Texas' 22nd congressional district
| Texas's 22nd congressional district | |
|---|---|
Texas's 22nd congressional district – since January 3, 2013.
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| Current Representative | Pete Olson (R–Sugar Land) |
| Population (2015) | 861,570 |
| Median income | 81,392 |
| Ethnicity |
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| Cook PVI | R+10 |
Texas's 22nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers a largely suburban south-central portion of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. The district includes the majority of Fort Bend County, including most of the cities of Sugar Land, Missouri City, Rosenberg, Needville and the county seat of Richmond, as well as the county's share of the largely unincorporated Greater Katy area west of Houston. In addition, the district also contains portions of northern Brazoria County including Pearland and Alvin, as well as a small portion of southeast Harris County centered on Friendswood.
The district is currently represented by Republican Pete Olson, who has represented the district since defeating one-term incumbent Democrat Nick Lampson in the 2008 elections. Before 2006, the district had been represented by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay since 1985, and before that, former Congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul briefly in 1976 and again from 1979 to 1985. In 2006, 52% of poll respondents identified themselves as Republicans, 32% as Democrats, and 16% as independents.
It is also the most self-described "Evangelical Christian" congressional district in the country, beating out Georgia's 6th.
The district was originally created following the 1950 United States Census, as an at-large district represented by Democrat Martin Dies, Jr. from 1953 to 1959. At the time, each of Texas's 254 counties were represented by one member of Congress. Beginning with the 1958 election, Harris County, home to the city of Houston and previously represented in its entirely by the 8th District of Democrat Albert Thomas, became the first county in Texas since World War II to be separated into more than one congressional district. The new 22nd District would be won by Democrat and former Harris County Judge Robert R. Casey. Both the 8th and 22nd districts were separated by a boundary consisting roughly of what is now U.S. 290, the western and southern portions of Loop 610, and the portion of Buffalo Bayou east of downtown Houston including the Houston Ship Channel, with the 22nd comprising all points south of this boundary and the remainder continuing to be represented by Thomas. These boundaries would remain effective until the 1964 elections.
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