| State: | Virginia |
| District Number: | 3 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since 2023 |
| Representative: | Bobby Scott |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Newport News |
| Distribution Ref: | [1] |
| Percent Urban: | 95.01 |
| Percent Rural: | 4.99 |
| Population: | 773,212[2] |
| Population Year: | 2023 |
| Median Income: | $64,323[3] |
| Percent White: | 39.0 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 8.4 |
| Percent Black: | 43.2 |
| Percent Asian: | 3.0 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 5.4 |
| Percent Other Race: | 1.1 |
| Cpvi: | D+17[4] |
Virginia's third congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving the independent cities of Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth and part of the independent city of Chesapeake. The district is represented by Democrat Bobby Scott. VA-03 is majority-minority and has a plurality Black electorate, and is heavily Democratic.
In 1788 Virginia's 3rd congressional district consisted of all of modern Virginia including and west of the counties of Carroll, Floyd, Roanoke, Botetourt, Augusta and Rockingham. It also included what is today Pendleton County, West Virginia and also about the southern third of West Virginia which in 1788 was all Greenbrier County. This area that is today about 48 counties and 13 independent cities was in 1788 only nine counties.[5]
In the 1790 census, this area had a population of 66,045.[6] For the 1792 congressional elections the number of congressional districts in Virginia rose from 10 to 19. The only county that remained in the third district was Pendleton County. Harrison, Randolph, Hardy, Hampshire, Monongalia and Ohio Counties all now in West Virginia, were also in the district.[7] This was all of northern West Virginia except the far eastern panhandle area. The new district's 1790 population was 30,145.[8]
The 1800 census lead to another increase in Virginia's congressional districts in 1802. The third district was again moved, this time to what was then Frederick and Shenandoah Counties in Virginia, which besides those counties also included the modern counties of Clarke, Warren and part of Page.[9] The new 3rd district had a population of 38,767 in 1800.[10]
For most of the time from the end of the Civil War to 1993, the 3rd district was a relatively compact district centered on Richmond. The district's current configuration dates to 1993, when the Justice Department ordered Virginia to create a majority-minority district. At that time, portions of the old 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th districts were combined to create a new 3rd district.
The Virginia Legislature's 2012 redistricting was found unconstitutional, in part because of racial gerrymandering, and replaced was with a court-ordered map on January 16, 2016 for the 2016 elections.[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] From 1993 to 2016, the 3rd had covered most of the majority-black precincts in and around Hampton Roads and Richmond. The court-drawn map shifted the area near Richmond to the 4th district.
| Year | Office | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | President | Clinton 72%–22% | |
| Senator | Warner 72%–28% | ||
| 1997 | Governor | Beyer 67%–31% | |
| Lieutenant Governor | Payne 66%–28% | ||
| Attorney General | Dolan 64%–36% | ||
| 2000 | President | Gore 66%–32% | |
| Senator | Robb 67%–33% | ||
| 2001 | Governor | Warner 71%–28% | |
| Lieutenant Governor | Kaine 73%–26% | ||
| Attorney General | McEachin 63%–37% | ||
| 2004 | President | Kerry 66%–33%[18] | |
| 2008 | President | Obama 76%–24%[19] | |
| 2012 | President | Obama 79%–20%[20] | |
| 2013 | Governor | McAuliffe 75%–19%–5%[21] | |
| Lieutenant Governor | Northam 79%–20%[22] | ||
| Attorney General | Herring 77%–23%[23] | ||
| 2014 | Senator | Warner 77%–21%[24] | |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 63%–32%[25] | |
| 2017 | Governor | Northam 68%–31%[26] | |
| 2018 | Senator | Kaine 70%–28%[27] | |
| 2020 | President | Biden 67%–31%[28] | |
| 2021 | Governor | McAuliffe 61%–37%[29] |
| Representative | Party | Term | Cong ress | Electoral history | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District established March 4, 1789 | ||||||||
| align=left | Andrew Moore | Anti-Administration | nowrap | March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793 | Elected in 1789. Re-elected in 1790. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Joseph Neville | Anti-Administration | nowrap | March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795 | Elected in 1793. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | George Jackson | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797 | Elected in 1795. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | James Machir | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1799 | Elected in 1797. Retired. | |||
| align=left | George Jackson | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1803 | Elected in 1799. Re-elected in 1801. Redistricted to the and retired. | |||
| align=left | John Smith | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1815 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1803. Re-elected in 1805. Re-elected in 1807. Re-elected in 1809. Re-elected in 1811. Re-elected in 1813. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Henry S. Tucker | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1819 | Elected in 1815. Re-elected in 1817. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Jared Williams | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1823 | Elected in 1819. Re-elected in 1821. Redistricted to the . | |||
William S. Archer | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1823. Re-elected in 1825. Re-elected in 1827. Re-elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Re-elected in 1833. Lost re-election. | ||||
| Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1835 | ||||||
