Maryland 8th Congressional District: Diversifying Metro district. In 2024, voted D+56%. Democratic peak: D+63 in 2020.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+56MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 589,3372024 5-year
- Median household income
- $132,4502024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 42.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 18.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 21.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+63 in 2020MIT Election Lab
DW-NOMINATE
Member ideology
D
RASKIN, Jamie Ben
RASKIN scores -0.50 on the first NOMINATE dimension (−1 most liberal, +1 most conservative).
Predecessors: VAN HOLLEN, Christopher (2015–2017), VAN HOLLEN, Christopher (2013–2015), VAN HOLLEN, Christopher (2011–2013), VAN HOLLEN, Christopher (2009–2011)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
2024 presidential election
Congressional District 8
HarrisD+56
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 8, MDOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Kamala Harris ✓Democratic | 76.8% | 296,235 |
|---|---|---|
| Donald TrumpRepublican | 20.4% | 78,614 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.8% | 10,638 |
D+60R+60
1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 2008 | +46.4% |
| 2012 | +46.2% |
| 2016 | +57.4% |
| 2020 | +63.1% |
| 2024 | +56.5% |
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 296,235 | 78,614 | 385,487 | ||
| D | 321,501 | 71,488 | 396,052 | ||
| D | 275,336 | 66,727 | 363,653 | ||
| D | 250,626 | 92,159 | 342,785 | ||
| D | 243,388 | 87,848 | 334,909 |
Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 54.6% | 42.8% | 3,021,378 |
| 2022 | O | 0.0% | 34.1% | 2,002,336 |
| 2018 | D | 64.9% | 30.3% | 2,299,889 |
| 2016 | D | 60.9% | 35.7% | 2,726,170 |
| 2012 | D | 56.0% | 26.3% | 2,633,234 |
| 2010 | D | 62.2% | 35.8% | 1,833,858 |
| 2006 | D | 54.2% | 44.2% | 1,781,139 |
| 2004 | D | 64.8% | 33.7% | 2,321,931 |
| 2000 | D | 63.2% | 36.7% | 1,946,898 |
| 1998 | D | 70.5% | 29.5% | 1,507,447 |
| 1994 | D | 59.1% | 40.9% | 1,369,101 |
| 1992 | D | 71.0% | 29.0% | 1,841,298 |
| 1988 | D | 61.8% | 38.2% | 1,617,065 |
| 1986 | D | 60.7% | 39.3% | 1,112,637 |
| 1982 | D | 63.5% | 36.5% | 1,114,690 |
| 1980 | R | 33.8% | 66.2% | 1,286,088 |
| 1976 | D | 56.6% | 38.9% | 1,365,290 |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
7.9%
Irish
7.6%
English
7.0%
Italian
3.9%
American
2.8%
Polish
2.5%
French
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: 40.2 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
$132,450
Congressional District 8 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 8$132,450
Maryland$103,678
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
7.5%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.0%
Working age (18–64)6.8%
Seniors (65+)8.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
57.0%
speak English only
Spanish17.7%
Other Indo-European10.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander9.4%
Other languages5.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 46.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Maryland's 8th covers inner Montgomery County suburbs and delivers Democratic presidential margins consistently above 30 points, making it among the least competitive federal districts in the country.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of sixty-three points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved seven points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifty-six points.
A population of 589,337, a 42% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $132,450 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, Maryland. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/2408/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 8, Maryland vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 8, Maryland voted Democratic by 56.5 points (D+56), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 385,487 votes cast, 296,235 went Democratic and 78,614 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 8, Maryland's political typology?
Akashic places Congressional District 8, Maryland in the "Diversifying Metro" 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, Maryland?
Congressional District 8, Maryland has a population of 589,337 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, Maryland?
Median household income in Congressional District 8, Maryland is $132,450 — above the national median of $80,734. The Maryland state median is $103,678.
What is the political history of Congressional District 8, Maryland?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Congressional District 8, Maryland from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 0 went Republican. The district's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.