| State: | Kentucky |
| District Number: | 5 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | Hal Rogers |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Somerset |
| Distribution Ref: | [1] |
| Percent Urban: | 23.51 |
| Percent Rural: | 76.49 |
| Population: | 739,149[2] |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $42,736[3] |
| Percent White: | 93.7 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 1.5 |
| Percent Black: | 1.4 |
| Percent Asian: | 0.4 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 2.6 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.3 |
| Cpvi: | R+32[4] |
Kentucky's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in the heart of Appalachia in Southeastern Kentucky, it represents much of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield. The rural district is the second most impoverished district in the nation[5] and, as of the 2010 U.S. census, has the highest percentage of White Americans in the nation. It contains the counties of Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Clay, Elliot, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe, and parts of Bath, and Carter counties.[6] Within the district are the economic leading cities of Ashland, Pikeville, Prestonsburg, Middlesboro, Hazard, Jackson, Morehead, London, and Somerset. It is the most rural district in the United States, with 76.49% of its population in rural areas.[7] It has been represented by Republican Hal Rogers since 1981.
With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+32, it is the most Republican district in Kentucky.[4] The 5th congressional district is one of the few ancestrally Republican regions south of the Ohio River. Much of the region now in the district strongly supported the Union in the Civil War, and identified with the Republicans after hostilities ceased. By contrast, the northeastern portion of the district borders West Virginia. Much of this section of the district was once part of the 7th congressional district, long a Democratic stronghold, which was disbanded in 1992 after the 1990 census. Geographically, the district consists of flat land areas to the west, to Appalachia highland mountains to the east and southeast. To the north and northeast of the district are rolling hills that end at the Ohio River.
Despite the district's strong Republican lean, it features Elliott County, which, before being carried by Donald Trump in 2016, had never voted for a Republican president since its founding in 1869, making it the longest Democratic voting streak. Until 2018, when the county gave Rogers 54.6% of its vote, the county had never voted for Rogers, despite him winning at least 65% of the vote in the district in every election except 1992.
Rogers is the dean of the Kentucky delegation and of the entire House of Representatives. Due in part to his seniority, Rogers has served in a number of leadership positions in the chamber.
| Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 2023[8] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of voters | Percentage | |||
| Republican | 312,498 | 55.12% | |||
| Democratic | 216,402 | 38.17% | |||
| Other | 20,645 | 3.65% | |||
| Independent | 17,363 | 3.06% | |||
| Total | 566,908 | 100% | |||
Until January 1, 2006, Kentucky did not track party affiliation for registered voters who were neither Democratic nor Republican.[9] The Kentucky voter registration card does not explicitly list anything other than Democratic Party, Republican Party, or Other, with the "Other" option having a blank line and no instructions on how to register as something else.[10]
| Election results from statewide races | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Results | |
| 2000 | President | Bush 57–42% | |
| 2004 | President | Bush 61–39% | |
| 2008 | President | McCain 67–31% | |
| 2012 | President | Romney 75–23% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 79–19% | |
| Senate | Paul 65–35% | ||
| 2019 | Governor | Bevin 59–38% | |
| Attorney General | Cameron 67–33% | ||
| 2020 | President | Trump 79–20% | |
| Senate | McConnell 73–23% | ||
| 2022 | Senate | Paul 75–25% | |
| 2023 | Governor | Cameron 58–42% | |
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1803 | ||||||||
| align=left | John Fowler | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1807 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1803. Re-elected in 1804. Retired. | 1803–1813 Clarke, Fayette, Jessamine, Montgomery, and Woodford counties | ||
| align=left | Benjamin Howard | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1807 – April 10, 1810 | Elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Resigned to become governor of the Louisiana Territory. | |||
| align=left | William T. Barry | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | August 8, 1810 – March 3, 1811 | Elected to finish Howard's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Henry Clay | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813 | Elected in 1810. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Samuel Hopkins | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815 | Elected in 1812. Retired. | 1813–1823 Breckinridge, Caldwell, Christian, Grayson, Henderson, Hopkins, Livingston, Muhlenberg, Ohio, and Union counties | ||
| align=left | Alney McLean | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817 | Elected in 1814. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Anthony New | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819 | Elected in 1816. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Alney McLean | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821 | Elected in 1818. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Anthony New | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823 | Elected in 1820. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John T. Johnson | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1822. Retired. | 1823–1833 | ||
| align=left | James Johnson | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1825 – August 13, 1826 | Elected in 1824. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | August 13, 1826 – December 7, 1826 | ||||||
