Minnesota's 8th Congressional District
Minnesota's 8th congressional district covers the northeastern part of Minnesota. It is anchored by Duluth, the state's fifth-largest city. It also includes most of the Mesabi & Vermilion iron ranges, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the Superior National Forest. The district is best known for its mining, agriculture, tourism, and shipping industries.
Vote share from 1982–2022
For many decades, the district reliably voted Democratic, but in 2016, Republicans made strong gains and Donald Trump carried the district by a 15-point margin. In the 2018 midterm election, it was one of only three congressional districts in the country which flipped to Republican. The eastern part of the district (Carlton, Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties) tends to vote Democratic while the rest of the district leans Republican.
The district is notable for being the last one assigned after both the 2010 and 2020 censuses. After the 2020 census in particular, in spite of early predictions that it would be eliminated, Minnesota held onto the district by a mere 89 people, beating out New York's 27th district for the last spot.
The district is represented by Republican Pete Stauber.
Election results from statewide races
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | Al Gore 49 - George W. Bush 43% |
| 2004 | President | John Kerry 53 - George W. Bush 46% |
| 2008 | President | Barack Obama 53 - John McCain 45% |
| Senate | Al Franken 52.3 - Norm Coleman 47.6% | |
| 2012 | President | Barack Obama 51.7 - Mitt Romney 46.2% |
| Senate | Amy Klobuchar 65 - Kurt Bills 31% | |
| 2014 | Senate | Al Franken 54 - Mike McFadden 42% |
| 2016 | President | Donald Trump 54.2 - Hillary Clinton 38.6% |
| 2018 | Senate | Amy Klobuchar 53.7 - Jim Newberger 42.9% |
| Senate (special) | Karin Housley 48.3 - Tina Smith 46.8% | |
| Governor | Jeff Johnson 48.9 - Tim Walz 47.1% | |
| 2020 | President | Donald Trump 56.3 - Joe Biden 41.7% |
| 2022 | Governor | Scott Jensen 52.2 - Tim Walz 43.9% |
| 2024 | President | Donald Trump 56.1 - Kamala Harris 41.9% |
| Senate | Royce White 49.0 - Amy Klobuchar 47.8% |
Composition
| # | County | Seat | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aitkin | Aitkin | 16,102 |
| 5 | Becker | Detroit Lakes | 35,283 |
| 7 | Beltrami | Bemidji | 46,718 |
| 17 | Carlton | Carlton | 36,825 |
| 21 | Cass | Walker | 31,446 |
| 25 | Chisago | Center City | 58,535 |
| 29 | Clearwater | Bagley | 8,644 |
| 31 | Cook | Grand Marais | 5,639 |
| 35 | Crow Wing | Brainerd | 68,304 |
| 59 | Isanti | Cambridge | 43,182 |
| 61 | Itasca | Grand Rapids | 45,365 |
| 65 | Kanabec | Mora | 16,602 |
| 67 | Hubbard | Park Rapids | 22,132 |
| 87 | Mahnomen | Mahnomen | 5,280 |
| 71 | Koochiching | International Falls | 11,751 |
| 75 | Lake | Two Harbors | 10,855 |
| 77 | Lake of the Woods | Baudette | 3,778 |
| 95 | Mille Lacs | Milaca | 27,427 |
| 115 | Pine | Pine City | 30,197 |
| 137 | St. Louis | Duluth | 200,514 |
| 163 | Washington | Stillwater | 278,936 |
Cities and townships of 10,000 or more people
- Duluth – 86,619
- Forest Lake – 20,857
- Hibbing – 16,052
- Bemidji – 15,946
- Hugo – 15,766
- Brainerd – 14,580
- Cloquet – 12,603
- Grand Rapids – 11,220
- North Branch – 11,113
- Cambridge – 10,509
- Hermantown – 10,126
2,500 – 10,000 people
- Baxter – 8,971
- Virginia – 8,332
- St. Francis – 8,142
- Wyoming – 8,032
- Isanti – 6,804
- International Falls – 5,665
- Chisago City – 5,558
- Princeton – 5,311
- Lindström – 5,008
- Thomson Township – 5,003
- Chisholm – 4,775
- Northern Township – 4,657
- Chisago Lake Township – 4,656
- Rice Lake – 4,101
- Scandia – 3,963
- Pine City – 3,736
- Mora – 3,665
- Two Harbors – 3,585
- Eveleth – 3,493
- Bradford Township – 3,472
- Ely – 3,268
- Harris Township – 3,253
- White Township – 3,229
- Rush City – 3,228
- Bemidji Township – 3,134
- Proctor – 3,120
- Lent Township – 3,091
- Milaca – 3,021
- Mountain Iron – 2,860
- Grand Lake Township – 2,779
- Cohasset – 2,689
- May Township – 2,670
- Breezy Point – 2,574
- Pokegama Township – 2,570
- Moose Lake – 2,565
Demographics
Sex
- Male 50.5%
- Female 49.5%
Ethnicity
Minnesota's 8th district has one of the highest proportions of non-Hispanic whites in the nation. 98.4% of people over the age of 85 are non-Hispanic whites. 86% of those in the 0-4 year old bracket are non-Hispanic white, compared to less than 50% of the nation at large.
