2008Final results
2008 election for Minnesota's 8th District
U.S. House · Minnesota
James Oberstar (D) won with 67.7% of the vote, defeating Michael Cummins (R) by 35.5 points.
James OberstarDemocrat · winner
67.7%241,831
Michael CumminsRepublican
32.2%114,871
357,284 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 2008
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.
James OberstarMichael Cummins
$2M
Raised by the campaign
$23.4K
$1.4M
Spent by the campaign
$15.8K
$758.1K
Cash on hand
$1.4K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008