| State: | Pennsylvania |
| District Number: | 8 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | Matt Cartwright |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Moosic |
| Population: | 766,586 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $63,172 |
| Percent White: | 74.6 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 13.2 |
| Percent Black: | 6.3 |
| Percent Asian: | 2.0 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 3.3 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.6 |
| Cpvi: | R+4[1] |
Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district is located in the northeastern region of the state. It encompasses all of Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna Counties; along with portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties.
The district had been anchored in Bucks County from the 1940s until 2018, even as most other districts in Pennsylvania changed drastically during that time frame due to population shifts and Pennsylvania's loss of seats in the House.[2]
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the district in February 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional due to gerrymandering. The 8th district was reassigned to the northeastern part of the state for the 2018 elections and representation thereafter. It is geographically the successor of the former 17th district, including the ancestrally Democratic cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in the Wyoming Valley. Portions of the new 8th district also came from the old 10th district, including the more conservative counties of Pike and Wayne. Meanwhile, the Bucks County district was renumbered as the 1st district.[3]
The district has a Cook PVI of R+4;[1] however, the Democratic incumbent of the old 17th district, Matt Cartwright, won in 2018.[4] It was one of five districts that would have voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election had they existed in their current configuration while being won or held by a Democrat in 2022. It is also the most Republican-leaning district held by a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus based on the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
The district is a mix of suburban and rural communities. It is predominantly white and middle-class. The bulk of its population is located in the ancestrally Democratic cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. However, the Democrats in this district are populist-leaning, different from their counterparts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The old 17th swung from a 55–43 win for Barack Obama to a 54–43 win for Donald Trump, the first time much of this area had voted for a Republican since 1988.
| Year | Office | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | President | align=left | Trump 51–47% | |
| 2022 | Governor | align=left | Shapiro 54–44% | |
| 2022 | Senate | align=left | Fetterman 49–48% |
The district was created in 1791.
| Representative | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District first established March 4, 1791 | ||||||||
| align=left | William Findley | Anti-Administration | nowrap | March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793 | Elected in 1791. Redistricted to the . | |||
District eliminated in 1793 and replaced by the .
District restored in 1795.
| Representative | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Thomas Hartley | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1795 – December 21, 1800 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1794. Re-elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Retired and then died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | December 21, 1800 – January 15, 1801 | ||||||
| align=left | John Stewart | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | January 15, 1801 – March 3, 1803 | Elected in 1800. Elected January 15, 1801, to finish Hartley's term and seated February 3, 1801. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | William Findley | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1813 | Elected in 1802. Re-elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Re-elected in 1810. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | William Piper | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1817 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1812. Re-elected in 1814. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Alexander Ogle | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819 | Elected in 1816. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Robert Philson | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821 | Elected in 1818. Lost re-election as a Federalist. | |||
| align=left | John Tod | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823 | Elected in 1820. Redistricted to the . | |||
| Years | Cong ress | Seat A | Seat B | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representative | Party | Electoral history | Representative | Party | Electoral history | ||||||||
| nowrap | March 4, 1823 – April 20, 1824 | align=left | Thomas Jones Rogers | Democratic-Republican | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1822. Resigned. | Samuel D. Ingham | Democratic-Republican | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Re-elected in 1828 but resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. | |||||
| nowrap | April 20, 1824 – December 9, 1824 | Vacant | |||||||||||
| nowrap | December 9, 1824 – March 3, 1825 | George Wolf | Democratic-Republican | Elected October 12, 1824, to finish Rogers's term and seated December 9, 1824. Also elected the same day in 1824 to the next term. Re-elected in 1826. Re-elected in 1828 but resigned to become Governor of Pennsylvania. | |||||||||
| nowrap | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829 | Jacksonian | Jacksonian | ||||||||||
| nowrap | March 4, 1829 – October 13, 1829 | Vacant | Vacant | ||||||||||
| nowrap | October 13, 1829 – March 3, 1833 | align=left | Samuel A. Smith | Jacksonian | Elected October 13, 1829, to finish Wolf's term and seated December 7, 1829. Re-elected in 1830. Retired. | align=left | Peter Ihrie Jr. | Jacksonian | Elected October 13, 1829, to finish Ingham's term and seated December 7, 1829. Re-elected in 1830. Redistricted to the and lost re-election. | ||||
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Henry King | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1832. Retired. | 1833–1843 | ||
| Edward Burd Hubley | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 | Elected in 1834. Re-elected in 1836. Retired. | ||||
| Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839 | ||||||
