# 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.
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.

## Recent election results from statewide races

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2008 | President | Obama 54% - 44% |
| 2008 | Senate | Franken 44% - 40% |
| 2010 | Governor | Dayton 48% - 40% |
| 2010 | Secretary of State | Ritchie 51% - 43% |
| 2010 | Auditor | Otto 50% - 45% |
| 2010 | Attorney General | Swanson 55% - 39% |
| 2012 | President | Obama 52% - 45% |
| 2012 | Senate | Klobuchar 66% - 30% |
| 2014 | Senate | Franken 54% - 42% |
| 2014 | Governor | Dayton 51% - 43% |
| 2014 | Secretary of State | Simon 48% - 44% |
| 2014 | Auditor | Otto 52% - 39% |
| 2014 | Attorney General | Swanson 54% - 38% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 52% - 40% |
| 2018 | Senate (Reg.) | Klobuchar 55% - 42% |
| 2018 | Senate (Spec.) | Smith 48% - 47% |
| 2018 | Governor | Walz 48.2% - 47.8% |
| 2018 | Secretary of State | Howe 49% - 47% |
| 2018 | Auditor | Myhra 48% - 45% |
| 2018 | Attorney General | Wardlow 50% - 44% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 55% - 43% |
| 2020 | Senate | Lewis 51% - 41% |
| 2022 | Governor | Jensen 52% - 44% |
| 2022 | Secretary of State | Crockett 53% - 46% |
| 2022 | Auditor | Wilson 54% - 40% |
| 2022 | Attorney General | Schultz 57% - 42% |
| 2024 | President | Trump 56% - 42% |
| 2024 | Senate | White 49% - 48% |

## Composition

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties, townships, and municipalities:
Aitkin County (46)
    All 46 townships and municipalities
Becker County (14)
    Callaway, Callaway Township, Eagle View Township, Forest Township, Maple Grove Township, Ogema, Pine Point Township, Riceville Township, Round Lake Township, Savannah Township, Spring Creek Township, Sugar Bush Township, Two Inlets Township, White Earth Township
Beltrami County (50)
    All 50 townships and municipalities
Carlton County (28)
    All 28 townships and municipalities
Cass County (65)
    All 65 townships and municipalities
Chisago County (18)
    All 18 townships and municipalities
Clearwater County (27)
    All 27 townships and municipalities
Cook County (4)
    All 4 townships and municipalities
Crow Wing County (46)
    All 46 townships and municipalities
Hubbard County (20)
    Akeley Township, Arago Township, Clay Township, Clover Township, Farden Township, Fern Township, Guthrie Township, Hart Lake Township, Helga Township, Hendrickson Township, Lake Alice Township, Lake Emma Township, Lake George Township, Lake Hattie Township, Lakeport Township, Laporte, Rockwood Township, Schoolcraft Township, Steamboat River Township, Thorpe Township
Isanti County (17)
    All 17 townships and municipalities
Itasca County (57)
    All 57 townships and municipalities
Kanabec County (20)
    All 20 townships and municipalities
Mahnomen County (19)
    All 19 townships and municipalities
Koochiching County (6)
    All 6 townships and municipalities
Lake County (8)
    All 8 townships and municipalities
Lake of the Woods County (35)
    All 35 townships and municipalities
Mille Lacs County (25)
    All 25 townships and municipalities
Pine County (47)
    All 47 townships and municipalities
St. Louis County (101)
    All 101 townships and municipalities
Washington County (6)
    Hugo, Forest Lake, Marine on St. Croix, May Township, Scandia, Stillwater Township (pat; also 4th)

## 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

| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history |
| District created March 4, 1903 |||||
| James Bede (Pine City) | Republican | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909 | 58th 59th 60th | Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Lost renomination. |
| Clarence B. Miller (Duluth) | Republican | March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1919 | 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th | Elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election. |
| William Leighton Carss (Proctor) | Farmer–Labor | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921 | 66th | Elected in 1918. Lost re-election as a Democrat. |
| William Leighton Carss (Proctor) | Democratic | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921 | 66th | Elected in 1918. Lost re-election as a Democrat. |
| Oscar Larson (Duluth) | Republican | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1925 | 67th 68th | Elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Retired. |
| William Leighton Carss (Proctor) | Farmer–Labor | March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1929 | 69th 70th | Elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Lost re-election. |
| William Alvin Pittenger (Duluth) | Republican | March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933 | 71st 72nd | Elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Redistricted to the at-large district and lost re-election. |
| District inactive | District inactive | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 | 73rd | All members elected At-large on a general ticket |
| William Alvin Pittenger (Duluth) | Republican | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1937 | 74th | Elected in 1934. Lost re-election. |
| John Bernard (Eveleth) | Farmer–Labor | January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1939 | 75th | Elected in 1936. Lost re-election. |
| William Alvin Pittenger (Duluth) | Republican | January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1947 | 76th 77th 78th 79th | Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Lost re-election. |
| John Blatnik (Chisholm) | Democratic (DFL) | January 3, 1947 – December 31, 1974 | 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd | Elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Retired and resigned early. |
| Vacant | Vacant | December 31, 1974 – January 3, 1975 | 93rd | |
| Jim Oberstar (Chisholm) | Democratic (DFL) | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 2011 | 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th | Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election. |
| Chip Cravaack (Lindström) | Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 | 112th | Elected in 2010. Lost re-election. |
| Rick Nolan (Crosby) | Democratic (DFL) | January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | 113th 114th 115th | Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Retired to run for Lt. Governor of Minnesota. |
| Pete Stauber (Hermantown) | Republican | January 3, 2019 – present | 116th 117th 118th 119th | Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. |

## Recent election results

| Year | DFL | DFL | DFL | Republican | Republican | Republican | Others | Others | Total | Total | Result |
| Year | Candidate | Votes | % | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Result |
| 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 | 41.9% | Pete Stauber | 244,498 | 58.0% | 384 | 0.1% | 421,222 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
* ↑ Write-in: 349
* ↑ Van Presley (Green): 8,933 Write-in: 271
* ↑ Harry Welty (Unity): 5,508 Write-in: 155
* ↑ Write-in: 582
* ↑ Timothy Olson (IPM): 11,876 Richard Burton (Constitution): 2,492 Write-in: 132