The new 6th district includes a notable military presence.[4] The Fort Huachuca installation is located in Cochise County, approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of the Mexican border, and is within the city of Sierra Vista.[5]
Arizona picked up a sixth district after the 1990 census. It covered the northeast quadrant of the state, from Flagstaff to the New Mexico border. Most of its population, however, was located in the northeastern portion of the Valley of the Sun, including Tempe and Scottsdale.
After the 2000 census, most of the Maricopa County portion of the old 6th became the 5th district, while the 6th was reconfigured to take in most of the former 1st district. It included parts of Mesa, Chandler and all of Gilbert as well as the fast-growing town of Queen Creek. It also contained the city of Apache Junction in Pinal County. For the first time since its creation in 1951, it didn't include any of Phoenix itself. The district and its predecessors had seen its share of Phoenix gradually reduced amid the Valley's explosive growth in the second half of the 20th century.
George W. Bush received 64% of the vote in this district in 2004. John McCain—who represented this district (then numbered as the 1st) from 1983 to 1987—received 61.32% of the vote in the district in 2008, making it his best showing in his home state.
After the 2010 census, the old 6th district essentially became the 5th district, while the 6th was redrawn to take in most of the old 3rd district. This district, in turn, had mostly been the 4th district from 1973 to 2003. This version of the 6th was anchored in northern Phoenix and Scottsdale. Initially heavily Republican, it became far less so in the 2010s; the Democrats nearly won it in 2018 and 2020.
After the 2020 census, this district essentially became the 1st district, while the 6th was reconfigured to take in much of the old 2nd district. Much of the current 6th's territory had been in the 5th district from 1983 to 2003 and the 8th district from 2003 to 2013.
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