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Maryland's 8th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
April 26, 2016 |
Jamie Raskin  |
Chris Van Hollen |
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Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
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The 8th Congressional District of Maryland held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. In Maryland's 8th Congressional District, incumbent Chris Van Hollen (D) chose not to run for re-election in 2016, instead seeking election to the U.S. Senate. Jamie Raskin (D) defeated Dan Cox (R), Nancy Wallace (Green), and Jasen Wunder (Libertarian) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Raskin defeated eight other candidates in the Democratic primary, while Cox defeated Jeffrey Jones, Elizabeth Matory, Aryeh Shudofsky and Shelly Skolnick to win the Republican nomination. Additionally, Wallace defeated Charles Galloway and Elizabeth Croydon to win the Green Party primary. The primary elections took place on April 26, 2016.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Maryland utilizes a closed primary system. Although parties may hold open primaries, parties generally permit only registered party members to vote in their primaries.[6][7]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Chris Van Hollen (D), who was first elected in 2002. Van Hollen did not seek re-election in 2016. He instead pursued a U.S. Senate bid.
Maryland's 8th Congressional District encompasses parts of Carroll, Frederick and Montgomery counties.[8]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Jamie Raskin |
60.6% | 220,657 | |
| Republican | Dan Cox | 34.2% | 124,651 | |
| Green | Nancy Wallace | 3.1% | 11,201 | |
| Libertarian | Jasen Wunder | 2% | 7,283 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.1% | 532 | |
| Total Votes | 364,324 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jamie Raskin |
33.6% | 43,776 | ||
| David Trone | 27.1% | 35,400 | ||
| Kathleen Matthews | 23.9% | 31,186 | ||
| Ana Sol Gutierrez | 5.5% | 7,185 | ||
| William Jawando | 4.6% | 6,058 | ||
| Kumar Barve | 2.4% | 3,149 | ||
| David Anderson | 1.2% | 1,511 | ||
| Joel Rubin | 1.1% | 1,426 | ||
| Dan Bolling | 0.5% | 712 | ||
| Total Votes | 130,403 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dan Cox |
44.4% | 20,647 | ||
| Jeffrey Jones | 20.1% | 9,343 | ||
| Elizabeth Matory | 15.7% | 7,295 | ||
| Shelly Skolnick | 12.5% | 5,835 | ||
| Aryeh Shudofsky | 7.4% | 3,421 | ||
| Total Votes | 46,541 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections |
||||
Candidates
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General election candidates: Jamie Raskin   Dan Cox Jasen Wunder Nancy Wallace |
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Primary candidates:[9] |
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Democratic Kumar Barve - State Delegate[11][12] Dan Bolling[11] Ana Sol Gutierrez - State Delegate[11][12] William Jawando - Former Obama aide[11][13] Kathleen Matthews[11][14] Jamie Raskin - State Senator[11][15] Joel Rubin[11][16] David Trone - Businessman[11][17] |
Republican Jeffrey Jones[11] Elizabeth Matory[11] Aryeh Shudofsky[11] Shelly Skolnick[11] |
|
Third Party/Other Nancy Wallace (Green)[11] Elizabeth Croydon (Green)[11] Jasen Wunder (Libertarian)[11] |
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Withdrew: Valerie Ervin (D) - Former Montgomery County Council president[18][19] |
Race background
Rep. Chris Van Hollen chose not to run for re-election in 2016, leaving the seat open.
