Maryland's 8th congressional district

"MD-8" redirects here. For the state route, see Maryland Route 8.

Maryland's 8th congressional district
Current Representative		Chris Van Hollen (D–Kensington)
Area	297 mi²
Distribution	98.8% urban, 1.2% rural
Population (2000)	662,060
Median income	$68,306
Ethnicity	62.6% White, 16.7% Black, 10.9% Asian, 13.7% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 5.9% other
Occupation	10.6% blue collar, 77.1% white collar, 12.2% gray collar
Cook PVI	D+21

Maryland's 8th congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives every two years. The district mostly consists of the larger part of Montgomery County, also including a small portion of Prince George's County. The district is currently represented by Democrat Chris Van Hollen.

History

The district was created after the 1790 census in time for the 1792 election, was abolished after the 1830 census, and was reinstated after the 1960 census. During Carlton R. Sickles's tenure, the district was at-large and covered the entire state.

During redistricting after the 2000 census, the Democratic-dominated Maryland legislature sought to unseat then-incumbent Republican Connie Morella^{[citation needed]}. One proposal went so far as to divide the district in two, effectively giving one to state Senator Christopher Van Hollen, Jr. and forcing then-incumbent Connie Morella to run against popular Maryland State Delegate and Kennedy political family member Mark Kennedy Shriver^{[citation needed]}. The final redistricting plan was less ambitious, restoring an eastern, heavily Democratic spur of Montgomery County removed in the 1990 redistricting to the 8th District^{[citation needed]}. Although it forced Van Hollen and Shriver to run against each other in an expensive primary, the shift pushed the district into the Democratic column, and Van Hollen defeated Morella in 2002.

Recent elections

• United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2010
• United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2008
• United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2006

List of representatives

Representative		Party	Tenure	Notes/Events
District created in 1793
1	William Vans Murray	Pro-Administration	March 4, 1793– March 3, 1795	Redistricted from the 5th district
		Federalist	March 4, 1795– March 3, 1797
2	John Dennis	Federalist	March 4, 1797– March 3, 1805
3	Charles Goldsborough	Federalist	March 4, 1805– March 3, 1817
4	Thomas Bayly	Federalist	March 4, 1817– March 3, 1823
5	John S. Spence	Adams-Clay Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823– March 3, 1825
6	Robert N. Martin	Adams	March 4, 1825– March 3, 1827
7	Ephraim King Wilson	Adams	March 4, 1827– March 3, 1829
		Jackson	March 4, 1829– March 3, 1831
8	John S. Spence	Anti-Jackson	March 4, 1831– March 3, 1833
9	John T. Stoddert	Jackson	March 4, 1833– March 3, 1835	Redistricted to the 7th district
Seat abolished after the 1830 census
The seat was reinstated after the 1960 census, but its boundaries were not established until 1967.
10	Gilbert Gude	Republican	January 3, 1967– January 3, 1977	Retired
11	Newton Steers	Republican	January 3, 1977– January 3, 1979	Lost re-election
12	Michael D. Barnes	Democratic	January 3, 1979– January 3, 1987	Retired in an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate
13	Connie Morella	Republican	January 3, 1987– January 3, 2003	Lost re-election
14	Chris Van Hollen	Democratic	January 3, 2003– Present	Incumbent

External links

• FairVote.org: Maryland's Redistricting News March 16, 2001-October 18, 2001
• District boundaries, 1992-2002

Sources

• Archives of Maryland Historical List United States Representatives Maryland State Archives
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present