Washington's 9th congressional district

Washington's 9th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Adam Smith D–Bellevue
Population (2023)	765,854
Median household income	$95,293[1]
Ethnicity	40.6% White 23.6% Asian 14.3% Hispanic 12.0% Black 6.7% Two or more races 1.8% Pacific Islander Americans 1.1% other
Cook PVI	D+21[2]

Washington's 9th congressional district encompasses a long, somewhat narrow area in Western Washington, through the densely populated central Puget Sound region, from Auburn and Federal Way in the south to parts of Seattle and Bellevue in the north. Since 1997, the 9th district has been represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Adam Smith, a Democrat from Bellevue.

Established after the 1990 U.S. census, the 9th district was originally drawn as a "fair fight" district. The first representative from the 9th district, Mike Kreidler (D), was defeated after one term by Republican Randy Tate; Tate, in turn, was defeated after one term by Smith. Since being first elected in 1996, Smith's moderate voting record and a strong Democratic trend in the Puget Sound region turned the formerly contentious district into a fairly safe Democratic seat.

Al Gore and John Kerry each carried the 9th district, with 53% in 2000 and 2004, respectively. Barack Obama won the district in 2008, with 59% of the vote.

In 2011, the state began the process of redistricting in response to population changes determined by the 2010 census. In the final report by the bipartisan redistricting commission issued in January 2012, the 9th district shifted to the north. The new district covered Bellevue, Southeast Seattle, and Mercer Island, but only went as far south as the southern tip of Commencement Bay in Tacoma. As of the 2022 redistricting, it is a majority-minority district and the second-most Democratic district in the state; only the neighboring 7th district, covering the rest of Seattle, is more Democratic.

Member (District home)	Party	Term	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
District established January 3, 1993
Mike Kreidler (Olympia)	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995	103rd	Elected in 1992. Lost re-election.	1993–2003 Parts of King, Pierce, and Thurston
Randy Tate (Puyallup)	Republican	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997	104th	Elected in 1994. Lost re-election.
Adam Smith (Bellevue)	Democratic	January 3, 1997 – present	105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	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. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.
					2003–2013 Parts of King, Pierce, and Thurston
					2013–2023 Parts of King and Pierce
					2023–present Parts of King

• 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
• 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
• 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
• 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
• 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
• 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington

• Interactive Map at Adam Smith's House website
• Washington State Redistricting Commission
• Find your new congressional district: a searchable map, Seattle Times, January 13, 2012
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

47°10′N 122°18′W / 47.167°N 122.300°W / 47.167; -122.300