Arkansas's 1st congressional district
| Arkansas's 1st congressional district | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 | |
| Area | 17,521 mi2 (45,380 km2) |
| Distribution |
|
Population (2024) | 754,656[1] |
Median household income | $52,325[1] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Occupation |
|
| Cook PVI | R+23[2] |
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Arkansas's 1st congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in eastern Arkansas that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It is currently represented by Republican Rick Crawford. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+23, it is the most Republican district in Arkansas, a state with an all-Republican congressional delegation.[2]
Political history
[edit]The Mississippi Delta became dominated by industrial agriculture in the 20th century, with cotton, rice, and soybeans by far the biggest exports from the region. The 1st District covers most of the Arkansas Delta area and stretches as far west as the Ozarks. The farming areas, despite their fertility, are generally poor by national standards. Jobs are limited and unemployment and undereducation are major issues. Rice farms receive substantial subsidies from the federal farming program. Three of the top five subsidy farms in the United States are in this district, and they have received more than $100 million since 1996.
Some manufacturing has taken place in the region recently. Several auto parts factories were built in Marion, and Toyota has considered it as the site for its seventh North American plant. Jonesboro is the largest city. It is home to a sizable food processing industry, with companies such as Nestle and Frito-Lay sited here. Jonesboro is also home to Arkansas State University (ASU)-Jonesboro. While Jonesboro is dominated by conservative white Republican voters, as are some of the hill counties, African Americans in the Mississippi River Delta are committed Democratic voters. The district is the second poorest congressional district in Arkansas, with a median household income of $52,119, per a 2024 study.[3]
Until recently, this district makeup resulted in a fairly closely divided vote in national politics. However, the district has been swept up in the growing Republican trend in Arkansas, especially as the Delta's population has plummeted.[4] While Al Gore narrowly carried the district in 2000 with 50% of the vote, George W. Bush won the district in 2004. The district swung even more Republican in 2008, giving John McCain 58.69% of the vote while Barack Obama received 38.41% here. The Republican vote has steadily increased since then with Donald Trump tallying 65 percent of the vote in 2016, his best showing in the state.
Geography
[edit]2003–2013
[edit]
Before the 2010 census, the 1st district represented portions of northeastern Arkansas, encompassing the counties of Arkansas, Baxter, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Saint Francis, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, and Woodruff.
2013–2023
[edit]The district was redesigned to take in additional counties in the southeastern portion that were part of the 4th district which in turn took the entire eastern Arkansas border. It is now more than 76% white, and they support Republican presidential candidates.
The district fully encompasses the counties of Arkansas, Baxter, Chicot, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Saint Francis, Sharp, Stone, and Woodruff. The district also encompasses parts of Jefferson and Searcy counties.
2023–present
[edit]The 1st district now includes the entirety of the following counties, with the exception of Pulaski, which it shares with the 2nd and 4th districts. The only Pulaski County municipalities located in the 1st district are Scott (which is partially located in Lonoke County) and North Little Rock, portions of which are also found in the 2nd district.[5]
| # | County | Seat | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | Stuttgart, DeWitt | 16,307 |
| 5 | Baxter | Mountain Home | 42,875 |
| 9 | Boone | Harrison | 38,530 |
| 17 | Chicot | Lake Village | 9,538 |
| 21 | Clay | Piggott, Corning | 14,201 |
| 31 | Craighead | Jonesboro, Lake City | 113,993 |
| 35 | Crittenden | Marion | 47,139 |
| 37 | Cross | Wynne | 16,420 |
| 41 | Desha | Arkansas City | 10,479 |
| 49 | Fulton | Salem | 12,421 |
| 55 | Greene | Paragould | 46,743 |
| 63 | Independence | Batesville | 38,320 |
| 65 | Izard | Melbourne | 14,169 |
| 67 | Jackson | Newport | 16,784 |
| 75 | Lawrence | Walnut Ridge | 16,318 |
| 77 | Lee | Marianna | 8,201 |
| 79 | Lincoln | Star City | 12,898 |
| 85 | Lonoke | Lonoke | 75,944 |
| 89 | Marion | Yellville | 17,514 |
| 93 | Mississippi | Blytheville, Osceola | 38,663 |
| 95 | Monroe | Clarendon | 6,512 |
| 107 | Phillips | Helena-West Helena | 14,961 |
| 111 | Poinsett | Harrisburg | 22,397 |
| 117 | Prairie | Des Arc, DeValls Bluff | 8,036 |
| 119 | Pulaski (shared with 2nd and 4th districts) | Little Rock | 400,009 |
| 121 | Randolph | Pocahontas | 18,907 |
| 123 | St. Francis | Forrest City | 22,101 |
| 129 | Searcy | Marshall | 7,806 |
| 135 | Sharp | Ash Flat | 17,968 |
| 137 | Stone | Mountain View | 12,671 |
| 147 | Woodruff | Augusta | 5,964 |
Recent election results from statewide races
[edit]| Year | Office | Results[6][7] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 58% - 39% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 63% - 37% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 65% - 30% |
| Senate | Boozman 64% - 32% | |
| 2018 | Governor | Hutchinson 69% - 28% |
| Lt. Governor | Griffin 68% - 29% | |
| Attorney General | Rutledge 66% - 31% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 69% - 28% |
| 2022 | Senate | Boozman 72% - 25% |
| Governor | Huckabee Sanders 70% - 28% | |
| Lt. Governor | Rutledge 71% - 25% | |
| Attorney General | Griffin 74% - 26% | |
| Secretary of State | Thurston 73% - 27% | |
| Treasurer | Lowery 73% - 27% | |
| Auditor | Milligan 72% - 24% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 72% - 26% |
| Treasurer (Spec.) | Thurston 72% - 24% |
List of members representing the district
[edit]The district was created in 1853 after the 1850 United States census added a second seat to the state. The at-large seat then was split between this district and the second district.
