Indiana 8th Congressional District: Farm Belt district. In 2024, voted R+36%. Republican peak: R+36 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+36MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Farm BeltAkashic typology
- Population
- 755,1452024 5-year
- Median household income
- $65,6182024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 88.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Republican margin
- R+36 in 2024MIT Election Lab
DW-NOMINATE
Member ideology
R
MESSMER, Mark B.
MESSMER scores 0.58 on the first NOMINATE dimension (−1 most liberal, +1 most conservative).
Predecessors: BUCSHON, Larry (2023–2025), BUCSHON, Larry (2021–2023), BUCSHON, Larry (2019–2021), BUCSHON, Larry (2017–2019)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
2024 presidential election
Congressional District 8
TrumpR+36
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Donald Trump ✓Republican | 67.0% | 223,049 |
|---|---|---|
| Kamala HarrisDemocratic | 31.2% | 103,750 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.8% | 5,940 |
D+60R+60
21 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 | −2.9% |
| 2012 | −19.5% |
| 2016 | −34.0% |
| 2020 | −32.8% |
| 2024 | −35.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 103,750 | 223,049 | 332,739 | ||
| R | 112,348 | 225,277 | 343,952 | ||
| R | 96,923 | 206,013 | 320,580 | ||
| R | 122,000 | 181,077 | 303,077 | ||
| R | 154,562 | 163,915 | 324,967 |
Congressional elections · 18 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 38.8% | 58.6% | 2,829,897 |
| 2022 | R | 37.9% | 58.6% | 1,859,851 |
| 2018 | R | 44.8% | 50.7% | 2,282,565 |
| 2016 | R | 42.4% | 52.1% | 2,732,546 |
| 2012 | D | 50.0% | 44.3% | 2,560,102 |
| 2010 | R | 40.0% | 54.6% | 1,744,481 |
| 2006 | R | 0.0% | 87.4% | 1,341,111 |
| 2004 | D | 61.6% | 37.2% | 2,428,233 |
| 2000 | R | 31.9% | 66.6% | 2,145,209 |
| 1998 | D | 63.7% | 34.8% | 1,588,617 |
| 1994 | R | 30.5% | 67.4% | 1,543,568 |
| 1992 | R | 40.7% | 57.3% | 2,211,426 |
| 1990 | R | 46.4% | 53.6% | 1,502,687 |
| 1988 | R | 31.9% | 68.1% | 2,099,303 |
| 1986 | R | 38.5% | 60.6% | 1,545,563 |
| 1982 | R | 45.6% | 53.8% | 1,817,287 |
| 1980 | R | 46.2% | 53.8% | 2,198,376 |
| 1976 | R | 40.2% | 59.0% | 2,161,187 |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
24.2%
English
13.9%
Irish
10.7%
American
7.4%
French
2.0%
Scottish
2.0%
Italian
1.6%
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: 40.0 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
$65,618
Congressional District 8 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 8$65,618
Indiana$71,957
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
13.5%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1817.8%
Working age (18–64)12.2%
Seniors (65+)11.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.6%
speak English only
Spanish2.0%
Other Indo-European1.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.7%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 58.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Indiana's 8th stretches across the southwestern corner of the state, where rural and small-city voters have delivered Republican presidential margins exceeding 30 points in back-to-back cycles, making it among the most reliably one-sided districts in the region.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of thirty-six points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirty-six points.
A population of 755,145, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $65,618 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, Indiana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/1808/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 8, Indiana vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 8, Indiana voted Republican by 35.9 points (R+36), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 332,739 votes cast, 103,750 went Democratic and 223,049 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 8, Indiana's political typology?
Akashic places Congressional District 8, Indiana in the "Farm Belt" 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 0 times, Republican 5 times, and other 0 times.
How many people live in Congressional District 8, Indiana?
Congressional District 8, Indiana has a population of 755,145 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, Indiana?
Median household income in Congressional District 8, Indiana is $65,618 — below the national median of $80,734. The Indiana state median is $71,957.
What is the political history of Congressional District 8, Indiana?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Congressional District 8, Indiana from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 5 went Republican. The district's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.