Minnesota's 8th congressional district

History

Minnesota's 8th congressional district was first established after the 1900 census and first contested in 1902. Early settlement patterns of the district were from Northern Europe (especially from the Nordics), leading to a predominantly white, working-class population tied to extractive industries. From 1933 to 1935, the district was temporarily inactive, with representatives elected at-large statewide due to redistricting disputes resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in Smiley v. Holm (1932). The district had initial Republican dominance but gave way to third-party influences and eventually to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party.

The first representative was Republican James Bede, who served from 1903 to 1909, followed by Clarence B. Miller (Republican, 1909–1919). In 1918, William Leighton Carss won as a Farmer-Labor candidate, serving until 1921 and again from 1925 to 1929 after brief Republican control.

Post-World War II, the district solidified as a DFL stronghold, with John Blatnik serving from 1947 to 1974. He was succeeded by DFLer Jim Oberstar (1975–2011), who chaired the House Transportation Committee and held the seat for 36 years. Redistricting in the 1980s and after usually involved courts due to legislative gridlock. After the 1980 census, a federal court ordered new districts in 1982 following a lawsuit. A similar situation occurred in 1992 (after state and federal court disputes), 2002 (via a judicial panel), and 2012 (following a gubernatorial veto). These changes expanded the district southward and added more rural and suburban areas like Chisago and Isanti counties.

After nearly six decades of comfortably voting DFL, Republican Chip Cravaack defeated Oberstar in 2010 amid discontent with the economy and backlash against the recently passed Affordable Care Act. DFLer Rick Nolan recaptured it in 2012, serving until 2019 after narrow 2014 and 2016 wins. Despite Nolan's win, Donald Trump carried the district by a 15-point margin in the concurrent presidential election. In the 2018 midterm election, it was one of only three congressional districts in the country which flipped to Republican. Republican Pete Stauber won re-elections in 2020, 2022, and 2024 with growing margins each time.

Apportionment

The district was the last district assigned nationwide 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.

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

The district is mostly rural (61.5%), covering over 27,500 square miles, with a density of around 23 people per square mile. Major industries include health care, retail, and manufacturing, though employment in traditional sectors like taconite mining has declined from 15,000 jobs in the 1970s to about 4,300 today. The district has aged, with median ages in many counties exceeding 40, and education levels have risen, with over 25% of adults in some counties holding bachelor's degrees by 2012. Homeownership is high at 78.3%.

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

Recent election results

Recent election results from statewide races

Historical district boundaries

References

References

1. (2000). "Minnesota congressional districts by urban and rural population and land area". US Census Bureau.
2. Geography. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based) Bureau".
3. "My Congressional District". US Census Bureau Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP).
4. (April 3, 2025). "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)".
5. "Minnesota Election Results 2018: Live Midterm Map by County & Analysis".
6. "Minnesota's 8th Congressional District election, 2016 - Ballotpedia".
7. Libraries, University of Minnesota. (1902-11-04). "Minnesota Historical Election Archive".
8. LaVigne, David. (2015-08-26). "Immigration to the Iron Range, 1880–1930".
9. (October 2017). "Sulfide-Ore Copper Mining and or A Sustainable Boundary Waters Economy: The Need to Consider Real Tradeoffs". [[Congress.gov]].
10. Schweigert, Benedict J.. (2008). ""Now for a Clean Sweep!": Smiley v. Holm, Partisan Gerrymandering, and At-Large Congressional Elections". The Michigan Law Review Association.
11. Ostermeier, Dr. Eric. (2014-07-28). "The 8th Congressional District: Minnesota's Political Roller Coaster?".
12. Baran, Madeleine. (2010-11-08). "Rep. Jim Oberstar: A timeline of his career".
13. Eisele, Albert. (2010-11-04). "Oberstar's stunning defeat makes history".
14. (November 2018). "History of Minnesota Congressional Redistricting". [[Minnesota Legislature]].
15. Hemphill, Stephanie. (2010-11-04). "Voters in the 8th District say Oberstar became big government".
16. Dunbar, Elizabeth. (2010-11-10). "Politics in the 8th: A red blip or something more?".
17. Libraries, University of Minnesota. (2012-11-06). "U.S. House, District 08, 2012 Election".
18. Libraries, University of Minnesota. (2014-11-04). "U.S. House, District 08, 2014 Election".
19. Libraries, University of Minnesota. (2016-11-08). "U.S. House, District 08, 2016 Election".
20. Kraker, Dan. (2024-10-25). "Congressional rematch tests strength of rightward political shift in northeastern Minnesota".
21. (April 26, 2021). "Minnesota avoids losing House seat to New York by 89 people".
22. [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST27/CD118_MN01.pdf https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST27/CD118_MN08.pdf]
23. (2017-01-25). "My Congressional District".
24. Area, Metro. (2018-09-04). "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States".
25. (2002-11-05). "Index".
26. "Dra 2020".
27. "State & Federal Results in Congressional District 8".
28. "State & Federal Results in Congressional District 8".