2008Final results
2008 election for Wisconsin's 8th District
U.S. House · Wisconsin
Steve Kagen (D) won with 54.0% of the vote, defeating John Gard (R) by 8.1 points.
Steve KagenDemocrat · winner
54.0%193,662
John GardRepublican
45.9%164,621
358,647 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.
Steve KagenJohn Gard
$2.2M
Raised by the campaign
$1.6M
$2.2M
Spent by the campaign
$1.6M
$5K
Cash on hand
$9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008