The district was predominantly rural for much of its history, and thus was far friendlier to electing Democrats to Congress even as most of Texas swung toward the Republicans.

The district's four-term Democratic incumbent, Max Sandlin, was a particularly severe critic of the DeLay-led redistricting effort, claiming that lumping rural areas with urban ones stifled the voice of rural voters.

Sandlin was easily defeated in November 2004 by Republican Louie Gohmert, a longtime judge in the Tyler area.

Proving just how Republican the reconfigured district is, Gohmert was reelected seven times with no less than 68 percent of the vote.

In 2022, Moran was elected to succeed Gohmert, with nearly 80% of the vote, becoming only the second Republican to represent the district since Reconstruction.