What’s the most conservative congressional district in the Eastern time zone?
According to the Cook Political Report, Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, which includes Dade, Catoosa, Whitfield and 12 other North Georgia counties, is the “most Republican” in the East.
Ken Ellinger, a political science professor at Dalton State College and a Democrat, said voter attitudes in the North Georgia district include a “perfect storm” of conservative ideals characterized by “anti-tax, anti-government and anti-incumbent” sentiments.
Eight candidates are vying for the 9th District seat in a special election Tuesday to replace former Republican Rep. Nathan Deal, who resigned in March to run for governor.
The current Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voting Index rankings for “most Republican” and “most Democratic” congressional districts is calculated by using the margin of victory in each district in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections. Those figures are compared with national averages in the same elections, said David Wasserman, U.S. House editor for the Washington, D.C.- based report.