weather damage.
#42. South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+19
- 2016 election results: 67.0% Donald Trump, 29.0% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 64.6% Mitt Romney, 33.9% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Jeff Duncan
The 3rd Congressional District in northwestern South Carolina, in what is called Upstate or the Upcountry, is home to the city of Anderson, Clemson University, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Key to the district economy is Fujifilm Manufacturing U.S.A., a plastic fabrication plant in Greenwood with more than 1,000 jobs. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham held the 3rd District seat before moving on to win his Senate position in 2003.
#41. Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+19
- 2016 election results: 67.5% Donald Trump, 27.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 63.3% Mitt Romney, 35.1% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Brett Guthrie
Among the landmarks in Kentucky's 2nd District are the U.S. Army's Fort Knox giant military installation, the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, where gold reserves are stored, and the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, now a National Historical Park. There are almost 20,000 farms in the bluegrass district, which stretches along the Ohio River bordering Indiana.
#40. West Virginia's 1st Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+19
- 2016 election results: 68.0% Donald Trump, 26.4% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 62.2% Mitt Romney, 35.5% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: David McKinley
The cities of Wheeling, Parkersburg, and Morgantown dot West Virginia's 1st Congressional District, which encompasses the northern third of the rural state. The economy is supported by coal mining, coal ash recycling, and natural gas drilling. Among the local issues, opioid abuse and drug addiction are paramount. The state of West Virginia has had the nation's highest rate of drug overdose deaths.
#39. Virginia's 9th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+19
- 2016 election results: 68.4% Donald Trump, 27.2% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: data not available
- House of Representatives incumbent: Morgan Griffith
The 9th District of Virginia, dominated by the Allegheny Mountains, sits in the state's far southwestern corner, surrounded by West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina, and a long way from the state's Democratic-leaning districts near Washington D.C. At more than 9,000 square miles, the district is bigger than the state of New Jersey and includes 20 counties. Forestry, agriculture, and hydroelectric projects are key to its economy.
#38. Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+20
- 2016 election results: 64.7% Donald Trump, 29.5% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 67.3% Mitt Romney, 30.9% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Tim Burchett
The 2nd Congressional District in Tennessee stretches from the northern border with Kentucky and Virginia to its southern border with North Carolina. It comprises the city of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most heavily visited of all the nation's national parks. It lags the rest of the state in terms of education, with only about half the residents earning high school diplomas. The district has voted Republican for decades.
#37. Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+20
- 2016 election results: 65.6% Donald Trump, 28.4% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 67.1% Mitt Romney, 32.9% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Tom Cole
The 4th District in southwest Oklahoma covers 15 counties from Oklahoma City south to Texas. The biggest employers are Tinker Air Force Base, with 26,000 employees, which includes the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and the Fort Sill Army Post, which includes the Air Defense Artillery School and Field Artillery Training Command. Also significant are the district's oil and gas production and its more than 13,200 farms on 5 million acres of land raising cattle and hogs and growing rye, winter wheat, pecans, sorghum, and peanuts.
#36. Tennessee's 7th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+20
- 2016 election results: 67.0% Donald Trump, 28.0% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 65.7% Mitt Romney, 32.9% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Mark Green
The Tennessee River runs down the middle of the state's 7th Congressional District, which also encompasses suburbs southeast of Nashville. The river is an integral part of the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally owned corporation founded as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s to provide electricity from hydropower. The TVA operates extensive navigation, flood control, and land management along the Tennessee River system, including more than two dozen power-generating dams.
#35. Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+20
- 2016 election results: 67.3% Donald Trump, 29.2% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 66.1% Mitt Romney, 32.3% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Clay Higgins
The 3rd District of southwest Louisiana, in Cajun country, includes Morgan City, Lake Charles, and Lafayette. It was hit hard recently by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. More than half of the district's voters live in Lafayette and Lake Charles. The rest of its voters live in rural regions that stretch along the Gulf of Mexico west to Port Arthur, Texas.
