Missouri's 8th congressional district

Missouri's 8th congressional district
Missouri's 8th congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Representative	Jason Smith R–Salem
Distribution	61.71% rural 38.29% urban
Population (2019)	736,467
Median household income	$45,656[1]
Ethnicity	90.8% White 4.6% Black 1.8% Hispanic 1.6% Two or more races 0.6% Asian 0.5% other
Cook PVI	R+30[2]

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 Southeast Missouri 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 southern exurbs of Festus, Hillsboro, and surrounding areas in the Lead Belt; it ranges in the east to counties along the Mississippi River and in the west to counties along the Ozark Plateau near Branson.

The district's largest city is Cape Girardeau. A predominantly rural district, the district votes strongly Republican for national offices. In 2004, President George W. Bush received 63% of the vote in the district over U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) who clinched 36%. In 2008, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) carried the district with 61.92% over U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois), who received 36.42%. The district increased the margin for Republicans in 2012 when former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts) gained 65.88% of the vote over President Barack Obama's 31.99%. The district swung towards Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 Election. President Trump garnered 75.4% of the vote, Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton received just 21.0% of the vote, making it one of the most strongly Republican congressional districts in the United States.

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 Jo Ann Emerson resigned on January 22, 2013 to take a position as CEO for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

History[]

Redistricting (2012)[]

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 U.S. Representative 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).

Character[]

Missouri's 8th is a relatively diverse congressional district. Although it is quite conservative and Republican-leaning at the federal level, Democrats often perform well here in local and state elections. Bill Clinton, a Democrat from neighboring Arkansas, carried the previous 8th district both times in 1992 and 1996; since then, however, voters in the district have solidly supported the past three Republican presidential nominees.

At the local level, Democrats control a slight majority of elected county offices in Southeast Missouri. In presidential elections, Democratic candidates often perform 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. Democrats also do well in the Lead Belt region, which contains a core constituency of voters who belong to labor unions, particularly in the mining industry.

The district takes in a large swath of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the dominant religion in most counties in the district. This influence is demonstrated in conservative voters' positions on social issues such as abortion, gay rights and gun control. Racially, this district is predominately white. Many voters here maintain a rural lifestyle where agriculture and farming 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).

List of members representing the district[]

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District created March 4, 1863
William A. Hall	Unionist	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865	38th	Redistricted from the 3rd district and re-elected in 1862. Retired.
John F. Benjamin	Republican	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1871	39th 40th 41st	Elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Retired.
James G. Blair	Liberal Republican	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873	42nd	Elected in 1870. Retired.
Abram Comingo	Democratic	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1872. Retired.
Benjamin J. Franklin	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879	44th 45th	Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Withdrew during renomination.
Samuel L. Sawyer	Independent Democratic	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	46th	Elected in 1878. Retired.
Robert T. Van Horn	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	Elected in 1880. Lost re-election.
John J. O'Neill	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1889	48th 49th 50th	Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Lost re-election.
Frederick G. Niedringhaus	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	Elected in 1888. Retired.
John J. O'Neill	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	52nd	Elected in 1890. Redistricted to 11th district.
Richard P. Bland	Democratic	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895	53rd	Redistricted from the 11th district and re-elected in 1892. Lost re-election.
Joel D. Hubbard	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897	54th	Elected in 1894. Lost re-election.
Richard P. Bland	Democratic	March 4, 1897 – June 15, 1899	55th 56th	Elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Died.
Vacant		June 15, 1899 – August 29, 1899	56th
Dorsey W. Shackleford	Democratic	August 29, 1899 – March 3, 1919	56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th	Elected to finish Bland's term. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost renomination.
William L. Nelson	Democratic	March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921	66th	Elected in 1918. Lost re-election.
Sidney C. Roach	Republican	March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1925	67th 68th	Elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Lost re-election.
William L. Nelson	Democratic	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933	69th 70th 71st 72nd	Elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Redistricted to the at-large district and lost renomination.
District inactive		March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	73rd	All representatives elected At-large on a general ticket
Clyde Williams	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1943	74th 75th 76th 77th	Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election.
William P. Elmer	Republican	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945	78th	Elected in 1942. Lost re-election.
A. S. J. Carnahan	Democratic	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947	79th	Elected in 1944. Lost re-election.
Parke M. Banta	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949	80th	Elected in 1946. Lost re-election.
A. S. J. Carnahan	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1961	81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th	Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Lost renomination.
Richard H. Ichord II	Democratic	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1981	87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th	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. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Retired.
Wendell Bailey	Republican	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983	97th	Elected in 1980. Redistricted to the 4th district and lost re-election.
Bill Emerson	Republican	January 3, 1983 – June 22, 1996	98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th	Redistricted from the 10th district and 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. Died.
Vacant		June 22, 1996 – November 5, 1996	104th
Jo Ann Emerson	Republican	November 5, 1996 – January 3, 1997	104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th	Elected to finish her husband's term. 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. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Resigned to become CEO of NRECA.
	Independent	January 3, 1997 – January 8, 1997
	Republican	January 8, 1997 – January 22, 2013
Vacant		January 22, 2013 – June 4, 2013	113th
Jason T. Smith	Republican	June 4, 2013 – Present	113th 114th 115th 116th 117th	Elected to finish Emerson's term. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020.