| align=left | Robert L. McHatton | Jacksonian | nowrap | December 7, 1826 – March 3, 1829 | Elected to finish Johnson's term. Re-elected in 1827. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Richard M. Johnson | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833 | Elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Redistricted to the . | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 4, 1833 – August 6, 1834 | House declared new election after election was contested. | 1833–1843 Garrard County added to the district. | ||||
| align=left | Robert P. Letcher | Anti-Jacksonian | nowrap | August 6, 1834 – March 3, 1835 | Elected to finish the vacant term. Retired. | |||
| align=left rowspan=2 | James Harlan | Anti-Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 | Elected in 1835. Re-elected in 1837. Retired. | |||
| Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839 | ||||||
| align=left | Simeon H. Anderson | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1839 – August 11, 1840 | Elected in 1839. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | August 11, 1840 – December 7, 1840 | ||||||
| align=left | John B. Thompson | Whig | nowrap | December 7, 1840 – March 3, 1843 | Elected to finish Anderson's term. Re-elected in 1841. Retired. | |||
| align=left | James W. Stone | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 | Elected in 1843. Lost re-election. | 1843–1853 | ||
| align=left | Bryan Young | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847 | Elected in 1845. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John B. Thompson | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851 | Elected in 1847. Re-elected in 1849. Retired. | |||
| align=left | James W. Stone | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 | Elected in 1851. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Clement S. Hill | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 | Elected in 1853. Retired. | 1853–1863 | ||
| align=left | Joshua Jewett | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859 | Elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Lost re-election as an Opposition Party candidate. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 4, 1855 – December 3, 1860 | ||||||
| align=left | John Y. Brown | Democratic | nowrap | December 3, 1860 – March 3, 1861 | Elected in 1859 but did not take seat until 2nd session because did not meet age requirement for office. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Charles A. Wickliffe | Unionist | nowrap | March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863 | Elected in 1861. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Robert Mallory | Unionist | nowrap | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1863. Lost re-election. | 1863–1873 | ||
| align=left | Lovell Rousseau | Unconditional Unionist | nowrap | March 4, 1865 – July 21, 1866 | Elected in 1865. Resigned following his assault of Rep. Josiah Grinnell. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | July 21, 1866 – December 3, 1866 | ||||||
| align=left | Lovell Rousseau | Unconditional Unionist | nowrap | December 3, 1866 – March 3, 1867 | Elected to finish his own term. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Asa Grover | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869 | Elected in 1867. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Boyd Winchester | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873 | Elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Elisha Standiford | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | Elected in 1872. Renominated but declined. | 1873–1883 | ||
| align=left | Edward Y. Parsons | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1875 – July 8, 1876 | Elected in 1874. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | July 8, 1876 – August 12, 1876 | ||||||
| align=left | Henry Watterson | Democratic | nowrap | August 12, 1876 – March 3, 1877 | Elected to finish Parsons's term. Retired. | |||
Albert S. Willis | Democratic | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1887 | Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Lost renomination. | |||||
| 1883–1893 | ||||||||
Asher G. Caruth | Democratic | March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1895 | Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Lost renomination. | |||||
| 1893–1903 | ||||||||
| align=left | Walter Evans | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899 | Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Oscar Turner | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 | Elected in 1898. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Harvey S. Irwin | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1903 | Elected in 1900. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | J. Swagar Sherley | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1919 | Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election. | 1903–1933 | ||
| align=left | Charles F. Ogden | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1923 | Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Maurice Thatcher | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | |||
| District inactive | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 | ||||||
Brent Spence | Democratic | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1963 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Retired. | 1935–1943 | ||||
| 1943–1953 | ||||||||
| 1953–1963 | ||||||||
| align=left | Eugene Siler | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1962. Retired. | 1963–1965 | ||
Tim Lee Carter | Republican | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1981 | Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Retired. | 1965–1973 | ||||
| 1973–1983 | ||||||||
Hal Rogers | Republican | January 3, 1981 – present | Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-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. | |||||
| 1983–1993 | ||||||||
| 1993–2003 | ||||||||
| 2003–2013 | ||||||||
| 2013–2023 | ||||||||
| 2023–present | ||||||||
