Wisconsin's 8th congressional district
Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It is currently represented by Mike Gallagher, a Republican. Gallagher won the open seat vacated by Reid Ribble in 2016. It is also one of two Congressional Districts to ever elect a Catholic Priest, Robert John Cornell.
Wisconsin's 8th congressional district | |||
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Wisconsin's 8th congressional district - since January 3, 2013. | |||
Representative |
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Area | 9,740.44 sq mi (25,227.6 km2) | ||
Distribution |
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Population (2019) | 735,079 | ||
Median household income | $65,346[1] | ||
Ethnicity | |||
Cook PVI | R+7[3] |
The 8th District has leaned Republican throughout its history; seven Democrats have represented it since its creation, but none have served more than two terms. It became more of a swing seat in the 1990s. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won 55 percent of the vote in the district, while in 2008, Democrat Barack Obama received 53.6 percent of the vote. The last Democrat to represent the district was Steve Kagen from 2007 to 2011. Since Kagen lost in the 2010 election, the seat has been held by Republicans, who have consistently won it by double digit percent margins in each election to the seat since 2012, and won similarly in statewide elections. The only county in the current district to back the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2000, 2004 and 2016 elections was overwhelmingly Native American Menominee County, which has never voted Republican since its creation in 1960, and only Menominee and Door Counties voted Democratic in 2012.
Since the 1930 Census, the district has been centered upon Green Bay, Appleton and the Door Peninsula. Between the 1970 Census and the 2010 Census, the 8th moved north to encompass most counties bordering Michigan, but after 2010 it lost most of the border counties to the Seventh District, whilst gaining Calumet County.
Counties currently within the district include the entirety of Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano and Waupaca Counties, and part of Winnebago County.
Presidential Voting Results
Year | Office | Results |
---|---|---|
2000 | President | Bush 52% – 43% |
2004 | President | Bush 55% – 44% |
2008 | President | Obama 53% – 45% |
2012 | President | Romney 51% – 48% |
2016 | President | Trump 56% – 39% |
2020 | President | Trump 57% – 41% |
List of members representing the district
Recent election results
2006
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Steve Kagen | 141,570 | 50.90 | |||
Republican | John Gard | 135,622 | 48.76 | |||
Write-ins | 943 | 0.34 | ||||
Total votes | 278,135 | 100.00 | ||||
Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
2008
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Steve Kagen (Incumbent) | 193,662 | 54.00 | |
Republican | John Gard | 164,621 | 45.90 | |
Write-ins | 364 | 0.10 | ||
Total votes | 358,647 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
2010
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Reid Ribble | 143,998 | 54.77 | |||
Democratic | Steve Kagen (Incumbent) | 118,646 | 45.12 | |||
Write-ins | 294 | 0.11 | ||||
Total votes | 262,938 | 100.00 | ||||
Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
2012
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Reid Ribble (Incumbent) | 198,874 | 55.95 | |
Democratic | Jamie Wall | 156,287 | 43.97 | |
none | Scattering | 303 | 0.09 | |
Total votes | 355,464 | 100.0 |
2014
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Reid Ribble (Incumbent) | 188,553 | 65.0 | |
Democratic | Ron Gruett | 101,345 | 34.9 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 150 | 0.1 | |
Total votes | 290,048 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
2016
On January 30, 2016, Reid Ribble announced he would retire at the end of his third term, opening the seat for the 2016 election.[4]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Gallagher | 227,892 | 62.6 | |
Democratic | Tom Nelson | 135,682 | 37.3 | |
Green | Wendy Gribben (write-in) | 16 | 0.0 | |
Democratic | Jerry Kobishop (write-in) | 2 | 0.0 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 188 | 0.1 | |
Total votes | 363,280 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
2018
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Gallagher (Incumbent) | 209,410 | 63.7 | |
Democratic | Beau Liegeois | 119,265 | 36.3 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 99 | 0.0 | |
Total votes | 328,774 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
2020
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Gallagher (incumbent) | 268,173 | 64.2 | |
Democratic | Amanda Stuck | 149,558 | 35.8 | |
Write-in | 107 | 0.0 | ||
Total votes | 417,838 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
Historical district boundaries
References
- https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=55&cd=08
- https://censusreporter.org/profiles/50000US5508-congressional-district-8-wi/
- "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- McCardle, Elery (30 January 2016). "U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble not seeking re-election". WBAY-TV, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- 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