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The 1974 United States House of Representatives election in Georgia's 6th congressional district was the election for the Representative of Georgia's 6th district to the United States House of Representatives which was held on November 4, 1974. This election is notable for being the beginning of a political career of a then-little known professor from the University of West Georgia and future Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.
Georgia's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2019 it is represented by Democrat Lucy McBath. The Georgia 6th district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an additional congressional seat to Georgia. The first election using the new district boundaries was the 2012 congressional elections.
The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they compose the legislature of the United States.
The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university located in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University's main campus occupies 645 acres (2 km²) including the addition of 246 acres (1 km²) from the city of Carrollton in 2003. The university offers off-campus classes in Newnan, the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Douglasville, Georgia. A record 13,733 students were enrolled as of Fall 2018, ranking 7th among Georgia's public colleges and universities. The University is classified as a R3 – Doctoral University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and has been repeatedly named one of the Best Southeastern Colleges by The Princeton Review.
Incumbent Representative John J. Flynt in his previous nine runs had never faced any serious challenge, winning re-election in 1972 without any formal opposition. [2] However, in 1974, he was nearly defeated by political newcomer Newt Gingrich. This came as a considerable surprise. Flynt was known as one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, and 1974 was a very poor year for Republicans nationally due to fallout from Watergate. Gingrich would face Flynt in another close race in 1976, but come short again. Flynt would retire in 1978 rather than fight another close match (and possibly unsuccessful re-election bid) with Gingrich, thus finally giving Republicans a victory in a district that had not elected a Republican to the House of Representatives since Reconstruction.
In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with conservative political views, or with views relatively fiscal conservative or social conservative with respect to those of the national party. While such members of the Democratic Party can be found throughout the nation, actual elected officials are disproportionately found within the Southern states, and to a lesser extent within rural regions of the United States generally, more commonly in the Midwest.