Election results from presidential races[]

Year	Office	Results	Political parties that won the district
2000	President	George W. Bush 59 - Al Gore 39%	Republican Party (United States)
2004	President	George W. Bush 64 - John Kerry 36%	Republican Party (United States)
2008	President	John McCain 62 - Barack Obama 36%	Republican Party (United States)
2012	President	Mitt Romney 66 - Barack Obama 32%	Republican Party (United States)
2016	President	Donald Trump 75 - Hillary Clinton 21%	Republican Party (United States)
2020	President	Donald Trump 77 - Joe Biden 21%	Republican Party (United States)

Recent election results[]

2012[]

Missouri's 8th congressional district, 2012^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jo Ann Emerson (incumbent)	216,083	71.9
	Democratic	Jack Rushin	73,755	24.6
	Libertarian	Rob Vandeven	10,553	3.5
Total votes			300,391	100.0
	Republican hold

2013 special[]

2013 Missouri 8th congressional district special election^{[citation needed]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jason Smith	42,141	67.1
	Democratic	Steve Hodges	17,207	27.4
	Constitution	Doug Enyart	2,265	3.6
	Libertarian	Bill Slantz	968	1.5
	Write-in		185	0.3
Total votes			62,766	100
	Republican hold

2014[]

Missouri's 8th congressional district, 2014^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jason Smith (incumbent)	106,124	66.6
	Democratic	Barbara Stocker	38,721	24.3
	Independent	Terry Hampton	6,821	4.3
	Constitution	Doug Enyart	3,799	2.4
	Libertarian	Rick Vandeven	3,759	2.4
Total votes			159,224	100.0
	Republican hold

2016[]

Missouri’s 8th congressional district, 2016^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jason Smith (incumbent)	229,792	74.4
	Democratic	Dave Cowell	70,009	22.7
	Libertarian	Jonathan Shell	9,070	2.9
Total votes			308,871	100.0
	Republican hold

2018[]

Missouri's 8th congressional district, 2018^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jason Smith (incumbent)	194,042	73.4
	Democratic	Kathy Ellis	66,151	25.0
	Libertarian	Jonathan Shell	4,206	1.6
Total votes			264,399	100.0
	Republican hold

2020[]

Missouri's 8th congressional district, 2020^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jason Smith (incumbent)	253,811	76.9
	Democratic	Kathy Ellis	70,561	21.4
	Libertarian	Tom Schmitz	5,854	1.8
Total votes			330,226	100.0
	Republican hold

Counties[]

There are 30 counties included in the district.

Bollinger Butler Cape Girardeau Carter

Crawford Dent Douglas Dunklin

Howell Iron Jefferson (parts) Madison

Mississippi New Madrid Oregon Ozark

Pemiscot Perry Phelps Reynolds

Ripley Scott Shannon St. Francois

Ste. Genevieve Stoddard Texas Washington

Wayne Wright

Election results from presidential races, by county[]

2000[]

County	George W. Bush	%	Al Gore	%	Ralph Nader	%	Others	%	Margin	%	Total
Bollinger	3,487	65.87%	1,692	31.96%	41	0.77%	74	1.40%	−1,795	R+ 33.91%	5,294
Butler	9,111	63.28%	4,996	34.70%	149	1.03%	141	0.99%	−4,115	R+ 28.58%	14,397
Cape Girardeau	19,832	66.42%	9,334	31.26%	376	1.26%	317	1.06%	−10,498	R+ 35.16%	29,859
Carter	1,730	61.61%	997	35.51%	40	1.42%	41	1.46%	−733	R+ 26.10%	2,808
Crawford	4,754	57.26%	3,350	40.35%	100	1.20%	98	1.19%	−1,404	R+ 16.91%	8,302
Dent	3,996	66.73%	1,839	30.71%	66	1.10%	87	1.46%	−2,157	R+ 36.02%	5,988
Dunklin	5,426	51.55%	4,947	47.00%	78	0.74%	74	0.70%	−479	R+ 4.55%	10,525
Howell	9,018	64.07%	4,641	32.97%	197	1.40%	219	1.56%	−4,377	R+ 31.10%	14,075
Iron	2,237	50.68%	2,044	46.31%	64	1.45%	69	1.56%	−193	R+ 4.37%	4,414
Madison	2,460	56.25%	1,828	41.80%	42	0.96%	43	0.99%	−632	R+ 14.45%	4,373
Mississippi	2,395	45.93%	2,756	52.85%	29	0.56%	35	0.67%	−361	D+ 6.92%	5,215
New Madrid	3,416	47.01%	3,738	51.45%	45	0.62%	67	0.92%	−322	D+ 4.44%	7,266
Oregon	2,521	59.56%	1,568	37.04%	60	1.42%	84	1.98%	−953	R+ 22.52%	4,233
Pemiscot	2,750	45.38%	3,245	53.55%	37	0.61%	28	0.46%	−495	D+ 8.17%	6,060
Perry	4,667	67.61%	2,085	30.20%	70	1.01%	81	1.17%	−2,582	R+ 37.41%	6,903
Phelps	9,444	58.49%	6,262	38.78%	253	1.57%	187	1.16%	−3,182	R+ 19.71%	16,146
Reynolds	1,762	56.28%	1,298	41.46%	42	1.34%	29	0.92%	−464	R+ 14.82%	3,131
Ripley	3,121	61.62%	1,820	35.93%	58	1.15%	66	1.30%	−1,301	R+ 25.69%	5,065
Scott	8,999	57.30%	6,452	41.09%	113	0.72%	130	0.83%	−2,547	R+ 16.21%	15,704
Shannon	2,245	59.38%	1,430	37.82%	48	1.27%	58	1.53%	−815	R+ 21.56%	3,781
St. Francois	9,327	49.50%	9,075	48.17%	265	1.41%	174	0.93%	−252	R+ 1.33%	18,841
Stoddard	7,727	62.04%	4,476	35.94%	114	0.92%	137	1.10%	−3,251	R+ 26.10%	12,454
Texas	6,136	61.78%	3,486	35.10%	137	1.38%	173	1.74%	−2,650	R+ 26.68%	9,932
Washington	4,020	48.64%	4,047	48.97%	95	1.15%	103	1.25%	−27	D+ 0.33%	8,265
Wayne	3,346	57.22%	2,387	40.82%	55	0.94%	60	1.03%	−959	R+ 16.40%	5,848
Wright	5,391	68.75%	2,250	28.70%	86	1.10%	114	1.45%	−3,141	R+ 40.05%	7,841
District Total	139,318	58.85%	92,043	38.88%	2,660	1.12%	2,689	1.14%	47,275	R+ 19.97%	236,720

