Missouri 8th Congressional District, Missouri: Populist district. In 2024, voted R+56%. Republican peak: R+56 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+56MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 725,5552024 5-year
- Median household income
- $59,8792024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 87.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+29 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+56 in 2024MIT Election Lab
R
SMITH, Jason
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: EMERSON, Jo Ann (2013–2015), EMERSON, Jo Ann (2011–2013), EMERSON, Jo Ann (2009–2011), EMERSON, Jo Ann (2007–2009)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 8, MOOne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 74,298 | 265,913 | 344,242 | ||
| R | 77,851 | 259,727 | 342,858 | ||
| R | 70,835 | 239,270 | 323,462 | ||
| R | 100,565 | 201,736 | 309,417 | ||
| R | 127,562 | 195,085 | 327,877 | ||
| R | 118,683 | 192,038 | 312,854 | ||
| R | 110,279 | 158,453 | 275,133 | ||
| D | 116,287 | 109,551 | 258,331 | ||
| D | 125,705 | 100,554 | 278,327 | ||
| R | 106,392 | 132,180 | 239,192 | ||
| R | 94,314 | 150,206 | 244,520 | ||
| R | 109,085 | 135,485 | 251,061 | ||
| D | 125,200 | 97,934 | 224,274 | ||
| R | 67,267 | 137,621 | 204,888 | ||
| R | 77,700 | 93,932 | 208,062 | ||
| D | 131,409 | 76,907 | 208,316 | ||
| R | 103,947 | 124,668 | 228,614 | ||
| D | 112,090 | 107,545 | 219,635 | ||
| D | 116,620 | 114,548 | 231,514 | ||
| D | 121,606 | 72,691 | 194,748 | ||
| D | 102,086 | 96,370 | 198,836 | ||
| D | 126,015 | 117,537 | 244,149 | ||
| D | 125,724 | 94,238 | 221,124 | ||
| D | 124,150 | 67,583 | 193,513 | ||
| R | 74,513 | 96,663 | 171,624 | ||
| D | 79,872 | 78,399 | 167,283 | ||
| R | 69,707 | 87,631 | 160,537 | ||
| D | 51,837 | 47,114 | 102,394 | ||
| D | 42,834 | 30,399 | 91,859 | ||
| D | 45,039 | 43,483 | 92,418 | ||
| R | 38,098 | 39,526 | 80,408 | ||
| D | 44,175 | 35,872 | 81,838 | ||
| D | 47,169 | 32,141 | 79,674 | ||
| D | 35,086 | 24,829 | 64,694 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Congressional elections · 18 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 41.8% | 55.6% | 2,972,559 |
| 2022 | R | 43.2% | 56.8% | 2,012,511 |
| 2018 | R | 45.6% | 51.4% | 2,442,289 |
| 2016 | R | 46.4% | 49.2% | 2,802,637 |
| 2012 | D | 54.8% | 39.1% | 2,725,793 |
| 2010 | R | 40.6% | 54.2% | 1,943,899 |
| 2006 | D | 49.6% | 47.3% | 2,128,459 |
| 2004 | R | 42.8% | 56.1% | 2,706,402 |
| 2002 | R | 48.7% | 49.8% | 1,877,620 |
| 2000 | D | 50.5% | 48.4% | 2,361,586 |
| 1998 | R | 43.8% | 52.7% | 1,576,857 |
| 1994 | R | 35.7% | 59.7% | 1,775,116 |
| 1992 | R | 44.9% | 51.9% | 2,354,916 |
| 1988 | R | 31.8% | 67.7% | 2,078,875 |
| 1986 | R | 47.4% | 52.6% | 1,477,327 |
| 1982 | R | 49.1% | 50.8% | 1,543,521 |
| 1980 | D | 52.0% | 47.7% | 2,066,965 |
| 1976 | R | 42.5% | 56.9% | 1,914,460 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
19.5%
English
11.3%
Irish
11.2%
American
9.4%
French
2.5%
Italian
2.2%
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: 40.5 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
$59,879
Congressional District 8 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 8$59,879
Missouri$70,702
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
16.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.0%
Working age (18–64)15.2%
Seniors (65+)14.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.4%
speak English only
Spanish1.1%
Other Indo-European0.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.5%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 55.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Missouri's 8th stretches across the Ozarks and the state's rural Bootheel, a vast low-density district where the 2024 presidential margin of R+59.3 ranked among the most lopsided of any congressional district in the country.
The Democratic margin in Missouri 8th Congressional District peaked at twenty-nine points in 1932. By 2000 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-six points, the most Republican-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $59,879 sits well below state and national norms, and 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
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, Missouri. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/2908/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 8, Missouri vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 8, Missouri voted Republican by 55.7 points (R+56), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 344,242 votes cast, 74,298 went Democratic and 265,913 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 8, Missouri's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 8, Missouri as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 16 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 8, Missouri last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 8, Missouri voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in Congressional District 8, Missouri?
Congressional District 8, Missouri has a population of 725,555 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, Missouri?
Median household income in Congressional District 8, Missouri is $59,879 — below the national median of $80,734. The Missouri state median is $70,702.
What is the political history of Congressional District 8, Missouri?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 8, Missouri from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 16 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.