Campaign spending
As of early April 2016, candidate David Trone had spent $9.1 million of his own money in the race. This made him the biggest self-funding candidate for U.S. House in history. Trone commented on his decision not to take money from outside groups, "I certainly could have raised enough money to fund a competitive campaign. But the PACs, lobbyists and big dollar donors who give money would expect special attention. No matter how well-intentioned, those contributions and the candidates who take them are part of the reason Washington is broken."[20]
Notable Events
In February 2016, two staff members of David Trone's campaign pursued positions on opposing candidate campaigns in order to act as spies. Candidate Kathleen Matthews sent a letter to Trone's campaign alleging that someone working for him had attempted to contact and work for her campaign. On February 2, 2016, Trone indicated that he had evidence of his employees making contact with Jamie Raskin's campaign in a similar way. Trone responded to the events by firing the employees involved and releasing a statement. It read, in part, "Today, I learned that young people working for my campaign surreptitiously volunteered for the campaigns of other candidates in the race. After investigating the incident, I terminated those two employees and their supervisor effectively [sic] immediately."[21]
Endorsements
Kumar Barve
- UNITE HERE[22]
- Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.)[23]
- Norman Mineta (former Transporation Secretary and U.S. Representative)[23]
- Maryland Del. Aruna Miller[23]
Valerie Ervin
- Maryland Working Families - "This was a difficult choice to make in a field of candidates who are also powerful forces for working families. As a passionate champion for low-wage workers, Valerie has an unparalleled track record and an ability to bring people together to make change and win elections."[24]
Ana Sol Gutierrez
- Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)[23]
- BOLD PAC[23]
- CASA en Action[23]
Kathleen Matthews
- Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.)[23]
- Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)[23]
- Peter Franchot (Maryland Comptroller) - "[Mathews is] a proven advocate for equality and social justice, and one who is also capable of reaching across the aisle to achieve meaningful results at a time when toxic partisanship has crippled Washington and alienated countless Americans from our political process."[23]
- Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor)[23]
- EMILY’s List - "Kathleen Matthews is a lifelong advocate for women and families and a dynamic leader who will fight for progressive change in Congress."[25]
Jamie Raskin
Media
Kathleen Matthews
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Will Jawando
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David Trone
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Campaign contributions
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Jamie Raskin
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
William Jawando
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Kumar Barve
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Ana Sol Gutierrez
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Kathleen Matthews
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
David Anderson
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Joel Rubin
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
David Trone
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
District history
2014
The 8th Congressional District of Maryland held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Chris Van Hollen (D) defeated Dave Wallace (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Van Hollen Incumbent |
60.2% | 127,260 | |
| Republican | Dave Wallace | 39.6% | 83,711 | |
| Write-in | Others | 0.2% | 516 | |
| Total Votes | 211,487 | |||
| Source: Maryland Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
2012
The 8th Congressional District of Maryland held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Chris Van Hollen (D) won the election in the district.[26]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Van Hollen Incumbent |
63.4% | 217,531 | |
| Republican | Ken Timmerman | 32.9% | 113,033 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Grannis | 2.1% | 7,235 | |
| Green | George Gluck | 1.5% | 5,064 | |
| N/A | Other Write-ins | 0.1% | 393 | |
| Total Votes | 343,256 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections "Representative in Congress" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Maryland elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Maryland in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 3, 2016 | Ballot access | Candidate filing deadline for major party candidates (Democrats and Republicans) | |
| February 3, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for non-principal party candidates to file declarations of intent and statements of organization | |
| February 3, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for petition candidates to file declarations of intent and statements of organization | |
| March 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-Primary Report 1 due | |
| March 25, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-Primary Report 2 due | |
| April 19, 2016 | Campaign finance | Spring Report due | |
| April 26, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| August 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for non-principal party candidates to file certificates of nomination, financial disclosure forms and filing fees | |
| August 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for petition candidates to file petitions, financial disclosure forms and filing fees | |
| August 30, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-General Report 1 due | |
| October 20, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates | |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-General Report 2 due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| November 22, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-General Report due | |
| January 18, 2017 | Campaign finance | 2017 Annual Report due | |
| Sources: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Candidacy Introduction," accessed June 12, 2015 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedule," accessed June 12, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List," accessed February 5, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Maryland Primary Results," April 26, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections Website, "Primary Elections," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed September 27, 2024
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ The Washington Post, "New candidate enters Maryland congressional race," August 5, 2015
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List," accessed February 5, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Bethesda Magazine, "Gutierrez to Run For Congress, Field to Succeed Van Hollen Grows to Four," May 1, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Former Obama aide announces run for Van Hollen seat," April 28, 2015
- ↑ Bethesda Magazine, "Kathleen Matthews Officially Jumps In to 8th District Congressional Primary," June 3, 2015
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Raskin says he'll run for Congress in 8th District," March 23, 2015
- ↑ Bethesda Magazine, "Democratic Field In Eighth Congressional District Expands To Seven Candidates," October 5, 2015
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Businessman Trone to enter competitive House contest," January 27, 2016
- ↑ Bethesda, "Valerie Ervin Says She’s No Longer Running for Congress," September 17, 2015
- ↑ My Fox DC, "Valerie Ervin says she's running for Congress," July 1, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "David Trone spends $9.1 million of his own money on Md. congressional race," April 12, 2016
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Trone fires campaign staffers who tried to plant themselves with opponents," February 2, 2016
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 The Baltimore Sun, "Teachers union backs Raskin," February 11, 2016
- ↑ 23.00 23.01 23.02 23.03 23.04 23.05 23.06 23.07 23.08 23.09 23.10 Washington Post, "Matthews collects big Democratic names for Md. congressional race," January 11, 2016
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Maryland Working Families backs former Montgomery council president Valerie Ervin," August 4, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Kathleen Matthews Scores EMILY’s List Endorsement," October 29, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
