California 8th Congressional District: Texan Right district. In 2024, voted D+44%. Democratic peak: D+56 in 2016.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+44MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Texan RightAkashic typology
- Population
- 458,0112024 5-year
- Median household income
- $115,8302024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 40.3%2024 5-year
- Black
- 10.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 28.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+56 in 2016MIT Election Lab
DW-NOMINATE
Member ideology
D
GARAMENDI, John
GARAMENDI scores -0.31 on the first NOMINATE dimension (−1 most liberal, +1 most conservative).
Predecessors: OBERNOLTE, Jay (2021–2023), COOK, Paul (2019–2021), COOK, Paul (2017–2019), COOK, Paul (2015–2017)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
2024 presidential election
Congressional District 8
HarrisD+44
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Kamala Harris ✓Democratic | 70.2% | 198,468 |
|---|---|---|
| Donald TrumpRepublican | 26.5% | 74,902 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 3.3% | 9,265 |
D+60R+60
2 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 2008 | +51.7% |
| 2012 | +55.5% |
| 2016 | +55.8% |
| 2020 | +54.0% |
| 2024 | +43.7% |
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 198,468 | 74,902 | 282,635 | ||
| D | 244,041 | 70,499 | 321,260 | ||
| D | 191,321 | 49,419 | 254,206 | ||
| D | 181,323 | 51,911 | 233,234 | ||
| D | 185,349 | 58,709 | 245,005 |
Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 58.9% | 41.1% | 15,348,846 |
| 2022 | D | 61.1% | 38.9% | 10,843,650 |
| 2018 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 11,113,364 |
| 2016 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 12,244,170 |
| 2012 | D | 62.5% | 37.5% | 12,578,511 |
| 2010 | D | 52.2% | 42.2% | 10,000,160 |
| 2006 | D | 59.4% | 35.0% | 8,541,476 |
| 2004 | D | 57.7% | 37.8% | 12,053,295 |
| 2000 | D | 55.8% | 36.6% | 10,623,608 |
| 1998 | D | 53.1% | 43.0% | 8,311,905 |
| 1994 | D | 46.7% | 44.8% | 8,514,089 |
| 1992 | D | 47.9% | 43.0% | 10,799,703 |
| 1988 | R | 44.0% | 52.8% | 9,743,598 |
| 1986 | D | 49.3% | 47.9% | 7,398,462 |
| 1982 | R | 44.8% | 51.5% | 7,805,450 |
| 1980 | D | 56.5% | 37.1% | 8,324,012 |
| 1976 | R | 46.9% | 50.2% | 7,470,586 |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
7.5%
English
7.3%
Irish
6.9%
Italian
4.2%
American
2.3%
French
1.5%
Scottish
1.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$115,830
Congressional District 8 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 8$115,830
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.1%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1811.0%
Working age (18–64)8.4%
Seniors (65+)9.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
65.0%
speak English only
Spanish18.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander10.3%
Other Indo-European4.9%
Other languages1.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 62.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Covering a vast stretch of the Mojave and eastern Sierra Nevada, CA-08 delivered an R+17.8 margin in 2024 — one of the widest Republican advantages in the state — reflecting its sparse, rural population and distance from coastal urban centers.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of fifty-six points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved ten points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was forty-four points.
A population of 458,011, a 40% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $115,830 describe the district.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 8, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0608/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 8, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 8, California voted Democratic by 43.7 points (D+44), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 282,635 votes cast, 198,468 went Democratic and 74,902 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 8, California's political typology?
Akashic places Congressional District 8, California in the "Texan Right" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 0 times, and other 0 times.
How many people live in Congressional District 8, California?
Congressional District 8, California has a population of 458,011 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 8, California?
Median household income in Congressional District 8, California is $115,830 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Congressional District 8, California?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Congressional District 8, California from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 0 went Republican. The district's typology — "Texan Right" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.