2004[]

County	George W. Bush	%	John Kerry	%	Others	%	Margin	%	Total
Bollinger	4,102	69.58%	1,754	29.75%	39	0.63%	−2,348	R+ 39.83%	5,895
Butler	11,696	71.14%	4,666	28.38%	79	0.48%	−7,030	R+ 42.76%	16,441
Cape Girardeau	23,814	68.90%	10,568	30.57%	183	0.53%	−13,246	R+ 38.33%	34,565
Carter	1,797	64.66%	964	34.69%	18	0.64%	−833	R+ 29.97%	2,779
Dent	4,369	69.31%	1,865	29.58%	70	1.12%	−2,504	R+ 39.73%	6,304
Douglas	4,498	71.09%	1,741	27.52%	88	1.39%	−2,757	R+ 43.57%	6,327
Dunklin	6,720	57.55%	4,901	41.97%	56	0.48%	−1,819	R+ 15.58%	11,677
Howell	11,097	67.75%	5,118	31.25%	164	1.00%	−5,979	R+ 36.50%	16,379
Iron	2,477	52.94%	2,157	46.10%	45	0.96%	−320	R+ 6.84%	4,679
Madison	2,905	59.07%	1,972	40.10%	41	0.84%	−933	R+ 18.97%	4,918
Mississippi	2,903	54.79%	2,374	44.81%	21	0.40%	−529	R+ 9.98%	5,298
New Madrid	4,154	52.54%	3,716	47.00%	37	0.47%	−438	R+ 5.54%	7,907
Oregon	2,769	59.26%	1,823	39.01%	81	1.74%	−946	R+ 20.25%	4,673
Ozark	3,083	65.50%	1,561	33.16%	63	1.34%	−1,522	R+ 32.34%	4,707
Pemiscot	3,398	49.93%	3,381	49.68%	27	0.40%	−17	R+ 0.25%	6,806
Perry	5,583	67.70%	2,621	31.78%	43	0.52%	−2,962	R+ 35.92%	8,247
Phelps	11,874	63.50%	6,666	35.65%	160	0.75%	−5,208	R+ 27.85%	18,700
Reynolds	1,896	56.36%	1,449	43.07%	19	0.57%	−447	R+ 13.29%	3,364
Ripley	3,693	65.33%	1,907	33.73%	53	0.94%	−1,786	R+ 31.60%	5,653
Scott	11,330	64.94%	6,057	34.71%	61	0.35%	−5,273	R+ 30.23%	17,448
Shannon	2,511	60.26%	1,618	38.83%	38	0.92%	−893	R+ 21.43%	4,167
St. Francois	12,087	52.71%	10,748	46.87%	98	0.43%	−1,339	R+ 5.84%	22,933
Stoddard	9,242	69.74%	3,946	29.78%	64	0.48%	−5,296	R+ 39.96%	13,252
Taney*	3,496	67.53%	1,644	31.76%	37	0.71%	−1,852	R+ 35.77%	5,177
Texas	7,234	65.66%	3,664	33.25%	120	1.09%	−3,570	R+ 32.41%	11,018
Washington	4,641	50.57%	4,459	48.58%	78	0.84%	−182	R+ 1.99%	9,178
Wayne	3,919	63.17%	2,250	36.27%	35	0.57%	−1,669	R+ 26.90%	6,204
Wright	6,090	72.97%	2,188	26.22%	68	0.82%	−3,902	R+ 46.75%	8,346
District Total	173,378	63.50%	97,778	35.81%	1,886	0.69%	75,600	R+ 27.69%	273,042

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

2008[]

