| State: | Washington |
| District Number: | 5 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023. Points indicate major cities in the district (Spokane, Spokane Valley, Pullman, and Walla Walla respectively). |
| Representative: | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Spokane |
| Population: | 785,349 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $67,085[1] |
| Percent White: | 79.4 |
| Percent Black: | 1.7 |
| Percent Asian: | 2.3 |
| Percent Native American: | 1.6 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 8.4 |
| Percent Other Race: | 1.1 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 6.3 |
| Cpvi: | R+8[2] |
Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin, along with parts of Adams and Franklin. It is centered on Spokane, the state's second largest city.
Since 2005, the 5th district has been represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican. Rodgers's predecessor, George Nethercutt, defeated Democrat Tom Foley, then Speaker of the House, in the 1994 elections; Foley had held the seat since 1965.
In presidential elections, the 5th district was once fairly competitive, but in recent years has generally been a safe bet for the Republicans. Although George W. Bush carried the district with 57% in 2000 and 2004, John McCain just narrowly won the district with 52% of the vote, while Barack Obama received 46% in 2008. In 2012, President Obama's share of the vote dropped to 44%.
The first election in the 5th district was in 1914, won by Democrat Clarence Dill. Following the 1910 census, Washington gained two seats in the U.S. House, from three to five, but did not reapportion for the 1912 election. The two new seats were elected as statewide at-large, with each voter casting ballots for three congressional seats, their district and two at-large. After that election, the state was reapportioned to five districts for the 1914 election. The state's 6th district was added after the 1930 census and first contested in the 1932 election.
| Year | Office | Won district | Lost district | Winning margin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | President | Nixon 45% | Humphrey 41% | 4% | |
| 1972 | President | Nixon 63% | McGovern 37% | 26% | |
| 1976 | President | Ford 54% | Carter 43% | 11% | |
| 1980 | President | Reagan 56% | Carter 34% | 22% | |
| 1984 | President | Reagan 60% | Mondale 39% | 21% | |
| 1988 | President | Bush 51% | Dukakis 48% | 3% | |
| 1992 | President | Clinton 40% | Bush 36% | 4% | |
| 1996 | President | Clinton 44% | Dole 43% | 1% | |
| 2000 | President | Bush 55% | Gore 40% | 15% | |
| 2004 | President | Bush 57% | Kerry 41% | 16% | |
| 2008 | President | McCain 52% | Obama 46% | 6% | |
| 2012 | President | Romney 54% | Obama 44% | 10% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 52% | Clinton 39% | 13% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 53% | Biden 44% | 9% |
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ess | Electoral history | District location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District established March 4, 1915 | |||||||
| align=left | Clarence Dill | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919 | Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | J. Stanley Webster | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1919 – May 8, 1923 | Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Resigned to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | May 8, 1923 – September 25, 1923 | |||||
| align=left | Samuel B. Hill [3] | Democratic | nowrap | September 25, 1923 – June 25, 1936 | Elected to finish Webster's term. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Resigned to become member of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals. | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | June 25, 1936 – January 3, 1937 | |||||
| align=left | Charles H. Leavy [4] | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1937 – August 1, 1942 | Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Resigned to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | August 1, 1942 – January 3, 1943 | |||||
| align=left | Walt Horan | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1965 | 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. Re-elected in 1962. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | Tom Foley | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1995 | 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. Re-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. Lost re-election. | ||
George Nethercutt | Republican | January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2005 | Elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | ||||
| 2003–2013 | |||||||
Cathy McMorris Rodgers | Republican | January 3, 2005 – present | 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. Retiring at end of term. | ||||
| 2013–2023 | |||||||
| 2023–present | |||||||