Pete Stauber

In the 2024 House race for MN-8, Pete Stauber (R) won with 58.0% of the vote, defeating Jen Schultz (D) who received 41.9%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. Pete Stauber's 16.1-point advantage over the runner-up confirmed a comfortable win.

As the incumbent, Pete Stauber benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2024 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2022 House race for MN-8, Pete Stauber (R) won with 57.2% of the vote, defeating Jen Schultz (D) who received 42.7%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. Pete Stauber's 14.5-point lead over the runner-up showed solid but not overwhelming support.

As the incumbent, Pete Stauber benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. As a Republican, Pete Stauber benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Democrat in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.

In the 2020 House race for MN-8, Pete Stauber (R) won with 56.8% of the vote, defeating Quinn Nystrom (D) who received 37.5%. 2 additional candidates split the remaining vote. Pete Stauber's 19.2-point advantage over the runner-up confirmed a comfortable win.

This was an open-seat race. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. The 2020 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2018 House race for MN-08, Pete Stauber (R) won with 50.7% of the vote, defeating Joe Radinovich (D) who received 45.2%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. Pete Stauber's 5.5-point lead over the runner-up showed solid but not overwhelming support.

This race flipped the seat from Democrat to Republican. Richard M. Nolan (D) held the seat previously but either retired or lost in a primary. Party flips at the seat level are relatively rare and often signal shifting district dynamics. As a Republican, Pete Stauber won despite the historical midterm penalty against the president's party (Republican Trump was in office).