(FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va.) — First elected in 2010, incumbent Morgan Griffith won his seat in the U.S. House for Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District for the eighth time, against Democrat Karen Baker, as reported by the Associated Press.

At nearly 80% of votes counted, Griffith acquired 73.6% of votes, victorious in every county with the exception of Martinsville City. 

Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District, more commonly referred to as Southwest Virginia, consists of 23 countries and five cities. Known for its history in agriculture and coal mining, its rich landscape covers over 9,000 square miles, larger than nine states. 

From 2012 onwards, Griffith has been victorious in the district, winning more than 60% of the vote. In 2022, he won against his opponent Taysha DeVaughan with 73.2% of votes, a personal record. Today, the district is the most Republican in the state.

John McGlennon, a government professor at the College of William & Mary, ties Griffith’s lasting appeal to ideals in the area. “Rural voters often feel like their values are being underappreciated in the state, and they favor a more traditional kind of orientation. They are more likely to take conservative positions on issues of gender and race.”

Griffith expressed his broader philosophy in a debate on WUVT in September as, “Smaller government is better. Consistent deficit spending has bad consequences. Government is not always right. Law and order are important at every level. Free speech must be protected. We can control our borders. The list goes on.”

He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Committee on House Administration. He was first elected as the district’s representative in 2010, defeating Democratic incumbent Rick C. Boucher after 27 years in office.

The race was Karen Baker’s first time running for Congress, a decision that sparked after she heard from several Democrats in the community who were hoping for a change from Griffith.

 Baker previously worked as a trial lawyer and an Administrative Law judge, but eventually found a career in nursing post-retirement. She moved to Floyd County in the district in 2014.

Historically known as the “Fightin’ Ninth” for its trade-offs between Republican and Democratic election victories, the district has shown consistently Republican congressional results since Griffith’s first election in 2010. In presidential elections, Republican results have dominated  since 2008, the same year that Virginia as a whole switched from a red state to a blue state.

Heather K. Evans, political science professor at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, views Griffith’s end to Democratic dominance in the southwest as a reaction to presidential results. “One of the things that really propelled him into the seat is that the people in the district didn’t feel connected to the presidency. In 2008, Obama won the election, and I think there were some feelings of being left behind.”