United States Senate elections, 2008
Encyclopedia
Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate
being contested. Thirty-three seats were regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Senate Class II. There were also two special elections: one in Mississippi
and another in Wyoming
; the winners serve the remainder of terms that expire on January 3, 2013, as members of Senate Class I.
The 2008 presidential election
, elections for all House of Representatives seats
, and several gubernatorial elections
, as well as many state and local elections, occurred on the same date.
Going into the 2008 election, the Senate consisted of 49 Democrats
, 49 Republicans
, and two independents (Bernie Sanders
of Vermont
and Joe Lieberman
of Connecticut
) who caucused with the Democrats. Of the seats up for election in 2008, 23 were held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. At the start of the 111th Congress, the Democrats held 56 seats in the Senate, with the two independents continuing to caucus with the Democrats for a total of 58. For the second consecutive election cycle, no incumbent Democratic senators lost their seats. Because there were no open Democratic seats, the election was also the second cycle in a row in which no seats switched from Democratic to Republican. Democrats defeated five Republican incumbents: Ted Stevens
of Alaska
, Norm Coleman
of Minnesota
, John Sununu
of New Hampshire
, Elizabeth Dole
of North Carolina
, and Gordon Smith of Oregon
. Democrats also picked up open seats in Colorado
, New Mexico
, and Virginia
.
s that work to support its candidates for the House and Senate, chiefly by providing funds. On the Senate side, the committees are the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
(DSCC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee
(NRSC).
In this cycle the DSCC was more successful at fundraising. As of June 30, 2008, data from the Federal Election Commission
showed the NRSC with $24.6 million on hand, as compared with the DSCC's $43 million. The NRSC chair, Senator John Ensign
, took the unusual step of chastising the Republican Senators who, like him, are not facing re-election, and who he thought should have done more to help raise money for their colleagues.
filed papers for re-election for an eighth term.
An ex-oil company executive, Bill Allen, paid for part of the renovation costs on Stevens's personal residence. The FBI investigated the remodeling of Stevens home by Veco Corp., which is part of a broader corruption investigation involving Stevens's son, former State Senate President Ben Stevens
. Two former Veco executives have plead guilty to paying the younger Stevens $242,000 in bribes. On July 30, 2007, the IRS and FBI raided Stevens's home in Alaska. On September 14, 2007, former Veco CEO Bill Allen testified at the trial of former State House Speaker Pete Kott
that Veco paid people working to double the size of Stevens's home.
On July 29, 2008, a federal grand jury indicted Stevens on seven felony counts for making false statements, and on October 26, a jury found Stevens guilty on all charges.
The Democratic candidate was Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich
, the son of popular former Democratic Representative Nick Begich
. Begich announced his candidacy for the Senate seat on April 22, 2008.
On October 19, 2007, the AP reported that despite the allegations and FBI probe, several veteran GOP Senators—including Orrin Hatch
(R-UT), Kay Bailey Hutchison
(R-TX), and Kit Bond
(R-MO)—donated enough money to Stevens's re-election campaign to make it one of Stevens's most successful fund raising quarters ever.
Sen. Stevens' conviction on seven felony counts of corruption put his reelection bid in serious jeopardy, coming just over a week before the election, though Stevens appealed the conviction. Nevertheless, Stevens was narrowly ahead in the vote count after election day, with only about two-thirds of all votes counted. It only became clear Begich had prevailed when early votes, absentee ballots, and questioned ballots were counted.
On November 18, the race was called for Begich, who won with 47.8% to Stevens' 46.5%.
National Public Radio reported on April 1, 2009, that United States Attorney General Eric Holder, citing serious prosecutorial misconduct during the trial, decided to drop all charges against Stevens—an action that vacated his conviction.
(R) announced he would not seek re-election, honoring his pledge to serve no more than two terms.
Former Representative
Bob Schaffer
of Fort Collins
was the Republican nominee. Former Denver Broncos
quarterback
John Elway
was rumored to be considering a run, but declined to do so. Other possible Republican candidates included former Congressman Scott McInnis
and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers
.
The Democratic nominee was 2nd district Congressman
Mark Udall
of Boulder
who announced on January 15, 2007, that he would seek the seat and did not draw significant primary opposition.
Other candidates included Bob Kinsey of Denver
as the Green Party
nominee, Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell as the American Constitution Party
's nominee , and Independent candidate Buddy Moore, unaffiliated any party.
On Election Day, Udall defeated Schaffer 52% to 43%.
featured first-term Republican incumbent Senator Norm Coleman
, Democrat Al Franken
, a comedian and radio personality, and former U.S. Senator Dean Barkley
, a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota
.
A December 2007 poll showed Coleman's approval rating among Minnesota voters at 53%. The seat was heavily targeted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
because of Minnesota's Democratic leanings and recent Democratic gains in national and statewide elections. These factors, coupled with a national political climate favorable to Democrats, made the Minnesota Senate race one of the most competitive and closely watched of the cycle.
Franken announced his candidacy on February 14, 2007, more than 20 months before the election. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer
, a professor at the University of St. Thomas
(St. Paul, Minnesota), joined the race in October 2007. Attorney Mike Ciresi
, an unsuccessful candidate in the 2000 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, was considered a serious candidate, but withdrew from the race on March 10, 2008, clearing the path for Franken to secure the party's nomination.
Barkley ran under the banner of the Independence Party, the largest third party in Minnesota. He was included in most of the debates and ultimately received 15% of the vote in the general election, a strong showing for an independent candidate. It is not clear whether Barkley detracted more votes from Coleman or Franken.
Polls over the course of the campaign indicated that the race was very competitive, with many polls showing Franken and Coleman virtually tied or within the margin of error, as well as several polls showing each candidate with a significant lead at one point or another. The presence of a serious third party candidate further complicated matters.
On November 4, 2008, Coleman received 1,211,590 votes to Franken's 1,211,375 votes, a margin of 215 votes, far less than 0.1% percent, thereby triggering an automatic recount. Barkley received 437,404 votes, about 15% of total votes cast.
On January 3, 2009, with the recount apparently completed, Franken had an unofficial lead of 225 votes, but former Senator Coleman's attorneys contested the official results in the courts. In the meantime, Minnesota was represented by only one senator, Amy Klobuchar
.
On April 13, 2009, a three-judge panel ruled that Al Franken received the most votes in Minnesota's 2008 Senate race and ruled against Coleman's claims on all counts. Coleman appealed this decision. On June 30, 2009, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Al Franken received the most votes, and Norm Coleman conceded defeat after the ruling, allowing Al Franken to be Senator-elect of Minnesota. Franken was sworn in as Minnesota's junior Senator on July 7.
represented the swing state of New Hampshire
. The state traditionally leaned Republican, but John Kerry
from neighboring Massachusetts narrowly won the state in the 2004 Presidential election. New Hampshire also saw major Democratic gains in the 2006 elections, when Democrats took both of the previously Republican-held House seats, the gubernatorial race with a record vote share of 74%, and majorities in the State House
and Senate
, giving them concurrent control of both bodies for the first time since 1874. However, New Hampshire had not elected a Democratic United States Senator since 1975.
Sununu's 2002 opponent, former Governor Jeanne Shaheen
, decided to run and was generally considered to be a very formidable challenger. Three consecutive monthly Rasmussen Reports poll showed Shaheen defeating Sununu by 49% to 41%. Prior to Shaheen's entry, Portsmouth
Mayor Steve Marchand
, Katrina Swett
, wife of former Democratic congressman Richard Swett
, and former astronaut Jay Buckey
had announced that they were running for the Democratic nomination. After Shaheen's entry, however, all three withdrew and endorsed the former governor.
On election day, Shaheen defeated Sununu, 52% to 45%.
had declared that he would seek re-election in New Mexico
, he changed his mind and announced on October 4, 2007 that he was retiring at the end of his current term due to a degenerative brain disorder. Domenici normally would have been expected to win re-election easily, having won his current term with the support of two out of three New Mexico voters; however, he is to be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee for his role in firing U.S. Attorney David Iglesias
. Domenici's role in the developing scandal had reduced the probability he would have been re-elected, and a SurveyUSA poll showed his approval ratings at 41%, with 54% disapproving. The potential scandal may have also contributed to his decision to leave the Senate.
Tom Udall
, the popular Representative from New Mexico's 3rd District
, was the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee was Rep. Steve Pearce
, who represented the more conservative southern part
of the state.
When asked whether the Republicans were abandoning their hopes of holding onto Domenici's seat, Senator John Ensign
, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
, responded that "You don’t waste money on races that don’t need it or you can’t win.”
Udall won the election with 61% of the vote, with Pearce taking 39%.
, there had been rumors that Senator Elizabeth Dole
would retire from the Senate and run for governor
, but she said in 2006 that she intended to run for re-election. There was early speculation that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley
might be pressured into running against her but this did not come to pass. The Democratic nominee was state Senator Kay Hagan, who defeated Jim Neal
and Dustin Lassiter in the Democratic primary. A Rasmussen poll released May 11, 2008 showed Hagan leading Dole by a statistically insignificant margin, 48% - 47%, suggesting a competitive race. Hagan's poll numbers continued to best Dole's, however, and Hagan defeated Dole by a wider than expected margin of 53% to 44%.
ran for a third term. He defeated ophthalmologist Gordon Leitch in the May 20 Republican primary
. Smith faced Democratic
Oregon House of Representatives
Speaker Jeff Merkley
in the November general election. Merkley beat longtime Democratic activist Steve Novick
and three other candidates in a hotly contested primary
.
In a July 16, 2008 poll, Merkley overtook Smith for the first time 43% to 41%.
On November 6, 2008, Jeff Merkley was projected the winner of the contest, with 48.9% to Smith's 45.6%. Gordon Smith formally conceded soon afterward.
announced on August 31, 2007 that he would not seek re-election for another term. Former Governor Jim Gilmore
, who dropped out of the 2008 presidential election
, was the Republican nominee for the seat.
Popular Democratic former Governor Mark Warner
(no relation) was the Democratic nominee for the race. Polling showed him as a strong favorite to win the seat.
When asked whether the Republicans were abandoning their hopes of holding onto Warner's seat, Senator John Ensign
, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
, responded that "You don’t waste money on races that don’t need it or you can’t win.”
In one of the first senate races called on election day, Warner won, taking 65% of the vote, with Gilmore winning 34%. Since Democrat Jim Webb
had defeated incumbent Republican George Allen
for Virginia's other Senate seat in 2006, Virginia's senate delegation flipped from entirely Republican to entirely Democratic in just two years.
faced no opposition from Republicans in his re-election bid. Although Bush carried the state twice, Arkansas Democrats swept the seven state races held in the 2006 general election.
Pryor is the son of longtime U.S. Senator and former Arkansas Governor David Pryor
.
It was rumored that Lt. Governor Bill Halter
would challenge Pryor in the primary, but Halter declined to file as a candidate. Rebekah Kennedy
of the Green Party was Pryor's only opposition.
Pryor won on election day, with 79.53%% of the vote. Kennedy took 20.47%.
, announced that Biden would be joining him on the ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee. Delaware law allowed Biden to run for Vice President and Senator at the same time, so he would have kept the seat if the ticket had lost. In 2000, the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman
ran similarly. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama won the presidential election, making Biden the next VP. Biden vacated his senate seat shortly after the election, allowing for the Governor of Delaware to appoint a successor. There was speculation as to whether the outgoing Governor, Ruth Ann Minner
, or the incoming Governor-elect Jack Markell would make the appointment, and if Biden's son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden
would receive the appointment. On November 24, 2008, Governor Minner appointed Biden's longtime Chief of Staff Ted Kaufman
to fill the seat. Kaufman subsequently announced that he would not seek election to a full term in 2010, effectively making him a caretaker. Biden's Republican opponent in the Senate race, conservative political commentator Christine O'Donnell
, tried to make an issue of Biden's dual campaigns, claiming that serving his constituents is not important to him. Kaufman has since stated that he will not run for the unexpired term in 2010.
Biden was reelected with 65% of the vote, or 257,484 votes. O'Donnell received 140,584 votes (35% of the vote).
. He sought to be re-elected in a state that has steadily become more Democratic since 1992. CQpolitics.com rated the contest as "safe Democrat."
Physician Steve Sauerberg of La Grange
won the February 5 Republican primary. Kathy Cummings, a retired special education teacher was nominated via convention by the Green Party. Chad Koppie, a retired airline pilot and vice-chairman of the Illinois Center Right Coalition, was the nominee of the Constitution Party
.