#34. Tennessee's 4th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+20
- 2016 election results: 68.1% Donald Trump, 27.2% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 65.2% Mitt Romney, 33.2% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Scott DesJarlais
Tennessee's 4th Congressional District reaches north from the borders of Alabama and Georgia to encompass suburbs of Nashville and Chattanooga. It is largely rural, and its biggest urban area is Murfreesboro, with a population of less than 150,000. The district is home to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg and to Middle Tennessee State University, the state's largest undergraduate university, and Sewanee: The University of the South.
#33. Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+20
- 2016 election results: 70.0% Donald Trump, 26.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 62.6% Mitt Romney, 35.8% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Glenn Thompson
The 15th congressional district in Northwest Pennsylvania is home to the Allegheny National Forest, Oil City, and Punxsutawney, site of the annual Groundhog Day spring weather prediction event. Issues of concern in the area include rural development, broadband coverage, the dairy industry, hardwood timber production, and natural gas exploration and production.
#32. Idaho's 1st Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+21
- 2016 election results: 63.7% Donald Trump, 25.4% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 64.9% Mitt Romney, 32.2% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Russ Fulcher
Stretching the length of Idaho from Canada to Nevada, the largely rural 1st District comprises the Nez Perce, Kootenai, and Coeur d'Alene Native American reservations. Agribusiness is critical to the region's potato farmers, cattle ranchers, and dairies. The district suffered a major wildfire in September that damaged almost 100,000 acres.
#31. Arizona's 4th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+21
- 2016 election results: 66.4% Donald Trump, 27.0% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 67.2% Mitt Romney, 31.0% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Paul Gosar
The 4th Congressional District is nearly one-fifth Hispanic, most of whom have Mexican roots. The district, redrawn in 2012, comprises the Grand Canyon, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, Kingman, Prescott, and Lake Havasu City. Issues in the socially conservative region include the opioid crisis, uranium mining near the Grand Canyon, immigration, and federal land use.
#30. Mississippi's 4th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+21
- 2016 election results: 69.4% Donald Trump, 28.2% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 67.6% Mitt Romney, 31.2% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Steven Palazzo
Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Hattiesburg are some of the best-known locales in the 4th District in southeastern Mississippi along 90 miles of Gulf of Mexico coast. The northern region is rural and forested and known as the state's Pine Belt or Piney Woods. The district is home to Keesler Air Force Base, the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, the University of Southern Mississippi, Chevron Pascagoula Refinery, and NASA's Stennis Space Center for rocket testing. Local industries include casino gaming, timber harvesting, defense shipbuilding, fishing, and seafood production.
#29. Illinois' 15th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+21
- 2016 election results: 70.7% Donald Trump, 24.5% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 64.0% Mitt Romney, 34.1% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: John Shimkus
This year may mark the last race in the 15th Congressional District in southern Illinois, which is expected to be drawn out of existence in redistricting after the 2020 census. The population in the district of almost 15,000 square miles has been declining, prompting the likely loss of the House seat.
#28. Florida's 1st Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+22
- 2016 election results: 67.5% Donald Trump, 28.2% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: data not available
- House of Representatives incumbent: Matt Gaetz
Popular Gulf of Mexico tourist beach destinations like Pensacola, Navarre, and Destin line the coast of the 1st congressional district in Northwest Florida. The district includes Eglin Air Force Base and the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range, used to develop aerial weaponry for the U.S. military. The test range stretches over 724 square miles of Florida's panhandle and over 120,000 square miles of Gulf of Mexico waters south to Key West.
#27. Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+22
- 2016 election results: 71.0% Donald Trump, 25.5% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 66.8% Mitt Romney, 31.8% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: John Joyce
Located in south central Pennsylvania west of Harrisburg, with Maryland to the south, the 13th Congressional District includes the city of Altoona in the Allegheny Mountains. Financial supporters of its Republican incumbent this year include manufacturing and construction interests such as the National Electrical Contractors Association, Operating Engineers Union, Carpenters & Joiners Union, Raytheon Technologies, and Honeywell International.
#26. Missouri's 7th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+23
- 2016 election results: 70.1% Donald Trump, 24.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 67.6% Mitt Romney, 30.4% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Billy Long
The predominantly agricultural 7th District of Missouri abuts Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas in the state's Southeast. Among the issues facing the district are upgrading its infrastructure, expanding broadband access, and improving schools. The region grapples with frequent flooding and with an opioid addiction crisis, as does the rest of the state.
