 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2020) |
| Florida's 8th congressional district | |
|---|---|
.svg)  Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 | |
| Representative | |
| Area | 2,412[1] sq mi (6,250 km2) |
| Distribution |
|
| Population (2024) | 831,434[3] |
| Median household income | $78,386[4] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | R+11[5] |
Florida's 8th congressional district is anelectoral district for theU.S. Congress and was reassigned in 2012, effective January 2013, from the inland central part ofFlorida to the central Atlantic coast. The district includesTitusville,Melbourne,Cocoa,Cape Canaveral, andVero Beach. The district includes all ofBrevard andIndian River counties and parts ofOrange County. The district also includes theKennedy Space Center andCape Canaveral Space Force Station.[6][7]
Currently, the residents of the eighth district are represented byRepublicanMike Haridopolos, who has held the seat since 2025.
For the118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities:[8]
BrevardCounty(31)
OrangeCounty(2)
| Year | Office | Results[9][10] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 55% - 44% |
| 2010 | Senate | Rubio 55% - 15% |
| Governor | Scott 58% - 42% | |
| Attorney General | Bondi 60% - 33% | |
| Chief Financial Officer | Atwater 61% - 31% | |
| 2012 | President | Romney 57% - 43% |
| Senate | Nelson 51% - 49% | |
| 2014 | Governor | Scott 57% - 43% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 58% - 37% |
| Senate | Rubio 59% - 36% | |
| 2018 | Senate | Scott 58% - 42% |
| Governor | DeSantis 58% - 40% | |
| Attorney General | Moody 61% - 37% | |
| Chief Financial Officer | Patronis 60% - 39% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 58% - 41% |
| 2022 | Senate | Rubio 63% - 36% |
| Governor | DeSantis 65% - 35% | |
| Attorney General | Moody 67% - 33% | |
| Chief Financial Officer | Patronis 65% - 35% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 61% - 38% |
| Senate | Scott 59% - 38% |
Incumbent Republican Bill McCollum (68.5%) won over Democrat Chuck Kovaleski (31.5%). McCollum, who previous served inFL-5 since 1981, was shifted to the 8th District after theredistricting.
Incumbent RepublicanBill McCollum ran unopposed in the mid-terms. His re-election was part of the1994Republican Revolution.
Incumbent Republican Bill McCollum (67.47%) won easily over progressive Democrat and actor Al Krulick (32.52%).[1]
Incumbent McCollum faced Krulick for the second time. McCollum won 66%-34%, a nearly identical margin from 1996. He won his seat for the tenth (and final) time. Despite someminor losses in the midterm for the GOP, McCollum was among the 15 Florida Republican incumbents who all won re-election.
Twenty year veteran Republican incumbentBill McCollum retired from the seat, to run (unsuccessfully) for the open Senate seat in Florida. The open seat in District 8 would be fought between formerOrange County Commission ChairwomanLinda Chapin (Democrat) and attorneyRic Keller (Republican).
Keller endured a rough primary, which went to a runoff between himself and state representative Bill Sublette. Sublette had received the most votes in the September 5th primary (43.41%),[11] but not enough to avoid a runoff. On October 3, Keller flipped the results, and won the two-man primary 51.94%-48.06%.
Chapin quickly raised over $1.4 million in campaign contributions, more than Sublette and Keller combined. In the general election, Chapin touted her public experience over Keller, who was political newcomer and a virtual unknown. Keller attacked Chapin as anti-gun rights, and for a record of fiscal irresponsibility. He famously cited her spending of $18,500 in county funds for a bronze sculpture of a frog.
Keller narrowly won the traditionally Republican-leaning district by a margin of 51% to 49%.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ric Keller | 125,253 | 50.79 | |
| Democratic | Linda Chapin | 121,295 | 49.19 | |
| Write-ins | Charlie Klein | 39 | 0.02 | |
| Write-ins | Clay O. Hill | 6 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 246,593 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
After the 2001Congressional re-apportionment, Florida's 8th District wasredistricted from a near equal representation (Democrat-Republican) to one that included seven percent more Republicans than Democrats.
Keller readily won the 2002 Congressional election against Democrat Eddie Diaz, winning with 65% of the vote.
In 2004 Keller won his third term with 60% of the vote against Democratic challenger Stephen Murray.
In the2006 election, Ric Keller was elected to his fourth two-year term, defeatingDemocrat Charlie Stuart,Independent Wes Hoaglund, and three write-in candidates.
Keller managed to hold on to his seat in the midst of aDemocratic wave that was sweeping the country that November. Keller had been slipping in popularity, winning by lower margins in each election. He also had been mildly lampooned by local media with the nickname "Cheeseburger Ric," for introducing the so-called "Cheeseburger Bill" to the House floor in 2003 and again in 2005.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ric Keller (inc.) | 95,258 | 52.79 | |
| Democratic | Charlie Stuart | 82,526 | 45.73 | |
| Independent | Wes Hoaglund | 2,640 | 1.46 | |
| Write-ins | 20 | 0.01 | ||
| Total votes | 180,444 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Despite a prior pledge to serve only four terms, CongressmanRic Keller was running for his fifth term in the House of Representatives. Todd Long, a conservative Orlando attorney and radio talk show host, announced he would challenge Keller in the Republican primary, promising to make an issue of the broken term-limits pledge.[12] The Keller-Long primary fight intensified over the summer, with Keller's term limit retraction, as well as his vote againstThe Surge[13] making him increasingly vulnerable to defeat. However, just days before the August 26 primary, Keller sent out a mailer exposing Long's arrest record, a DUI, and another trespass warning.[14] Keller won theprimary with a 53%-47% margin,[15] but his reputation took a hit, as many saw the mailer as a political "dirty trick".