County	John McCain	%	Barack Obama	%	Others	%	Margin	%	Total
Bollinger	3,972	68.67%	1,690	29.22%	122	2.11%	−2,282	R+ 39.45%	5,784
Butler	11,805	68.09%	5,316	30.66%	217	1.25%	−6,489	R+ 37.43%	17,338
Cape Girardeau	24,768	66.30%	12,208	32.68%	379	1.01%	−12,560	R+ 33.62%	37,446
Carter	1,840	63.49%	984	33.95%	74	2.55%	−856	R+ 29.54%	2,898
Dent	4,655	67.78%	2,056	29.94%	157	2.29%	−2,599	R+ 37.84%	6,868
Douglas	4,405	65.63%	2,140	31.88%	167	2.49%	−2,265	R+ 33.75%	6,712
Dunklin	7,044	59.88%	4,540	38.59%	180	1.53%	−2,504	R+ 21.29%	11,764
Howell	10,982	64.49%	5,736	33.68%	311	1.83%	−5,246	R+ 30.81%	17,029
Iron	2,090	47.35%	2,213	50.14%	111	2.51%	−123	D+ 2.79%	4,414
Madison	2,897	57.62%	2,042	40.61%	89	1.77%	−855	R+ 17.01%	5,028
Mississippi	3,034	56.65%	2,247	41.95%	75	1.40%	−787	R+ 14.70%	5,356
New Madrid	4,593	56.76%	3,370	41.65%	129	1.59%	−1,223	R+ 15.11%	8,092
Oregon	2,652	57.77%	1,811	39.45%	128	2.78%	−841	R+ 18.32%	4,591
Ozark	2,918	62.27%	1,661	35.45%	107	2.28%	−1,257	R+ 26.82%	4,686
Pemiscot	3,954	56.11%	3,029	42.98%	64	0.91%	−925	R+ 13.13%	7,047
Perry	5,527	63.92%	3,005	34.75%	115	1.33%	−2,522	R+ 29.17%	8,647
Phelps	11,706	60.22%	7,394	38.04%	338	1.74%	−4,312	R+ 22.18%	19,524
Reynolds	1,782	54.21%	1,418	43.14%	87	2.65%	−364	R+ 11.07%	3,287
Ripley	3,407	63.53%	1,795	33.47%	161	3.00%	−1,612	R+ 30.06%	5,363
Scott	11,563	64.15%	6,258	34.72%	205	1.13%	−5,305	R+ 29.43%	18,082
Shannon	2,075	54.06%	1,637	42.65%	126	3.29%	−438	R+ 11.41%	3,838
St. Francois	12,660	51.57%	11,540	47.01%	350	1.42%	−1,120	R+ 4.56%	24,550
Stoddard	9,172	69.16%	3,899	29.40%	191	1.44%	−5,273	R+ 39.76%	13,262
Taney*	2,138	67.62%	979	30.96%	45	1.42%	−1,159	R+ 36.66%	3,162
Texas	7,215	66.49%	3,410	31.43%	226	2.08%	−3,805	R+ 35.06%	10,851
Washington	4,706	48.95%	4,711	49.00%	197	2.05%	−5	D+ 0.05%	9,614
Wayne	3,784	61.49%	2,243	36.45%	127	2.06%	−1,541	R+ 25.04%	6,154
Wright	5,784	67.94%	2,557	30.03%	173	2.03%	−3,227	R+ 37.91%	8,514
District Total	174,564	61.92%	102,682	36.42%	4,688	1.66%	71,882	R+ 25.50%	281,934

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

2012[]

County	Mitt Romney	%	Barack Obama	%	Others	%	Margin	%	Total
Bollinger	4,095	75.05%	1,213	22.23%	148	2.72%	−2,882	R+ 52.82%	5,456
Butler	12,248	72.52%	4,363	25.83%	278	1.65%	−7,885	R+ 46.69%	16,889
Cape Girardeau	25,370	70.81%	9,728	27.15%	731	2.04%	−15,642	R+ 43.66%	35,829
Carter	1,978	70.67%	754	26.94%	67	2.39%	−1,224	R+ 43.73%	2,799
Crawford	6,434	67.17%	2,951	30.81%	194	2.03%	−3,483	R+ 36.36%	9,579
Dent	4,883	73.51%	1,585	23.86%	175	2.63%	−3,298	R+ 49.65%	6,671
Douglas	4,649	70.90%	1,710	26.08%	198	3.02%	−2,939	R+ 44.82%	6,557
Dunklin	6,850	64.31%	3,636	34.14%	165	1.55%	−3,214	R+ 30.17%	10,651
Howell	11,544	70.62%	4,395	26.89%	407	2.49%	−7,149	R+ 43.73%	16,346
Iron	2,252	55.87%	1,669	41.40%	110	2.73%	−583	R+ 14.47%	4,031
Jefferson*	14,608	55.18%	11,277	42.59%	591	2.23%	−3,331	R+ 12.59%	26,476
Madison	3,227	65.46%	1,588	32.21%	115	2.33%	−1,639	R+ 33.25%	4,930
Mississippi	2,997	60.91%	1,858	37.76%	65	1.33%	−1,139	R+ 23.15%	4,920
New Madrid	4,284	59.09%	2,814	38.81%	152	2.10%	−1,470	R+ 20.28%	7,250
Oregon	2,886	65.28%	1,419	32.10%	116	2.62%	−1,467	R+ 33.18%	4,421
Ozark	3,080	69.17%	1,261	28.32%	112	2.51%	−1,819	R+ 40.85%	4,453
Pemiscot	3,598	56.80%	2,671	42.16%	66	1.04%	−927	R+ 14.64%	6,335
Perry	5,669	70.98%	2,184	27.34%	134	1.68%	−3,485	R+ 43.64%	7,987
Phelps	11,895	65.05%	5,798	31.71%	593	3.24%	−6,097	R+ 33.34%	18,286
Reynolds	1,931	60.31%	1,157	36.13%	114	3.56%	−774	R+ 24.18%	3,202
Ripley	3,743	71.12%	1,396	26.52%	124	2.36%	−2,347	R+ 44.60%	5,263
Scott	11,623	68.37%	5,122	30.13%	254	1.50%	−6,501	R+ 38.24%	16,999
Shannon	2,262	61.27%	1,302	35.27%	128	3.46%	−960	R+ 26.00%	3,692
St. Francois	13,248	58.67%	8,829	39.10%	505	2.23%	−4,419	R+ 19.57%	22,705
Ste. Genevieve	4,055	50.25%	3,813	47.25%	202	2.50%	−242	R+ 3.00%	8,070
Stoddard	9,496	73.81%	3,153	24.51%	217	1.68%	−6,343	R+ 49.30%	12,866
Texas	7,618	70.77%	2,871	26.67%	275	2.56%	−4,747	R+ 44.10%	10,764
Washington	5,071	58.32%	3,417	39.30%	207	2.38%	−1,654	R+ 19.02%	8,695
Wayne	3,790	66.26%	1,813	31.70%	117	2.04%	−1,977	R+ 34.56%	5,720
Wright	5,830	73.29%	1,953	24.55%	172	2.16%	−3,877	R+ 48.74%	7,955
District Total	201,214	65.88%	97,700	31.99%	6,523	2.13%	103,514	R+ 33.89%	305,437

