Washington's 2nd congressional district encompasses the northern portion of Western Washington

Western Washington

Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as that part of Washington west of the Cascade Mountains.It is known as being far wetter in climate than the eastern portion of the state, which...

 from the vicinity of the King

King County, Washington

King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....

/Snohomish

Snohomish County, Washington

Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...

 county line to the Canadian border, including the San Juan Islands

San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...

. Since 2001, it has been represented by Democrat Rick Larsen

Rick Larsen

Richard Ray "Rick" Larsen is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...

.

Originally created in 1909 when Washington was broken up into districts, the Second District was represented by future U.S. Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson

Henry M. Jackson

Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from the state of Washington from 1941 until his death...

 between 1941 and 1953. It was a reliably Democratic district for most of the latter half of the 20th century until the Republican Revolution

Republican Revolution

The Republican Revolution or Revolution of '94 is what the media dubbed Republican Party success in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of Representatives, and a pickup of eight seats in the Senate...

 of 1994, when retiring Rep. Al Swift

Al Swift

Allan Byron Swift , an Emmy award–winning broadcaster, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1995. He represented the Second Congressional District of Washington as a Democrat....

 was replaced by Jack Metcalf

Jack Metcalf

Jack Metcalf was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001. He represented the 2nd Congressional District of Washington as a Republican....

. Larsen has represented the district since Metcalf's retirement in 2001. He faced a close reelection in 2002, but was handily reelected in 2004 and hasn't faced serious opposition since. In the 2008 election

United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, 2008

The 2008 congressional elections in Washington was held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Washington in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009...

, Larsen easily defeated Republican challenger Rick Bart.

In presidential elections, the 2nd District leans Democratic. Al Gore

Al Gore

Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....

 and John Kerry

John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

 narrowly carried the district in 2000

United States presidential election, 2000

The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....

 and 2004

United States presidential election, 2004

The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...

 with 48% and 51% of the vote, respectively. In 2008

United States presidential election, 2008

The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...

, Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 swept the district with 55.60% of the vote while John McCain

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 received 42%.

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Term	District Home	Notes
District created		March 4, 1909
Francis W. Cushman Francis W. Cushman Francis Wellington Cushman was a U.S. Representative from Washington.Born in Brighton, Washington County, Iowa, Cushman attended the public schools in Brighton and Pleasant Plain Academy in Pleasant Plain, Iowa....	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	March 4, 1909 – July 6, 1909		Redistricted from the , Died
Vacant		July 6, 1909 – November 2, 1909
William W. McCredie	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	November 2, 1909 – March 3, 1911
Stanton Warburton Stanton Warburton Stanton Warburton was a U.S. Representative from Washington.Born in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, Warburton moved to Iowa with his parents, who settled in Cherokee in 1868.He attended the public schools....	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913
Albert Johnson Albert Johnson (congressman) Albert Johnson was a U.S. Representative from Washington state.Born in Springfield, Illinois, Johnson attended the schools at Atchison and Hiawatha, Kansas. He worked as a reporter on the St. Joseph Herald and the St...	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915		Redistricted to the
Lindley H. Hadley Lindley H. Hadley Lindley Hoag Hadley was a U.S. Representative from Washington.Born near Sylvania, Indiana, Hadley attended the common schools of his native city, Bloomingdale Academy, and Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois.He taught school in Rockville, Indiana from 1884 to 1889.He studied...	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1933
Monrad C. Wallgren	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	March 4, 1933 – December 19, 1940		Resigned after being elected to the US Senate
Vacant		December 19, 1940 – January 3, 1941
Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Henry M. Jackson Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from the state of Washington from 1941 until his death...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1953
Alfred J. Westland Alfred Westland Alfred John "Jack" Westland was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1953 to 1965. He represented the Second Congressional District of Washington as a Republican. He was also an accomplished amateur golfer.Westland was born in Everett,...	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1965
Lloyd Meeds Lloyd Meeds Lloyd Meeds , an American politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1965 to 1979. He represented the Second Congressional District of Washington as a Democrat....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1979
Allan B. Swift Al Swift Allan Byron Swift , an Emmy award–winning broadcaster, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1995. He represented the Second Congressional District of Washington as a Democrat....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1995
Jack Metcalf Jack Metcalf Jack Metcalf was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001. He represented the 2nd Congressional District of Washington as a Republican....	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Rick Larsen Rick Larsen Richard Ray "Rick" Larsen is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	January 3, 2001 – present		Incumbent Incumbent The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...