CQ Politics | District Detail: GA-03 (original) (raw)

CQ 2008 Election Guide

U.S. House, Georgia - 3rd District

West central -- Atlanta and Columbus suburbs

Race Forecast: Safe Republican

Race Information

• Incumbent: Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R
• First Elected: 2004 (2nd term)
• Last Elected: 2006 (67.64%)
• Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
• Race Forecast: Safe Republican

District Information

Politics in America District Profile

Solidly Republican, the 3rd takes in all or part of 15 counties, beginning in overflow areas near Atlanta and ranging south and west through rural areas to reach the Alabama border and part of Columbus.

Burgeoning Atlanta suburbs in Fayette, Coweta and Henry counties account for growth in the northeastern part of the district, as new homes and subdivisions replace previously rural areas. The population of Henry County (shared with the 13th) grew by more than 40 percent this decade, but as residents have left Atlanta to escape urban congestion, Henry has started to experience traffic problems of its own. Peachtree City in Fayette County is a planned community of more than 30,000 inhabitants that is known for golf cart paths that snake through the city.

In the 3rd’s more rural counties, agriculture remains a mainstay. Textile and poultry processing plants dot the landscape, and the timber industry flourishes here. LaGrange, which is nearly half black and was once famous for its textile industry, is now a manufacturing center and will be the site of a Kia Motors plant. To the south, the 3rd’s portion of Muscogee County includes part of Columbus, Fort Benning (shared with the 2nd and expanding as a result of the 2005 BRAC process) and regional health care providers. The northern portion of Muscogee in the 3rd hosts many of Columbus’ residential communities.

The 3rd is dependably Republican, despite being nearly one-fifth black. Redistricted prior to the 2006 election, George W. Bush would have earned 70 percent of the new 3rd’s vote in the 2004 presidential election. In 2006, the district’s GOP representative carried the parts of each county wholly or partially in the 3rd.

Major Industry

Agriculture, services, home building, timber, poultry processing, textiles

Military Bases

Fort Benning (Army), 49,149 military, 7,140 civilian (2004) (shared with the 2nd)

Cities

Columbus (pt.), 67,156; Peachtree City, 31,580; LaGrange, 25,998

Notable

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Little White House, in Warm Springs, is where the president died on April 12, 1945, while posing for the “Unfinished Portrait,” which is now on display in the home’s museum.

Demographics (2000 census)

Population: 629,748

Under 18: 26.2%

Over 65: 12.2%

Married: 51%

Non-Hispanic White: 56%

Black: 40%

Hispanic: 3%

Asian: 1%

Foreign Born: 2%

Language other than English: 4.5%

Median Household Income: 31,433

Owner Occupied Housing: 69.0%

Income above $200k: 0.8

Workforce/Education (2000 census)

White Collar: 49%

Blue Collar: 34.2%

Services: 17.0%

Bachelor's Degree: 13%

Graduate Education: 4.7%

Civilian Veterans: 61,003

District Election History

Vote For President

Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race