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

Presidential Primary Election Results[]

2008 Democratic Presidential Primary[]

County	Hillary Clinton	%	Barack Obama	%	John Edwards	%	Others	%	Margin	%	Total
Bollinger	971	74.12%	293	22.37%	38	2.90%	8	0.61%	−678	C+ 51.75%	1,310
Butler	2,490	69.87%	960	26.94%	82	2.30%	32	0.90%	−1,530	C+ 42.93%	3,564
Cape Girardeau	4,510	56.55%	3,145	39.44%	247	3.10%	73	0.92%	−1,365	C+ 17.11%	7,975
Carter	541	75.24%	137	19.05%	32	4.45%	5	0.70%	−404	C+ 56.19%	719
Dent	962	62.23%	493	31.89%	74	4.79%	17	1.10%	−469	C+ 30.34%	1,546
Douglas	827	62.32%	454	34.21%	39	2.94%	7	0.53%	−373	C+ 28.11%	1,327
Dunklin	2,587	78.44%	604	18.31%	69	2.09%	38	1.15%	−1,983	C+ 60.13%	3,298
Howell	2,307	64.07%	1,168	32.44%	99	2.75%	27	0.75%	−1,139	C+ 31.63%	3,601
Iron	1,180	70.53%	406	24.27%	72	4.30%	15	0.90%	−774	C+ 46.26%	1,673
Madison	971	68.72%	344	24.35%	64	4.53%	34	2.40%	−627	C+ 44.37%	1,413
Mississippi	1,094	65.43%	502	30.02%	57	3.41%	19	1.14%	−592	C+ 35.41%	1,672
New Madrid	1,801	71.19%	610	24.11%	101	3.99%	18	0.71%	−1,191	C+ 47.08%	2,530
Oregon	989	71.77%	332	24.09%	42	3.05%	15	1.09%	−657	C+ 47.68%	1,378
Ozark	689	65.62%	332	31.62%	18	1.71%	11	1.05%	−357	C+ 34.00%	1,050
Pemiscot	1,270	70.83%	466	25.99%	34	1.90%	23	1.28%	−804	C+ 44.84%	1,793
Perry	1,180	61.24%	650	33.73%	81	4.20%	16	0.83%	−530	C+ 27.51%	1,927
Phelps	2,392	53.93%	1,878	42.34%	122	2.75%	43	0.97%	−514	C+ 11.59%	4,435
Reynolds	741	66.22%	277	24.75%	70	6.26%	31	2.77%	−464	C+ 41.47%	1,119
Ripley	1,073	74.20%	282	19.50%	72	4.98%	19	1.31%	−791	C+ 54.70%	1,446
Scott	2,931	63.43%	1,443	31.23%	191	4.13%	56	1.22%	−1,488	C+ 32.20%	4,621
Shannon	914	69.72%	323	24.64%	50	3.81%	24	1.83%	−591	C+ 45.08%	1,311
St. Francois	5,418	70.25%	1,993	25.84%	224	2.90%	78	1.01%	−3,425	C+ 44.41%	7,713
Stoddard	2,225	72.95%	684	22.43%	112	3.67%	29	0.95%	−1,541	C+ 50.52%	3,050
Taney*	1,219	62.51%	674	34.56%	39	2.00%	18	0.92%	−545	C+ 27.95%	1,950
Texas	1,858	68.03%	743	27.21%	101	3.70%	29	1.06%	−1,115	C+ 40.82%	2,731
Washington	2,345	74.63%	670	21.32%	100	3.18%	27	0.86%	−1,675	C+ 53.31%	3,142
Wayne	1,458	75.94%	359	18.70%	71	3.70%	32	1.66%	−1,099	C+ 57.24%	1,920
Wright	1,143	69.48%	452	27.48%	36	2.19%	14	0.85%	−691	C+ 42.00%	1,645
District Total	48,086	66.92%	20,674	28.77%	2,337	3.25%	762	1.06%	27,412	C+ 38.15%	71,859

