Arizona's 8th congressional district


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Arizona's 8th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona. It includes many of the suburbs north and west of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona. The district includes several high-income retirement communities, including Sun City West.

Arizona's 8th congressional district

Map

Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023

Representative
Area9,057 sq mi (23,460 km2)
Distribution
  • 87.3% urban
  • 12.7% rural
Population (2023)800,203[1]
Median household
income		$79,122[2]
Ethnicity
Cook PVIR+10[3]

After redistricting for the 2012 general election, the new 8th district encompasses most of the Maricopa County portion of the old 2nd district, while most of the former 8th district became the 2nd congressional district.[4] It is the geographic and demographic successor of the old 2nd; while the 4th district contains most of the old 2nd's land, more than 92 percent of the old 2nd's constituents were drawn into the 8th.[5]

This seat was vacated by Representative Trent Franks on December 8, 2017. A special election was held on April 24, 2018, and won by Republican Debbie Lesko.

Arizona picked up an eighth congressional district after the 2000 census. It originally encompassed the extreme southeastern part of the state. It included all of Cochise County and parts of Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties. For all intents and purposes, it was the successor to what had been the 5th district from 1983 to 2003.

Longtime Republican incumbent Jim Kolbe retired in 2007, and was succeeded by Democrat Gabby Giffords, who was shot and severely wounded at a public event on January 8, 2011. Giffords resigned her seat on January 25, 2012. In a special election held on June 12, 2012, Democrat Ron Barber was elected as the new congressman.[6]

For the 2012 election, Barber was redistricted to the 2nd district, which includes the bulk of the old 8th district. The 8th was redrawn to include nearly all of the Maricopa County portion of the old 2nd district–as mentioned above, more than 92 percent of the old 2nd's population. The district had previously been the 3rd district from 1963 to 2003. That district's congressman, Republican Trent Franks, won the election for the new 8th.

After the 2022 redistricting, the 8th was one of only two districts, the other being the East Valley-based 5th, that retained essentially its same boundaries.

# County Seat Population
13 Maricopa Phoenix 4,585,871

Cities of 10,000 people or more

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Year Office Results
2004 President Bush 53–46%
2008 President McCain 52–46%
2012 President Romney 62–37%
2016 President Trump 58–37%
2020 President Trump 57–41%

John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee, was also a resident of Arizona and one of the state's two United States Senators.

List of members representing the district

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Arizona began sending an eighth member to the House after the 2000 Census. Prior to this time, most of the 8th's current territory was in the 5th district.

Member
(Residence) 		Party Years Cong
ress 		Electoral history District location[7][8][9]
District created January 3, 2003
 
Jim Kolbe
(Tucson) 		Republican January 3, 2003 –
January 3, 2007 		108th
109th 		Redistricted from the 5th district.
Re-elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Retired. 		2003–2013
 
Cochise; parts of Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz
 
Gabby Giffords
(Tucson) 		Democratic January 3, 2007 –
January 25, 2012 		110th
111th
112th 		Elected in 2006.
Re-elected in 2008.
Re-elected in 2010.
Resigned.
Vacant January 25, 2012 –
June 19, 2012 		112th
 
Ron Barber
(Tucson) 		Democratic June 19, 2012 –
January 3, 2013 		Elected to finish Giffords's term.
Redistricted to the 2nd district.
 
Trent Franks
(Glendale) 		Republican January 3, 2013 –
December 8, 2017 		113th
114th
115th 		Redistricted from the 2nd district.
Re-elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Resigned. 		2013–2023
 
Part of Maricopa
Vacant December 8, 2017 –
May 7, 2018 		115th
 
Debbie Lesko
(Peoria) 		Republican May 7, 2018 –
present 		115th
116th
117th
118th 		Elected to finish Franks's term.
Re-elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Re-elected in 2022.
Retiring at end of term.
2023–present:
 
Part of Maricopa

Complete election results

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  1. ^ Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
  2. ^ Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
  3. ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "Maps for the 2012 election" (PDF). Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  5. ^ Arizona Redistricting: Commission releases draft map. Daily Kos, October 4, 2011
  6. ^ Condon, Stephanie (January 23, 2012). "Gabrielle Giffords' resignation prompts special election". CBS News. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  7. ^ Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts, 1789-1983. New York: Macmillan Publishing.
  8. ^ Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. New York: Macmillan Publishing.
  9. ^ Congressional Directory: Browse 105th Congress Archived February 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "U.S. Representative in Congress - District No. 8". Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "2018 Arizona general election results" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved June 9, 2019.

33°41′44″N 112°17′59″W / 33.69556°N 112.29972°W