Mississippi's 2nd congressional district

Mississippi's 2nd congressional district
Mississippi's 2nd congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative	Bennie Thompson (D–Bolton)
Area	14,519.68 sq mi (37,605.8 km2)
Distribution	62.67% urban 37.33% rural
Population (2006)	711,164
Median income	26,894
Ethnicity	35.0% White 63.5% Black 0.4% Asian 1.2% Hispanic 0.2% Native American 0.6% other
Cook PVI	D+10

Mississippi's 2nd congressional district (MS-2) is the only majority-black district in the state, covering much of western Mississippi. The district includes most of Jackson, the riverfront cities of Greenville and Vicksburg, and the interior market cities of Clarksdale, Greenwood, and Clinton. The district is approximately 275 miles (443 km) long, 180 miles (290 km) wide and borders the Mississippi River; it encompasses much of the Mississippi Delta, and a total of 15 counties and parts of several others.

The district is home to four of Mississippi's eight public four-year colleges and universities: Alcorn State University in Lorman; Delta State University in Cleveland; Jackson State University in Jackson; and Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, a few miles west of Greenwood.

From statehood to the election of 1846, Mississippi elected representatives at-large statewide on a general ticket. This favored candidates who could command a majority of the voters, then consisting mostly of white men of property.

Following Reconstruction, the Democratic Party regained control of the state legislature and worked to reduce Republican voting strength in the state. It redefined congressional districts, creating a 'shoestring' Congressional district running the length of the Mississippi River and taking in the black-majority (then Republican) areas of the Mississippi Delta. By this gerrymandering, they created five other districts with white majorities.

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