Washington's 6th congressional district

"WA-6" redirects here. The term may also refer to Washington State Route 6.

Washington's 6th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 (Kitsap County and Tacoma highlighted, where most of the district's population resides)
Representative	Derek Kilmer D–Gig Harbor
Population (2023)	785,859
Median household income	$88,876
Ethnicity	72.5% White 9.1% Hispanic 7.8% Two or more races 4.3% Asian 3.4% Black 2.1% Native American 0.9% Pacific Islander Americans 0.6% other
Cook PVI	D+6

Washington's 6th congressional district encompasses the Olympic Peninsula, the Kitsap Peninsula, and most of the city of Tacoma. Its counties include the entirety of Clallam, Kitsap, Mason, Jefferson, and Grays Harbor counties, and part of Pierce County. The 6th district has been represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Derek Kilmer, a Democrat from Gig Harbor, since January 2013. He succeeded 36-year incumbent and fellow Democrat Norm Dicks, at the time the dean of the Washington delegation.

Established after the 1930 U.S. census, the 6th district is a working class district, with many of its jobs provided by tourism and a declining timber industry on the Pacific and Juan de Fuca coasts, and by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.

Presidentially, the 6th leans Democratic. It was one of only two districts in Washington retained by the Democrats in the Republican realignment election of 1994.

Al Gore and John Kerry carried the district in 2000 and 2004, with 52% and 53% of the vote, respectively. Barack Obama swept the district in 2008 and 2012, with 57% and 56% of the vote. Hillary Clinton won the district with 51% in 2016, with a diminished, but still large, margin. Joe Biden received 57% in the district in 2020.

Recent election results from presidential races

Year	Office	Results
1992	President	Clinton 43 - 31%
1996	President	Clinton 50 - 36%
2000	President	Gore 52 - 37%
2004	President	Kerry 53 - 36%
2008	President	Obama 57 - 40%
2012	President	Obama 56 - 41%
2016	President	Clinton 51 - 39%
2020	President	Biden 57 - 39%

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Term	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
District established March 4, 1933
Wesley Lloyd (Tacoma)	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – January 10, 1936	73rd 74th	Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Died.	1933–1959 [data missing]
Vacant		January 10, 1936 – January 3, 1937	74th
John M. Coffee (Tacoma)	Democratic	January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1947	75th 76th 77th 78th 79th	Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Lost re-election.
Thor C. Tollefson (Tacoma)	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1965	80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th	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.
					1959–1961 [data missing]
					1961–1969 [data missing]
Floyd Hicks (Tacoma)	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1977	89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th	Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Retired.
					1969–1973 Kitsap and Pierce; parts of King
					1973–1983 [data missing]
Norm Dicks (Bremerton)	Democratic	January 3, 1977 – January 3, 2013	95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th	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. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Retired.
					1983–1985 Parts of Kitsap, Mason, and Pierce
					1985–1993 Parts of Kitsap and Pierce
					1993–2003 Clallam, Jefferson, and Mason; parts of Grays Harbor, Kitsap, and Pierce
					2003–2013 Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, and Mason; parts of Kitsap and Pierce
Derek Kilmer (Gig Harbor)	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – present	113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	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 the end of term.	2013–2023 Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, and Kitsap; parts of Mason and Pierce
					2023–present Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Mason; parts of Pierce

Recent election results

2012

Washington's 6th Congressional District, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Derek Kilmer	186,661	59.0
	Republican	Bill Driscoll	129,725	41.0
Total votes			316,386	100.0

2014

Washington's 6th congressional district, 2014

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Derek Kilmer (incumbent)	141,265	63.0
	Republican	Marty McClendon	83,025	37.0
Total votes			224,290	100.0
	Democratic hold

2016

Washington's 6th congressional district, 2016

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Derek Kilmer (incumbent)	201,718	61.5
	Republican	Todd A. Bloom	126,116	38.5
Total votes			327,834	100.0
	Democratic hold

2018

Washington's 6th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Derek Kilmer (incumbent)	206,409	63.9
	Republican	Douglas Dightman	116,677	36.1
Total votes			323,086	100.0
	Democratic hold

2020

Washington's 6th congressional district, 2020

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Derek Kilmer (incumbent)	247,429	59.3
	Republican	Elizabeth Kreiselmaier	168,783	40.5
	Write-in		1,004	0.2
Total votes			417,216	100
	Democratic hold

2022

Washington's 6th congressional district, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Derek Kilmer (incumbent)	208,710	60.0
	Republican	Elizabeth Kreiselmaier	138,754	39.9
	Write-in		409	0.1
Total votes			347,873	100
	Democratic hold

Historical district boundaries

The district from 2003 to 2013

The district from 2013 to 2023

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2008
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2010
• United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2012

References

• 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

External links

• Washington State Redistricting Commission
• Find your new congressional district: a searchable map, Seattle Times, January 13, 2012