Minnesota's 8th congressional district

Minnesota's 8th congressional district
The 8th congressional district of Minnesota since 2002
Current Representative		Chip Cravaack (R–Lindstrom)
Area	27,583 mi² (71,440 km²)
Distribution	37% urban, 63% rural
Population (2000)	614,935
Median income	$37,911
Ethnicity	95.1% White, 0.5% Black, 0.4% Asian, 0.8% Hispanic, 2.6% Native American, 0.2% other
Cook PVI	D+3

External images
	THIS govtrack.us MAP, is a more detailed, and useful representation of the 8th CD's borders, based on Google Maps.

Minnesota's 8th congressional district covers the northeastern part of Minnesota. It is anchored by Duluth, Minnesota which is the fourth largest city in state. It also includes most of the Mesabi and Vermilion iron ranges. The district is best-known for its mining, agriculture, tourism, and shipping industries.

Politically the district leans Democratic with a CPVI of D + 3. However the DFLers in this district are not as liberal as their counterparts in the Twin Cities because 8th congressional district voters and politicians support conservative values such as outdoor hunting. Elected Republicans are few and far between; Republican strength is concentrated in the district's southern portion.

The district is currently represented by Republican Chip Cravaack, who defeated DFLer incumbent Jim Oberstar in 2010. Oberstar had represented the 8th congressional district since 1975; before his defeat Oberstar was the longest serving congressional representative from Minnesota. The seat had been held by the DFL for 63 years before Cravaack was elected (Oberstar from 1975 to 2010 and his predecessor DFLer John Blatnik from 1947 to 1975).

List of representatives

Congress	Representative	Party	Years	Notes
58th			March 4, 1903	District created
58th-60th	James Bede	Republican	March 4, 1903 - March 3, 1909
61st-65th	Clarence B. Miller	Republican	March 4, 1909 - March 3, 1919
66th	William Leighton Carss	Farmer-Labor	March 4, 1919 - March 3, 1921
67th-68th	Oscar Larson	Republican	March 4, 1921 - March 3, 1925
69th-70th	William Leighton Carss	Farmer-Labor	March 4, 1925 - March 3, 1929
71st-72nd	William Pittenger	Republican	March 4, 1929 - March 3, 1933
73rd			March 4, 1933 - January 3, 1935	District inactive, all representatives elected At-large on a general ticket
74th	William Pittenger	Republican	January 3, 1935 - January 3, 1937
75th	John Bernard	Farmer-Labor	January 3, 1937 - January 3, 1939
76th-79th	William Pittenger	Republican	January 3, 1939 - January 3, 1947
80th-93rd	John Blatnik	DFL	January 3, 1947 - December 31, 1974	Resigned
93rd	Vacant		December 31, 1974 - January 3, 1975
94th-111th	Jim Oberstar	DFL	January 3, 1975 - January 3, 2011	Defeated in bid for 19th term
112th-	Chip Cravaack	Republican	January 3, 2011 - Present	Incumbent

Recent elections

Year	Election		Nominee	Party	Votes	%		Nominee	Party	Votes	%
2002	General		James Oberstar	Democratic	193,959	69		Bob Lemen	Republican	88,423	31
2004	General		James Oberstar	Democratic	228,509	65		Mark Groettum	Republican	112,657	32
2006	General		James Oberstar	Democratic	194,677	64		Rod Grams	Republican	101,744	34
2008	General		James Oberstar	Democratic	240,586	67.6		Michael Cummins	Republican	114,588	32.2
2010	General		Chip Cravaack	Republican	133,479	48.2		James Oberstar	Democratic	129,072	46.6