Missouri's 8th congressional district is one of 435 congressional districts in the United States and one of eight congressional districts in the state of Missouri. The district encompasses

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

Southeast

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and South Central Missouri as well as some counties in Southwest Missouri. The district stretches from the Bootheel in the south to the

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

southern exurbs of Festus, Hillsboro, and surrounding areas in the

Lead Belt The Southeast Missouri Lead District, commonly called the Lead Belt, is a lead mining district in the southeastern part of Missouri. Counties in the Lead Belt include Saint Francois County, Missouri, Saint Francois, Crawford County, Misso ...

; it ranges in the east to counties along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and in the west to counties along the

Ozark Plateau The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cov ...

near Branson. With a

Cook Partisan Voting Index The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated PVI or CPVI, is a measurement of how partisan a U.S. congressional district or U.S. state is. This partisanship is indicated as lean towards either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, com ...

rating of R+27, it is the most Republican district in Missouri.

History

The district's largest city is Cape Girardeau. A predominantly rural district, the district votes strongly Republican for national offices. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

received 63% of the vote in the district over

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

( D-

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

) who clinched 36%. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

(R-

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

) carried the district with 61.92% over

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

(D-

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

), who received 36.42%. The district increased the margin for Republicans in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

when former

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

(R-

) gained 65.88% of the vote over

's 31.99%. The district swung towards Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

in the 2016 presidential election. Trump garnered 75.4% of the vote, Democratic Nominee

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

received just 21.0% of the vote, making it one of the most strongly Republican

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Jason T. Smith, a Republican, has represented the district in the U.S. Congress since winning a special election on June 4, 2013. The incumbent Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Jo Ann Emerson Jo Ann Emerson (née Hermann; born September 16, 1950) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1996 to 2013. The district consists of Southeast and South Central Missouri and includes the Bootheel, the Lead Belt and ...

resigned on January 22, 2013 to take a position as CEO for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Missouri lost one of its nine congressional district seats following redistricting based on population numbers from the 2010 U.S. census. The Republican-controlled state legislature decided to redefine Missouri's 3rd congressional district, which was represented by

Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis). The district included all of Ste. Genevieve and Jefferson counties and southern St. Louis County and the neighborhoods making up what is known as South City of St. Louis. Missouri's 8th congressional district lost its Taney County parts (which were redistricted to the Southwestern-based 7th congressional district, and picked up all of Crawford and Ste. Genevieve counties, and most of the southern and western rural parts of Jefferson County. Parts of Jefferson County that are now included in Missouri's 8th include all of the cities of Hillsboro and De Soto, and the extreme southern portions of the Twin Cities of Festus and Crystal City (most of these two cities are now part of the 2nd congressional district).

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:https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST27/CD118_MO08.pdf
/ref> Bollinger County (4) : All 4 communities Butler County (6) : All 6 communities Cape Girardeau County (11) : All 11 communities Carter County (5) : All 5 communities Dent County (2) :

Bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

, Salem Douglas County (1) : Ava Dunklin County (13) : All 13 communities Howell County (6) : All 6 communities Iron County (7) : All 7 communities Jefferson County (12) : Arnold, Barnhart, Crystal City, Festus,

Herculaneum Herculaneum is an ancient Rome, ancient Roman town located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under a massive pyroclastic flow in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Like the nearby city of ...

, Horine, Imperial, Kimmswick, Murphy, Olympian Village, Pevely, Summer Set Madison County (6) : All 6 communities Mississippi County (8) : All 8 communities New Madrid County (15) : All 15 communities Oregon County (4) : All 4 communities Ozark County (6) : All 6 communities Pemiscot County (13) : All 13 communities Perry County (8) : All 8 communities Phelps County (5) : All 5 communities Reynolds County (3) : All 3 communities Ripley County (4) : All 4 communities Ste. Genevieve County (7) : All 7 communities St. Francois County (15) : All 15 communities Scott County (15) : All 15 communities Shannon County (5) : All 5 communities Stoddard County (11) : All 11 communities Texas County (7) : All 7 communities Wayne County (4) : All 4 communities Wright County (4) : All 4 communities

Characteristics

Missouri's 8th is a relatively diverse congressional district. Although it is quite

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

and Republican-leaning at the federal level, Democrats formerly performed well here in local and state elections.