Durbin won with 63% of the vote. Sauerberg had 33%.
faced the Republican nominee, small business owner Christopher Reed
, whom he defeated with 63% of the vote to Reed's 37%.
was elected in 1996
following a recount and was narrowly re-elected in 2002
in a runoff election. Since those elections, Democrats have had to endure the loss of some reliable voters because Hurricane Katrina
dispersed many African-Americans from New Orleans, although the vast majority still live within Louisiana
. The state has become more Republican over the past 12 years. Louisiana
elected David Vitter
in 2004, the state's first Republican senator since Reconstruction. And Louisianans elected Republican Bobby Jindal
as the first Indian-American Governor in the country's history in 2007. Louisiana's electoral votes easily went to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.
On August 27, 2007, state Treasurer John Neely Kennedy announced he was switching parties from Democrat to Republican. On November 29, after being personally recruited by Vitter and former Bush administration official Karl Rove
, Kennedy announced plans to challenge Landrieu in 2008.
In the end, Landrieu was re-elected with 52% of the vote, Kennedy having 46%.
sought another Senate term in Massachusetts. Republican author and conservative activist Jerome Corsi
, known for his public criticism of Kerry, had stated that he would run for the seat in 2008 but later changed his mind. Jim Ogonowski, a retired Air Force
pilot who was closely defeated by now-Representative Niki Tsongas
in a 2007 special election
, was running against Kerry. but failed to obtain the required candidacy signatures. The Republican challenger turned out to be Jeff Beatty, an ex-Army Delta Force
officer who garnered 30% of the vote in a challenge to Democratic Congressman Bill Delahunt
in 2006. Kerry was challenged by defense attorney Edward O'Reilly for the Democratic nomination, winning 69 percent of the vote to O'Reilly's 31 percent.
As expected, Kerry won with 66% of the vote to Beatty's 31%. Libertarian Robert J. Underwood had 3%.
has become one of the most powerful people in Washington as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee
. He was expected to easily win re-election.
Challenging Levin were Republican State Representative Jack Hoogendyk
, Green candidate Harley G. Mikkelson, US Taxpayers' candidate Mike Nikitin, Libertarian professor Scotty Boman, and Natural Law's candidate Doug Dern.
As expected, Levin won re-election with 63% of the vote, to Hoogendyk's 34%.
is a popular Democrat
in Montana
, representing a state that has long been fairly Republican but also is receptive to Democrats in state and local elections. President Bush won Montana by more than 20 points in both 2000 and 2004, but Montana also has a popular Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer
, and a newly elected Democratic junior senator, Jon Tester
. Baucus was not expected to face a significant challenge from the 85 year old Republican nominee, Bob Kelleher, who surprised observers by winning the June 3 Republican primary despite supporting a number of positions that put him to the political left of Baucus, such as nationalization of the American oil and gas industry.
Baucus easily won re-election, taking 73% of the vote, with Kelleher taking 27%.
sought re-election in 2008, though he was 84. In the Primary, Lautenberg soundly defeated Representative Rob Andrews
(NJ-1
) by a margin of 62% to 32%. In November 2006, the senator had the lowest approval rating of any Democrat running for re-election in 2008 (with 39% approving and 45% disapproving), with his approval standing only at 42% as of September 2007 with voters saying he does not deserve re-election 46%-36%. The Republican nominee was former Congressman and 1996 senatorial candidate Dick Zimmer
.
Sara Lobman of the Socialist Workers Party
and Independent Anthony Fisher
were also declared candidates. Furthermore, in the wake of the financial crisis, Carl Peter Klapper entered the race as a write-in candidate.
Lautenberg won re-election, winning 56%-42%.
, Democratic Senator Jack Reed had an approval rating of 66% in November 2006. National Journal
has declared that "Reed is probably the safest incumbent of the 2008 cycle". Reed's opponent was Robert Tingle
, a pit manager
at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, whom Reed defeated in his re-election campaign in 2002.
Reed won the election as expected, with 73% of the vote.
, Senator Tim Johnson's seat was considered a top GOP target in 2008, considering Johnson's narrow 524-vote victory in 2002 over then-Representative and current U.S. Senator John Thune
, as well as his recent health problems. Johnson underwent surgery in December 2006 for a Cerebral arteriovenous malformation
and was discharged from the hospital on April 30, 2007. On October 19, 2007, Johnson formally announced that he is seeking re-election. According to a November 2006 SurveyUSA
poll, Johnson has an approval rating of 70%, with just 26% disapproving of his performance, making him an early favorite despite the state's Republican leaning.
Republicans were unsuccessful in persuading Governor Mike Rounds
and former Lieutenant Governor
Steve Kirby
to run. State Representative Joel Dykstra
announced his candidacy on July 5, 2007. Other Republicans included Charles Lyonel Gonyo and Sam Kephart. Dykstra won the Republican primary on June 3.
Johnson was re-elected, with 62% to Dykstra's 38%.
, great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller
, sought a fifth term representing West Virginia
. Even though West Virginia is a historically Democratic state, in which the party had a 50-32% edge in party affiliation over the Republicans in the 2004 elections, the state party is more conservative than the national party, giving its votes to President George W. Bush
in that election and in 2000. Democrats Sheirl Fletcher and Billy Hendricks challenged Rockefeller in the primary but were defeated. The Republican nominee was Jay Wolfe of Salem
, a former State Senator.
As expected, Rockefeller handily won on election day, being re-elected with 64% of the vote. Wolfe had 36%.
Senator Jeff Sessions
sought re-election to a third term. Johnny Swanson announced his candidacy in March 2006 for the Democratic nomination.
Despite voting heavily for Bush
in 2004, Alabama still has a strong Democratic presence; Democrats control majorities of both chambers in the state legislature
. Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks
appeared to be preparing for a run, but on June 12, 2007, Sparks announced that he will not seek the Senate seat, in order to avoid a primary battle with state Senator Vivian Davis Figures
. Figures has won elections in the Republican-leaning Mobile
area. In the Democratic primary, Figures won the nomination and will face Sessions in November.
Not on the ballot, but running a write-in campaign, was Darryl W. Perry, the 2004 Libertarian Party nominee for Pennsylvania State Treasurer and 2007 candidate for Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. Perry was endorsed by Alabama Statesmen, Boston Tea Party
, Christians for Life and Liberty and PaulCongress.com
Session defeated Figures, taking 63% of the vote to Figures' 37%
was opposed primarily by Democrat Jim Martin
, as well as third party candidates, including Libertarian Allen Buckley
and Eleanor Garcia of the Socialist Workers Party
.
Martin, current Georgia Commissioner of Human Resources, former member of the Georgia General Assembly
, Vietnam War
veteran, and 2006 candidate for Lieutenant Governor
, secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Dekalb County
CEO Vernon Jones
by a 59% to 41% margin in the August 5 run-off election.
In December 2007, Chambliss had an approval rating of 53% and a disapproval rating of 34% according to Strategic Vision, a Republican polling firm. For most of the campaign, Chambliss maintained a comfortable lead in most polls. However, in the weeks leading up to the 2008 general election, polls showed the race tightening, reflecting a general nationwide trend.
On November 4, 2008, Chambliss received 49.7% of the vote, with Martin about 3% behind and Buckley receiving 3% of the vote. However, Georgia law states that if no candidate receives a simple majority
of the popular vote, then the election will be decided in a run-off. On December 2, 2008, Chambliss won the run-off with 57% of vote to Martin's 43%.
announced his intent to resign from the Senate effective September 30, 2007. The announcement followed by just six days the disclosure that he had pleaded guilty on August 1, 2007 to a reduced misdemeanor charge arising out of his arrest on June 11 at the Minneapolis
airport for soliciting sex with a man in the restroom. Craig found almost no support among Republicans in his home state or Washington. On October 4, 2007, Senator Craig announced he will not seek re-election, but would remain in office until the end of his term.
Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch
was the Republican candidate; U.S. Army veteran
and former congressman Larry LaRocco
was the Democratic candidate. Risch and LaRocco ran against each other in the 2006 Lieutenant Governor race, which Risch won by a wide margin. Libertarian Kent Marmon also ran. The last Democratic Senator from Idaho was Frank Church
, who was defeated in the Republican landslide of 1980
after serving four terms.
Risch won the election with approximately 58 percent of the vote.
sought re-election to a third term. Although Kansas
has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, former Democratic Congressman and army veteran Jim Slattery
was nominated to run against Roberts. Pat Roberts currently has an approval rating of 56%.
Roberts was re-elected with 60% to Slattery's 36%.
, four-term Senator Mitch McConnell
of Kentucky
a target due to his leadership of Senate Republicans and his ties to President Bush, as well as his mediocre approval rating in the state, which is below 50%.
Businessman and U.S. Army veteran Bruce Lunsford
, who lost the 2007 Democratic gubernatorial primary to current Governor Steve Beshear
, was the Democratic nominee.
Once thought to be secure in his reelection, McConnell's lead had shrunk dramatically thanks to the financial crisis and polling showed the race tightening between him and Lunsford. Nevertheless, McConnell was re-elected by a margin of 53% to 47%.
, Susan Collins
sought a third term in the Senate. She has maintained a high approval rating, and also in her favor is the landslide re-election of Maine's senior Senator, Olympia Snowe
, who had the largest margin of victory of any GOP Senate candidate - besides the largely unopposed Richard Lugar (R-IN) - in the 2006 election cycle. Collins was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2002 over State Sen. Chellie Pingree
. Sen. Joe Lieberman
, citing his status as an independent
, endorsed Sen. Collins in her 2008 re-election bid.
On May 8, 2007, Rep. Tom Allen
(ME-1
) announced his candidacy on his website. He had already expressed interest in running and had been building the apparatus necessary to wage a Senate campaign.
Collins won on election day with 61% of the vote, compared to 39% for Allen.
announced that he would seek re-election for a sixth term. Cochran, who has not faced serious opposition since he was re-elected in 1984
, faced Democratic state Representative Erik R. Fleming, whom he defeated with 62% of the vote.
, formerly the representative of Mississippi's 1st congressional district
, was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour
on December 31, 2007, to fill the vacancy caused by the December 18 resignation of Trent Lott
. It had been speculated that Lott wished to resign before a new lobbying reform law, effective the first day of 2008, took effect; having resigned before the end of 2007, Lott may become a lobbyist in 2009 instead of 2010. Controversy arose when Barbour called for the special election to be held on the same day as the general election. As a result, Mississippi's Attorney General Jim Hood
challenged Barbour in court, claiming that the special election needed to be held within 100 days of Lott's resignation, as per state law. Initially, a Mississippi Circuit Court judge sided with Hood, ruling that the election take place on or before March 19, 2008. However, Barbour filed an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which overturned the earlier ruling and set the special election for November 4, 2008.
Democratic former Governor Ronnie Musgrove
challenged Wicker. Another Democrat, former Congressman Ronnie Shows
, also filed to run, but he withdrew in February 2008 and endorsed Musgrove. Wicker beat Musgrove 55% to 45%.
, incumbent Republican Senator Chuck Hagel
chose to retire rather than run for a third term.
Former Governor Mike Johanns
, who recently resigned as Agriculture Secretary
, was the Republican nominee, having defeated opponent Pat Flynn 87-13 in the primary. Scott Kleeb
, 2006 candidate for Nebraska's 3rd congressional district
, defeated businessman Tony Raimondo, a former Republican, by a wide margin in the Democratic primary.
Nebraska state Green Party
Co-Chairman Steve Larrick was also a candidate, as was Kelly Rosberg of the Nebraska Party
.
Johanns won, taking 58% of the vote, with Kleeb taking 40%
, Senator Jim Inhofe
announced that he would seek a third full term. A September 2007 poll put Inhofe's approval rating at 47%, with 41% disapproving of his performance. Inhofe's opponent was State Senator Andrew Rice. Inhofe was re-elected, 57% to 39%.
, as a popular Republican incumbent in strongly conservative South Carolina
, has been considered unlikely to be vulnerable to a Democratic challenge. Graham's support for a compromise immigration bill, however, drew an angry response from many South Carolina conservatives, who recruited Buddy Witherspoon
, a former South Carolina Republican Party
leader, to challenge Graham for the nomination. Graham easily bested Witherspoon in the June 10 primary.
First-time candidate Bob Conley, an airline pilot, was the Democratic nominee. Conley, whose victory in the Democratic primary was a surprise, is a former Republican who supported Ron Paul
this year and has campaigned as the more conservative candidate on some issues, notably illegal immigration and the bailout of Wall Street.
The South Carolina Working Families Party
nominated Michael Cone, who also ran for the Democratic nomination. This was the first time the party had nominated a candidate for statewide office. However, Cone was not listed on the ballot in South Carolina.
Graham easily won re-election with 58% of the vote to Conley's 42%.
was elected in 2002
to succeed retiring Senator Fred Thompson. He has announced he will seek a second term in 2008. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.
Former Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party Bob Tuke
was the Democratic nominee, defeating Businessman Gary Davis 30% to 23%. Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett received 20% of the vote.
