Tennessee's 8th congressional district
The 8th congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district in West Tennessee. It has been represented by Republican David Kustoff since January 2017.
Tennessee's 8th congressional district | |||
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![]() Tennessee's 8th congressional district – since January 3, 2013. | |||
Representative |
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Distribution |
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Population (2016) | 706,468[2] | ||
Median income | $56,477[3] | ||
Ethnicity |
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Cook PVI | R+19[4] |
Current Boundaries
The district is located in West Tennessee. It borders Kentucky to the north, Arkansas and Missouri to the west, and Mississippi to the south.
It is currently composed of the following counties: Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Haywood, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, Obion, Tipton, and Weakley. It also contains a large piece of Shelby County and a small piece of Benton.
Characteristics
The district appears rural on a map, but the bulk of its vote is cast in the suburban areas around Memphis, such as Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville, as well as Fayette and Tipton counties. This area boasts some of the highest median incomes in the state.
The rest of the district is composed mostly of small towns and farming communities. The district already had a strong social conservative tint which grew even more pronounced when eastern Memphis was added to the district; many of the state's most politically active churches are located here.
According to the 2010 census, the five largest cities located mostly with the district are: Jackson (65,211), Bartlett (54,613), Collierville (43,965), Germantown (38,844), and Dyersburg (17,145).
Election results from presidential races
Year | Office | Result |
---|---|---|
2000 | President | Al Gore 51% - George W. Bush 48% |
2004 | President | George W. Bush 53% - John Kerry 47% |
2008 | President | John McCain 64% - Barack Obama 35% |
2012 | President | Mitt Romney 66% - Barack Obama 33% |
2016 | President | Donald Trump 66.3% - Hillary Clinton 30.7% |
History
Districts similar to today's 8th (composing of rural areas in northwest Tennessee) have been in place since Reconstruction.
During the early 20th century, most of northwest Tennessee was represented by Democrats Finis J. Garrett (1905 to 1929), Jere Cooper (1929 to 1943), Clifford Davis (1943 to 1953), then Cooper again from 1953 to 1957. Cooper was succeeded by Fats Everett, who served until his death in early 1969.
The district's current form of including Memphis suburbs began in 1967 due to a re-districting caused by the Baker v. Carr ruling.
Following Everett's death in 1969, the district chose former Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Ed Jones in a special election. Jones served the area in Congress for just under twenty years until his retirement in 1988.
Upon Jones' retirement, the district selected Democrat John S. Tanner as its representative. Following eleven terms (22 years) in Congress, Tanner retired.
In 2011, the district chose Republican businessman Stephen Fincher over Democrat state senator Roy Herron. It marked the first time since Reconstruction that a Republican had represented northwest Tennessee.
Following the 2010 census, the district lost its remaining territory in Middle Tennessee, meaning it was entirely within West Tennessee for the first time since 1968. In the same census, the 7th lost its remaining claims in Shelby County, meaning that since 2012, any area of Shelby County that is not in the 9th is in the 8th.
In 2016, Fincher retired and was succeeded by Republican David Kustoff, a former United States Attorney.
List of members representing the district
Name | Party | Years | Cong ress |
Electoral history | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
District created March 4, 1823 | |||||
James B. Reynolds | Democratic-Republican (Jackson) | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 |
18th | [data unknown/missing] | |
John H. Marable | Jacksonian | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829 |
19th 20th |
[data unknown/missing] | |
![]() Cave Johnson |
Jacksonian | March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833 |
21st 22nd |
[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 11th district. | |
David W. Dickinson | Jacksonian | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835 |
23rd | [data unknown/missing] | |
Abram P. Maury | Anti-Jacksonian | March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 |
24th 25th |
[data unknown/missing] | |
Whig | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839 |
[data unknown/missing] | |||
![]() Meredith P. Gentry |
Whig | March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843 |
26th 27th |
[data unknown/missing] | |
Joseph H. Peyton | Whig | March 4, 1843 – November 11, 1845 |
28th 29th |
[data unknown/missing] Died. | |
Vacant | November 11, 1845 – January 2, 1846 | ||||
Edwin H. Ewing | Whig | January 2, 1846 – March 3, 1847 |
29th | Elected to finish Peyton's term. [data unknown/missing] | |
Washington Barrow | Whig | March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849 |
30th | [data unknown/missing] | |
Andrew Ewing | Democratic | March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851 |
31st | [data unknown/missing] | |
William Cullom | Whig | March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 |
32nd | [data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 4th district. | |
![]() Felix Zollicoffer |
Whig | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 |
33rd 34th 35th |
[data unknown/missing] | |
Know Nothing | March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859 | ||||
James M. Quarles | Opposition | March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 |
36th | [data unknown/missing] | |
Vacant | March 4, 1861 – July 24, 1866 |
36th 37th 38th 39th |
American Civil War | ||
![]() John W. Leftwich |
Unconditional Unionist | July 24, 1866 – March 3, 1867 |
39th | [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() David A. Nunn |
Republican | March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869 |
40th | [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() William J. Smith |
Republican | March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871 |
41st | [data unknown/missing] | |
William W. Vaughan | Democratic | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 |
42nd | [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() David A. Nunn |
Republican | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
43rd | [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() John D. C. Atkins |
Democratic | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883 |
44th 45th 46th 47th |
Redistricted from the 7th district. [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() John M. Taylor |
Democratic | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887 |
48th 49th |
[data unknown/missing] | |
![]() Benjamin A. Enloe |
Democratic | March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1895 |
50th 51st 52nd 53rd |
[data unknown/missing] | |
![]() John E. McCall |
Republican | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 |
54th | [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() Thetus W. Sims |
Democratic | March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1921 |
55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th |
[data unknown/missing] | |
![]() Lon A. Scott |
Republican | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923 |
67th | [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() Gordon Browning |
Democratic | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1933 |
68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd |
[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 7th district. | |
![]() Jere Cooper |
Democratic | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1943 |
73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th |
Redistricted from the 9th district. Redistricted to the 9th district. | |
![]() Tom J. Murray |
Democratic | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953 |
78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd |
[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 7th district. | |
![]() Jere Cooper |
Democratic | January 3, 1953 – December 18, 1957 |
83rd 84th 85th |
Redistricted from the 9th district. Died. | |
Vacant | December 18, 1957 – February 1, 1958 | ||||
![]() Fats Everett |
Democratic | February 1, 1958 – January 26, 1969 |
85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st |
Elected to finish Cooper's term. Died. | |
Vacant | January 26, 1969 – March 25, 1969 | ||||
![]() Ed Jones |
Democratic | March 25, 1969 – January 3, 1973 |
91st 92nd |
Elected to finish Everett's term. Redistricted to the 7th district. | |
![]() Dan Kuykendall |
Republican | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 |
93rd | Redistricted from the 9th district. [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() Harold Ford Sr. |
Democratic | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1983 |
94th 95th 96th 97th |
[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 9th district. | |
![]() Ed Jones |
Democratic | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1989 |
98th 99th 100th |
Redistricted from the 7th district. [data unknown/missing] | |
![]() John S. Tanner |
Democratic | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2011 |
101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th |
[data unknown/missing] | |
![]() Stephen Fincher |
Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 |
112th 113th 114th |
[data unknown/missing] Retired. | |
![]() David Kustoff |
Republican | January 3, 2017 – present |
115th 116th |
Elected in 2016. |
Historical district boundaries
![](../I/m/TN08_109.gif)
References
- https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/cd_state.html
- https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=47&cd=08
- https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=47&cd=08
- "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present