#25. Kentucky's 1st Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+23
- 2016 election results: 72.4% Donald Trump, 23.9% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 66.4% Mitt Romney, 32.1% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: James Comer
Southwestern Kentucky's 1st Congressional District comprises the cities of Bowling Green, Madisonville, and Paducah. Wheat and soybeans are key crops in the heavily agricultural region, and it is part of the state's beef-producing industry. Kentucky raises more than a million head of beef cattle and has almost 40,000 cattle farms.
#24. West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+23
- 2016 election results: 72.5% Donald Trump, 23.3% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 65.0% Mitt Romney, 32.8% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Carol Miller
In the heavily agricultural 3rd District of West Virginia, nearly one in five people do not have a high school diploma. Statewide in West Virginia, Donald Trump won in 2016 by the biggest margin of any Republican candidate ever. But given a drop in population, losing some 50,000 people from 2012 to 2018, West Virginia could lose one of its congressional seats in the redistricting that will follow the 2020 census results.
#22. Louisiana's 1st Congressional District (tie)
- Partisan Voter Index: R+24
- 2016 election results: 69.0% Donald Trump, 26.8% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 70.9% Mitt Romney, 26.9% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Steve Scalise
The 1st Congressional District of Louisiana includes Slidell, Grand Isle, Empire, and Venice and spreads south of New Orleans into the Gulf of Mexico. It is heavily dependent on commercial seafood production, recreational fishing business, oil refineries, and petrochemical plants. More than 33,000 residents work in maritime industries in its gulf channels, inland waterways, harbors, ports, and shipyards. The district is sensitive to issues of rising seas, land loss, hurricane damage, flooding, and loss of wildlife habitat.
#22. Kansas' 1st Congressional District (tie)
- Partisan Voter Index: R+24
- 2016 election results: 69.0% Donald Trump, 24.2% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 70.0% Mitt Romney, 27.6% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Roger Marshall
The sprawling 1st Congressional district of Kansas stretches from the Colorado border eastward, encompassing 63 counties. Critical to its economy are production agriculture, cattle production and slaughter, oil and gas exploration and natural gas processing, and wind energy. Issues that concern its local lawmakers are access to rural health care and broadband and crop development.
#21. Tennessee's 6th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+24
- 2016 election results: 72.3% Donald Trump, 23.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 69.1% Mitt Romney, 29.5% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: John Rose
Tennessee's 6th Congressional District is centrally located along the state's northern border with Kentucky and includes Nashville's suburbs to the northeast. Its industries include hardwood lumber, which provides some 38,000 jobs in the state. Most of the district's 19 counties are rural, and three are considered economically distressed, a designation based on their unemployment rates, per capita incomes, and poverty levels.
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#20. Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+24
- 2016 election results: 72.9% Donald Trump, 22.8% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 67.8% Mitt Romney, 32.2% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Markwayne Mullin
The 2nd District in eastern Oklahoma is home to the Cherokee Nation, Muskogee (Creek) Nation, and Choctaw Nation reservations. The region was integral to a decision earlier this year by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court ruled that much of Eastern Oklahoma is Indian land, resolving a question of whether the lands of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation remained a reservation after Oklahoma became a state. The ruling affected countless criminal prosecutions and convictions of Native Americans and also may affect tax and zoning issues.
#19. Missouri's 8th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+24
- 2016 election results: 75.3% Donald Trump, 21.1% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 65.9% Mitt Romney, 32.0% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Jason Smith
Joplin, Springfield, and the Branson entertainment and tourist destination in the Ozark Mountains are a few of the best-known locations in Missouri's 8th Congressional District. It is situated in the state's southwestern corner, where agriculture is the dominant industry. It is one of the state's districts that was decided by a margin of 25% or more in the 2018 midterms, rendering it seemingly secure for its Republican incumbent.