2006 Green Party Senate nominee Chris Lugo originally announced as a Democrat but dropped out of the Democratic race before the filing deadline. He filed as an independent and was subsequently named as the Green Party nominee Edward Buck was also in the race.
Daniel Lewis is running as a Libertarian candidate for the United States Senate. He was certified March 3, 2008 by the Tennessee Division of Elections as having achieved ballot access for the November 4, 2008 election as a candidate for United States Senate. The Libertarian Party of Tennessee officially selected Daniel Lewis as their candidate for United States Senate on Saturday March 8, 2008 the at their annual convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Lewis is currently serving as the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. He ran for the Tennessee House in 2004.
Also reported to be in the race are David "None of the Above" Gatchell a ballot activist & frequent candidate and Emory "Bo" Heyward, a software company employee, conservative activist & 2006 candidate.
Alexander won the election with 65% of the vote.
has not elected a Democrat in a statewide election since 1994, but according to pre-election Rasmussen polling, Senator John Cornyn
had an approval rating of 50%. Texas House of Representatives
member and Afghanistan War
veteran
Rick Noriega
secured his place as Cornyn's Democratic challenger in the March 4 primary, beating out opponents Gene Kelly, Ray McMurrey, and Rhett Smith. The same Rasmussen poll showed Cornyn leading Noriega by a narrow four percentage points - 47% to 43%.
Christian activist Larry Kilgore
of Mansfield, Texas
, was a Republican challenger for the March 2008 primary election, but Cornyn easily won the Republican primary.
There were three Libertarians, including 2006 LP senate nominee Scott Jameson, running for their party's nomination. In addition, the Green Party of Texas sought ballot access for its candidate David B. Collins.
In the end, John Cornyn won re-election, 55%-43%
was considered likely to be re-elected without significant opposition for a third term in strongly Republican Wyoming
. His Democratic opponent was Chris Rothfuss, a professor at the University of Wyoming
and a chemical engineer, nanotechnologist, and diplomat. Pre-election polling indicated that Enzi led Rothfuss by 24%.
As expected, Enzi won another term, 76%-24%.
was appointed by Governor Dave Freudenthal
(D) on June 22, 2007 to fill the senate seat of Republican Craig L. Thomas, who died on June 4. Wyoming law requires that the interim senator be affiliated with the same political party as the departed senator. Barrasso ran in the November 4, 2008 special election, held on the day of the 2008 presidential election
, to serve out the remainder of Thomas' term, which expires in January 2013.
On the Democratic side, Casper
City Councilman Keith Goodenough announced his candidacy. In the primary on August 19, Goodenough was defeated by a political newcomer, Gillette
defense attorney Nick Carter, who became Barrasso's opponent in the general election.
Barrasso won on Election Day, taking 73% of the vote and winning every county in the state.
, as of March 28, 2010. Ten were elected on November 4, 2008. In addition, two freshmen were appointed to fill vacancies created by Barack Obama's and Joe Biden's resignations to become president and vice president. Two more freshmen were appointed to the Senate as a consequence of the appointment of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State
and Ken Salazar
to be Secretary of the Interior
. George LeMieux
was appointed to replace Mel Martinez
upon his resignation. A temporary interim senator, Paul G. Kirk, was appointed to the seat of Edward M. Kennedy upon his death. He was replaced by Scott Brown
in the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
being contested. Thirty-three seats were regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Senate Class II. There were also two special elections: one in Mississippi
United States Senate special election in Mississippi, 2008
The 2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi was held on November 4, 2008. This election is held on the same day of Thad Cochran's re-election bid in the United States Senate election in Mississippi, 2008. The rules of this special election is that the winner will serve rest of...
and another in Wyoming
United States Senate elections in Wyoming, 2008
The 2008 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mike Enzi won re-election to a third term.-Candidates:*Chris Rothfuss, chemical engineer and university professor...
; the winners serve the remainder of terms that expire on January 3, 2013, as members of Senate Class I.
The 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, elections for all House of Representatives seats
United States House elections, 2008
Infobox Election| election_name = United States House of Representatives elections, 2008| country = United States| type = legislative| ongoing = no...
, and several gubernatorial elections
United States gubernatorial elections, 2008
The United States gubernatorial elections of 2008 were the elections of state and territorial governors and were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 in 11 states and 2 territories. Prior to the election, eight of the total seats were held by Democrats and five by Republicans...
, as well as many state and local elections, occurred on the same date.
Going into the 2008 election, the Senate consisted of 49 Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, 49 Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and two independents (Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...
of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
) who caucused with the Democrats. Of the seats up for election in 2008, 23 were held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. At the start of the 111th Congress, the Democrats held 56 seats in the Senate, with the two independents continuing to caucus with the Democrats for a total of 58. For the second consecutive election cycle, no incumbent Democratic senators lost their seats. Because there were no open Democratic seats, the election was also the second cycle in a row in which no seats switched from Democratic to Republican. Democrats defeated five Republican incumbents: Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Norm Coleman
Norm Coleman
Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, John Sununu
John E. Sununu
John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Elizabeth Dole
Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and Gordon Smith of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Democrats also picked up open seats in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Hill committees' role
Each major party has Hill committeeHill committee
The Hill committees are the common name for the political party committees that work to elect members of their own party to United States Congress...
s that work to support its candidates for the House and Senate, chiefly by providing funds. On the Senate side, the committees are the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current chair is Sen. Patty Murray, who succeeded Sen. Robert Menendez following...
(DSCC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
(NRSC).
In this cycle the DSCC was more successful at fundraising. As of June 30, 2008, data from the Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
showed the NRSC with $24.6 million on hand, as compared with the DSCC's $43 million. The NRSC chair, Senator John Ensign
John Ensign
John Eric Ensign is a former United States Senator from Nevada, serving from January 2001 until he resigned amid an investigation of an ethics violation in May 2011...
, took the unusual step of chastising the Republican Senators who, like him, are not facing re-election, and who he thought should have done more to help raise money for their colleagues.
Change in composition
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Complete list of races
| State | Incumbent | Party | Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama United States Senate election in Alabama, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 4, 2008 to elect one of Alabama's members to the United States Senate. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions won re-election to a third term.-Background:... |
Jeff Sessions Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Jeff Sessions Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party... (R) 63.4% Vivian Davis Figures Vivian Davis Figures Vivian Davis Figures is a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 33rd District in Mobile County since she was elected on January 28, 1997 to serve the remaining term of her late husband, Senator Michael A. Figures, who was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate... (D) 36.5% |
| Alaska United States Senate election in Alaska, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens ran for re-election. It was one of the ten Senate races that U.S. Senator John Ensign of Nevada, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, predicted as... |
Ted Stevens Ted Stevens Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history... |
Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic pick-up |
Mark Begich Mark Begich Mark Peter Begich is the junior United States Senator from Alaska and a member of the Democratic Party. A former mayor of Anchorage, he served on the Anchorage Assembly for almost ten years prior to being elected mayor in 2003... (D) 47.8% Ted Stevens Ted Stevens Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history... (R) 46.6% Bob Bird Bob Bird (activist) Bob Bird is a pro-life activist, high school teacher, and Alaskan Independence Party candidate for the United States Senate seat formerly occupied by Senator Ted Stevens.... (Alaskan Independence) 4.2% David Haase (L) 0.8% Ted Gianoutsos (I) 0.4% |
| Arkansas United States Senate election in Arkansas, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Pryor decided to run for a second term. No Republican filed to challenge him. His only opponent was Green party candidate Rebekah Kennedy... |
Mark Pryor Mark Pryor Mark Lunsford Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and former Attorney General of Arkansas.... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Mark Pryor Mark Pryor Mark Lunsford Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and former Attorney General of Arkansas.... (D) 79.5% Rebekah Kennedy Rebekah Kennedy Rebekah Kennedy is an Arkansas politician affiliated with the Green Party and was a candidate for U.S. Senate in the 2008 election cycle. She unsuccessfully ran for State Attorney General during the 2006 and 2010 election cycles.... (G) 20.5% |
| Colorado United States Senate election in Colorado, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Colorado was held on November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held August 12, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Wayne Allard decided to retire instead of seeking a third term... |
Wayne Allard Wayne Allard Alan Wayne Allard is a member of the Republican Party, and was a United States Senator from Colorado. He did not seek re-election in 2008.-Early life:... |
Republican | Incumbent retired Democratic pick-up |
Mark Udall Mark Udall Mark Emery Udall is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing . He also served a term in the Colorado House of Representatives.Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the... (D) 52.8% Bob Schaffer Bob Schaffer Robert Warren "Bob" Schaffer was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Colorado in the 105th Congress and the two succeeding Congresses . In 2004, Schaffer lost in the primary election to be the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat... (R) 42.5% Doug Campbell (C) 2.6% Bob Kinsey (G) 2.1% |
| Delaware United States Senate election in Delaware, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Biden won re-election to a seventh term and won the Vice Presidency of the United States on the same day.-Campaign:... |
Joe Biden Joe Biden Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Joe Biden Joe Biden Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama... (D) 64.7% Christine O'Donnell Christine O'Donnell Christine Therese O'Donnell is an American Republican Party politician who founded two advocacy organizations. She has been an advocate for nonprofit clients and nonprofit causes for nearly 20 years. A Tea Party favorite, and with strong financial support from the Tea Party movement, she defeated... (R) 35.3% |
| Georgia United States Senate election in Georgia, 2008 -Results:-Democratic:Jim Martin, a former State Representative, former State Human Resources Commissioner, Vietnam War veteran, and 2006 nominee for lieutenant governor, is challenging Chambliss for his seat. He has made his support for PeachCare and other social services a signature issue in the... |
Saxby Chambliss Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative .... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Saxby Chambliss Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative .... (R) 57.4% Jim Martin Jim Martin (Georgia politician) James Francis "Jim" Martin is an American politician and former member of the Georgia General Assembly. He is a Democrat. Martin opposed incumbent U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss in the 2008 election... (D) 42.6% ---- Saxby Chambliss Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative .... (R) 49.8% Jim Martin Jim Martin (Georgia politician) James Francis "Jim" Martin is an American politician and former member of the Georgia General Assembly. He is a Democrat. Martin opposed incumbent U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss in the 2008 election... (D) 46.8% Allen Buckley Allen Buckley Allen Buckley is an attorney and CPA, who in 2008 ran for one of Georgia's United States Senate seats as a member of the Libertarian Party. He was the party's candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2006, where he drew 3.6% of the vote, and for Senator in 2004, where he took 2% of the... (L) 3.4% |
| Idaho United States Senate election in Idaho, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Idaho was held on November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held on May 27th. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Larry Craig decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term... |
Larry Craig Larry Craig Larry Edwin Craig is a former Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho. He served 18 years in the U.S. Senate , preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House, representing Idaho's first district . His 28 years in the Congress rank as the second-longest in Idaho history, trailing only William... |
Republican | Incumbent retired Republican hold |
Jim Risch Jim Risch James Elroy "Jim" Risch is a Republican politician, rancher, and attorney from Ada County, currently serving as the junior United States Senator from Idaho. He previously served as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Idaho.-Early life:Risch was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin... (R) 57.7% Larry LaRocco Larry LaRocco Larry LaRocco is a Democratic politician from the US state of Idaho, who served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. LaRocco was defeated by Republican Jim Risch for the open U.S. Senate seat in Idaho in 2008.... (D) 34.1% Rex Rammell (I) 5.4% Kent Marmon (L) 1.5% "Pro-Life" (I) 1.3% |
| Illinois United States Senate election in Illinois, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin won re-election.-Democratic:-Republican:- Predictions :... |
Dick Durbin | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Dick Durbin (D) 67.8% Steve Sauerberg (R) 28.5% Kathy Cummings (G) 2.2% Larry Stafford Larry Stafford Larry Stafford was the Libertarian nominee for the United States Senate election in Illinois, 2008. He received 0.9% of the votes statewide, finishing fourth.-Libertarian Activism:Stafford has been active in the Rockford Area Libertarian Party since 1999... (L) 0.9% Chad Koppie (C) 0.5% |
| Iowa United States Senate election in Iowa, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Harkin won re-election to a fifth term.-Results:-Candidates:* Christopher Reed - small businessman and Navy veteran... |
Tom Harkin Tom Harkin Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives .... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Tom Harkin Tom Harkin Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives .... (D) 62.7% Christopher Reed Christopher Reed Christopher Reed was the Republican nominee in the 2008 Senate election in Iowa, losing to Senator Tom Harkin. Reed was unsuccessful in a bid for the Republican nomination for Congress in Iowa's 2nd District in 2010.-Early life:... (R) 37.3% |
| Kansas United States Senate election in Kansas, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts won re-election to a third term.-Background:The state of Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932... |
Pat Roberts Pat Roberts Charles Patrick "Pat" Roberts is the senior United States Senator from Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 1997... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Pat Roberts Pat Roberts Charles Patrick "Pat" Roberts is the senior United States Senator from Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 1997... (R) 60.0%Jim Slattery Jim Slattery James Charles Slattery is an American politician and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas.- Early life and career :... (D) 36.4% Randall Hodgkinson (L) 2.1% Joseph Martin (Reform) 1.3% |
| Kentucky United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 4, 2008. Minority Leader and incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell won re-election to a fifth term.-Background:... |
Mitch McConnell Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Mitch McConnell Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :... (R) 53.0% Bruce Lunsford Bruce Lunsford William Bruce Lunsford is an American Democratic politician from Kentucky. He has served various roles in the Kentucky Democratic Party including, Party treasurer, Deputy Development Secretary, and Head of Commerce... (D) 47.0% |
| Louisiana United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 4, 2008. This was the first time since the 1970s that Louisiana used primaries for federal races. Incumbent Democratic U.S... |
