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Wisconsin's 8th congressional district

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Vacant
Area	9,740.44 sq mi (25,227.6 km2)
Distribution	56.04% urban 43.96% rural
Population (2022)	742,030
Median household income	$71,930[1]
Ethnicity	83.8% White 6.2% Hispanic 3.5% Two or more races 2.3% Asian 2.3% Native American 1.7% Black 0.3% other
Cook PVI	R+10[2]

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It officially has been vacant since April 24, 2024, following the effective date of the resignation of Mike Gallagher, a Republican. Gallagher won the open seat vacated by Reid Ribble who retired in 2016. It is also one of only two congressional districts to ever elect a Catholic priest, in the case of Wisconsin’s 8th, Robert John Cornell.^{[clarification needed]}

The 8th District has leaned Republican throughout its history; seven Democrats have represented it since its creation, but none have served more than two terms. It became more of a swing seat in the 1990s. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won 55 percent of the vote in the district, while in 2008, Democrat Barack Obama received 53.6 percent of the vote. The last Democrat to represent the district was Steve Kagen from 2007 to 2011. Since Kagen lost in the 2010 election, the seat has been held by Republicans, who have consistently won it by double-digit percent margins in each election to the seat since 2012 and won similarly in statewide elections. The only county in the current district to back the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2000, 2004, and 2016 elections was overwhelmingly Native American Menominee County, which has never voted Republican since its creation in 1960, and only Menominee and Door Counties voted Democratic in 2012 and 2020.

Gallagher Resignation

Gallagher announced in February 2024 that he would not run for re-election to the House of Representatives. His announcement came amid his outspoken criticism of the House Republican majority's impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He later clarified that he would leave Congress in April.

The timing of his resignation means that his seat will remain vacant for the remaining eight months of the congressional term, as it will be too late under Wisconsin law to hold a special election before the fall general election.

Shortly after his resignation, it became public that Gallagher accepted a job at United States data analysis and defense contractor Palantir Technologies.

District Location

Since the 1930 census, the district has been centered upon Green Bay, Appleton and the Door Peninsula. Between the 1970 census and the 2010 census, the 8th moved north to encompass most counties bordering Michigan, but after 2010 it lost most of the border counties to the Seventh District, while gaining Calumet County.

Counties currently within the district include the entirety of Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, and Waupaca Counties, and part of Winnebago County.

Counties and municipalities within the district[edit]

Brown County

Allouez, Ashwaubenon, Bellevue, Denmark, De Pere, Green Bay, Hobart, Howard, Pulaski

Calumet County

Brillion, Chilton, Hilbert, Menasha, Potter, Sherwood, and Stockbridge.

Door County

Baileys Harbor, Brussels, Clay Banks, Egg Harbor, Ephraim, Forestville, Gardner, Gibraltar, Jacksonsport, Liberty Grove, Nasewaupee, Sevastopol, Sister Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Union, and Washington Island.

Kewaunee County

Algoma, Casco, Forestville, and Luxemburg.

Marinette County

Coleman, Crivitz, Marinette, Niagara, Peshtigo, Pound, and Wausaukee.

Menominee County

Menominee and Keshena.

Oconto County

Gillett, Lena, Oconto, Oconto Falls, and Suring.

Outagamie County

Appleton, Bear Creek, Black Creek, Combined Locks, Hortonville, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Little Chute, Nichols, Seymour, and Shiocton.

Shawano County

Aniwa, Birnamwood, Bonduel, Bowler, Cecil, Eland, Gresham, Mattoon, Shawano, Tigerton, and Wittenberg.

Waupaca County

Big Falls, Clintonville, Embarrass, Fremont, Iola, Manawa, Marion, New London, Ogdensburg, Scandinavia, Waupaca, and Weyauwega.

Winnebago County

Clayton (part) and Winchester.

