| State: | California |
| District Number: | 8 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since 2023 (Used in the 2022 elections) |
| Representative: | John Garamendi |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Walnut Grove |
| Population: | 752,009 |
| Population Year: | 2023 |
| Median Income: | $95,265[1] |
| Percent White: | 24.0 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 35.2 |
| Percent Black: | 15.1 |
| Percent Asian: | 18.3 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 5.7 |
| Percent Other Race: | 1.9 |
| Cpvi: | D+26[2] |
California's 8th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. As of 2023, Democrat John Garamendi represents the district. Currently, the 8th district includes parts of the Bay Area counties of Contra Costa County and Solano County, including the cities of Vallejo, Fairfield, Richmond and parts of Martinez.
Before the 2011 redistricting, the 8th district was a Democratic stronghold. It gave John Kerry his best performance in California in 2004, backing the Democrat with 84.2% of the vote. Barack Obama continued on this trend in 2008 when he received 85.22% of the vote in the district while John McCain received 12.38%.
The 8th district from 2013-2023 was located in a politically conservative region of the state with a "Strongly Republican" Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+10. The Cook Political Report ranked it the 87th most Republican-leaning congressional district in the United States.[3]
In the 2012 election, the first after the state's adoption of top-two primaries, the 8th district was one of only two in California where two Republicans faced each other in a runoff election.[4] In 2018, it was the only such California district.[5]
| Year | Office | Winner | Tally | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | President | Clinton | 75.6 – 15.9% | |
| Senator | Boxer | 79.1 – 16.3% | ||
| Senator | Feinstein | 82.4 – 14.0% | ||
| 1994 | Governor[6] | Brown | 72.1 – 24.8% | |
| Senator[7] | Feinstein | 80.7 – 13.7% | ||
| 1996 | President[8] | Clinton | 66.0 – 18.0% | |
| 1998 | Governor[9] | Davis | 81.8 – 13.2% | |
| Senator[10] | Boxer | 78.0 – 19.2% | ||
| 2000 | President[11] | Gore | 76.7 – 14.6% | |
| Senator[12] | Feinstein | 72.6 – 14.1% | ||
| 2002 | Governor[13] | Davis | 66.7 – 13.9% | |
| 2003 | Recall[14] [15] | No | 81.4 – 18.6% | |
| Bustamante | 64.7 – 17.8% | |||
| 2004 | President[16] | Kerry | 84.2 – 14.0% | |
| Senator[17] | Boxer | 83.7 – 11.7% | ||
| 2006 | Governor[18] | Angelides | 64.3 – 27.9% | |
| Senator[19] | Feinstein | 80.4 – 7.7% | ||
| 2008 | President[20] | Obama | 85.2 – 12.4% | |
| 2010 | Governor | Brown | 80.0 – 16.4% | |
| Senator | Boxer | 81.3 – 14.7% | ||
| 2012 | President | Romney | 55.6 – 41.7% | |
| 2014 | Governor[21] | Kashkari | 62.3 – 37.7% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump | 54.7 – 39.6% | |
| Senator[22] | Harris | 55.1 – 44.9% | ||
| 2018 | Governor[23] | Cox | 59.8 – 40.2% | |
| Senator[24] | de Leon | 54.3 – 45.7% | ||
| 2020 | President | Trump | 54 – 43.6% | |
| 2021 | Recall[25] | Yes | 60.2 – 39.8% | |
| 2022 | Governor[26] | Newsom | 73.9 – 26.1% | |
| Senator | Padilla | 75.4 – 24.6% |
| County | Seat | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Contra Costa | Martinez | 1,161,413 | |
| 95 | Solano | Fairfield | 451,716 |
Contra Costa County is split between this district and the 10th district. They are partitioned by Grizzly Peak Blvd, Seaview Trail, Camino Pablo, Bear Creek Rd, San Pablo Creek, Bear Creek, Brianes Reservoir, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Highway 4, Alhambra Ave, Pacheco Blvd, Grandview Ave, Central Ave, Imhoff Dr, Bares Ave, Mount Diablo Creek, Union Pacific, Contra Costa Canal, 4WD Rd, Bailey Rd, James Donlon Blvd, Cambridge Dr, Reseda Way, S Royal links Cir, Carpinteria Dr, Barmouth Dr, Hillcrest Ave, Highway 4, and Highway 160. The 8th district takes in the north side of the cities of Antioch and Martinez, the cities of Pittsburg, Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Pinole, and Hercules and the census-designated places Kensington, East Richmond Heights, North Richmond, Rollingwood, El Sobrante, Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, Bayview, Rodeo, Crockett, Port Costa, and Bay Point.
Solano County is split between this district and the 4th district. They are partitioned by Soda Springs Rd, Union Pacific, Alamo Dr, Leisure Town Rd, Hawkins Rd, Bay Area Exxextric, Shilo Rd, Collinsville Rd, and Montezuma Slough. The 8th district takes part of the city of Vacaville, the entirety of the in the cities of Vallejo, Fairfield, Suisun City, and Benicia and the census-designated places Green Valley and Elmira.
| Member | Party | Dates | Cong ress(es) | Electoral history | Counties | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1903 | |||||||||
| align=left | Milton J. Daniels | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1905 | Elected in 1902. Retired. | 1903–1913 Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Ventura | |||
| align=left | Sylvester C. Smith | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1905 – January 26, 1913 | Elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Died. | ||||
| Vacant | nowrap | January 27, 1913 – March 3, 1913 | |||||||
| align=left | Everis A. Hayes | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election. | 1913–1933 Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Ventura | |||
| align=left | Hugh S. Hersman | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921 | Elected in 1918. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left | Arthur M. Free | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left | John J. McGrath | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939 | Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Lost re-election. | 1933–1943 Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz | |||
| align=left rowspan=2 | Jack Z. Anderson | Republican | January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1953 | Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Retired. | |||||
| 1943–1953 San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz | |||||||||
| align=left | George P. Miller | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1973 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Lost renomination. | 1953–1975 Alameda outside Oakland | |||
| align=left | Pete Stark | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | Elected in 1972. Redistricted to the . | ||||
| align=left rowspan=2 | Ron Dellums | Democratic | nowrap rowspan=2 | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1993 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-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. Redistricted to the . | 1975–1983 Alameda (Oakland) | |||
| 1983–1993 Alameda (Oakland), southwestern Contra Costa | |||||||||
Nancy Pelosi | Democratic | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2013 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Redistricted to the . | 1993–2003 Most of San Francisco | |||||
| 2003–2013: Most of San Francisco | |||||||||
| align=left | Paul Cook | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2013 – December 7, 2020 | Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Resigned when elected to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. | 2013–2023 Inyo, Mono, most of San Bernardino | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | December 7, 2020 – January 3, 2021 | |||||||
| align=left | Jay Obernolte | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | Elected in 2020. Redistricted to the . | ||||
| align=left | John Garamendi | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2023 – present | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. | 2023–present Parts of Contra Costa and Solano | |||
| align=center | 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 |