| align=left | Peter Newhard | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843 | Elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Jeremiah Brown | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1843. Retired. | 1843–1853 | ||
| align=left | John Strohm | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849 | Elected in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. | |||
| align=left | Thaddeus Stevens | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 | Elected in 1848. Re-elected in 1850. | |||
| align=left | Henry A. Muhlenberg | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – January 9, 1854 | Elected in 1852. Died. | 1853–1863 | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | January 9, 1854 – February 4, 1854 | ||||||
| align=left | J. Glancy Jones | Democratic | nowrap | February 4, 1854 – October 30, 1858 | Elected to finish Muhlenberg's term. Re-elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Resigned to become United States Minister to Austria. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | October 30, 1858 – December 7, 1858 | ||||||
| align=left | William H. Keim | Republican | nowrap | December 7, 1858 – March 3, 1859 | Elected to finish Jones's term. | |||
| align=left | John Schwartz | Anti-Lecompton Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1859 – June 20, 1860 | Elected in 1858. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | June 20, 1860 – December 3, 1860 | ||||||
| align=left | Jacob K. McKenty | Democratic | nowrap | December 3, 1860 – March 3, 1861 | Elected to finish Schwartz's term. Retired. | |||
Sydenham E. Ancona | Democratic | March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1867 | Elected in 1860. Re-elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Lost renomination. | |||||
| 1863–1873 | ||||||||
| align=left | James L. Getz | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1873 | Elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Hiester Clymer | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1881 | Elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. | 1873–1883 | ||
Daniel Ermentrout | Democratic | March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1889 | Elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Lost renomination. | |||||
| 1883–1893 | ||||||||
William Mutchler | Democratic | March 4, 1889 – June 23, 1893 | Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Died. | |||||
| 1893–1903 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | June 23, 1893 – August 7, 1893 | ||||||
| align=left | Howard Mutchler | Democratic | nowrap | August 7, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | Elected to finish his father's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Joseph J. Hart | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | Elected in 1894. Retired. | |||
| align=left | William S. Kirkpatrick | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899 | Elected in 1896. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Laird H. Barber | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 | Elected in 1898. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Howard Mutchler | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1903 | Elected in 1900. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Irving P. Wanger | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Lost re-election. | 1903–1913 | ||
Robert E. Difenderfer | Democratic | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915 | Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Lost renomination. | |||||
| 1913–1933 | ||||||||
| align=left | Henry W. Watson | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1923 | Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Redistricted to the Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district. | |||
| align=left | Thomas S. Butler | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1923 – May 26, 1928 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | May 26, 1928 – November 6, 1928 | ||||||
James Wolfenden | Republican | November 6, 1928 – January 3, 1945 | Elected to finish Butler's term. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Redistricted to the Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. | |||||
| 1933–1943 | ||||||||
| 1943–1953 | ||||||||
| align=left | Charles L. Gerlach | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1945 – May 5, 1947 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1944. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | May 5, 1947 – September 9, 1947 | ||||||
| align=left | Franklin H. Lichtenwalter | Republican | nowrap | September 9, 1947 – January 3, 1951 | Elected to finish Gerlach's term. Re-elected in 1948. | |||
| align=left | Albert C. Vaughn | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1951 – September 1, 1951 | Elected in 1950. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | September 1, 1951 – November 6, 1951 | ||||||
Karl C. King | Republican | November 6, 1951 – January 3, 1957 | Elected to finish Vaughn's term. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Retired. | |||||
| 1953–1963 | ||||||||
Willard S. Curtin | Republican | January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1967 | Elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Retired. | |||||
| 1963–1973 | ||||||||
Edward G. Biester Jr. | Republican | January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1977 | Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Retired. | |||||
| 1973–1983 | ||||||||
| align=left | Peter H. Kostmayer | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 | Elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | James K. Coyne, III | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983 | Elected in 1980. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Peter H. Kostmayer | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 | Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Lost re-election. | 1983–1993 | ||
James C. Greenwood | Republican | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2005 | Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Retired. | 1993–2003 | ||||
| 2003–2013 | ||||||||
| align=left | Mike Fitzpatrick | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | Elected in 2004. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Patrick Murphy | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election. | |||
Mike Fitzpatrick | Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 | Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Retired. | |||||
| 2013–2019 | ||||||||
| align=left | Brian Fitzpatrick | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | Elected in 2016. Redistricted to the | |||
Matt Cartwright | Democratic | January 3, 2019 – present | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. | 2019–2023 | ||||
| 2023– | ||||||||