Keller's Democratic opponent was attorney and progressive activistAlan Grayson, who emerged as the surprise victor of a large Democratic primary field which included moderate Democrat and long-time Central Florida political operative Charlie Stuart, attorney Mike Smith,engineer Alexander Fry, and recentlaw schoolgraduate Quoc Van.
Grayson defeated Keller in the November general election receiving 52% of the vote, the same share asBarack Obama on the top of the ballot. Democratic activists in the district had mounted an aggressive campaign to register traditionally Democratic union workers and an increasing Hispanic (primarily Puerto Rican) demographic in the district. The general election was heated, with "mudslinging" andattack ads by both sides on television and in mailers.[3][4] The race gained considerable national attention.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan Grayson | 172,854 | 52.0 | |||
| Republican | Ric Keller (incumbent) | 159,490 | 48.0 | |||
| Total votes | 332,244 | 100.00 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
Freshman Democratic incumbentAlan Grayson ran unopposed for the nomination, while the Republican side was won by former State Senate Majority Leader andSpeaker of the Florida House of RepresentativesDaniel Webster. After less than two years in congress, Grayson had become known as a firebrand liberal and outspoken critic on the House floor, often to the point of controversy even from members of his own party. GOP leaders early on targeted Grayson and this district, which had traditionally leaned republican, for challenge in the mid-term election.
Daniel Webster had initially rejected the suggestions by theFlorida GOP to run for the seat, but in April 2010, he changed his mind and entered the race. Webster's name recognition and endorsements fromJeb Bush andMike Huckabee helped him emerge as the front-runner. Webster won the GOP primary on August 24, 2010, defeating six other candidates, with 40% of the vote.
In the general election, Webster ran a traditional, conservative family values-based campaign. However, Grayson had a deep war chest fueled by a nationwide campaign fundraising network.[17] Grayson ran attack ads, calling Webster a "draft-dodger"[18] (Webster had received student deferments and a draft classification as medically unfit for service),[19] and another calling Webster "Taliban Dan" for his perceived extreme right religious views on social issues.[20]
Grayson's attack ads were criticized,[21] and observers suggest they ultimately backfired.[22] With just days left before voters went to the polls, Grayson was considered increasingly vulnerable to defeat. On election day, Webster defeated Grayson soundly by an 18-point margin, part of a sweeping 63-seat gain by House Republicans in themidterm election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Daniel Webster | 123,464 | 56.13 | |||
| Democratic | Alan Grayson (incumbent) | 84,036 | 38.20 | |||
| Florida TEA Party | Peg Dunmire | 8,324 | 3.78 | |||
| Independent | George Metcalfe | 4,140 | 1.88 | |||
| No party | Steven Gerritzen (write-in) | |||||
| Total votes | 219,964 | 100 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
Previous incumbentDaniel Webster was redistricted to run instead for the10th district. The "new" District 8 would comprise areas that formerly made up the15th district.
Bill Posey, effectively running as the incumbent, won re-election with nearly 60% of the vote against Democratic nominee Shannon Roberts and non-partisan candidate Richard Gillmor.[23]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Posey | 205,432 | 58.9 | |
| Democratic | Shannon Roberts | 130,870 | 37.5 | |
| No Party Affiliation | Richard Gillmor | 12,607 | 3.6 | |
| Total votes | 348,909 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Posey (incumbent) | 180,728 | 65.8 | |
| Democratic | Gabriel Rothblatt | 93,724 | 34.2 | |
| Independent | Christopher L. Duncan (write-in) | 61 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 274,513 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Posey (incumbent) | 246,483 | 63.1 | |
| Democratic | Corry Westbrook | 127,127 | 32.6 | |
| Independent | Bill Stinson | 16,951 | 4.3 | |
| Total votes | 390,561 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Posey (incumbent) | 218,112 | 60.5 | |
| Democratic | Sanjay Patel | 142,415 | 39.5 | |
| Total votes | 360,527 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Posey (incumbent) | 282,093 | 61.4 | |
| Democratic | Jim Kennedy | 177,695 | 38.6 | |
| Total votes | 459,788 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Posey (incumbent) | 222,128 | 64.9 | |
| Democratic | Joanne Terry | 120,080 | 35.0 | |
| Total votes | 342,208 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos | 280,352 | 62.24 | |
| Democratic | Sandy Kennedy | 170,096 | 37.76 | |
| Total votes | 450,448 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
From 1993 through 2012, the district was based inland within centralFlorida. It took in parts ofOrange County (includingWalt Disney World and most ofOrlando),Lake County,Marion County andOsceola County.
In 2012, effective January 2013, the 8th district was reassigned to the Atlantic coast, withBrevard County andIndian River County, plus the east end ofOrange County and Orlando. It is geographically the successor to the old 15th district.
28°09′53″N80°41′56″W / 28.16472°N 80.69889°W /28.16472; -80.69889
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