Florida's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida, covering the state's western Panhandle. It includes all of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa counties, and portions of Walton county. The district is anchored in Pensacola and also includes the large military bedroom communities and tourist destinations of Navarre and Fort Walton Beach and stretches along the Emerald Coast. The district was previously represented by Republican Matt Gaetz. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+19, it is the most Republican district in Florida.[4]
| Florida's 1st congressional district | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 | |
| Representative | Vacant |
| Area | 4,759[1] sq mi (12,330 km2) |
| Distribution |
|
| Population (2023) | 803,679[3] |
| Median household income | $80,131[3] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | R+19[4] |
Characteristics
editThe district encompasses the western part of the Florida Panhandle, in the extreme western portion of the state, stretching from Pensacola and the Alabama border east to include Walton, Holmes, and Washington counties.
Most of the territory now in the 1st District had been the 3rd District from 1903 to 1963; however, it has been numbered as the 1st District since then. It cast aside its Democratic roots far sooner than most of the other areas of the state. It has not supported a Democrat for president since John F. Kennedy in 1960. In 1964, Republican Barry Goldwater carried the district by such a large margin that it nearly pushed Florida's electoral votes into the Republican column. It has continued to vote for Republicans by very wide margins, with the only exception being 1976, where Gerald Ford won a narrow 50–49 victory over Jimmy Carter. Nonetheless, it usually continued to elect conservative Democrats at the state and local level, even in years when Republican presidential candidates won the district handily. Well into the 1980s, the district's congressmen and state lawmakers only faced "sacrificial lamb" Republican challengers on the occasions they faced any opposition at all. For example, Democratic incumbent Earl Hutto was unopposed for reelection in 1984 even as Ronald Reagan won the district with over 70 percent of the vote. As late as 1992, Democratic senator Bob Graham easily carried the district with 54 percent of the vote—more than double Bill Clinton's total in the district.
This changed with the Republican Revolution of 1994. That year, Joe Scarborough became the first Republican to represent the Panhandle since Reconstruction. This change was more a result of eight-term incumbent Hutto retiring than of a Republican upsurge. It had been taken for granted that Hutto would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired, particularly after he was nearly defeated in 1990 and 1992. Republicans had also swept most of the district's overlapping state legislative seats. It is currently considered the most Republican district in Florida, and no Democratic candidate has won more than 40 percent of the vote since Hutto's retirement. John McCain received 67% of the vote in this district in 2008, and Mitt Romney and Donald Trump respectively carried it by similar margins in 2012 and 2016.
The district's conservatism is not limited to national politics. Since 1994, Republicans have dominated elections at the state and local levels. Graham is the last Democrat to have won it in a statewide race. In much of the district, there are now no elected Democrats above the county level.
The area comprising the 1st District has maintained a large military presence ever since John Quincy Adams persuaded Spain to sell Florida to the United States in 1819, in part to gain a deepwater port at Pensacola. The U.S. Air Force also has a large presence in Eglin Air Force Base, which is economically important to the district. Slightly under 14,000 people are employed at the base, which is one of the largest air bases in the world and has approximately 100,000 square miles (260,000 km2) of airspace stretching over the Gulf of Mexico to the Florida Keys. Hurlburt Field is an auxiliary field at Eglin AFB and is the location of the Air Force Special Operations Command. Eglin AFB spreads over three counties. Pensacola Naval Air Station was the first Navy base devoted to the specific purpose of aviation, and is the home of the Blue Angels. Saufley Field, used for training, is slightly north of Pensacola NAS.
A large number of veterans who retire relocate to this district. Tourism, particularly in Navarre, Pensacola Beach, and Destin, is a major economic activity.