#18. Utah's 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+25
- 2016 election results: 47.2% Donald Trump, 23.3% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 78.6% Mitt Romney, 19.6% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: John Curtis
Moab, Canyonlands, and Monument Valley are popular natural attractions in Utah's 3rd Congressional District, which fills the south and eastern sections of the state. The deeply conservative district also is home to a corner of the huge Navajo Nation, which reaches into Arizona and New Mexico.
#17. Wyoming's At-Large Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+25
- 2016 election results: 68.2% Donald Trump, 21.9% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 68.6% Mitt Romney, 27.8% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Liz Cheney
Wyoming's one and only congressional district seems to be growing more Republican. It supported Donald Trump in 2016 by 46 percentage points over Democrat Hillary Clinton, after backing Mitt Romney 41 points over Barack Obama in 2102 and supporting Sen. John McCain by a 32% margin over Obama in 2008. In 2016, Trump won 22 of Wyoming's 23 counties, leaving only Jackson's Teton County to go for Clinton. The biggest industries in the state are mining and extraction, and it leads the nation in coal production.
#16. Texas' 1st Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+25
- 2016 election results: 71.7% Donald Trump, 25.1% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 71.6% Mitt Romney, 27.5% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Louie Gohmert
The 1st District in eastern Texas, where the cities of Tyler and Nacogdoches are located, hugs the Louisiana border. Its population is about a sixth Black and a sixth Latino. Much of the district is in the Pineywoods region of tall pines and hardwoods that support the sawmills and timber industry. The economy also relies on oil and natural gas exploration and extraction, agribusiness, poultry, egg processing, beef cattle, and hay.
#15. Utah's 1st Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+26
- 2016 election results: 49.7% Donald Trump, 22.4% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 77.5% Mitt Romney, 20.4% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Rob Bishop
West, north, and east of the Great Salt Lake, Utah's 1st Congressional District wraps around Salt Lake City's urban areas. Its political concerns include federal land management and land use, and the impact of COVID-19, particularly on the airline and hospitality industries.
#14. Alabama's 6th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+26
- 2016 election results: 69.6% Donald Trump, 25.8% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 74.3% Mitt Romney, 24.6% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Gary Palmer
The 6th Congressional District sits north and west of Birmingham in northern Alabama. The Birmingham suburbs include Vestavia Hills, Irondale, and Fultondale. More than four in 10 people have an education beyond high school.
#13. Texas' 36th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+26
- 2016 election results: 71.7% Donald Trump, 25.1% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 73.1% Mitt Romney, 25.7% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Brian Babin
Texas' 36th Congressional District extends northeast from Houston to the Louisiana border. It struggles with flooding and damages from extreme weather like hurricanes. Industries include agriculture, such as rice production, as well as timber, refineries, and chemical plants.
#12. Texas' 19th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+27
- 2016 election results: 72.0% Donald Trump, 23.3% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 73.6% Mitt Romney, 25.0% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Jodey Arrington
South of the Texas panhandle is the 19th Congressional District, anchored by the cities of Lubbock and Abilene. It encompasses more than 14 million acres of farmland and is a major producer of cotton as well as peanuts, grain, sorghum, and beef. Its energy industries are oil and gas production and wind farm power.
#11. Oklahoma's 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+27
- 2016 election results: 73.6% Donald Trump, 20.9% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 73.9% Mitt Romney, 26.1% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Frank Lucas
Covering about half of Oklahoma's landmass from New Mexico to Tulsa, the 3rd Congressional District is heavily agricultural, with wheat production, cattle ranching, and meat and poultry processing. In a state so rural that there are just 55 voters per square mile on average; the 3rd District has just 22 people per square mile.
#10. Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+27
- 2016 election results: 73.9% Donald Trump, 19.7% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 70.0% Mitt Romney, 27.7% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Adrian Smith
Nebraska's huge 3rd Congressional District encompasses nearly all of the state's land area and 75 of its 93 counties. Its economy is largely agricultural, with significant ranching and cattle grazing. Features of the district include historic Fort Kearney, built in 1848 to protect pioneers, Pony Express riders, and gold prospectors, and the towering Chimney Rock formation in the North Platte River Valley.