Mary Landrieu Mary Landrieu Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Mary Landrieu Mary Landrieu Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana... (D) 52.1% John Neely Kennedy (R) 45.7% Richard Fontanesi (L) 1.0% Jay Patel (I) 0.7% Robert Stewart (I) 0.5% |
| Maine United States Senate election in Maine, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins won re-election. She won all of Maine's counties including the ones Allen represented as a congressman.-Results:- Campaign :... |
Susan Collins Susan Collins Susan Margaret Collins is the junior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1996, she is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Susan Collins Susan Collins Susan Margaret Collins is the junior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1996, she is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs... (R) 61.3% Tom Allen Tom Allen Thomas Hodge "Tom" Allen is a former member of the United States House of Representatives representing , and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008 against Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins. Allen lost to Collins .Allen was first elected in 1996, defeating Republican... (D) 38.6% |
| Massachusetts United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Massachusetts took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry won re-election to a fifth term.-Candidates:* John Kerry, incumbent U.S... |
John Kerry John Kerry John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | John Kerry John Kerry John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W... (D) 65.8% Jeff Beatty (R) 31.0% Robert Underwood (L) 3.2% |
| Michigan United States Senate election in Michigan, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 4, 2008 Incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Carl Levin won re-election to a sixth term.-Campaign:... |
Carl Levin Carl Levin Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party.... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Carl Levin Carl Levin Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party.... (D) 62.7% Jack Hoogendyk Jack Hoogendyk Jacob "Jack" Hoogendyk is a Republican politician, a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives and 2008 Republican candidate for the U.S... (R) 33.8% Scott Boman Scott Boman Scott Avery Boman has been one of Michigan’s most visible Libertarian politicians since the late 1990s... (L) 1.6% Harley Mikkelson (G) 0.9% Michael Nikitin (C) 0.6% Doug Dern (Natural Law) 0.4% |
| Minnesota United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 2008. After a legal battle lasting over eight months, Al Franken from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate... |
Norm Coleman Norm Coleman Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002... |
Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic pick-up |
Al Franken Al Franken Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party.... (DFL) 41.99% Norm Coleman Norm Coleman Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002... (R) 41.98% Dean Barkley Dean Barkley Dean Malcolm Barkley is a politician who briefly served as a member of the United States Senate from Minnesota following the death of Paul Wellstone... (MIP) 15.15% Charles Aldrich (L) 0.48% James Niemackl (C) 0.31 Write-ins 0.08% |
| Mississippi (Class 2) | Thad Cochran Thad Cochran William Thad Cochran is the senior United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, he is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and was its chairman and 2005 to 2007.-Early life:He was born in Pontotoc,... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Thad Cochran Thad Cochran William Thad Cochran is the senior United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, he is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and was its chairman and 2005 to 2007.-Early life:He was born in Pontotoc,... (R) 61.4% Erik Fleming (D) 38.6% |
| Mississippi (Class 1) (Special) United States Senate special election in Mississippi, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi was held on November 4, 2008. This election is held on the same day of Thad Cochran's re-election bid in the United States Senate election in Mississippi, 2008. The rules of this special election is that the winner will serve rest of... |
Roger Wicker Roger Wicker Roger Frederick Wicker is the junior U.S. Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. In December 2007 he was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott. He subsequently won the 2008 special election for the remainder of the term. Wicker served... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Roger Wicker Roger Wicker Roger Frederick Wicker is the junior U.S. Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. In December 2007 he was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott. He subsequently won the 2008 special election for the remainder of the term. Wicker served... (R) 55.0% Ronnie Musgrove Ronnie Musgrove David Ronald "Ronnie" Musgrove is an American politician who was the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from January 16, 1996 to January 11, 2000 and the 62nd Governor of Mississippi from January 11, 2000 to January 13, 2004 of the U.S. state of Mississippi. He was recently defeated by... (D) 45.0% |
| Montana | Max Baucus Max Baucus Max Sieben Baucus is the senior United States Senator from Montana and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, as of 2010 he is the longest-serving Senator from Montana, and the fifth longest-serving U.S... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Max Baucus Max Baucus Max Sieben Baucus is the senior United States Senator from Montana and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, as of 2010 he is the longest-serving Senator from Montana, and the fifth longest-serving U.S... (D) 72.9% Bob Kelleher Robert Kelleher Robert "Bob" Kelleher of Butte, Montana was an attorney, and was the 2008 Republican Party candidate for the United States Senate. A colorful figure and perennial candidate, he served in elective office during the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention... (R) 27.1% |
| Nebraska United States Senate election in Nebraska, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 4, 2008. The primary elections was held on May 13. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel decided to retire instead of seeking a third term... |
Chuck Hagel Chuck Hagel Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002... |
Republican | Incumbent retired Republican hold |
Mike Johanns Mike Johanns Michael Owen "Mike" Johanns is an American Republican politician who has been the junior United States Senator from Nebraska since 2009. Previously he was the 38th Governor of Nebraska from 1999 to 2005 and was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 2005 to 2007, becoming the fourth Nebraskan to hold... (R) 57.5% Scott Kleeb Scott Kleeb ' covers most of western Nebraska, comprises 69 counties and is considered to be a traditional Republican stronghold. In the 2006 midterm elections, Republican incumbent Tom Osborne did not seek re-election, instead making a failed bid for the Nebraska gubernatorial nomination... (D) 40.1% Kelly Rosberg (Nebraska) 1.4% Steve Larrick (G) 1.0% |
| New Hampshire United States Senate election in New Hampshire, 2008 The United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John E. Sununu ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.- Background :... |
John E. Sununu John E. Sununu John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H... |
Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic pick-up |
Jeanne Shaheen Jeanne Shaheen Jeanne Shaheen is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the Senior United States Senator from New Hampshire. The first woman in U.S. history to be elected as both a Governor and U.S. Senator, she was the first woman to be elected Governor of New Hampshire, serving from... (D) 51.7% John E. Sununu John E. Sununu John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H... (R) 45.2% Ken Blevens (L) 3.1% |
| New Jersey United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in NJ was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg won re-election to a fourth, non-consecutive term.-Background:... |
Frank Lautenberg Frank Lautenberg Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Frank Lautenberg Frank Lautenberg Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:... (D) 56.0% Dick Zimmer Dick Zimmer (New Jersey politician) Richard Alan "Dick" Zimmer is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 1996 and 2008... (R) 42.0% Jason Scheurer (L) 0.5% J. M. Carter (I) 0.5% Daryl Mikell Brooks (I) 0.5% Jeffrey Boss (I) 0.3% Sara Lobman (Socialist Workers) 0.3% |
| New Mexico United States Senate election in New Mexico, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in New Mexico was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pete Domenici decided to retire instead of seeking a seventh term. All three of New Mexico's U.S. Representatives chose to retire from the U.S. House of Representatives in order to... |
Pete Domenici Pete Domenici Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history.... |
Republican | Incumbent retired Democratic pick-up |
Tom Udall Tom Udall Thomas Stewart "Tom" Udall is the junior United States Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party. He had represented as a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999. Udall was elected as the junior United States senator from New Mexico on November 4, 2008,... (D) 61.3% Steve Pearce Steve Pearce Stevan Edward "Steve" Pearce is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and was an Assistant Minority Whip.-Early life, education and career:... (R) 38.7% |
| North Carolina United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 4, 2008. The Senate election coincided with the presidential, U.S. House elections, gubernatorial, Council of State, and statewide judicial elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole ran for re-election... |
Elizabeth Dole Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator.... |
Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic pick-up |
Kay Hagan (D) 52.7% Elizabeth Dole Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator.... (R) 44.2% Chris Cole (L) 3.1% |
| Oklahoma United States Senate election in Oklahoma, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was a was held on November 4, 2008. The statewide primary election was held July 29, with the run-off on August 26. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James Inhofe won re-election to a third term.-Background:... |
Jim Inhofe Jim Inhofe James Mountain "Jim" Inhofe is the senior Senator from Oklahoma and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1994, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007. Inhofe served eight... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Jim Inhofe Jim Inhofe James Mountain "Jim" Inhofe is the senior Senator from Oklahoma and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1994, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007. Inhofe served eight... (R) 56.7% Andrew Rice (D) 39.2% Stephen Wallace (I) 4.1% |
| Oregon United States Senate election in Oregon, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith decided to seek re-election. Smith was the only Republican Senator from the west coast and the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon... |
Gordon Smith | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic pick-up |
Jeff Merkley Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Merkley is the junior United States Senator from Oregon. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley was a five-term member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly representing House District 47, located in eastern Multnomah County within the Portland city limits... (D) 48.9% Gordon Smith (R) 45.6% Dave Brownlow (C) 5.2% |
| Rhode Island United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Rhode Island took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jack Reed won re-election to a third term.-Results:-Candidates:*Jack Reed , Incumbent U.S. Senator... |
Jack Reed | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Jack Reed (D) 73.4% Robert Tingle Robert Tingle Robert G. Tingle is an American casino pit manager and a former candidate for public office in the state of Rhode Island.-Early life:Tingle was born in Darby, Pennsylvania.In 1975, he graduated from Atlantic City High School.... (R) 26.6% |
| South Carolina United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham won re-election to a second term.-Campaign:... |
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:... (R) 57.5% Bob Conley Bob Conley Robert M. "Bob" Conley is an American pilot, engineer, and politician. He was the 2008 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from South Carolina; he ran against and lost to Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham.... (D) 42.3% |
| South Dakota United States Senate election in South Dakota, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 4, 2008. Primary elections were held on June 3, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Johnson won re-election to a third term.-Candidates:... |
Tim Johnson | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Tim Johnson (D) 62.5% Joel Dykstra Joel Dykstra Joel D. Dykstra is a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing the 16th District since 2003. His district includes Lincoln and Union counties.... (R) 37.5% |
| Tennessee United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander won re-election to a second term.-Candidates:*Bob Tuke, former Chairman of the Democratic Party of Tennessee... |
Lamar Alexander Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Lamar Alexander Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W... (R) 65.1% Bob Tuke Bob Tuke Robert Dudley "Bob" Tuke was the Democratic nominee for the 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee, having won the Democratic primary in August... (D) 31.6% Edward Buck (I) 1.3% Christopher Fenner (I) 0.5% Daniel Lewis (L) 0.4% Chris Lugo (G) 0.4% Ed Lawhorn (I) 0.4% David Gatchell 0.3%(I) |
| Texas United States Senate election in Texas, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn won re-election to a second term.-Background:... |
John Cornyn John Cornyn John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress.... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | John Cornyn John Cornyn John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress.... (R) 54.8% Rick Noriega Rick Noriega Richard Joel "Rick" Noriega was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 145 in eastern Houston, first elected in 1998. He was the Democratic nominee for the Texas United States Senate election, 2008 against the one-term Republican incumbent John Cornyn... (D) 42.8% Yvonne Adams Schick (L) 2.3% |
| Virginia United States Senate election in Virginia, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Warner decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term... |
John Warner John Warner John William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009... |
Republican | Incumbent retired Democratic pick-up |
Mark Warner Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of... (D) 65.0% Jim Gilmore Jim Gilmore James Stuart "Jim" Gilmore III is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia, former 68th Governor of Virginia, and a member of the Republican Party. A native Virginian, Gilmore studied at the University of Virginia, and then served in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence agent... (R) 33.7% Bill Redpath Bill Redpath William Redpath is the current Treasurer and immediate past National Chair of the United States Libertarian Party, first elected by delegates to the 2006 Libertarian National Convention in Portland, Oregon in July 2006... (L) 0.6% Gail Parker (Independent Green) 0.6% |
| West Virginia United States Senate election in West Virginia, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV won re-election to a fifth-term.-Background:... |
Jay Rockefeller Jay Rockefeller John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985... |
Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Jay Rockefeller Jay Rockefeller John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985... (D) 63.7% Jay Wolfe (R) 36.3% |
| Wyoming (Class 2) United States Senate elections in Wyoming, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mike Enzi won re-election to a third term.-Candidates:*Chris Rothfuss, chemical engineer and university professor... |
Mike Enzi Mike Enzi Michael Bradley "Mike" Enzi is the senior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party.Raised in Thermopolis, Wyoming, Enzi attended George Washington University and the University of Denver. He expanded his father's shoe store business in Gillette before being elected mayor of... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Mike Enzi Mike Enzi Michael Bradley "Mike" Enzi is the senior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party.Raised in Thermopolis, Wyoming, Enzi attended George Washington University and the University of Denver. He expanded his father's shoe store business in Gillette before being elected mayor of... (R) 75.6% Chris Rothfuss (D) 24.3% |
| Wyoming (Class 1) (Special) United States Senate special election in Wyoming, 2008 The 2008 United States Senate special election in Wyoming took place on November 4, 2008, at the same time as the regular election to the United States Senate in Wyoming. There was a special election to fill the remainder of the unexpired senate term of the late Craig L. Thomas, who recently died... |
John Barrasso John Barrasso John Anthony Barrasso is the junior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party. He was appointed to the Senate following Craig L. Thomas's death and won a special election in 2008 to fill the remaining four years of Thomas's term.... |
Republican | Incumbent re-elected | John Barrasso John Barrasso John Anthony Barrasso is the junior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party. He was appointed to the Senate following Craig L. Thomas's death and won a special election in 2008 to fill the remaining four years of Thomas's term.... (R) 73.4% Nick Carter (D) 26.5% |
Alaska
Dispelling rumors that he would retire due to advanced age (he was 84 years old on election day) and ongoing federal investigations into his conduct, Senator Ted StevensTed Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
filed papers for re-election for an eighth term.