Recent election results from statewide races
edit| Year | Office | Results[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 67% - 32% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 69% - 31% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 66% - 28% |
| Senate | Rubio 70% - 26% | |
| 2018 | Senate | Scott 67% - 32% |
| Governor | DeSantis 67% - 32% | |
| Attorney General | Moody 69% - 29% | |
| Chief Financial Officer | Patronis 69% - 31% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 65% - 33% |
| 2022 | Senate | Rubio 72% - 27% |
| Governor | DeSantis 73% - 26% | |
| Attorney General | Moody 74% - 26% | |
| Chief Financial Officer | Patronis 73% - 27% |
Composition
edit| # | County | Seat | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Escambia | Pensacola | 326,928 |
| 91 | Okaloosa | Crestview | 218,464 |
| 113 | Santa Rosa | Milton | 203,162 |
| 131 | Walton | DeFuniak Springs | 86,354 |
Cities with 10,000 or more people
edit- Pensacola – 54,312
- Navarre – 41,940
- Ferry Pass – 29,921
- Crestview – 27,134
- Wright – 26,277
- Bellview – 25,451
- Pace – 24,684
- Ensley – 23,817
- Brent – 23,447
- West Pensacola – 21,019
- Fort Walton Beach – 20,922
- Midway – 19,567
- Myrtle Grove – 17,224
- Niceville – 15,772
- Warrington – 15,218
- Gonzalez – 14,586
- Destin – 13,931
- East Milton – 11,074
- Milton – 10,197
2,500-10,000 people
edit- Miramar Beach – 8,002
- Lake Lorraine – 7,142
- Gulf Breeze – 6,963
- Ocean City – 6,314
- Freeport – 5,861
- Valparaiso – 4,752
- Bagdad – 4,467
- Mary Esther – 3,982
- Pea Ridge – 3,587
- Goulding – 3,392
- Tiger Point – 3,090
- Point Baker – 2,991
List of members representing the district
edit
Recent election results
edit2001 (special)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller | 53,547 | 65.68 | |
| Democratic | Steve Briese | 22,695 | 27.99 | |
| Independent | John G. Ralls Jr. | 5,115 | 6.31 | |
| Write-ins | 14 | 0.02 | ||
| Total votes | 81,071 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2002
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller (Incumbent) | 152,635 | 75% | |
| Democratic | Bert Oram | 51,972 | 25% | |
| No party | Others | 19 | 0.01 | |
| Total votes | 204,626 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2004
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller (Incumbent) | 236,604 | 77% | |
| Democratic | Mark S. Coutu | 72,506 | 23% | |
| Total votes | 309,110 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2006
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller (Incumbent) | 135,786 | 69% | |
| No party | Joe Roberts | 62,340 | 31% | |
| Total votes | 198,126 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2008
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller (Incumbent) | 232,559 | 70% | |
| Democratic | James E. Bryan | 98,797 | 30% | |
| Total votes | 331,356 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2010
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller (Incumbent) | 170,821 | 80% | |
| Independent | Joe Cantrell | 23,250 | 11% | |
| Independent | John E. Krause | 18,253 | 9% | |
| No party | Others | 1,202 | 0.56% | |
| Total votes | 213,526 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2012
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller (Incumbent) | 238,440 | 70% | |
| Democratic | James E. Bryan | 92,961 | 27% | |
| Libertarian | Calen Fretts | 11,176 | 3% | |
| No party | William Cleave Drummond II | 17 | 0.0% | |
| Total votes | 342,594 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2014
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Miller (Incumbent) | 165,086 | 70% | |
| Democratic | James E. Bryan | 54,976 | 23% | |
| No party | Mark Wichern | 15,281 | 7% | |
| Total votes | 235,343 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2016
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Gaetz | 255,107 | 69% | |
| Democratic | Steven Specht | 114,079 | 31% | |
| Total votes | 369,186 | 100% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
2018
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Gaetz (Incumbent) | 216,189 | 67.06% | |
| Democratic | Jennifer M. Zimmerman | 106,199 | 32.94% | |
| Total votes | 322,388 | 100% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2020
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Gaetz (incumbent) | 283,352 | 64.61% | ||
| Democratic | Phil Ehr | 149,172 | 34.01% | ||
| Independent | Albert Oram | 6,038 | 1.38% | ||
| Total votes | 438,532 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2022
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Gaetz (incumbent) | 197,349 | 67.86% | ||
| Democratic | Rebekah Jones | 93,467 | 32.13% | ||
| Total votes | 290,816 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2024
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Gaetz (incumbent) | 274,023 | 66.00% | ||
| Democratic | Gay Valimont | 140,881 | 34.0% | ||
| Total votes | 414,904 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
References
edit- ^ "Congressional Plan--SC14-1905 (Ordered by The Florida Supreme Court, 2-December-2015)" (PDF). Florida Senate Committee on Reapportionment. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (State-based)". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::3a6791b9-a186-4691-a95c-5d51dbb3be1c
- ^ "October 16, 2001 Special General, Congress 1 & House 1". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
Bibliography
edit- 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.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present