#9. Georgia's 14th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+27
- 2016 election results: 75.0% Donald Trump, 22.1% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 73.2% Mitt Romney, 25.3% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Tom Graves
Rome, Calhoun, and Dalton are part of Georgia's 14th Congressional District in the state's northwest corner, bordered by Tennessee and Alabama. More than one in five local residents do not have a high school diploma. The region's well-known industry is the manufacture of carpet and floor coverings; Georgia makes around 85% of the nation's manufactured carpeting.
#8. Texas' 8th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+28
- 2016 election results: 71.9% Donald Trump, 23.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 77.0% Mitt Romney, 21.7% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Kevin Brady
Texas' 8th District stretches north from Houston into the state's Great Piney Wood forest. Its industries range from major corporations to agriculture, lumber, and outdoor recreation. Its economy relies on petrochemical manufacturing, trade, shipping, and oil and petroleum exports tied to the Port of Houston.
#7. Texas' 4th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+28
- 2016 election results: 74.9% Donald Trump, 21.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 74.0% Mitt Romney, 24.8% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: John Ratcliffe
In northeast Texas, the state's 4th Congressional District includes suburbs of Dallas and stretches to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won the district by a 53-point margin.
#6. Tennessee's 1st Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+28
- 2016 election results: 76.4% Donald Trump, 19.6% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 72.7% Mitt Romney, 25.7% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Phil Roe
Tennessee's 1st Congressional District lies in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the northeast corner of the state bordering North Carolina and Kentucky. It is mostly rural, with small towns, and much of its businesses is located in the Tri-Cities area of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport.
#5. Alabama's 4th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+30
- 2016 election results: 79.8% Donald Trump, 17.3% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 74.7% Mitt Romney, 23.9% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Robert Aderholt
The 4th District in northern Alabama is home to Tuscaloosa and Gadsden. Its economy is agriculture-driven, with livestock, timber, and fisheries, and there are defense- and space-related industries as well. The region struggles with the issue of opioid addiction.
#4. Georgia's 9th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+31
- 2016 election results: 77.8% Donald Trump, 19.3% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 78.2% Mitt Romney, 20.5% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Doug Collins
In the northeastern corner of Georgia is the state's 9th Congressional District, marked by the cities of Gainesville and Commerce. Its economy is driven by poultry production, peach orchards, strawberry farming, cattle ranching, and meat processing.
#3. Kentucky's 5th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+31
- 2016 election results: 79.6% Donald Trump, 17.5% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 75.0% Mitt Romney, 23.2% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Hal Rogers
The 5th Congressional District is in eastern Kentucky, a region that is almost 96% white. It is consistently listed among the nation's poorest congressional districts. In 2018, nearly one in three residents lived in poverty, partly due to the decline of the coal industry. First elected to represent the district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980, Republican Hal Rogers has served 20 consecutive terms and is expected to win again this year. He is the longest-serving Republican in the state to hold a federal office.
#2. Texas' 11th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+32
- 2016 election results: 77.5% Donald Trump, 19.0% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 79.2% Mitt Romney, 19.6% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Mike Conaway
Smack in the center of Texas is the 11th Congressional District, with Odessa and Midland holding down its western edge and Llano in the east. More than a third of the district's population is Hispanic, mostly Mexican. Agriculture in the 29-county district includes cattle ranching, goat and sheep herding, and wheat, sorghum, and cotton production. The district's Permian Basin is a major source of oil, natural gas, and shale.
#1. Texas' 13th Congressional District
- Partisan Voter Index: R+33
- 2016 election results: 79.5% Donald Trump, 16.8% Hillary Clinton
- 2012 election results: 80.2% Mitt Romney, 18.5% Barack Obama
- House of Representatives incumbent: Mac Thornberry
The 13th District of Texas sits in its panhandle, with population centers in Amarillo and Wichita Falls. Its population is more than a quarter Hispanic. Largely made up of wheat, corn, and sorghum farms and cattle ranches, it is the second-largest district in the state. Its industries include oil and gas exploration and production, and it has the world's biggest supply of crude helium. Other landmarks are Route 66, which crosses the Panhandle, Sheppard Air Force Base, and the Pantex Plant nuclear weapons facility.
