Maryland's 8th congressional district is concentrated entirely in Montgomery County. Adjacent to Washington, D.C., the 8th district takes in many of the city’s wealthiest inner-ring suburbs, including Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac. It also includes several more economically and racially diverse communities, the most populous of which are Rockville and Silver Spring.
Maryland's 8th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Politically, the district is heavily liberal. It has consistently sent Democratic representatives to Congress by wide margins since 2002. In 2020, Joe Biden won nearly 80% of its vote. DemocratJamie Raskin has represented the seat since 2017.
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 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] (encompassing nearly all of the area "inside the Beltway"), as well as adding an adjacent portion from heavily Democratic Prince George's County. Although it forced Van Hollen and Shriver to run against each other in an expensive primary, the shift still made the district even more Democratic than its predecessor, and Van Hollen defeated Morella in 2002.
From 2003 to 2013 the district, in addition to the larger part of Montgomery County and the small portion of Prince George's County, included most of Frederick County (but not the City of Frederick), and southern Carroll County. The redrawn district was slightly less Democratic than its predecessor. While the Carroll and Frederick portions of the district tilted strongly Republican, the Montgomery County portion had twice as many people as the rest of the district combined, and Montgomery's Democratic tilt was enough to keep the district in the Democratic column. Since Morella left office, no Republican has crossed the 40 percent mark in the 8th District.
Communitiesedit
Since 2023, the following communities are located within the 8th district.[5]
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^Clerk of the House of Representatives (April 1, 1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (April 15, 1981). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1980" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (May 5, 1983). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1982" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (May 1, 1985). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1984" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (May 29, 1987). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1986" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (April 20, 1989). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1988" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (April 29, 1991). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (May 31, 1993). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1992" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (May 12, 1995). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1994" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (July 29, 1997). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (January 3, 1999). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (June 21, 2001). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 2000" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (May 1, 2003). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (June 7, 2005). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 2004" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (September 21, 2007). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (July 10, 2009). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (June 3, 2011). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^Clerk of the House of Representatives (February 28, 2013). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 2012" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^"Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 2, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^"Official 2016 Presidential General Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 9, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^"Official 2020 Presidential General Election results for Representative in Congress". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
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