| State: | Tennessee |
| District Number: | 6 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | John Rose |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Cookeville |
| Distribution Ref: | [1] |
| Percent Urban: | 48.23 |
| Percent Rural: | 51.77 |
| Population: | 783,125[2] |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $64,687[3] |
| Percent White: | 77.7 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 7.7 |
| Percent Black: | 9.0 |
| Percent Asian: | 1.1 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 3.9 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.6 |
| Cpvi: | R+17[4] |
The 6th congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle Tennessee.It has been represented by Republican John Rose since January 2019.
Much of the sixth district is rural and wooded. It is spread across the geographic regions known as the Cumberland Plateau, the Highland Rim, and the Central Basin. The area is known for its waterfalls, such as Burgess Falls and Cummins Falls. Much of the western part of the district is located in the Nashville metropolitan area, along with a portion of Nashville itself.
With close access to interstates 24, 40, and 65, subdivisions are sprouting almost exponentially, fast filling with new economy managers. Recently, many companies have opened either manufacturing or distribution centers in the 6th district. This includes Amazon[5] and Bridgestone-Firestone[6] in Lebanon, gun manufacturer Beretta in Gallatin,[7] and clothing manufacturer Under Armour in Mt. Juliet.[8]
Politically speaking, the region was traditionally a "Yellow Dog Democrat" district. However, it began shifting rightward as Nashville's suburbs bled into the district and the rural counties trended Republican. It supported Bill Clinton in 1992, partly due to the presence of Al Gore, who represented it from 1977 to 1985, as Clinton's running mate. However, it has not supported a Democrat for president since. Longtime Democratic incumbent Bart Gordon consistently won reelection easily even as the district swung rightward after the turn of the millennium. By the mid-2000s, however, it was believed that the Democrats would have a hard time keeping the seat after Gordon retired.
Gordon retired in 2010, and Republican state senator Diane Black won the seat in a landslide, proving just how Republican this district had become. The 2010 redistricting made the district even more Republican, even as its longtime anchor of Murfreesboro was drawn into the neighboring 4th District. Since 2012, no Democrat has won an entire county within the district in any presidential, gubernatorial, senate, or congressional election.[9] [10] Indeed, no Democrat has crossed the 30 percent mark in the district since Gordon's retirement.
The district is located in north-central Tennessee and borders Kentucky to the north. It is currently composed of the following counties:Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, White, and Van Buren. The district also contains parts of Davidson, Scott, Warren, and Wilson counties.
Results under old lines (2013-2023)
| Year | Office | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | George W. Bush 49% - Al Gore 49% | |
| 2004 | President | George W. Bush 60% - John Kerry 40% | |
| 2008 | President | John McCain 65% - Barack Obama 33.5% | |
| 2012 | President | Mitt Romney 70% - Barack Obama 29.5% | |
| 2016 | President | Donald Trump 72.6% - Hillary Clinton 23.7% | |
| 2020 | President | Donald Trump 72.2% - Joe Biden 25.6% |
Prior to the 1980 census, when Tennessee picked up a district, most of what is now the 6th district was in the 4th district. During the 1940s, this area was represented by Albert Gore, Sr. of Carthage. Gore was elected to the United States Senate in 1952, where he was instrumental in creating the Interstate Highway system.[11]
From 1953 to 1977, the area was represented by Joe L. Evins of Smithville. Evins's nephew, Dan Evins, was the founder of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurant/retail chain.[12] Cracker Barrel's headquarters are still located in Lebanon.[13]
In 1976, Evins was succeeded by Al Gore, then-future Vice President and son of Albert Gore, Sr. He was representing the area when much of it was moved into the present 6th district.
Shortly following the redistricting into the 6th district, Gore was elected to the United States Senate. He was then succeeded by former Tennessee Democratic Party chairman Bart Gordon of Murfreesboro. Gordon held the post for the next 26 years, generally with little difficulty. The only year he faced serious opposition was 1994, when attorney Steve Gill ran against him. Gordon defeated Gill by only one percentage point.[14]
According to the 2010 census, the five largest cities are Hendersonville (51,372), Cookeville (30,425), Gallatin (30,278), Lebanon (26,190), and Mt. Juliet (23,671).[15] Diane Black of Gallatin was elected in the Republican landslide of 2010 when Gordon retired after 26 years in Congress. Black's victory marked the first time that much of the district had been represented by a Republican since 1921, and for only the second time since Reconstruction.
