1980Final results
1980 election for Michigan's 8th District
U.S. House · Michigan
Bob Traxler (D) won with 60.7% of the vote, defeating Norman R. Hughes (R) by 23.1 points.
Bob TraxlerDemocrat · winner
60.7%124,155
Norman R. HughesRepublican
37.7%77,009
Sheila M. HartLibertarian
1.6%3,230
204,401 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Bob TraxlerNorman R. Hughes
$95.6K
Raised by the campaign
$70K
$81.8K
Spent by the campaign
$64.3K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Other candidates' campaigns: Sheila M. Hart $374.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980; FEC, through Nov 24, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980