Virginia's ninth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, covering much of the southwestern part of the state. The 9th is Virginia's second-largest district in area, covering 9,113.87 square miles (slightly larger than the whole state of New Jersey). It has been represented by Republican Morgan Griffith since 2011. He took office after defeating 14-term incumbent Democrat Rick Boucher. As of 2017, the 9th district had the highest poverty rate of any Virginia congressional district, at 18.7 percent.