Virginia 3rd Congressional District, Virginia: Populist district. In 2024, voted D+35%. Democratic peak: D+74 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+35MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 687,4822024 5-year
- Median household income
- $68,4532024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 40.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 43.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 8.9%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+74 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+25 in 1972MIT Election Lab
D
SCOTT, Robert C.
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: BLILEY, Thomas Jerome, Jr. (1991–1993), BLILEY, Thomas Jerome, Jr. (1989–1991), BLILEY, Thomas Jerome, Jr. (1987–1989), BLILEY, Thomas Jerome, Jr. (1985–1987)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 3, VAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 188,815 | 89,900 | 283,805 | ||
| D | 203,882 | 89,062 | 299,152 | ||
| D | 179,722 | 85,201 | 280,144 | ||
| D | 200,859 | 89,338 | 294,171 | ||
| D | 201,493 | 95,226 | 299,217 | ||
| D | 140,318 | 104,457 | 246,457 | ||
| D | 122,415 | 86,607 | 213,426 | ||
| D | 115,941 | 73,094 | 202,992 | ||
| D | 110,398 | 84,932 | 226,142 | ||
| R | 100,590 | 107,338 | 209,907 | ||
| R | 102,855 | 118,253 | 222,246 | ||
| D | 98,965 | 83,080 | 192,984 | ||
| D | 106,823 | 78,676 | 191,617 | ||
| R | 52,838 | 88,976 | 146,023 | ||
| D | 69,826 | 55,865 | 176,291 | ||
| D | 64,557 | 38,186 | 103,540 | ||
| D | 53,141 | 45,743 | 99,524 | ||
| R | 38,115 | 44,883 | 86,083 | ||
| D | 36,859 | 35,127 | 72,156 | ||
| D | 27,505 | 15,942 | 47,525 | ||
| D | 32,784 | 11,114 | 43,998 | ||
| D | 28,063 | 6,854 | 35,040 | ||
| D | 27,808 | 6,670 | 34,635 | ||
| D | 20,509 | 10,110 | 31,192 | ||
| R | 13,583 | 19,153 | 32,736 | ||
| D | 10,432 | 4,525 | 16,410 | ||
| D | 12,563 | 5,709 | 18,517 | ||
| D | 6,621 | 2,139 | 9,010 | ||
| D | 6,979 | 490 | 8,762 | ||
| D | 5,108 | 2,307 | 7,502 | ||
| D | 5,348 | 1,456 | 6,964 | ||
| D | 9,408 | 5,426 | 14,977 | ||
| D | 6,229 | 5,556 | 12,082 | ||
| D | 8,939 | 5,112 | 14,340 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 54.4% | 45.4% | 4,445,535 |
| 2020 | D | 56.0% | 43.9% | 4,405,087 |
| 2018 | D | 57.0% | 41.0% | 3,351,373 |
| 2014 | D | 49.1% | 48.3% | 2,184,473 |
| 2012 | D | 52.9% | 47.0% | 3,802,196 |
| 2008 | D | 65.0% | 33.7% | 3,643,294 |
| 2006 | D | 49.6% | 49.2% | 2,370,445 |
| 2002 | R | 0.0% | 82.6% | 1,489,422 |
| 2000 | R | 47.7% | 52.3% | 2,718,301 |
| 1996 | R | 47.4% | 52.5% | 2,354,715 |
| 1994 | D | 45.6% | 42.9% | 2,057,463 |
| 1990 | R | 0.0% | 80.9% | 1,083,690 |
| 1988 | D | 71.2% | 28.7% | 2,068,897 |
| 1984 | R | 29.9% | 70.0% | 2,007,487 |
| 1982 | R | 48.8% | 51.2% | 1,415,622 |
| 1978 | R | 49.8% | 50.2% | 1,222,256 |
| 1976 | O | 38.3% | 0.0% | 1,557,500 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
8.2%
German
7.2%
Irish
6.5%
American
5.5%
Italian
3.0%
Polish
1.4%
Scottish
1.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 34.7 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$68,453
Congressional District 3 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 3$68,453
Virginia$93,170
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1822.1%
Working age (18–64)12.8%
Seniors (65+)13.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
90.3%
speak English only
Spanish5.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.0%
Other Indo-European1.9%
Other languages0.8%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 51.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Virginia's 3rd stretches from Richmond through parts of the Hampton Roads region, drawing its deep-blue lean from a majority-Black electorate and dense urban precincts that have delivered Democratic presidential margins above 30 points in recent cycles.
The Democratic margin in Virginia 3rd Congressional District peaked at seventy-four points in 1912. By 1992 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-five points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $68,453 sits well below state and national norms, and 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 3, Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/5103/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 3, Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 3, Virginia voted Democratic by 34.9 points (D+35), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 283,805 votes cast, 188,815 went Democratic and 89,900 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 3, Virginia's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 3, Virginia as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 29 times, Republican 5 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 3, Virginia last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 3, Virginia voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Congressional District 3, Virginia?
Congressional District 3, Virginia has a population of 687,482 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 3, Virginia?
Median household income in Congressional District 3, Virginia is $68,453 — below the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of Congressional District 3, Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 3, Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 29 went Democratic and 5 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.