Michigan's 7th congressional district

Michigan's 7th congressional district

Michigan's 7th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative Tim Walberg (R)
Distribution
  • % urban
  • % rural
Population (2010) 705,974
Ethnicity
Occupation
Cook PVI R+3

Michigan's 7th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan. From 2003 to 2013 it consisted of all of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, and Lenawee counties, and included most of Calhoun and a large portion of western and northern Washtenaw counties. The district shifted east in the 2012 redistricting, and now includes the western suburbs of Ann Arbor and Monroe County.

In the November 2, 2010 midterm elections, Republican Tim Walberg defeated Mark Schauer, the district's previous congressman.

Major cities

Voting

Election results from presidential races
Year Office Results
2012 President Romney 51 - 48%
2008 President Obama 52 - 46%
2004 President Bush 54 - 45%
2000 President Bush 51 - 46%
1996 President Clinton 46 - 43%
1992 President Clinton 38 - 37%

Early history

The 7th Congressional district was formed in 1872 covering the Thumb of Michigan. It had Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, Lapeer, St. Clair and Macomb Counties. In 1882 Tuscola County was removed from the district but everything else remained the same. In 1892 Grosse Point and Hamtramck Townships, the latter one today mainly within the city boundaries of Detroit were moved into the 7th District.

In 1912 Tuscola county was put back in the 7th district, but it may have lost its Wayne County areas. It was definitely deprived of these areas by 1932.

In 1964 the 7th district experienced its most drastic redistricting yet. Only Lapeer County was retained from the old district while Genesee County was added. In 1972 the district was redrawn again, losing Lapeer County as well as a few outlying parts of Genesee County. In 1982 most of Lapeer county was put back in the 7th district. The northern tier of townships in Genesee County were moved to the 8th district. Burns Township in Shiawasee County and all the northern tier of townships in Oakland County with the exception of Brandon Township were also put in the district.

After 1992 this old 7th district constituted a large part of the new 9th district.

Predecessors to the 1992 district

The current 7th has no connection with the pre-1992 seventh congressional district. If populations and not just areas are considered, it is primarily an heir of the previous 3rd district. Most of the area came from the old 2nd district, and some of John Dingell's old 16th district was also included.

All of Eaton and Calhoun Counties were preserved from the 3rd to the 7th district. Half of the area of Barry County that had been in the old 3rd was retained. From the old 4th was drawn most of Branch County. The rest of Branch County and Hillsdale County, the south-western portion of Washtenaw County and western Lenawee County and most of Jackson County were taken from the old 2nd district. Even though most of the area of the old second was put in the new 7th, most of its population was moved into the 13th, From Ann Arbor to Plymouth, Livonia and Northville. The portion of Lenawee County that had been in the 16th was absorbed, and a small part of the Washtenaw County area of the 15th district and the part of the old 6th that had been in Jackson County. Thus the new 7th district incorporated areas from six old districts.

The 2002 redistricting is best seen as a shift from the 3rd district to the 2nd district legacy. With the loss of its quadrant in Barry County and a small section of Calhoun County the district lost affinity to the 3rd of yore. It took back the portion of Washtenaw County that had been lost to the 8th district, and shed the part of Washtenaw County that had come from the old 15th district. Although none of Wayne County was included in the new district, it did have Salem Township which not only borders Wayne County but is largely in a Wayne County-headquartered school district.

In the 2012 redistricting the district gained Monroe County as well as the portion of Washtenaw County around Saline.

List of representatives

Representative Party Years Congress Notes
District created March 4, 1873
Omar D. Conger Republican March 4, 1873 - March 3, 1881 43rd-46th Redistricted from the 5th district, Resigned March 3, 1881 to become US Senator
Vacant March 4, 1881 –
April 5, 1881
47th
John Tyler Rich Republican April 5, 1881 - March 3, 1883 47th Elected April 4, 1881, to fill the vacancy.
Ezra C. Carleton Democratic[1] March 4, 1883 - March 3, 1887 48th-49th
Justin Rice Whiting Democratic[1] March 4, 1887 - March 3, 1895 50th-53rd
Horace G. Snover Republican March 4, 1895 - March 3, 1899 54th-55th
Edgar Weeks Republican March 4, 1899 - March 3, 1903 56th-57th
Henry McMorran Republican March 4, 1903 - March 3, 1913 58th-62nd
Louis C. Cramton Republican March 4, 1913 - March 3, 1931 63rd-71st
Jesse P. Wolcott Republican March 4, 1931 - January 3, 1957 72nd-84th
Robert J. McIntosh Republican January 3, 1957 - January 3, 1959 85th
James G. O'Hara Democratic January 3, 1959 - January 3, 1965 86th-88th Redistricted to the 12th district
John C. Mackie Democratic January 3, 1965 - January 3, 1967 89th
Donald W. Riegle, Jr. Republican January 3, 1967 - February 27, 1973 90th-93rd Elected as a Republican and changed political affiliation in 1973.
Democratic February 27, 1973 - December 30, 1976 93rd - 94th Resigned December 30, 1976 after being appointed to the US Senate.
Vacant December 30, 1976 –
January 3, 1977
94th
Dale E. Kildee Democratic January 3, 1977 - January 3, 1993 95th-102nd Redistricted to the 9th district
Nick Smith Republican January 3, 1993 - January 3, 2005 103rd-108th
Joe Schwarz Republican January 3, 2005 - January 3, 2007 109th
Tim Walberg Republican January 3, 2007 - January 3, 2009 110th
Mark Schauer Democratic January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 111th
Tim Walberg Republican January 3, 2011 – Present 112th-113th Incumbent

Historical district boundaries

1993 - 2003
2003 - 2013

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 A number of candidates were elected as fusion candidates, but were seated in Congress with the Democratic Party: Ezra C. Carleton in 1882 and 1884 and Justin R. Whiting in 1886, 1888, and 1890 (he was elected as a Democrat in 1892).

References

Coordinates: 42°05′37″N 84°18′18″W / 42.09361°N 84.30500°W / 42.09361; -84.30500

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