Recent statewide election results[edit]

List of members representing the district[edit]

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District
District established March 4, 1873
Alexander S. McDill (Plover)	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected in 1872. Lost re-election.	Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Douglas, Dunn, Juneau, Marathon, Marquette, Oconto, Polk, Portage, Shawano, & Wood counties (& Langlade, Lincoln, Marinette, Price, & Taylor counties created from this territory during the 1870s)
George W. Cate (Stevens Point)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	Elected in 1874. Lost re-election.
Thaddeus C. Pound (Chippewa Falls)	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883	45th 46th 47th	Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired.
William T. Price (Black River Falls)	Republican	March 4, 1883 – December 6, 1886	48th 49th	Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Died.	Bayfield, Barron, Buffalo, Burnett, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, & Trempealeau counties
Vacant		December 6, 1886 – January 18, 1887	49th
Hugh H. Price (Black River Falls)	Republican	January 18, 1887 – March 3, 1887		Elected to finish his father's term. Retired.
Nils P. Haugen (River Falls)	Republican	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1893	50th 51st 52nd	Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Redistricted to the 10th district.
Lyman E. Barnes (Appleton)	Democratic	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895	53rd	Elected in 1892. Lost re-election.	Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca, & Wood counties
Edward S. Minor (Sturgeon Bay)	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1903	54th 55th 56th 57th	Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Redistricted to the 9th district.
James H. Davidson (Oshkosh)	Republican	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913	58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd	Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Lost re-election.	Calumet, Manitowoc, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, & Winnebago counties
Edward E. Browne (Waupaca)	Republican	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1931	63rd 64th 65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st	Elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Lost renomination.	Marathon, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, & Wood counties
Gerald J. Boileau (Wausau)	Republican	March 4, 1931 – March 3, 1933	72nd	Elected in 1930. Redistricted to the 7th district.
James F. Hughes (De Pere)	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	73rd	Elected in 1932. Retired.	Brown, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, & Outagamie counties
George J. Schneider (Appleton)	Progressive	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1939	74th 75th	Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Lost re-election.
Joshua L. Johns (Appleton)	Republican	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1943	76th 77th	Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election.
LaVern Dilweg (Green Bay)	Democratic	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945	78th	Elected in 1942. Lost re-election.
John W. Byrnes (Green Bay)	Republican	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1973	79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th	Elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962.
			89th 90th 91st 92nd	Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Retired.	Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, & Outagamie counties
Harold V. Froehlich (Appleton)	Republican	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975	93rd	Elected in 1972. Lost re-election.	Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Vilas, & Waupaca counties & most of Brown County & part of Oneida County Brown County all of Brown County except the town of Morrison Oneida County Town of Enterprise
Robert John Cornell (De Pere)	Democratic	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1979	94th 95th	Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Lost re-election.
Toby Roth (Appleton)	Republican	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997	96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th	Elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. 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. Retired.
					Brown, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, & Vilas counties & most of Oneida County Town of Cassian Town of Hazelhurst Town of Lake Tomahawk Town of Little Rice Town of Lynne Town of Minocqua Town of Newbold Town of Nokomis Town of Piehl Town of Pine Lake Town of Stella Town of Sugar Camp Town of Three Lakes Town of Woodboro Town of Woodruff
					1993–2003
Jay Johnson (Green Bay)	Democratic	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 1999	105th	Elected in 1996. Lost re-election.
Mark Green (Green Bay)	Republican	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2007	106th 107th 108th 109th	Elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Retired to run for Governor of Wisconsin.
					2003–2013
Steve Kagen (Appleton)	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011	110th 111th	Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election.
Reid Ribble (Sherwood)	Republican	January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017	112th 113th 114th	Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Retired.
					2013–2023
Mike Gallagher (Green Bay)	Republican	January 3, 2017 – April 24, 2024	115th 116th 117th 118th	Elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Resigned.
					2023–present
Vacant		April 24, 2024 – present	118th

Recent election results[edit]

2002 district boundaries (2002–2011)[edit]

2011 district boundaries (2012–2021)[edit]

2022 district boundaries (2022–2031)[edit]

See also[edit]

• Wisconsin's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References[edit]

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links[edit]

• Rep. Mike Gallagher's official House of Representatives website

44°49′53″N 87°56′13″W / 44.83139°N 87.93694°W / 44.83139; -87.93694