• 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[]

County	Mike Huckabee	%	John McCain	%	Mitt Romney	%	Ron Paul	%	Others	%	Margin	%	Total
Bollinger	657	39.72%	518	31.32%	384	23.22%	65	3.93%	30	1.81%	−139	H+ 8.04%	1,654
Butler	2,215	48.85%	1,117	24.64%	1,007	22.21%	134	2.96%	61	1.35%	−1,098	H+ 24.21%	4,534
Cape Girardeau	3,068	27.63%	3,528	31.77%	3,922	35.32%	361	3.25%	226	2.04%	−394	R+ 3.55%	11,105
Carter	373	52.39%	202	28.37%	107	15.03%	24	3.37%	6	0.84%	−171	H+ 24.02%	712
Dent	959	48.78%	442	22.48%	411	20.91%	127	6.46%	27	1.37%	−517	H+ 26.30%	1,966
Douglas	1,343	55.04%	516	21.15%	270	11.07%	295	12.09%	16	0.66%	−827	H+ 33.89%	2,440
Dunklin	1,309	58.52%	480	21.46%	381	17.03%	36	1.61%	31	1.39%	−829	H+ 37.06%	2,237
Howell	2,882	52.97%	1,347	24.76%	793	14.57%	356	6.54%	63	1.16%	−1,535	H+ 28.21%	5,441
Iron	354	43.17%	269	32.80%	138	16.83%	43	5.24%	16	1.95%	−85	H+ 10.37%	820
Madison	560	43.96%	452	35.48%	185	14.52%	51	4.00%	26	2.04%	−108	H+ 8.48%	1,274
Mississippi	471	42.59%	373	33.73%	226	20.43%	15	1.36%	21	1.90%	−98	H+ 8.86%	1,106
New Madrid	656	48.74%	386	28.68%	250	18.57%	43	3.19%	11	0.82%	−270	H+ 20.06%	1,346
Oregon	696	58.88%	242	20.47%	134	11.34%	101	8.54%	9	0.76%	−454	H+ 38.41%	1,182
Ozark	766	48.09%	428	26.87%	235	14.75%	149	9.35%	15	0.94%	−338	H+ 21.22%	1,593
Pemiscot	565	57.59%	233	23.75%	149	15.19%	20	2.04%	14	1.43%	−332	H+ 33.84%	981
Perry	575	25.76%	973	43.59%	542	24.28%	96	4.30%	46	2.06%	−398	M+ 17.83%	2,232
Phelps	1,728	35.15%	1,459	29.68%	1,340	27.26%	321	6.53%	68	1.38%	−269	H+ 5.47%	4,916
Reynolds	283	46.09%	202	32.90%	93	15.15%	25	4.07%	11	1.79%	−81	H+ 13.19%	614
Ripley	750	53.84%	329	23.62%	238	17.09%	52	3.73%	24	1.72%	−421	H+ 30.22%	1,393
Scott	1,549	36.79%	1,389	32.99%	1,076	25.56%	113	2.68%	83	1.97%	−160	H+ 3.80%	4,210
Shannon	515	54.44%	223	23.57%	83	8.77%	109	11.52%	16	1.69%	−292	H+ 30.87%	946
St. Francois	1,631	35.90%	1,727	38.01%	949	20.89%	134	2.95%	102	2.25%	−96	M+ 2.11%	4,543
Stoddard	1,571	50.56%	772	24.85%	643	20.70%	91	2.93%	30	0.97%	−799	H+ 25.71%	3,107
Taney*	1,821	55.89%	844	25.91%	462	14.18%	92	2.82%	40	1.23%	−977	H+ 29.98%	3,258
Texas	1,727	50.13%	954	27.69%	480	13.93%	234	6.79%	50	1.45%	−773	H+ 22.44%	3,445
Washington	622	38.73%	616	38.36%	297	18.49%	50	3.11%	21	1.31%	−6	H+ 0.37%	1,606
Wayne	740	45.20%	499	30.48%	323	19.73%	46	2.81%	29	1.77%	−241	H+ 14.72%	1,637
Wright	1,878	59.64%	746	23.69%	298	9.46%	178	5.65%	49	1.56%	−1,132	H+ 35.95%	3,149
District Total	32,264	43.93%	21,266	28.95%	15,416	20.99%	3,361	4.58%	1,141	1.55%	10,998	H+ 14.98%	73,447

• 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.

Largest cities[]

The 10 largest cities in the district are as follows.

