Virginia 8th Congressional District, Virginia: Urban anchor district. In 2024, voted D+48%. Democratic peak: D+56 in 1908.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+48MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Urban anchorAkashic typology
- Population
- 723,4752024 5-year
- Median household income
- $142,2962024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 53.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 12.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 17.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+56 in 1908MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+36 in 1928MIT Election Lab
D
BEYER, Donald Sternoff Jr.
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: MORAN, James P. (2013–2015), MORAN, James P. (2011–2013), MORAN, James P. (2009–2011), MORAN, James P. (2007–2009)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 8, VAOne 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 | 276,202 | 92,957 | 381,558 | ||
| D | 294,170 | 84,645 | 387,189 | ||
| D | 252,701 | 78,149 | 356,375 | ||
| D | 225,150 | 113,711 | 343,793 | ||
| D | 219,478 | 106,279 | 329,183 | ||
| D | 176,581 | 109,825 | 289,094 | ||
| D | 141,019 | 105,308 | 258,096 | ||
| D | 122,689 | 91,695 | 225,468 | ||
| D | 125,438 | 91,854 | 246,558 | ||
| R | 101,713 | 112,729 | 216,424 | ||
| R | 92,476 | 109,054 | 202,672 | ||
| R | 65,608 | 89,035 | 177,901 | ||
| R | 79,897 | 80,530 | 163,714 | ||
| R | 42,949 | 76,124 | 121,011 | ||
| R | 54,632 | 59,229 | 129,774 | ||
| D | 52,663 | 33,821 | 86,851 | ||
| R | 40,551 | 41,682 | 82,598 | ||
| R | 29,655 | 37,670 | 69,171 | ||
| R | 23,723 | 35,702 | 59,646 | ||
| R | 12,737 | 16,032 | 31,426 | ||
| R | 12,498 | 12,834 | 25,428 | ||
| D | 10,341 | 6,819 | 17,249 | ||
| D | 9,153 | 4,485 | 13,729 | ||
| D | 6,972 | 4,381 | 11,560 | ||
| R | 3,089 | 6,580 | 9,669 | ||
| D | 2,781 | 2,073 | 5,582 | ||
| D | 2,691 | 2,189 | 4,968 | ||
| D | 1,877 | 906 | 2,820 | ||
| D | 1,618 | 308 | 2,378 | ||
| D | 1,886 | 523 | 2,424 | ||
| D | 1,108 | 402 | 1,522 | ||
| D | 3,003 | 1,770 | 4,785 | ||
| D | 2,732 | 2,510 | 5,323 | ||
| D | 3,747 | 2,654 | 6,486 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 54.4% | 45.4% | 4,445,535 |
| 2020 | D | 56.0% | 43.9% | 4,405,087 |
| 2018 | D | 57.0% | 41.0% | 3,351,373 |
| 2014 | D | 49.1% | 48.3% | 2,184,473 |
| 2012 | D | 52.9% | 47.0% | 3,802,196 |
| 2008 | D | 65.0% | 33.7% | 3,643,294 |
| 2006 | D | 49.6% | 49.2% | 2,370,445 |
| 2002 | R | 0.0% | 82.6% | 1,489,422 |
| 2000 | R | 47.7% | 52.3% | 2,718,301 |
| 1996 | R | 47.4% | 52.5% | 2,354,715 |
| 1994 | D | 45.6% | 42.9% | 2,057,463 |
| 1990 | R | 0.0% | 80.9% | 1,083,690 |
| 1988 | D | 71.2% | 28.7% | 2,068,897 |
| 1984 | R | 29.9% | 70.0% | 2,007,487 |
| 1982 | R | 48.8% | 51.2% | 1,415,622 |
| 1978 | R | 49.8% | 50.2% | 1,222,256 |
| 1976 | O | 38.3% | 0.0% | 1,557,500 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
Irish
11.4%
English
11.2%
German
11.0%
Italian
5.6%
American
2.9%
Polish
2.6%
Scottish
2.1%
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: 37.6 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
$142,296
Congressional District 8 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 8$142,296
Virginia$93,170
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
6.8%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 188.2%
Working age (18–64)6.2%
Seniors (65+)10.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
66.2%
speak English only
Spanish13.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander7.6%
Other Indo-European7.6%
Other languages5.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 57.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Virginia's 8th stretches across the dense, highly educated suburbs just outside Washington, D.C., where federal employment and a diverse professional workforce have made D+49 presidential margins routine over the past decade.
The Democratic margin in Virginia 8th Congressional District has been steady. It reached its modern peak at fifty-six points in 1908; the 2024 margin was forty-eight points, still in line with the district's long pattern.
Its political identity is inseparable from its demographic profile: a 54% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $142,296, and the full diversity of a major metropolitan center.
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, Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/5108/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 8, Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 8, Virginia voted Democratic by 48.0 points (D+48), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 381,558 votes cast, 276,202 went Democratic and 92,957 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 8, Virginia's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 8, Virginia as a "Urban anchor" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 22 times, Republican 12 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 8, Virginia last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 8, Virginia voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Congressional District 8, Virginia?
Congressional District 8, Virginia has a population of 723,475 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, Virginia?
Median household income in Congressional District 8, Virginia is $142,296 — above the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of Congressional District 8, Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 8, Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 22 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Urban anchor" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.