California 8th Congressional District, California: Democratic loyalist district. In 2024, voted D+32%. Democratic peak: D+51 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+32MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Democratic loyalistAkashic typology
- Population
- 458,0112024 5-year
- Median household income
- $115,8302024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 40.3%2024 5-year
- Black
- 10.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 28.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+51 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+43 in 1924MIT Election Lab
D
GARAMENDI, John
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: OBERNOLTE, Jay (2021–2023), COOK, Paul (2019–2021), COOK, Paul (2017–2019), COOK, Paul (2015–2017)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 8, CAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 129,582 | 65,407 | 201,649 | ||
| D | 150,831 | 64,410 | 220,500 | ||
| D | 116,268 | 48,575 | 179,356 | ||
| D | 107,431 | 53,298 | 165,106 | ||
| D | 113,372 | 54,978 | 172,061 | ||
| D | 94,809 | 60,880 | 157,477 | ||
| D | 83,069 | 54,186 | 142,979 | ||
| D | 72,268 | 45,570 | 130,225 | ||
| D | 71,778 | 42,285 | 143,445 | ||
| D | 61,705 | 57,537 | 120,638 | ||
| R | 49,957 | 61,217 | 112,341 | ||
| R | 37,611 | 50,204 | 99,754 | ||
| D | 42,482 | 39,878 | 84,547 | ||
| R | 35,924 | 44,922 | 83,042 | ||
| D | 34,730 | 29,656 | 71,438 | ||
| D | 40,607 | 21,271 | 61,935 | ||
| D | 32,785 | 26,823 | 59,799 | ||
| D | 26,942 | 24,644 | 51,706 | ||
| D | 26,625 | 23,199 | 50,089 | ||
| D | 21,382 | 13,672 | 36,431 | ||
| D | 21,294 | 10,525 | 31,895 | ||
| D | 13,469 | 6,830 | 20,498 | ||
| D | 11,676 | 3,723 | 15,559 | ||
| D | 8,075 | 4,353 | 12,832 | ||
| R | 4,642 | 6,092 | 10,865 | ||
| R | 664 | 4,108 | 8,037 | ||
| R | 2,060 | 5,102 | 7,928 | ||
| D | 3,822 | 2,818 | 7,131 | ||
| O | 2,316 | 0 | 5,330 | ||
| R | 1,237 | 2,096 | 3,696 | ||
| R | 954 | 2,008 | 3,252 | ||
| R | 1,324 | 1,830 | 3,281 | ||
| R | 1,296 | 1,578 | 2,927 | ||
| R | 1,237 | 1,404 | 2,815 | ||
| R | 1,195 | 1,304 | 2,558 | ||
| R | 1,103 | 1,364 | 2,519 | ||
| R | 1,072 | 1,140 | 2,220 | ||
| R | 944 | 1,108 | 2,052 |
Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 58.9% | 41.1% | 15,348,846 |
| 2022 | D | 61.1% | 38.9% | 10,843,650 |
| 2018 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 11,113,364 |
| 2016 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 12,244,170 |
| 2012 | D | 62.5% | 37.5% | 12,578,511 |
| 2010 | D | 52.2% | 42.2% | 10,000,160 |
| 2006 | D | 59.4% | 35.0% | 8,541,476 |
| 2004 | D | 57.7% | 37.8% | 12,053,295 |
| 2000 | D | 55.8% | 36.6% | 10,623,608 |
| 1998 | D | 53.1% | 43.0% | 8,311,905 |
| 1994 | D | 46.7% | 44.8% | 8,514,089 |
| 1992 | D | 47.9% | 43.0% | 10,799,703 |
| 1988 | R | 44.0% | 52.8% | 9,743,598 |
| 1986 | D | 49.3% | 47.9% | 7,398,462 |
| 1982 | R | 44.8% | 51.5% | 7,805,450 |
| 1980 | D | 56.5% | 37.1% | 8,324,012 |
| 1976 | R | 46.9% | 50.2% | 7,470,586 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
7.5%
English
7.3%
Irish
6.9%
Italian
4.2%
American
2.3%
French
1.5%
Scottish
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.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.9 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.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$115,830
Congressional District 8 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 8$115,830
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.1%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1811.0%
Working age (18–64)8.4%
Seniors (65+)9.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
65.0%
speak English only
Spanish18.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander10.3%
Other Indo-European4.9%
Other languages1.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 62.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Covering a vast stretch of the Mojave and eastern Sierra Nevada, CA-08 delivered an R+17.8 margin in 2024 — one of the widest Republican advantages in the state — reflecting its sparse, rural population and distance from coastal urban centers.
The Democratic margin in California 8th Congressional District reached its widest at fifty-one points in 1936. The margin in 2024 was thirty-two points — still decisive.
Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $115,830, a 40% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 458,011 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.
Compare two places, side by side
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Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 8, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0608/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 8, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 8, California voted Democratic by 31.8 points (D+32), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 201,649 votes cast, 129,582 went Democratic and 65,407 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 8, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 8, California as a "Democratic loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 22 times, Republican 15 times, and other 1 times.
When did Congressional District 8, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 8, California voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Congressional District 8, California?
Congressional District 8, California has a population of 458,011 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, California?
Median household income in Congressional District 8, California is $115,830 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Congressional District 8, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 8, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 22 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Democratic loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.