Rank	City	County	Population (2010)	Population (2015)
1	Cape Girardeau	Cape Girardeau and Scott	37,941	39,462
2	Rolla	Phelps	19,559	20,019
3	Poplar Bluff	Butler	17,023	17,266
4	Sikeston	Scott and New Madrid	16,318	16,436
5	Farmington	St. Francois	16,240	18,181
6	Jackson	Cape Girardeau	13,758	14,869
7	West Plains	Howell	11,986	12,285
8	Kennett	Dunklin	10,932	10,662
9	Park Hills	St. Francois	8,759	8,692
10	Perryville	Perry	8,225	8,398

County incomes[]

Median household incomes[]

Rank	County	Income (2008)
1	Cape Girardeau	$45,862
2	Perry	$44,264
3	Taney	$39,771
4	Scott	$39,735
5	St. Francois	$39,551
6	Phelps	$37,243
7	Bollinger	$36,744
8	Butler	$34,422
9	Stoddard	$33,120
10	Dent	$32,991
11	New Madrid	$32,758
12	Washington	$32,001
13	Howell	$31,761
14	Reynolds	$31,546
15	Ozark	$31,508
16	Douglas	$31,335
17	Iron	$31,276
18	Madison	$31,137
19	Dunklin	$30,927
20	Wright	$30,685
21	Texas	$29,260
22	Wayne	$29,166
23	Mississippi	$28,837
24	Carter	$27,608
25	Ripley	$27,285
26	Pemiscot	$26,992
27	Oregon	$26,119
28	Shannon	$24,835

Median Family Incomes[]

Rank	County	Income (2008)
1	Cape Girardeau	$58,037
2	Perry	$53,034
3	Phelps	$49,343
4	Scott	$48,847
5	St. Francois	$47,923
6	Taney	$47,664
7	Bollinger	$42,948
8	Butler	$42,713
9	Stoddard	$41,072
10	Dent	$40,258
11	New Madrid	$39,411
12	Dunklin	$38,439
13	Washington	$38,193
14	Madison	$38,067
15	Howell	$38,047
16	Iron	$38,037
17	Reynolds	$37,891
18	Wright	$37,139
19	Douglas	$36,648
20	Ozark	$36,622
21	Mississippi	$35,554
22	Wayne	$34,727
23	Texas	$34,503
24	Pemiscot	$33,945
25	Carter	$33,349
26	Ripley	$33,101
27	Oregon	$31,637
28	Shannon	$30,102

Education[]

Public school districts[]

