| 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.
Contents |
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. 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. 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. 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.
| 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 |
|
|||||