John W. Jones | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 | Elected in 1835. Re-elected in 1837. Re-elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1841. Redistricted to the . | ||||
| Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843 | ||||||
| align=left | Walter Coles | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1843. Retired. | |||
| align=left | William M. Tredway | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847 | Elected in 1845. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Thomas S. Flournoy | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849 | Elected in 1847. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Thomas H. Averett | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 | Elected in 1849. Re-elected in 1851. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | John S. Caskie | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Daniel C. DeJarnette Sr. | Independent Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 | Elected in 1859. Resigned. | |||
| District inactive | nowrap | March 4, 1861 – January 27, 1870 | Civil War and Reconstruction | |||||
| align=left | Charles H. Porter | Republican | nowrap | January 27, 1870 – March 3, 1873 | Elected in 1870. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John A. Smith | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | Elected in 1872. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Gilbert C. Walker | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879 | Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Joseph E. Johnston | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 | Elected in 1878. Retired. | |||
| align=left | George D. Wise | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1881 – April 11, 1890 | Elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Election invalidated. | |||
| align=left | Edmund Waddill Jr. | Republican | nowrap | April 12, 1890 – March 3, 1891 | Elected in 1890. Retired. | |||
| align=left | George D. Wise | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895 | Elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Tazewell Ellett | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | Elected in 1894. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | John Lamb | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1913 | Elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Andrew J. Montague | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1933 | 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 . | |||
| District inactive | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 | ||||||
| align=left | Andrew J. Montague | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1935 – January 24, 1937 | Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | January 24, 1937 – November 2, 1937 | ||||||
| align=left | David E. Satterfield Jr. | Democratic | nowrap | November 2, 1937 – February 15, 1945 | Elected to finish Montague's term. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Resigned. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | February 15, 1945 – March 6, 1945 | ||||||
| align=left | J. Vaughan Gary | Democratic | nowrap | March 6, 1945 – January 3, 1965 | Elected to finish Satterfield's term. 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. Re-elected in 1962. Retired. | |||
| align=left | David E. Satterfield III | Democratic | nowrap | 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. | |||
| align=left | Thomas J. Bliley Jr. | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993 | Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Robert C. Scott | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1993 – present | 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. Re-elected in 2024. | |||
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Independents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | David E. Satterfield, III 73,104 | J. Harvie Wilkinson, III 35,229 | Ulrich Troubetskoy 371 | |
| 1972 | David E. Satterfield, III 102,523 | |||
| 1974 | David E. Satterfield, III 64,627 | Alan Robert Ogden 7,574 | ||
| 1976 | David E. Satterfield, III 129,066 | Alan Robert Ogden 17,503 | ||
| 1978 | David E. Satterfield, III 104,550 | Alan Robert Ogden 14,453 | ||
| 1980 | John A. Mapp 60,962 | Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. 96,524 | Howard H. Carwile 19,549 | |
| 1982 | John A. Waldrop, Jr. 63,946 | Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. 92,928 | ||
| 1984 | Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. 169,987 | Roger L. Coffey 28,556 | ||
| 1986 | Kenneth E. Powell 32,961 | Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. 74,525 | J. Stephen Bodges 3,675 | |
| 1988 | Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. 187,354 | |||
| 1990 | James A. Starke, Jr. 36,253 | Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. 77,125 | Rose L. Simpson 4,317 | |
| 1992 | Robert C. Scott 132,432 | Daniel Jenkins 35,780 | ||
| 1994 | Robert C. Scott 108,532 | Thomas E. Ward 28,080 | ||
| 1996 | Robert C. Scott 118,603 | Elsie Goodwyn Holland 25,781 | ||
| 1998 | Robert C. Scott 48,129 | R. S. Barnett 14,453 | ||
| 2000 | Robert C. Scott 137,527 | |||
| 2002 | Robert C. Scott 87,521 | |||
| 2004 | Robert C. Scott 159,373 | Winsome E. Sears 70,194 | ||
| 2006 | Robert C. Scott 133,546 | |||
| 2008 | Robert C. Scott 239,911 | |||
| 2010 | Robert C. Scott 114,754 | C. L. Smith, Jr. 44,553 | John D. Kelly: 1,927 | |
| 2012 | Robert C. Scott 259,199 | Dean J. Longo 58,931 | ||
| 2014 | Robert C. Scott 139,197 | |||
| 2016 | Robert C. Scott' 208,337 | Martin L. Williams: 103,289 | ||
| 2018 | Robert C. Scott 198,615 | |||
| 2020 | Robert C. Scott 233,326 | John Collick: 107,299 | ||
| 2022 | Robert C. Scott 139,659 | Terry Namkung: 67,668 |
The Virginia Third District started in 1788 covering the counties of Botetourt, Rockbridge, Montgomery, Greenbrier, Washington, Augusta, Russell, Rockingham and Pendleton.[30]