An ex-oil company executive, Bill Allen, paid for part of the renovation costs on Stevens's personal residence. The FBI investigated the remodeling of Stevens home by Veco Corp., which is part of a broader corruption investigation involving Stevens's son, former State Senate President Ben Stevens
Ben Stevens
Ben Stevens is an American politician and former President of the Alaska State Senate. He is a Republican and the son of former United States Senator Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in United States Senate history.- Career :...
. Two former Veco executives have plead guilty to paying the younger Stevens $242,000 in bribes. On July 30, 2007, the IRS and FBI raided Stevens's home in Alaska. On September 14, 2007, former Veco CEO Bill Allen testified at the trial of former State House Speaker Pete Kott
Pete Kott
Peter "Pete" Kott is a former Republican state representative for District 17 serving Eagle River, Alaska, in the Alaska Legislature for seven terms, from 1993 until 2007. He was Speaker of the House during his sixth term in 2003-2004...
that Veco paid people working to double the size of Stevens's home.
On July 29, 2008, a federal grand jury indicted Stevens on seven felony counts for making false statements, and on October 26, a jury found Stevens guilty on all charges.
The Democratic candidate was Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich
Mark Begich
Mark Peter Begich is the junior United States Senator from Alaska and a member of the Democratic Party. A former mayor of Anchorage, he served on the Anchorage Assembly for almost ten years prior to being elected mayor in 2003...
, the son of popular former Democratic Representative Nick Begich
Nick Begich
Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Begich, Sr. was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from Alaska. He disappeared in a plane crash in Alaska in 1972. His son Mark Begich is currently the junior U.S...
. Begich announced his candidacy for the Senate seat on April 22, 2008.
On October 19, 2007, the AP reported that despite the allegations and FBI probe, several veteran GOP Senators—including Orrin Hatch
Orrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
(R-UT), Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
(R-TX), and Kit Bond
Kit Bond
Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond is a former United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he defeated Democrat Harriett Woods by a margin of 53%-47%. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004...
(R-MO)—donated enough money to Stevens's re-election campaign to make it one of Stevens's most successful fund raising quarters ever.
Sen. Stevens' conviction on seven felony counts of corruption put his reelection bid in serious jeopardy, coming just over a week before the election, though Stevens appealed the conviction. Nevertheless, Stevens was narrowly ahead in the vote count after election day, with only about two-thirds of all votes counted. It only became clear Begich had prevailed when early votes, absentee ballots, and questioned ballots were counted.
On November 18, the race was called for Begich, who won with 47.8% to Stevens' 46.5%.
National Public Radio reported on April 1, 2009, that United States Attorney General Eric Holder, citing serious prosecutorial misconduct during the trial, decided to drop all charges against Stevens—an action that vacated his conviction.
Colorado
On January 15, 2007, incumbent Senator Wayne AllardWayne Allard
Alan Wayne Allard is a member of the Republican Party, and was a United States Senator from Colorado. He did not seek re-election in 2008.-Early life:...
(R) announced he would not seek re-election, honoring his pledge to serve no more than two terms.
Former Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Bob Schaffer
Bob Schaffer
Robert Warren "Bob" Schaffer was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Colorado in the 105th Congress and the two succeeding Congresses . In 2004, Schaffer lost in the primary election to be the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat...
of Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
was the Republican nominee. Former Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
was rumored to be considering a run, but declined to do so. Other possible Republican candidates included former Congressman Scott McInnis
Scott McInnis
Stephen Scott Emory McInnis is a lawyer and former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado. In August, 2010, McInnis lost his bid to be gubernatorial nominee after a plagiarism accusation and apology hurt his standing.-Education and professional history:Born in...
and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers
John Suthers
John William Suthers is the current Attorney General of Colorado. He is a practicing Catholic and member of the Republican Party.-Background:Suthers was born in Denver, Colorado and adopted a month later by a Colorado Springs couple....
.
The Democratic nominee was 2nd district Congressman
Colorado's 2nd congressional district
Colorado's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. The district is located in the north-central part of the state and encompasses the northwestern suburbs of Denver including Boulder, Northglenn, Thornton, and Westminster...
Mark Udall
Mark Udall
Mark Emery Udall is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing . He also served a term in the Colorado House of Representatives.Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the...
of Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
who announced on January 15, 2007, that he would seek the seat and did not draw significant primary opposition.
Other candidates included Bob Kinsey of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
as the Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
nominee, Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell as the American Constitution Party
American Constitution Party
The American Constitution Party was originally formed as the American Tax Payers Union in 1991. It is now the Colorado affiliate of the national party known as the Constitution Party and is based in Arvada...
's nominee , and Independent candidate Buddy Moore, unaffiliated any party.
On Election Day, Udall defeated Schaffer 52% to 43%.
Minnesota
The 2008 U.S. Senate election in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
featured first-term Republican incumbent Senator Norm Coleman
Norm Coleman
Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002...
, Democrat Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, a comedian and radio personality, and former U.S. Senator Dean Barkley
Dean Barkley
Dean Malcolm Barkley is a politician who briefly served as a member of the United States Senate from Minnesota following the death of Paul Wellstone...
, a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota
Independence Party of Minnesota
The Independence Party of Minnesota , formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota, is the third largest political party in Minnesota, behind the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Republican Party . It is the political party of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura , and endorsed former U.S...
.
A December 2007 poll showed Coleman's approval rating among Minnesota voters at 53%. The seat was heavily targeted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current chair is Sen. Patty Murray, who succeeded Sen. Robert Menendez following...
because of Minnesota's Democratic leanings and recent Democratic gains in national and statewide elections. These factors, coupled with a national political climate favorable to Democrats, made the Minnesota Senate race one of the most competitive and closely watched of the cycle.
Franken announced his candidacy on February 14, 2007, more than 20 months before the election. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is an American academic. He sought the endorsement of Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party as a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2008 but was defeated by Al Franken.-Background:...
, a professor at the University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
(St. Paul, Minnesota), joined the race in October 2007. Attorney Mike Ciresi
Mike Ciresi
Michael "Mike" V. Ciresi is a prominent trial attorney and was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for the United States Senate from Minnesota. He dropped out on March 10, 2008. Ciresi gained his public reputation by litigating several high-profile mass tort cases...
, an unsuccessful candidate in the 2000 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, was considered a serious candidate, but withdrew from the race on March 10, 2008, clearing the path for Franken to secure the party's nomination.
Barkley ran under the banner of the Independence Party, the largest third party in Minnesota. He was included in most of the debates and ultimately received 15% of the vote in the general election, a strong showing for an independent candidate. It is not clear whether Barkley detracted more votes from Coleman or Franken.
Polls over the course of the campaign indicated that the race was very competitive, with many polls showing Franken and Coleman virtually tied or within the margin of error, as well as several polls showing each candidate with a significant lead at one point or another. The presence of a serious third party candidate further complicated matters.
On November 4, 2008, Coleman received 1,211,590 votes to Franken's 1,211,375 votes, a margin of 215 votes, far less than 0.1% percent, thereby triggering an automatic recount. Barkley received 437,404 votes, about 15% of total votes cast.
On January 3, 2009, with the recount apparently completed, Franken had an unofficial lead of 225 votes, but former Senator Coleman's attorneys contested the official results in the courts. In the meantime, Minnesota was represented by only one senator, Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
.
On April 13, 2009, a three-judge panel ruled that Al Franken received the most votes in Minnesota's 2008 Senate race and ruled against Coleman's claims on all counts. Coleman appealed this decision. On June 30, 2009, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Al Franken received the most votes, and Norm Coleman conceded defeat after the ruling, allowing Al Franken to be Senator-elect of Minnesota. Franken was sworn in as Minnesota's junior Senator on July 7.
New Hampshire
Senator John SununuJohn E. Sununu
John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
represented the swing state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The state traditionally leaned Republican, but John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
from neighboring Massachusetts narrowly won the state in the 2004 Presidential election. New Hampshire also saw major Democratic gains in the 2006 elections, when Democrats took both of the previously Republican-held House seats, the gubernatorial race with a record vote share of 74%, and majorities in the State House
New Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300...
and Senate
New Hampshire Senate
The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population...
, giving them concurrent control of both bodies for the first time since 1874. However, New Hampshire had not elected a Democratic United States Senator since 1975.
Sununu's 2002 opponent, former Governor Jeanne Shaheen
Jeanne Shaheen
Jeanne Shaheen is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the Senior United States Senator from New Hampshire. The first woman in U.S. history to be elected as both a Governor and U.S. Senator, she was the first woman to be elected Governor of New Hampshire, serving from...
, decided to run and was generally considered to be a very formidable challenger. Three consecutive monthly Rasmussen Reports poll showed Shaheen defeating Sununu by 49% to 41%. Prior to Shaheen's entry, Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
Mayor Steve Marchand
Steve Marchand
Steve Marchand is the former mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was an early Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate for the 2008 election, but he dropped out of the race in 2007 and endorsed former Governor Jeanne Shaheen....
, Katrina Swett
Katrina Swett
Katrina Swett is a professor and politician, who ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for Congress in New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district during the 2010 United States midterm elections.-Early life, education and career:...
, wife of former Democratic congressman Richard Swett
Richard Swett
Richard "Dick" Swett is an American politician from the U.S. state of New Hampshire.-Early life, education and career:Swett was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and moved to New Hampshire with his family as a child...
, and former astronaut Jay Buckey
had announced that they were running for the Democratic nomination. After Shaheen's entry, however, all three withdrew and endorsed the former governor.
On election day, Shaheen defeated Sununu, 52% to 45%.
New Mexico
While Senator Pete DomeniciPete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history....
had declared that he would seek re-election in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, he changed his mind and announced on October 4, 2007 that he was retiring at the end of his current term due to a degenerative brain disorder. Domenici normally would have been expected to win re-election easily, having won his current term with the support of two out of three New Mexico voters; however, he is to be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee for his role in firing U.S. Attorney David Iglesias
David Iglesias (attorney)
David Claudio Iglesias is an American attorney from Albuquerque, New Mexico.He was appointed by President George W. Bush as the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico in August 2001 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in October 2001. He served for 6 years. He was one of eight U.S...
. Domenici's role in the developing scandal had reduced the probability he would have been re-elected, and a SurveyUSA poll showed his approval ratings at 41%, with 54% disapproving. The potential scandal may have also contributed to his decision to leave the Senate.
Tom Udall
Tom Udall
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Udall is the junior United States Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party. He had represented as a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999. Udall was elected as the junior United States senator from New Mexico on November 4, 2008,...
, the popular Representative from New Mexico's 3rd District
New Mexico's 3rd congressional district
New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District serves the northern half of New Mexico, including the state's Capital, Santa Fe. The current Representative is Democrat Ben R...
, was the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee was Rep. Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce
Stevan Edward "Steve" Pearce is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and was an Assistant Minority Whip.-Early life, education and career:...
, who represented the more conservative southern part
New Mexico's 2nd congressional district
New Mexico's second congressional district to the United States House of Representatives serves the southern half of New Mexico, including Las Cruces and Roswell. Geographically, it is the sixth largest district in the nation, and the 2nd-largest not to comprise an entire state...
of the state.