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District established March 4, 1813 | ||||||||
| align=left | Parry W. Humpreys | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815 | Elected in 1813. Retired. | 1813–1823 | ||
| align=left | James B. Reynolds | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817 | Elected in 1815. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | George W. L. Marr | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819 | Elected in 1817. Lost renomination. | |||
| align=left | Henry H. Bryan | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821 | Elected in 1819. Re-elected in 1821 but failed to qualify. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823 | ||||||
| align=left | James T. Sandford | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 | Elected in 1823. Lost re-election. | 1823–1833 | ||
| align=left | James K. Polk | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1833 | Elected in 1825. Re-elected in 1827. Re-elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Redistricted to the . | |||
| Balie Peyton | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835 | Elected in 1833. Re-elected in 1835. Retired. | 1833–1843 | |||
| Anti-Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 | ||||||
| align=left | William B. Campbell | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843 | Elected in 1837. Re-elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1841. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Aaron V. Brown | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1843. Retired to run for Governor of Tennessee. | 1843–1853 | ||
| align=left | Barclay Martin | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847 | Elected in 1845. Retired. | |||
| align=left | James H. Thomas | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851 | Elected in 1847. Re-elected in 1849. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | William H. Polk | Independent Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 | Elected in 1851. Retired. | |||
| align=left | George W. Jones | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Retired. | 1853–1861 | ||
| align=left | James H. Thomas | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 | Elected in 1859. Retired. | |||
| District inactive | nowrap | March 4, 1861 – July 24, 1866 | Civil War and Reconstruction | |||||
| Samuel M. Arnell | Unconditional Unionist | nowrap | July 24, 1866 – March 3, 1867 | Elected in 1865. Re-elected in 1867. Re-elected in 1868. Retired. | 1866–1873 | |||
| Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1871 | ||||||
Washington C. Whitthorne | Democratic | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875 | Elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Redistricted to the . | |||||
| 1873–1883 | ||||||||
| align=left | John F. House | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883 | Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Andrew J. Caldwell | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887 | Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Retired. | 1883–1893 | ||
Joseph E. Washington | Democratic | March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1897 | Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Retired. | |||||
| 1893–1903 | ||||||||
John W. Gaines | Democratic | March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1909 | Elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Lost renomination. | |||||
| 1903–1913 | ||||||||
Jo Byrns | Democratic | March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Redistricted to the . | |||||
| 1913–1923 | ||||||||
| 1923–1933 | ||||||||
| align=left | Clarence W. Turner | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – March 23, 1939 | Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Died. | 1933–1943 | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 23, 1939 – May 11, 1939 | ||||||
| align=left | W. Wirt Courtney | Democratic | nowrap | May 11, 1939 – January 3, 1943 | Elected to finish Turner's term. Re-elected in 1940. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Percy Priest | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953 | Elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Redistricted to the . | 1943–1953 | ||
| align=left | James P. Sutton | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1952. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | 1953–1963 | ||
Ross Bass | Democratic | January 3, 1955 – November 3, 1964 | Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Retired to run for U.S. senator and resigned when elected. | |||||
| 1963–1973 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | November 3, 1964 – January 3, 1965 | ||||||
| align=left | William R. Anderson | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1973 | Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Robin Beard | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1983 | Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | 1973–1983 | ||
| align=left | Al Gore | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1985 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1982. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | 1983–1993 | ||
Bart Gordon | Democratic | January 3, 1985 – January 3, 2011 | 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. Retired. | |||||
| 1993–2003 | ||||||||
| 2003–2013 | ||||||||
Diane Black | Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Retired to run for Governor of Tennessee. | |||||
| 2013–2023 | ||||||||
John Rose | Republican | January 3, 2019 – present | Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022 | |||||
| 2023–present | ||||||||