School District	Address	County
Poplar Bluff R-I School District	1110 N. Westwood Blvd, Poplar Bluff	Butler
Jackson R-II School District	614 E. Adams St., Jackson	Cape Girardeau
Rolla Public School District No. 31	500a Forum Dr., Rolla	Phelps
Cape Girardeau Public School District No. 63	301 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau	Cape Girardeau
Farmington R-VII School District	1022 Ste. Genevieve, Farmington	St. Francois
Sikeston R-VI School District	1002 Virginia, Sikeston	Scott
North St. Francois County R-I School District	300 Berry Road, Bonne Terre	St. Francois
West Plains R-VII School District	613 W. First St., West Plains	Howell
Potosi R-III School District	400 N. Mine, Potosi	Washington
Perry County School District No. 32	326 College St., Perryville	Perry
Dexter R-XI School District	1031 Brown Pilot Lane, Dexter	Stoddard
Kennett Public School District No. 39	510 College Ave., Kennett	Dunklin
St. Francois County Central R-III School District	200 High St., Park Hills	St. Francois
Fredericktown R-I School District	704 E. State Highway 72, Fredericktown	Madison
St. James R-I School District	122 E. Scioto St., St. James	Phelps
New Madrid County Central R-I School District	310 U.S. Highway 61, New Madrid	New Madrid
Doniphan R-I School District	309 Pine St., Doniphan	Ripley
Mountain Grove R-III School District	207 E. Fifth (P.O. Box 806), Mountain Grove	Wright
Salem R-80 School District	1409 W. Rolla Road, Salem	Dent
Ava R-I School District	507 NE 3rd St. (P.O. Box 338), Ava	Douglas
Caruthersville Public School District No. 18	1711 Ward St., Caruthersville	Pemiscot
Willow Springs R-IV School District	215 W. Fourth St., Willow Springs	Howell
Mountain View-Birch Tree R-III School District	1 Highway 60 East (P.O. Box 464), Mountain View	Howell
Forsyth R-III School District	178 Panther St., Forsyth	Taney
East Prairie R-II School District	304 E. Walnut, East Prairie	Mississippi
Malden R-I School District	505 Burkhart St., Malden	Dunklin
Charleston R-I School District	1014 S. Main (P.O. Box 39), Charleston	Mississippi
Clearwater R-I School District	State Highway 34 (Rte. 4 Box 1004), Piedmont	Wayne
Arcadia Valley R-II School District	750 Park Dr., Ironton	Iron
West St. Francois County R-IV School District	1124 Main, Leadwood	St. Francois
Houston R-I School District	423 W. Pine, Houston	Texas
Twin Rivers R-X School District	9348 State Highway 51 (P.O. Box 146), Broseley	Butler
Scott City R-I School District	3000 Main St., Scott City	Scott
Scott County R-IV School District	4035 State Highway 77, Benton	Scott
Woodland R-IV School District	State Highway 34 (Rte. 5 Box 3210), Marble Hill	Bollinger
Puxico R-VIII School District	481 N. Bedford St., Puxico	Stoddard
Senath-Hornersville C-8 School District	803 S. State (P.O. Box 370), Senath	Dunklin
Hayti R-II School District	500 N. Fourth (P.O. Box 469), Hayti	Pemiscot
Licking R-VIII School District	125 College Ave. (P.O. Box 179), Licking	Texas
Kingston K-14 School District	10047 Diamond Road, Cadet	Washington
East Carter County R-II School District	24 S. Herren Ave., Ellsinore	Carter
Portageville School District	904 King Ave., Portageville	New Madrid
Cabool R-IV School District	1025 Rogers St. (P.O. Box 613), Cabool	Texas
Hartville R-II School District	175 N. School Ave. (P.O. Box 460), Hartville	Wright
Alton R-IV School District	Rte. 2 Box 2180, Alton	Oregon
Greenville R-II School District	127 Walnut (P.O. Box 320), Greenville	Wayne
Bloomfield R-XIV School District	505 Court St., Bloomfield	Stoddard
South Pemiscot County R-V School District	611 Beasley Road, Steele	Pemiscot
Mansfield R-IV School District	316 W. Ohio Ave., Mansfield	Wright
Thayer R-II School District	401 E. Walnut St., Thayer	Oregon
Plato R-V School District	10645 Plato Dr., Plato	Texas
Campbell R-II School District	801 S. State Route 53, Campbell	Dunklin
Holcomb R-III School District	102 S. Cherry (P.O. Box 190), Holcomb	Dunklin
Gainesville R-V School District[permanent dead link]	HC03 Box 170, Gainesville	Ozark
Neelyville R-IV School District	289 Broadway St. (P.O. Box 8), Neelyville	Butler
Bismarck R-V School District	101 Dennis Dr., Bismarck	St. Francois
Meadow Heights R-II School District	State Highway 72 (Rte. 1 Box 2365), Patton	Bollinger
Bernie R-XIII School District	516 W. Main, Bernie	Stoddard
Southern Reynolds County R-II School District	1 School St., Ellington	Reynolds
Chaffee R-II School District	517 W. Yoakum St., Chaffee	Scott
Winona R-III School District	Highway 19 (P.O. Box 248), Winona	Shannon
Van Buren R-I School District	906 Broadway (P.O. Box 550), Van Buren	Carter
Newburg R-II School District	701 Wolf Pride Dr., Newburg	Phelps
Valley R-VI School District	1 Viking Dr., Caledonia	Washington
Advance R-IV School District	19805 State Highway 91 (P.O. Box 370), Advance	Stoddard
Iron County C-4 School District	State Highway 49 #35 (P.O. Box 368), Viburnum	Iron
Naylor R-II School District	Rte. 2 Box 512, Naylor	Ripley
Southland C-9 School District	500 S. Main, Cardwell	Dunklin
Summersville R-II School District	400 Rogers St. (P.O. Box 198), Summersville	Texas
Bakersfield R-IV School District	1201 O Highway (P.O. Box 38), Bakersfield	Ozark
Norwood R-I School District	675 N. Hawk Ave., Norwood	Wright
Oran R-III School District	310 Church St. (P.O. Box 250), Oran	Scott
Scott County Central School District	20794 U.S. Highway 61, Sikeston	Scott
Dora R-III School District	Highway 181 South (P.O. Box 14), Dora	Ozark
South Iron County R-I School District	210 School St., Annapolis	Iron
Gideon Public School District No. 37	400 Main St. (P.O. Box 227), Gideon	New Madrid
Oak Ridge R-VI School District	4198 State Highway E (P.O. Box 10), Oak Ridge	Cape Girardeau
Clarkton C-4 School District	State Highway 162 (P.O. Box 637), Clarkton	Dunklin
Cooter R-IV School District	1867 State Highway E (P.O. Box 218), Cooter	Pemiscot
Eminence R-I School District	1 Redwing Dr. (P.O. Box 730), Eminence	Shannon
Delta R-V School District[permanent dead link]	324 Liberty St. (P.O. Box 787), Delta	Cape Girardeau
Richland R-I School District	24456 State Highway 114, Essex	Stoddard
North Pemiscot County R-I School District	102 School Dr. (P.O. Box 38), Wardell	Pemiscot
Lesterville R-IV School District	State Highway 21 (P.O. Box 120), Lesterville	Reynolds
Oregon-Howell R-III School District	School Street (P.O. Box 398), Koshkonong	Oregon
Delta C-7 School District	20 Charger Lane (P.O. Box 297), Deering	Pemiscot
Bunker R-III School District	State Highway 72 (P.O. Box 365), Bunker	Reynolds
Bradleyville R-I School District	16474 N. State Highway 125 (P.O. Box 20), Bradleyville	Taney
Zalma R-V School District	School Street (HC02 Box 184), Zalma	Bollinger
Bell City R-II School District	25254 Walnut St., Bell City	Stoddard
Couch R-II School District	Rte. 1 Box 1187, Myrtle	Oregon
Lutie R-VI School District	HC04 Box 4775, Theodosia	Ozark
Leopold R-III School District	100 Main St. (P.O. Box 39), Leopold	Bollinger
Marquand-Zion R-VI School District	205 E. Morley St., Marquand	Madison
Risco R-II School District	State Highway 62 (P.O. Box 17), Risco	New Madrid

Public Universities[]

• Southeast Missouri State University [1] - Cape Girardeau
  • Southeast Missouri State University-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 [2] - Rolla (Formerly known as the University of Missouri-Rolla [UMR])
• Missouri State University [3] - 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

Historical district boundaries[]

See also[]

• Missouri's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts
• Missouri's 8th congressional district special election, 2013
• 2012 House of Representatives election in Missouri 8th district

References[]

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
• [4]

Coordinates: 37°11′39″N 90°56′04″W / 37.19417°N 90.93444°W / 37.19417; -90.93444