When asked whether the Republicans were abandoning their hopes of holding onto Domenici's seat, Senator John Ensign
John Ensign
John Eric Ensign is a former United States Senator from Nevada, serving from January 2001 until he resigned amid an investigation of an ethics violation in May 2011...
, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
, responded that "You don’t waste money on races that don’t need it or you can’t win.”
Udall won the election with 61% of the vote, with Pearce taking 39%.
North Carolina
In North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, there had been rumors that Senator Elizabeth Dole
Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
would retire from the Senate and run for governor
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
, but she said in 2006 that she intended to run for re-election. There was early speculation that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley
Mike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
might be pressured into running against her but this did not come to pass. The Democratic nominee was state Senator Kay Hagan, who defeated Jim Neal
Jim Neal
James Weatherly "Jim" Neal, Jr. is a North Carolina Democrat and a business executive and investment banker who was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 2008...
and Dustin Lassiter in the Democratic primary. A Rasmussen poll released May 11, 2008 showed Hagan leading Dole by a statistically insignificant margin, 48% - 47%, suggesting a competitive race. Hagan's poll numbers continued to best Dole's, however, and Hagan defeated Dole by a wider than expected margin of 53% to 44%.
Oregon
Senator Gordon Smith of OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
ran for a third term. He defeated ophthalmologist Gordon Leitch in the May 20 Republican primary
Oregon Republican primary, 2008
The 2008 Oregon Republican primary was a mail only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Republican voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots must have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008...
. Smith faced Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
Speaker Jeff Merkley
Jeff Merkley
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Merkley is the junior United States Senator from Oregon. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley was a five-term member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly representing House District 47, located in eastern Multnomah County within the Portland city limits...
in the November general election. Merkley beat longtime Democratic activist Steve Novick
Steve Novick
Steven Novick is a political activist in Oregon and a former environmental lawyer. He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination for the United States Senate in 2008 for the Senate seat then held by Republican Gordon Smith, but narrowly lost to Oregon House speaker Jeff Merkley, who went on to...
and three other candidates in a hotly contested primary
Oregon Democratic primary, 2008
The 2008 Oregon Democratic primary was a mail-only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Democratic voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots had to have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008...
.
In a July 16, 2008 poll, Merkley overtook Smith for the first time 43% to 41%.
On November 6, 2008, Jeff Merkley was projected the winner of the contest, with 48.9% to Smith's 45.6%. Gordon Smith formally conceded soon afterward.
Virginia
John WarnerJohn Warner
John William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009...
announced on August 31, 2007 that he would not seek re-election for another term. Former Governor Jim Gilmore
Jim Gilmore
James Stuart "Jim" Gilmore III is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia, former 68th Governor of Virginia, and a member of the Republican Party. A native Virginian, Gilmore studied at the University of Virginia, and then served in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence agent...
, who dropped out of the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, was the Republican nominee for the seat.
Popular Democratic former Governor Mark Warner
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of...
(no relation) was the Democratic nominee for the race. Polling showed him as a strong favorite to win the seat.
When asked whether the Republicans were abandoning their hopes of holding onto Warner's seat, Senator John Ensign
John Ensign
John Eric Ensign is a former United States Senator from Nevada, serving from January 2001 until he resigned amid an investigation of an ethics violation in May 2011...
, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
, responded that "You don’t waste money on races that don’t need it or you can’t win.”
In one of the first senate races called on election day, Warner won, taking 65% of the vote, with Gilmore winning 34%. Since Democrat Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
had defeated incumbent Republican George Allen
George Allen (U.S. politician)
George Felix Allen is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as the 67th Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress, winning election to the Senate in 2000...
for Virginia's other Senate seat in 2006, Virginia's senate delegation flipped from entirely Republican to entirely Democratic in just two years.
Arkansas
Despite being a first-term senator in a state George W. Bush won twice, Democrat Mark PryorMark Pryor
Mark Lunsford Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and former Attorney General of Arkansas....
faced no opposition from Republicans in his re-election bid. Although Bush carried the state twice, Arkansas Democrats swept the seven state races held in the 2006 general election.
Pryor is the son of longtime U.S. Senator and former Arkansas Governor David Pryor
David Pryor
David Hampton Pryor is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. Pryor also served as 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1966...
.
It was rumored that Lt. Governor Bill Halter
Bill Halter
William A. "Bill" Halter was the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to succeed the late Republican Winthrop Paul Rockefeller in 2006, defeating Republican challenger Jim Holt by a margin of 57%–43%.Before his election as lieutenant governor,...
would challenge Pryor in the primary, but Halter declined to file as a candidate. Rebekah Kennedy
Rebekah Kennedy
Rebekah Kennedy is an Arkansas politician affiliated with the Green Party and was a candidate for U.S. Senate in the 2008 election cycle. She unsuccessfully ran for State Attorney General during the 2006 and 2010 election cycles....
of the Green Party was Pryor's only opposition.
Pryor won on election day, with 79.53%% of the vote. Kennedy took 20.47%.
Delaware
On August 23, 2008, the Democratic nominee for President, Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, announced that Biden would be joining him on the ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee. Delaware law allowed Biden to run for Vice President and Senator at the same time, so he would have kept the seat if the ticket had lost. In 2000, the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
ran similarly. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama won the presidential election, making Biden the next VP. Biden vacated his senate seat shortly after the election, allowing for the Governor of Delaware to appoint a successor. There was speculation as to whether the outgoing Governor, Ruth Ann Minner
Ruth Ann Minner
Ruth Ann Minner is an American politician and businesswoman from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. She is a member of the Democratic Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Delaware and two terms as the first female Governor of Delaware.-Early life...
, or the incoming Governor-elect Jack Markell would make the appointment, and if Biden's son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden
Beau Biden
Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III is an American lawyer, Army JAG officer, and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He serves as the Attorney General of Delaware and a Major in the Delaware Army National Guard...
would receive the appointment. On November 24, 2008, Governor Minner appointed Biden's longtime Chief of Staff Ted Kaufman
Ted Kaufman
Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Delaware from 2009 to 2010. Since 2010, he has chaired the Congressional Oversight Panel in the United States federal government; he is the second person to hold that post, succeeding inaugural holder...
to fill the seat. Kaufman subsequently announced that he would not seek election to a full term in 2010, effectively making him a caretaker. Biden's Republican opponent in the Senate race, conservative political commentator Christine O'Donnell
Christine O'Donnell
Christine Therese O'Donnell is an American Republican Party politician who founded two advocacy organizations. She has been an advocate for nonprofit clients and nonprofit causes for nearly 20 years. A Tea Party favorite, and with strong financial support from the Tea Party movement, she defeated...
, tried to make an issue of Biden's dual campaigns, claiming that serving his constituents is not important to him. Kaufman has since stated that he will not run for the unexpired term in 2010.
Biden was reelected with 65% of the vote, or 257,484 votes. O'Donnell received 140,584 votes (35% of the vote).
Illinois
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin remained favored in IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He sought to be re-elected in a state that has steadily become more Democratic since 1992. CQpolitics.com rated the contest as "safe Democrat."
Physician Steve Sauerberg of La Grange
La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, a suburb of Chicago, is a village in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 15,608 at the 2000 census.-History:...
won the February 5 Republican primary. Kathy Cummings, a retired special education teacher was nominated via convention by the Green Party. Chad Koppie, a retired airline pilot and vice-chairman of the Illinois Center Right Coalition, was the nominee of the Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
.
Durbin won with 63% of the vote. Sauerberg had 33%.
Iowa
In a state that has been trending to the Democratic party recently, Senator Tom HarkinTom Harkin
Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives ....
faced the Republican nominee, small business owner Christopher Reed
Christopher Reed
Christopher Reed was the Republican nominee in the 2008 Senate election in Iowa, losing to Senator Tom Harkin. Reed was unsuccessful in a bid for the Republican nomination for Congress in Iowa's 2nd District in 2010.-Early life:...
, whom he defeated with 63% of the vote to Reed's 37%.
Louisiana
Incumbent Mary LandrieuMary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
was elected in 1996
United States Senate elections, 1996
The 1996 elections to the United States Senate coincided with the 1996 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were reelected President and Vice President of the United States, respectively....
following a recount and was narrowly re-elected in 2002
United States Senate elections, 2002
The 2002 United States Senate election featured a series of fiercely contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. Senators who were elected in 1996, known as Senate...
in a runoff election. Since those elections, Democrats have had to endure the loss of some reliable voters because Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
dispersed many African-Americans from New Orleans, although the vast majority still live within Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The state has become more Republican over the past 12 years. Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
elected David Vitter
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
in 2004, the state's first Republican senator since Reconstruction. And Louisianans elected Republican Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
as the first Indian-American Governor in the country's history in 2007. Louisiana's electoral votes easily went to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.
On August 27, 2007, state Treasurer John Neely Kennedy announced he was switching parties from Democrat to Republican. On November 29, after being personally recruited by Vitter and former Bush administration official Karl Rove
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
, Kennedy announced plans to challenge Landrieu in 2008.
In the end, Landrieu was re-elected with 52% of the vote, Kennedy having 46%.
Massachusetts
Incumbent John KerryJohn Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
sought another Senate term in Massachusetts. Republican author and conservative activist Jerome Corsi
Jerome Corsi
Jerome Robert Corsi is an American author, political commentator and conspiracy theorist best known for his two New York Times bestselling books: The Obama Nation and Unfit for Command...
, known for his public criticism of Kerry, had stated that he would run for the seat in 2008 but later changed his mind. Jim Ogonowski, a retired Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
pilot who was closely defeated by now-Representative Niki Tsongas
Niki Tsongas
Nicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.She is the widow of U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas, who represented the 5th district in the 1970s...
in a 2007 special election
Massachusetts's 5th congressional district special election, 2007
Massachusetts held a special election to fill a vacancy in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district on October 16, 2007. Democrat Niki Tsongas won election to congress defeating Republican Jim Ogonowski in an election that was closer than expected....
, was running against Kerry. but failed to obtain the required candidacy signatures. The Republican challenger turned out to be Jeff Beatty, an ex-Army Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
officer who garnered 30% of the vote in a challenge to Democratic Congressman Bill Delahunt
Bill Delahunt
William D. Delahunt is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Delahunt did not seek re-election in 2010, and left Congress in January 2011. He was replaced by Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating...
in 2006. Kerry was challenged by defense attorney Edward O'Reilly for the Democratic nomination, winning 69 percent of the vote to O'Reilly's 31 percent.
As expected, Kerry won with 66% of the vote to Beatty's 31%. Libertarian Robert J. Underwood had 3%.
Michigan
With the Democratic Party takeover of Capitol Hill in the 2006 midterm elections, Senator Carl LevinCarl Levin
Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
has become one of the most powerful people in Washington as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee
United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
. He was expected to easily win re-election.
Challenging Levin were Republican State Representative Jack Hoogendyk
Jack Hoogendyk
Jacob "Jack" Hoogendyk is a Republican politician, a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives and 2008 Republican candidate for the U.S...
, Green candidate Harley G. Mikkelson, US Taxpayers' candidate Mike Nikitin, Libertarian professor Scotty Boman, and Natural Law's candidate Doug Dern.
As expected, Levin won re-election with 63% of the vote, to Hoogendyk's 34%.
Montana
Senator Max BaucusMax Baucus
Max Sieben Baucus is the senior United States Senator from Montana and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, as of 2010 he is the longest-serving Senator from Montana, and the fifth longest-serving U.S...
is a popular Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, representing a state that has long been fairly Republican but also is receptive to Democrats in state and local elections. President Bush won Montana by more than 20 points in both 2000 and 2004, but Montana also has a popular Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer
Brian Schweitzer
Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60...
, and a newly elected Democratic junior senator, Jon Tester
Jon Tester
Jon Tester is the junior U.S. Senator for Montana, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as President of the Montana Senate.-Early life, education, and farming career:...
. Baucus was not expected to face a significant challenge from the 85 year old Republican nominee, Bob Kelleher, who surprised observers by winning the June 3 Republican primary despite supporting a number of positions that put him to the political left of Baucus, such as nationalization of the American oil and gas industry.
Baucus easily won re-election, taking 73% of the vote, with Kelleher taking 27%.
New Jersey
Senator Frank LautenbergFrank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
sought re-election in 2008, though he was 84. In the Primary, Lautenberg soundly defeated Representative Rob Andrews
Rob Andrews
Robert Ernest "Rob" Andrews is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County....
(NJ-1
New Jersey's 1st congressional district
New Jersey's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of New Jersey.The current U.S. Representative from the 1st district is Democrat Rob Andrews...
