Maryland's 8th congressional district is concentrated almost entirely in
Montgomery County, with a small portion in
Prince George's County.[3] Adjacent to
Washington, D.C., the 8th district takes in many of the city’s wealthiest inner-ring suburbs, including
Bethesda,
Chevy Chase, and
Potomac. It also includes several more economically and racially diverse communities, the most populous of which are
Rockville and
Silver Spring.
Politically, the district is heavily liberal. It has consistently sent Democratic representatives to Congress by wide margins since 2002. In 2020,
Joe Biden won nearly 80% of its vote.
DemocratJamie Raskin has represented the seat since 2017.
During
redistricting after the
2000 census, the Democratic-dominated Maryland legislature sought to unseat then-incumbent Republican
Connie Morella[citation needed]. One proposal went so far as to divide the district in two, effectively giving one to state Senator
Christopher Van Hollen, Jr. and forcing Morella to run against popular Maryland State Delegate and
Kennedy political family member
Mark Kennedy Shriver[citation needed]. 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[citation needed] (encompassing nearly all of the area "inside the Beltway"), as well as adding an adjacent portion from heavily Democratic
Prince George's County. Although it forced Van Hollen and Shriver to run against each other in an expensive primary, the shift still made the district even more Democratic than its predecessor, and Van Hollen defeated Morella in
2002.
From 2003 to 2013 the district, in addition to the larger part of Montgomery County and the small portion of Prince George's County, included most of
Frederick County (but not the City of Frederick), and southern
Carroll County. The redrawn district was slightly less Democratic than its predecessor. While the Carroll and Frederick portions of the district tilted strongly Republican, the Montgomery County portion had twice as many people as the rest of the district combined, and Montgomery's Democratic tilt was enough to keep the district in the Democratic column. Since Morella left office, no Republican has crossed the 40 percent mark in the 8th District.
Communities
Since 2023, the following communities are located within the 8th district.[6]
Maryland's 8th congressional district is concentrated almost entirely in
Montgomery County, with a small portion in
Prince George's County.[3] Adjacent to
Washington, D.C., the 8th district takes in many of the city’s wealthiest inner-ring suburbs, including
Bethesda,
Chevy Chase, and
Potomac. It also includes several more economically and racially diverse communities, the most populous of which are
Rockville and
Silver Spring.
Politically, the district is heavily liberal. It has consistently sent Democratic representatives to Congress by wide margins since 2002. In 2020,
Joe Biden won nearly 80% of its vote.
DemocratJamie Raskin has represented the seat since 2017.
During
redistricting after the
2000 census, the Democratic-dominated Maryland legislature sought to unseat then-incumbent Republican
Connie Morella[citation needed]. One proposal went so far as to divide the district in two, effectively giving one to state Senator
Christopher Van Hollen, Jr. and forcing Morella to run against popular Maryland State Delegate and
Kennedy political family member
Mark Kennedy Shriver[citation needed]. 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[citation needed] (encompassing nearly all of the area "inside the Beltway"), as well as adding an adjacent portion from heavily Democratic
Prince George's County. Although it forced Van Hollen and Shriver to run against each other in an expensive primary, the shift still made the district even more Democratic than its predecessor, and Van Hollen defeated Morella in
2002.
From 2003 to 2013 the district, in addition to the larger part of Montgomery County and the small portion of Prince George's County, included most of
Frederick County (but not the City of Frederick), and southern
Carroll County. The redrawn district was slightly less Democratic than its predecessor. While the Carroll and Frederick portions of the district tilted strongly Republican, the Montgomery County portion had twice as many people as the rest of the district combined, and Montgomery's Democratic tilt was enough to keep the district in the Democratic column. Since Morella left office, no Republican has crossed the 40 percent mark in the 8th District.
Communities
Since 2023, the following communities are located within the 8th district.[6]