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Recent election results
[edit]2002
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 129,701 | 67% | ||
| Republican | Tommy F. Robinson | 64,357 | 33% | ||
| Majority | 65,344 | 33% | |||
| Total votes | 194,058 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2004
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 162,388 | 67% | ||
| Republican | Vernon Humphrey | 81,556 | 33% | ||
| Majority | 80,832 | 33% | |||
| Total votes | 243,944 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2006
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 127,577 | 69% |  2% | |
| Republican | Mickey Stumbaugh | 56,611 | 31% | ||
| Majority | 70,966 | 39% | |||
| Total votes | 184,188 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2008
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Marion Berry* | 124,304 | 100% | 31% | |
| Majority | 100% | ||||
| Total votes | 124,304 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2010
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford | 93,224 | 52% |  48% | |
| Democratic | Chad Causey | 78,267 | 43% | ||
| Green | Ken Adler | 8,320 | 5% | ||
| Write-In | Write-ins | 205 | 0.11% | ||
| Majority | 14,957 | 9% | |||
| Total votes | 180,016 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
2012
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (Incumbent) | 138,800 | 56% | 4% | |
| Democratic | Scott Ellington | 96,601 | 39% | ||
| Libertarian | Jessica Paxton | 6,427 | 3% | ||
| Green | Jacob Holloway | 5,015 | 2% | ||
| Majority | 42,199 | 17.10% | |||
| Total votes | 246,843 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2014
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (Incumbent) | 124,139 | 63% | 7% | |
| Democratic | Jackie McPherson | 63,555 | 32% | ||
| Libertarian | Brian Scott Willhite | 8,562 | 5% | ||
| Majority | 60,584 | 31% | |||
| Total votes | 196,256 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2016
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (Incumbent) | 183,866 | 76.28% | 13.28% | |
| Libertarian | Mark West | 57,181 | 23.72% | ||
| Majority | 126,685 | 52.56% | |||
| Total votes | 241,047 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
2018
[edit]The 2018 election was held on November 6, 2018.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (Incumbent) | 138,757 | 68.9 | |
| Democratic | Chintan Desai | 57,907 | 28.8 | |
| Libertarian | Elvis Presley | 4,581 | 2.3 | |
| Total votes | 201,245 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2020
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (Incumbent) | 237,596 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 237,596 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2022
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (Incumbent) | 153,774 | 73.80 | |
| Democratic | Monte Hodges | 54,598 | 26.20 | |
| Total votes | 208,372 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2024
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford (incumbent) | 194,435 | 72.9 | |
| Democratic | Rodney Govens | 63,917 | 24.0 | |
| Libertarian | Steve Parsons | 8,337 | 3.1 | |
| Total votes | 266,689 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- Specific
- 1 2 "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
- 1 2 "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)". Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- ↑ DeJohn, Jaclyn (October 21, 2024). "America's Richest Congressional Districts – 2024 Study". SmartAsset. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Towns in Delta Losing People, Hope for Change - Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services". Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ↑ "118th Congress of the United States, Arkansas - Congressional District 1, Representative Eric A. "Rick" Crawford" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ↑ "DRA 2020". Daves Redistricting.
- ↑ "2022 Arkansas Election Results by Congressional District".
- ↑ Welch, Melanie. "William Henderson Cate (1839–1899)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ↑ "2016 election results".
- ↑ "U.S. CONGRESS DISTRICT 01". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ↑ https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AR/122502/web.345435/#/detail/110[permanent dead link]
- General
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present