) by a margin of 62% to 32%. In November 2006, the senator had the lowest approval rating of any Democrat running for re-election in 2008 (with 39% approving and 45% disapproving), with his approval standing only at 42% as of September 2007 with voters saying he does not deserve re-election 46%-36%. The Republican nominee was former Congressman and 1996 senatorial candidate Dick Zimmer
Dick Zimmer (New Jersey politician)
Richard Alan "Dick" Zimmer is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 1996 and 2008...
.
Sara Lobman of the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
and Independent Anthony Fisher
Anthony Fisher
Bishop Anthony Fisher is the Catholic Bishop of Parramatta, NSW Australia and a friar of the Order of Preachers . He was installed as the third Bishop of Parramatta on 4 March 2010, having previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney.-Early life and education:Anthony Fisher...
were also declared candidates. Furthermore, in the wake of the financial crisis, Carl Peter Klapper entered the race as a write-in candidate.
Lautenberg won re-election, winning 56%-42%.
Rhode Island
In Rhode IslandRhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Democratic Senator Jack Reed had an approval rating of 66% in November 2006. National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
has declared that "Reed is probably the safest incumbent of the 2008 cycle". Reed's opponent was Robert Tingle
Robert Tingle
Robert G. Tingle is an American casino pit manager and a former candidate for public office in the state of Rhode Island.-Early life:Tingle was born in Darby, Pennsylvania.In 1975, he graduated from Atlantic City High School....
, a pit manager
Pit Manager
A pit boss is the person who looks after the employees who work in a casino pit. The job of the pit boss is to watch the floormen, who are the supervisors for table games dealers in a casino. One pit boss monitors all floormen in the pit; there is usually one floorman for every three dealers...
at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, whom Reed defeated in his re-election campaign in 2002.
Reed won the election as expected, with 73% of the vote.
South Dakota
In South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Senator Tim Johnson's seat was considered a top GOP target in 2008, considering Johnson's narrow 524-vote victory in 2002 over then-Representative and current U.S. Senator John Thune
John Thune
John Randolph Thune is the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota and a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as a U.S. Representative for .-Early Life, Education:...
, as well as his recent health problems. Johnson underwent surgery in December 2006 for a Cerebral arteriovenous malformation
Cerebral arteriovenous malformation
A cerebral arteriovenous malformation is an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins in the brain.-Signs and symptoms:The most frequently observed problems related to an AVM are headaches and seizures while at least 15% of the population at detection have no symptoms at all...
and was discharged from the hospital on April 30, 2007. On October 19, 2007, Johnson formally announced that he is seeking re-election. According to a November 2006 SurveyUSA
SurveyUSA
SurveyUSA is a polling firm in the United States. It conducts market research for corporations and interest groups, but is best known for conducting opinion polls for various political offices and questions...
poll, Johnson has an approval rating of 70%, with just 26% disapproving of his performance, making him an early favorite despite the state's Republican leaning.
Republicans were unsuccessful in persuading Governor Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds
Marion Michael "Mike" Rounds is an American politician. Rounds served as the 31st Governor of South Dakota. Rounds was first inaugurated on January 7, 2003, having been elected on November 5, 2002, and was re-elected on November 7, 2006...
and former Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
The Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota is the lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of South Dakota.He or she is the second-ranking member of the executive branch of South Dakota state government and also serves as presiding officer of the South Dakota Senate...
Steve Kirby
Steve T. Kirby
Steve T. Kirby was the thirty-fifth Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. He is a member of local, state, and national boards of directors.-Biography:...
to run. State Representative Joel Dykstra
Joel Dykstra
Joel D. Dykstra is a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing the 16th District since 2003. His district includes Lincoln and Union counties....
announced his candidacy on July 5, 2007. Other Republicans included Charles Lyonel Gonyo and Sam Kephart. Dykstra won the Republican primary on June 3.
Johnson was re-elected, with 62% to Dykstra's 38%.
West Virginia
Senator Jay RockefellerJay Rockefeller
John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985...
, great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
, sought a fifth term representing West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Even though West Virginia is a historically Democratic state, in which the party had a 50-32% edge in party affiliation over the Republicans in the 2004 elections, the state party is more conservative than the national party, giving its votes to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in that election and in 2000. Democrats Sheirl Fletcher and Billy Hendricks challenged Rockefeller in the primary but were defeated. The Republican nominee was Jay Wolfe of Salem
Salem, West Virginia
Salem is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,006 at the 2000 census. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 50 and West Virginia Route 23; the North Bend Rail Trail passes through the city...
, a former State Senator.
As expected, Rockefeller handily won on election day, being re-elected with 64% of the vote. Wolfe had 36%.
Alabama
AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
Senator Jeff Sessions
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party...
sought re-election to a third term. Johnny Swanson announced his candidacy in March 2006 for the Democratic nomination.
Despite voting heavily for Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in 2004, Alabama still has a strong Democratic presence; Democrats control majorities of both chambers in the state legislature
Alabama Legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
. Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks
Ron Sparks (politician)
Ronald D. Sparks is the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries for the state of Alabama. Sparks is a member of the Democratic party, and was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Alabama in the state's 2010 gubernatorial election.- Early life, education and career :Sparks is a graduate of...
appeared to be preparing for a run, but on June 12, 2007, Sparks announced that he will not seek the Senate seat, in order to avoid a primary battle with state Senator Vivian Davis Figures
Vivian Davis Figures
Vivian Davis Figures is a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 33rd District in Mobile County since she was elected on January 28, 1997 to serve the remaining term of her late husband, Senator Michael A. Figures, who was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate...
. Figures has won elections in the Republican-leaning Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
area. In the Democratic primary, Figures won the nomination and will face Sessions in November.
Not on the ballot, but running a write-in campaign, was Darryl W. Perry, the 2004 Libertarian Party nominee for Pennsylvania State Treasurer and 2007 candidate for Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. Perry was endorsed by Alabama Statesmen, Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party (political party)
The Boston Tea Party is a U.S. political party named after the Boston Tea Party of 1773. Its ideology is libertarian.A group of former Libertarian Party members founded the party in 2006...
, Christians for Life and Liberty and PaulCongress.com
Session defeated Figures, taking 63% of the vote to Figures' 37%
Georgia
In the 2008 election, first-term incumbent Republican Senator Saxby ChamblissSaxby Chambliss
Clarence Saxby Chambliss, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative ....
was opposed primarily by Democrat Jim Martin
Jim Martin (Georgia politician)
James Francis "Jim" Martin is an American politician and former member of the Georgia General Assembly. He is a Democrat. Martin opposed incumbent U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss in the 2008 election...
, as well as third party candidates, including Libertarian Allen Buckley
Allen Buckley
Allen Buckley is an attorney and CPA, who in 2008 ran for one of Georgia's United States Senate seats as a member of the Libertarian Party. He was the party's candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2006, where he drew 3.6% of the vote, and for Senator in 2004, where he took 2% of the...
and Eleanor Garcia of the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
.
Martin, current Georgia Commissioner of Human Resources, former member of the Georgia General Assembly
Georgia General Assembly
The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....
, Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran, and 2006 candidate for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
The Lieutenant Governor of Georgia is a constitutional officer of the state, elected to a 4-year term by popular vote. Unlike some states, the lieutenant governor is elected on a separate ticket from the state Governor....
, secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Dekalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
CEO Vernon Jones
Vernon Jones
Vernon Jones is an American Democratic politician from Georgia who served as chief executive officer of Dekalb County, Georgia, from 2001 until 2009.-Early life and business career:...
by a 59% to 41% margin in the August 5 run-off election.
In December 2007, Chambliss had an approval rating of 53% and a disapproval rating of 34% according to Strategic Vision, a Republican polling firm. For most of the campaign, Chambliss maintained a comfortable lead in most polls. However, in the weeks leading up to the 2008 general election, polls showed the race tightening, reflecting a general nationwide trend.
On November 4, 2008, Chambliss received 49.7% of the vote, with Martin about 3% behind and Buckley receiving 3% of the vote. However, Georgia law states that if no candidate receives a simple majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of the popular vote, then the election will be decided in a run-off. On December 2, 2008, Chambliss won the run-off with 57% of vote to Martin's 43%.
Idaho
On September 1, 2007, Senator Larry CraigLarry Craig
Larry Edwin Craig is a former Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho. He served 18 years in the U.S. Senate , preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House, representing Idaho's first district . His 28 years in the Congress rank as the second-longest in Idaho history, trailing only William...
announced his intent to resign from the Senate effective September 30, 2007. The announcement followed by just six days the disclosure that he had pleaded guilty on August 1, 2007 to a reduced misdemeanor charge arising out of his arrest on June 11 at the Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
airport for soliciting sex with a man in the restroom. Craig found almost no support among Republicans in his home state or Washington. On October 4, 2007, Senator Craig announced he will not seek re-election, but would remain in office until the end of his term.
Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch
Jim Risch
James Elroy "Jim" Risch is a Republican politician, rancher, and attorney from Ada County, currently serving as the junior United States Senator from Idaho. He previously served as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Idaho.-Early life:Risch was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
was the Republican candidate; U.S. Army veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
and former congressman Larry LaRocco
Larry LaRocco
Larry LaRocco is a Democratic politician from the US state of Idaho, who served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. LaRocco was defeated by Republican Jim Risch for the open U.S. Senate seat in Idaho in 2008....
was the Democratic candidate. Risch and LaRocco ran against each other in the 2006 Lieutenant Governor race, which Risch won by a wide margin. Libertarian Kent Marmon also ran. The last Democratic Senator from Idaho was Frank Church
Frank Church
Frank Forrester Church III was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Idaho from 1957 to 1981....
, who was defeated in the Republican landslide of 1980
United States Senate elections, 1980
The 1980 U.S. Senate elections coincided with Ronald Reagan's election to the Presidency. Reagan's large margin of victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter pulled in many Democratic voters and gave a huge boost to Republican senate candidates....
after serving four terms.
Risch won the election with approximately 58 percent of the vote.
Kansas
Senator Pat RobertsPat Roberts
Charles Patrick "Pat" Roberts is the senior United States Senator from Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 1997...
sought re-election to a third term. Although Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, former Democratic Congressman and army veteran Jim Slattery
Jim Slattery
James Charles Slattery is an American politician and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas.- Early life and career :...
was nominated to run against Roberts. Pat Roberts currently has an approval rating of 56%.
Roberts was re-elected with 60% to Slattery's 36%.
Kentucky
Democrats made Senate Minority LeaderMinority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
, four-term Senator Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
a target due to his leadership of Senate Republicans and his ties to President Bush, as well as his mediocre approval rating in the state, which is below 50%.
Businessman and U.S. Army veteran Bruce Lunsford
Bruce Lunsford
William Bruce Lunsford is an American Democratic politician from Kentucky. He has served various roles in the Kentucky Democratic Party including, Party treasurer, Deputy Development Secretary, and Head of Commerce...
, who lost the 2007 Democratic gubernatorial primary to current Governor Steve Beshear
Steve Beshear
Steven Lynn "Steve" Beshear is an American politician who is the 61st Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A Democrat, Beshear previously served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1979, was the state's Attorney General from 1980 to 1983, and was Lieutenant Governor from...
, was the Democratic nominee.
Once thought to be secure in his reelection, McConnell's lead had shrunk dramatically thanks to the financial crisis and polling showed the race tightening between him and Lunsford. Nevertheless, McConnell was re-elected by a margin of 53% to 47%.
Maine
In MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Susan Collins
Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins is the junior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1996, she is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...
sought a third term in the Senate. She has maintained a high approval rating, and also in her favor is the landslide re-election of Maine's senior Senator, Olympia Snowe
Olympia Snowe
Olympia Jean Snowe , née Bouchles, is the senior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. Snowe has become widely known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. She and her fellow Senator from Maine, Susan Collins,...
, who had the largest margin of victory of any GOP Senate candidate - besides the largely unopposed Richard Lugar (R-IN) - in the 2006 election cycle. Collins was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2002 over State Sen. Chellie Pingree
Chellie Pingree
Rochelle M. "Chellie" Pingree is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since 2009. The district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta.Pingree was a member of the Maine Senate from...
. Sen. Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
, citing his status as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, endorsed Sen. Collins in her 2008 re-election bid.
On May 8, 2007, Rep. Tom Allen
Tom Allen
Thomas Hodge "Tom" Allen is a former member of the United States House of Representatives representing , and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008 against Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins. Allen lost to Collins .Allen was first elected in 1996, defeating Republican...
(ME-1
Maine's 1st congressional district
Maine's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. The geographically smaller of the two congressional districts in the state, the district covers the southern coastal area of the state. The district consists of all of Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc,...
) announced his candidacy on his website. He had already expressed interest in running and had been building the apparatus necessary to wage a Senate campaign.
Collins won on election day with 61% of the vote, compared to 39% for Allen.