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, a Democrat from neighboring

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, carried the previous 8th district both times in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

and

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

; since then, however, voters in the district have solidly supported the past three Republican presidential nominees. At the local level, Republicans control a majority of elected county offices in Southeast Missouri. In presidential elections, Democratic candidates formerly performed best in the Bootheel, an agricultural area that is the most impoverished region in the district (and the state, for that matter). It has a wide majority of whites and a significant minority of

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

. Democrats also used to do well in the Lead Belt region, which contains a core constituency of voters who belong to

labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s, particularly in the

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

industry. The district takes in a large swath of the

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...

with

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

being the dominant religion in most counties in the district. This influence is demonstrated in conservative voters' positions on social issues such as

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

and

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

. Racially, this district is predominantly white. Many voters here maintain a rural lifestyle where

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

are the backbone of the economy and are important issues of concern. Socioeconomically, it is the poorest district in Missouri (when measured by the median household income adjusted by inflation).

Largest cities

The 10 largest cities in the district are as follows.

Median household incomes

Median Family Incomes

Public school districts

Public Universities

Southeast Missouri State University Southeast Missouri State University (Southeast or SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing t ...

br>
- Cape Girardeau **Southeast Missouri State University- Kennett, Missouri, Kennett (Satellite Campus) **Southeast Missouri State University- Malden (Satellite Campus) **Perryville Area Higher Education Center (PAHEC) - Perryville (Satellite Campus) **Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC) - Sikeston (Satellite Campus) *Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing *

Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T or S&T) is a public research university in Rolla, Missouri. It is a member institution of the University of Missouri System. Most of its 6,456 students (2023) study engineering, busin ...

br>
- Rolla, Missouri, Rolla (Formerly known as the University of Missouri-Rolla MR *

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

br>
- Springfield, Missouri, Springfield (Formerly known as Southwest Missouri State University) - Located in Missouri's 7th congressional district **Missouri State University- Mountain Grove (Satellite Campus) **Missouri State University- West Plains (Satellite Campus)

Community Colleges

Mineral Area College
- Park Hills **Mineral Area Regional Medical Center School of Radiation Technology
Three Rivers Community College
- Poplar Bluff

List of members representing the district

Recent election results from statewide races

Recent election results

2012

2013 special

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Prior elections

2000

2004

*These numbers reflect only the eastern sections of Taney County that were included in the 8th Congressional District.

2008

*These numbers reflect only the eastern sections of Taney County that were included in the 8th Congressional District.

2012

*These numbers reflect only the western and southern sections of Jefferson County that are included in the 8th Congressional District.

2008 Democratic Presidential Primary

*These numbers reflect only the eastern sections of Taney County that were included in the 8th Congressional District at the time of the Missouri Democratic Presidential Primary on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008.

2008 Republican Presidential Primary

*These numbers reflect only the eastern sections of Taney County that were included in the 8th Congressional District at the time of the Missouri Republican Presidential Primary on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008.

References

* *
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

{{coord, 37, 11, 39, N, 90, 56, 04, W, region:US_type:city_source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title Congressional districts of Missouri, 08 Constituencies established in 1863 1863 establishments in Missouri Constituencies disestablished in 1933 1933 disestablishments in Missouri Constituencies established in 1935 1935 establishments in Missouri

History

Composition

Characteristics

Largest cities

Median household incomes

Median Family Incomes

Public school districts

Public Universities

Community Colleges

List of members representing the district

Recent election results from statewide races

Recent election results

2012

2013 special

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Prior elections

2000

2004

2008

2012

2008 Democratic Presidential Primary

2008 Republican Presidential Primary

See also

References