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. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+27, it is the most Republican district in Missouri and the sixth most Republican district nationwide.
History 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 presidential election. 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.
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, De Soto, and the Twin Cities of Festus and Crystal City.
Composition For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties, townships, and municipalities:https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST27/CD118_MO08.pdf
Bollinger County (4)
All 4 communities
Butler County (6)
All 6 communities
Cape Girardeau County (11)
All 11 communities
Carter County (5)
All 5 communities
Dent County (2)
Bunker, Salem
Douglas County (1)
Ava
Dunklin County (13)
All 13 communities
Howell County (6)
All 6 communities
Iron County (7)
All 7 communities
Jefferson County (12)
Arnold, Barnhart, Crystal City, Festus, Herculaneum, Horine, Imperial, Kimmswick, Murphy, Olympian Village, Pevely, Summer Set
Madison County (6)
All 6 communities
Mississippi County (8)
All 8 communities
New Madrid County (15)
All 15 communities
Oregon County (4)
All 4 communities
Ozark County (6)
All 6 communities
Pemiscot County (13)
All 13 communities
Perry County (8)
All 8 communities
Phelps County (5)
All 5 communities
Reynolds County (3)
All 3 communities
Ripley County (4)
All 4 communities
Ste. Genevieve County (7)
All 7 communities
St. Francois County (15)
All 15 communities
Scott County (15)
All 15 communities
Shannon County (5)
All 5 communities
Stoddard County (11)
All 11 communities
Texas County (7)
All 7 communities
Wayne County (4)
All 4 communities
Wright County (4)
All 4 communities
Characteristics Missouri's 8th is a relatively diverse congressional district. Although it is quite conservative and Republican-leaning at the federal level, Democrats formerly performed 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, Republicans control a majority of elected county offices in Southeast Missouri. In presidential elections, Democratic candidates formerly performed 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 used to 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 predominantly 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).
Largest cities The 10 largest cities in the district are as follows. Rank City County Population (2010) Population (2015) Population (2020) 1 Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau and Scott 37,941 39,462 39,540 2 Arnold Jefferson 20,875 21,213 20,858 3 Rolla Phelps 19,559 20,019 19,943 4 Farmington St. Francois 16,240 18,181 18,217 5 Sikeston Scott and New Madrid 16,318 16,436 16,291 6 Poplar Bluff Butler 17,023 17,266 16,225 7 Jackson Cape Girardeau 13,758 14,869 15,481 8 West Plains Howell 11,986 12,285 12,184 9 Festus Jefferson 11,599 11,938 12,722 10 Kennett Dunklin 10,932 10,662 10,515
List of members representing the district Member Party Years Congress Electoral history District location District created March 4, 1863 William A. Hall Union March 4, 1863 –March 3, 1865 Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1862.Retired. John F. Benjamin Republican March 4, 1865 –March 3, 1871 Elected in 1864.Re-elected in 1866.Re-elected in 1868.Retired. James G. Blair Liberal Republican March 4, 1871 –March 3, 1873 Elected in 1870.Retired. Abram Comingo Democratic March 4, 1873 –March 3, 1875 Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1872.Retired. Benjamin J. Franklin Democratic March 4, 1875 –March 3, 1879 Elected in 1874.Re-elected in 1876.Withdrew during renomination. Samuel L. Sawyer Independent Democratic March 4, 1879 –March 3, 1881 Elected in 1878.Retired. Robert T. Van Horn Republican March 4, 1881 –March 3, 1883 Elected in 1880.Lost re-election. John J. O'Neill Democratic March 4, 1883 –March 3, 1889 Elected in 1882.Re-elected in 1884.Re-elected in 1886.Lost re-election. Frederick G. Niedringhaus Republican March 4, 1889 –March 3, 1891 Elected in 1888.Retired. John J. O'Neill Democratic March 4, 1891 –March 3, 1893 Elected in 1890.Redistricted to . Richard P. Bland Democratic March 4, 1893 –March 3, 1895 Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1892.Lost re-election. Joel D. Hubbard Republican March 4, 1895 –March 3, 1897 Elected in 1894.Lost re-election. Richard P. Bland Democratic March 4, 1897 –June 15, 1899 Elected in 1896.Re-elected in 1898.Died. Vacant June 15, 1899 –August 29, 1899 Dorsey W. Shackleford Democratic August 29, 1899 –March 3, 1919 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 Elected in 1918.Lost re-election. Sidney C. Roach Republican March 4, 1921 –March 3, 1925 Elected in 1920.Re-elected in 1922.Lost re-election. William L. Nelson Democratic March 4, 1925 –March 3, 1933 Elected in 1924.Re-elected in 1926.Re-elected in 1928.Re-elected in 1930.Redistricted to the and lost renomination. District inactive March 4, 1933 –January 3, 1935 All representatives elected At-large on a general ticket Clyde Williams Democratic January 3, 1935 –January 3, 1943 Redistricted from the 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 Elected in 1942.Lost re-election. A. S. J. Carnahan Democratic January 3, 1945 –January 3, 1947 Elected in 1944.Lost re-election. Parke M. Banta Republican January 3, 1947 –January 3, 1949 Elected in 1946.Lost re-election. A. S. J. Carnahan Democratic January 3, 1949 –January 3, 1961 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 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 Elected in 1980.Redistricted to the and lost re-election. Bill Emerson Republican January 3, 1983 –June 22, 1996 Redistricted from the 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.Ran for re-election, but died. 1983–1993 1993–2003 Vacant June 22, 1996 –November 5, 1996 Jo Ann Emerson Republican November 5, 1996 –January 3, 1997 Elected to finish her husband's term.Elected to full term 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 2003–2013 Vacant January 22, 2013 –June 5, 2013 Jason Smith Republican June 5, 2013 –present Elected to finish Emerson's term.Re-elected in 2014.Re-elected in 2016.Re-elected in 2018.Re-elected in 2020.Re-elected in 2022.Re-elected in 2024. 2013–2023 2023–2027
Recent election results from statewide races Year Office Results2008 PresidentMcCain 58% - 39%2012 PresidentRomney 66% - 34%2016 PresidentTrump 74% - 23% SenateBlunt 61% - 34% GovernorGreitens 64% - 33% Lt. GovernorParson 64% - 31% Secretary of StateAshcroft 69% - 27% Attorney GeneralHawley 71% - 29%2018 SenateHawley 67% - 30% AuditorMcDowell 61% - 34%2020 PresidentTrump 75% - 24% GovernorParson 73% - 24% Lt. GovernorKehoe 75% - 23% Secretary of StateAshcroft 77% - 20% TreasurerFitzpatrick 75% - 22% Attorney GeneralSchmitt 76% - 22%2022 SenateSchmitt 73% - 24%2024 PresidentTrump 76% - 23% SenateHawley 73% - 24% GovernorKehoe 76% - 22% Lt. GovernorWasinger 74% - 22% Secretary of StateHoskins 74% - 23% TreasurerMalek 74% - 22% Attorney GeneralBailey 77% - 21%
Recent election results
2012
2013 special
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Prior elections 2000