Mississippi
Incumbent Senator Thad CochranThad Cochran
William Thad Cochran is the senior United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, he is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and was its chairman and 2005 to 2007.-Early life:He was born in Pontotoc,...
announced that he would seek re-election for a sixth term. Cochran, who has not faced serious opposition since he was re-elected in 1984
United States Senate elections, 1984
The 1984 elections to the United States Senate coincided with the landslide re-election of President Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election...
, faced Democratic state Representative Erik R. Fleming, whom he defeated with 62% of the vote.
Mississippi (special)
Roger WickerRoger Wicker
Roger Frederick Wicker is the junior U.S. Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. In December 2007 he was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott. He subsequently won the 2008 special election for the remainder of the term. Wicker served...
, formerly the representative of Mississippi's 1st congressional district
Mississippi's 1st congressional district
Mississippi's 1st congressional district is in the northeast corner of the state. It includes much of the northern portion of the state including Columbus, Grenada, Oxford, Southaven, and Tupelo....
, was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour
Haley Barbour
Haley Reeves Barbour is an American Republican politician currently serving as the 63rd Governor of Mississippi. He gained a national spotlight in August 2005 after Mississippi was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Barbour won re-election as Governor in 2007...
on December 31, 2007, to fill the vacancy caused by the December 18 resignation of Trent Lott
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
. It had been speculated that Lott wished to resign before a new lobbying reform law, effective the first day of 2008, took effect; having resigned before the end of 2007, Lott may become a lobbyist in 2009 instead of 2010. Controversy arose when Barbour called for the special election to be held on the same day as the general election. As a result, Mississippi's Attorney General Jim Hood
Jim Hood
James Matthew "Jim" Hood is the Attorney General of the U.S. state of Mississippi. A Democrat, he was elected in 2003, having defeated the Republican nominee Scott Newton. A former District Attorney, Hood succeeded Mike Moore....
challenged Barbour in court, claiming that the special election needed to be held within 100 days of Lott's resignation, as per state law. Initially, a Mississippi Circuit Court judge sided with Hood, ruling that the election take place on or before March 19, 2008. However, Barbour filed an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which overturned the earlier ruling and set the special election for November 4, 2008.
Democratic former Governor Ronnie Musgrove
Ronnie Musgrove
David Ronald "Ronnie" Musgrove is an American politician who was the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from January 16, 1996 to January 11, 2000 and the 62nd Governor of Mississippi from January 11, 2000 to January 13, 2004 of the U.S. state of Mississippi. He was recently defeated by...
challenged Wicker. Another Democrat, former Congressman Ronnie Shows
Ronnie Shows
Clifford Ronald "Ronnie" Shows is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi....
, also filed to run, but he withdrew in February 2008 and endorsed Musgrove. Wicker beat Musgrove 55% to 45%.
Nebraska
In NebraskaNebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, incumbent Republican Senator Chuck Hagel
Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002...
chose to retire rather than run for a third term.
Former Governor Mike Johanns
Mike Johanns
Michael Owen "Mike" Johanns is an American Republican politician who has been the junior United States Senator from Nebraska since 2009. Previously he was the 38th Governor of Nebraska from 1999 to 2005 and was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 2005 to 2007, becoming the fourth Nebraskan to hold...
, who recently resigned as Agriculture Secretary
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
, was the Republican nominee, having defeated opponent Pat Flynn 87-13 in the primary. Scott Kleeb
Scott Kleeb
' covers most of western Nebraska, comprises 69 counties and is considered to be a traditional Republican stronghold. In the 2006 midterm elections, Republican incumbent Tom Osborne did not seek re-election, instead making a failed bid for the Nebraska gubernatorial nomination...
, 2006 candidate for Nebraska's 3rd congressional district
Nebraska's 3rd congressional district
Nebraska's 3rd congressional district seat encompasses the western three-fourths of the state; it is one of the largest non-at-large Congressional districts in the country, covering nearly , two time zones and 68.5 counties. It includes Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings, North Platte, Scottsbluff and...
, defeated businessman Tony Raimondo, a former Republican, by a wide margin in the Democratic primary.
Nebraska state Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
Co-Chairman Steve Larrick was also a candidate, as was Kelly Rosberg of the Nebraska Party
Nebraska Party
The Nebraska Party is the Nebraska affiliate of the Constitution Party. Like its national counterpart, the Nebraska Party is a strongly right-wing party affiliated with the Christian right movement in American politics. The party claims to be the spiritual descendant of the political ideals...
.
Johanns won, taking 58% of the vote, with Kleeb taking 40%
Oklahoma
In OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Senator Jim Inhofe
Jim Inhofe
James Mountain "Jim" Inhofe is the senior Senator from Oklahoma and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1994, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007. Inhofe served eight...
announced that he would seek a third full term. A September 2007 poll put Inhofe's approval rating at 47%, with 41% disapproving of his performance. Inhofe's opponent was State Senator Andrew Rice. Inhofe was re-elected, 57% to 39%.
South Carolina
Senator Lindsey GrahamLindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...
, as a popular Republican incumbent in strongly conservative South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, has been considered unlikely to be vulnerable to a Democratic challenge. Graham's support for a compromise immigration bill, however, drew an angry response from many South Carolina conservatives, who recruited Buddy Witherspoon
Buddy Witherspoon
Dr. Walter P. Witherspoon, better known as Buddy Witherspoon, served as the National Executive Committeeman of the South Carolina Republican Party from 1996 to 2008. In that capacity, he served as a voting member of the Republican National Committee....
, a former South Carolina Republican Party
South Carolina Republican Party
The South Carolina Republican Party and the South Carolina Democratic Party are the two major political parties within the U.S. state of South Carolina...
leader, to challenge Graham for the nomination. Graham easily bested Witherspoon in the June 10 primary.
First-time candidate Bob Conley, an airline pilot, was the Democratic nominee. Conley, whose victory in the Democratic primary was a surprise, is a former Republican who supported Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
this year and has campaigned as the more conservative candidate on some issues, notably illegal immigration and the bailout of Wall Street.
The South Carolina Working Families Party
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
nominated Michael Cone, who also ran for the Democratic nomination. This was the first time the party had nominated a candidate for statewide office. However, Cone was not listed on the ballot in South Carolina.
Graham easily won re-election with 58% of the vote to Conley's 42%.
Tennessee
Former Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Lamar AlexanderLamar Alexander
Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
was elected in 2002
United States Senate elections, 2002
The 2002 United States Senate election featured a series of fiercely contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. Senators who were elected in 1996, known as Senate...
to succeed retiring Senator Fred Thompson. He has announced he will seek a second term in 2008. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.
Former Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party Bob Tuke
Bob Tuke
Robert Dudley "Bob" Tuke was the Democratic nominee for the 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee, having won the Democratic primary in August...
was the Democratic nominee, defeating Businessman Gary Davis 30% to 23%. Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett received 20% of the vote.
2006 Green Party Senate nominee Chris Lugo originally announced as a Democrat but dropped out of the Democratic race before the filing deadline. He filed as an independent and was subsequently named as the Green Party nominee Edward Buck was also in the race.
Daniel Lewis is running as a Libertarian candidate for the United States Senate. He was certified March 3, 2008 by the Tennessee Division of Elections as having achieved ballot access for the November 4, 2008 election as a candidate for United States Senate. The Libertarian Party of Tennessee officially selected Daniel Lewis as their candidate for United States Senate on Saturday March 8, 2008 the at their annual convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Lewis is currently serving as the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. He ran for the Tennessee House in 2004.
Also reported to be in the race are David "None of the Above" Gatchell a ballot activist & frequent candidate and Emory "Bo" Heyward, a software company employee, conservative activist & 2006 candidate.
Alexander won the election with 65% of the vote.
Texas
TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
has not elected a Democrat in a statewide election since 1994, but according to pre-election Rasmussen polling, Senator John Cornyn
John Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
had an approval rating of 50%. Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
member and Afghanistan War
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
Rick Noriega
Rick Noriega
Richard Joel "Rick" Noriega was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 145 in eastern Houston, first elected in 1998. He was the Democratic nominee for the Texas United States Senate election, 2008 against the one-term Republican incumbent John Cornyn...
secured his place as Cornyn's Democratic challenger in the March 4 primary, beating out opponents Gene Kelly, Ray McMurrey, and Rhett Smith. The same Rasmussen poll showed Cornyn leading Noriega by a narrow four percentage points - 47% to 43%.
Christian activist Larry Kilgore
Larry Kilgore
Larry Scott Kilgore is a Christian-Conservative activist and former Republican candidate in the Texas gubernatorial election, 2010.Kilgore was born in Amarillo, the seat of Potter County in the Texas Panhandle....
of Mansfield, Texas
Mansfield, Texas
Mansfield is a city in Ellis, Johnson, and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,368.In 2009, CNN/Money Magazine rated Mansfield as one of the "Best Places to Live" in the United States, ranking 24th out of the top 100 places.-History:The first...
, was a Republican challenger for the March 2008 primary election, but Cornyn easily won the Republican primary.
There were three Libertarians, including 2006 LP senate nominee Scott Jameson, running for their party's nomination. In addition, the Green Party of Texas sought ballot access for its candidate David B. Collins.
In the end, John Cornyn won re-election, 55%-43%
Wyoming
Senator Mike EnziMike Enzi
Michael Bradley "Mike" Enzi is the senior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party.Raised in Thermopolis, Wyoming, Enzi attended George Washington University and the University of Denver. He expanded his father's shoe store business in Gillette before being elected mayor of...
was considered likely to be re-elected without significant opposition for a third term in strongly Republican Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. His Democratic opponent was Chris Rothfuss, a professor at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
and a chemical engineer, nanotechnologist, and diplomat. Pre-election polling indicated that Enzi led Rothfuss by 24%.
As expected, Enzi won another term, 76%-24%.
Wyoming (special)
John BarrassoJohn Barrasso
John Anthony Barrasso is the junior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party. He was appointed to the Senate following Craig L. Thomas's death and won a special election in 2008 to fill the remaining four years of Thomas's term....
was appointed by Governor Dave Freudenthal
Dave Freudenthal
David Duane "Dave" Freudenthal , is an American politician who served as the 31st Governor of Wyoming. A Democrat, he was reelected to his second term on November 7, 2006, and announced on March 4, 2010, that he would not attempt to seek a third term as Governor.-Education and early...
(D) on June 22, 2007 to fill the senate seat of Republican Craig L. Thomas, who died on June 4. Wyoming law requires that the interim senator be affiliated with the same political party as the departed senator. Barrasso ran in the November 4, 2008 special election, held on the day of the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, to serve out the remainder of Thomas' term, which expires in January 2013.
On the Democratic side, Casper
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
City Councilman Keith Goodenough announced his candidacy. In the primary on August 19, Goodenough was defeated by a political newcomer, Gillette
Gillette, Wyoming
Gillette is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 29,087 in 2010. Gillette is a city centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of American coal, oil, and coal bed methane gas...
defense attorney Nick Carter, who became Barrasso's opponent in the general election.
Barrasso won on Election Day, taking 73% of the vote and winning every county in the state.
Freshmen
There are 16 freshman Senators in the 111th United States Congress111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
, as of March 28, 2010. Ten were elected on November 4, 2008. In addition, two freshmen were appointed to fill vacancies created by Barack Obama's and Joe Biden's resignations to become president and vice president. Two more freshmen were appointed to the Senate as a consequence of the appointment of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
and Ken Salazar
Ken Salazar
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is the current United States Secretary of the Interior, in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martinez were the first Hispanic U.S...
to be Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
. George LeMieux
George LeMieux
George Stephen LeMieux is a former United States Senator from Florida. He was Chairman of the Florida-based law firm of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. and served as Chief of Staff to Governor Charlie Crist, was former Deputy Florida Attorney General, and is credited with spearheading Crist's...
was appointed to replace Mel Martinez
Mel Martinez
Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz, usually known as Mel Martinez , is a former United States Senator from Florida and served as Chairman of the Republican Party from November 2006 until October 19, 2007, the first Latino to serve as chairman of a major party...
upon his resignation. A temporary interim senator, Paul G. Kirk, was appointed to the seat of Edward M. Kennedy upon his death. He was replaced by Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
in the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was a special election held on January 19, 2010, in order to fill the Massachusetts Class I United States Senate seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013...
.
See also
- United States House elections, 2008United States House elections, 2008Infobox Election| election_name = United States House of Representatives elections, 2008| country = United States| type = legislative| ongoing = no...
- United States presidential election, 2008United States presidential election, 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
- United States gubernatorial elections, 2008United States gubernatorial elections, 2008The United States gubernatorial elections of 2008 were the elections of state and territorial governors and were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 in 11 states and 2 territories. Prior to the election, eight of the total seats were held by Democrats and five by Republicans...
- United States Senate elections, 2006United States Senate elections, 2006Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one third of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2006 runs...
- United States Senate elections, 2010
- List of Senate Newspaper Endorsements