Maryland's 8th congressional district

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Maryland's 8th congressional district
Area	297 mi²
Distribution	98.8% urban, 1.2% rural
Population (2000)	662,060
Median income	$68,306
Ethnic composition	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+20

Maryland's eighth 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 1 History 2 Recent elections 3 Representatives 4 External links 5 Sources

[edit] 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. 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.

[edit] Recent elections

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

[edit] Representatives

Representative		Took office	Left office	Party
1	William Vans Murray	March 4, 1793	March 3, 1797	Federalist
2	John Dennis	March 4, 1797	March 3, 1805	Federalist
3	Charles Goldsborough	March 4, 1805	March 3, 1817	Federalist
4	Thomas Bayly	March 4, 1817	March 3, 1823	Federalist
5	John S. Spence	March 4, 1823	March 3, 1825	Anti-Jacksonian
6	Robert N. Martin	March 4, 1825	March 3, 1827	None
7	Ephraim King Wilson	March 4, 1827	March 3, 1831	Jacksonian
8	John S. Spence	March 4, 1831	March 3, 1833	Anti-Jacksonian
9	John T. Stoddert	March 4, 1833	March 3, 1835	Jacksonian
This seat was abolished after the 1830 census, but was reinstated after the 1960 census. However, its boundaries were not established until 1967. Carlton R. Sickles served as an at-large representative during the interim.
10	Gilbert Gude	January 3, 1967	January 3, 1977	Republican
11	Newton Steers	January 3, 1977	January 3, 1979	Republican
12	Michael D. Barnes	January 3, 1979	January 3, 1987	Democratic
13	Connie Morella	January 3, 1987	January 3, 2003	Republican
14	Chris Van Hollen	January 3, 2003	Present	Democratic

[edit] External links

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

[edit] Sources

• Archives of Maryland Historical List United States Representatives Maryland State Archives

v • d • e Maryland's congressional districts At-large 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The At-large seat is obsolete. See also: Maryland's past & present Representatives, Senators, and Delegations All U.S. districts – Apportionment – Redistricting – Gerrymandering – Maps