- White 92.1%
- Hispanic 1.6%
- Black 1.0%
- Asian 0.7%
- More than one race 2.0%
- Other race 2.6%
Ancestry
The ancestry of Minnesota's 8th district is dominated by Northern Europeans: German Americans, Norwegian Americans, Swedish Americans, and Danish Americans make up over 55% of the population. Minnesota's 8th district has the highest percentage of Swedish Americans of any congressional district in the country.
- American 3.46%
- Arab 0.18%
- Czech 1.44%
- Danish 1.12%
- Dutch 1.51%
- English 5.91%
- French (except Basque) 3.62%
- French Canadian 1.60%
- German 29.47%
- Greek 0.12%
- Hungarian 0.24%
- Irish 9.09%
- Italian 2.91%
- Lithuanian 0.05%
- Norwegian 14.18%
- Polish 0.02%
- Portuguese 0.36%
- Russian 0.36%
- Scotch-Irish 0.47%
- Scottish 1.12%
- Slovak 0.08%
- Subsaharan African 0.45%
- Swedish 11.19%
- Swiss 0.30%
- Ukrainian 0.27%
- Welsh 0.34%
- West Indian 0.08%
Place of birth
- Born in United States 97.8%
- State of residence 78.5%
- Different state 19.1%
- Born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parent(s) 0.4%
- Foreign born 1.9%
Language
Language spoken at home other than English
- Spanish 1.0%
- German 0.4%
- Native American languages 0.4%
- French 0.1%
- Chinese 0.1%
List of members representing the district
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Recent election results
| Year | DFL | Republican | Others | Total | Result | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| 2002 | Jim Oberstar | 193,959 | 68.6% | Bob Lemen | 88,423 | 31.2% | 349 | 0.1% | 283,931 | 100.0% | DFL hold |
| 2004 | Jim Oberstar | 228,586 | 65.2% | Mark Groettum | 112,693 | 32.2% | 9,204 | 2.6% | 350,483 | 100.0% | DFL hold |
| 2006 | Jim Oberstar | 180,670 | 63.6% | Rod Grams | 97,683 | 34.4% | 5,663 | 2.0% | 284,016 | 100.0% | DFL hold |
| 2008 | Jim Oberstar | 241,831 | 67.7% | Michael Cummins | 114,871 | 32.2% | 582 | 0.2% | 357,284 | 100.0% | DFL hold |
| 2010 | Jim Oberstar | 129,091 | 46.6% | Chip Cravaack | 133,490 | 48.2% | 14,500 | 5.2% | 277,081 | 100.0% | Republican gain |
| 2012 | Rick Nolan | 191,976 | 54.3% | Chip Cravaack | 160,520 | 45.4% | 1,167 | 0.3% | 353,663 | 100.0% | DFL gain |
| 2014 | Rick Nolan | 129,090 | 48.5% | Stewart Mills III | 125,358 | 47.1% | 11,635 | 4.4% | 266,083 | 100.0% | DFL hold |
| 2016 | Rick Nolan | 179,098 | 50.2% | Stewart Mills III | 177,089 | 49.6% | 792 | 0.2% | 356,979 | 100.0% | DFL hold |
| 2018 | Joe Radinovich | 141,948 | 45.2% | Pete Stauber | 159,364 | 50.7% | 12,697 | 4.1% | 314,209 | 100.0% | Republican gain |
| 2020 | Quinn Nystrom | 147,853 | 37.6% | Pete Stauber | 223,432 | 56.7% | 22,426 | 5.7% | 393,711 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| 2022 | Jennifer Schultz | 140,770 | 42.7% | Pete Stauber | 188,444 | 57.2% | 317 | 0.1% | 329,531 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| 2024 | Jennifer Schultz | 176,724 | 42.0% | Pete Stauber | 244,498 | 58.0% | — | — | 421,222 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
Historical district boundaries
2003–2013
2013–2023
See also
References
- ^ "Minnesota congressional districts by urban and rural population and land area" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
- ^ Geography. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based) Bureau". census.gov.
- ^ "My Congressional District". census.gov. US Census Bureau Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP).
- ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Election Results 2018: Live Midterm Map by County & Analysis". Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ "Minnesota avoids losing House seat to New York by 89 people". Associated Press. April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2016 - Ballotpedia". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "My Congressional District". Census.gov. January 25, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Area, Metro (September 4, 2018). "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States". Statistical Atlas (in Kinyarwanda). Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Index". Election Results. November 5, 2002. Retrieved March 3, 2022.