Virginia elections, 2008
Encyclopedia
In 2008, Virginia for the first time since 1964, cast its electoral college votes for a Democrat
. It also elected a United States Senator, members of the United States House of Representatives
, and local officers such as county board and school board members.
In a second step, city and county caucuses elected delegates to Congressional District and the State Conventions. The third step was a series of Congressional District conventions held in late April and early May 2008; they elected some of Virginia's delegates to the Republican National Convention
. The Republican State Convention (Richmond, Virginia
May 30-31, 2008) chose the Republican Senate nominee, twenty-seven (27) delegates, and twenty-seven (27) alternate
delegates at large to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Since the Republican primary is winner-take-all, all National Convention delegates must vote for John McCain on the first ballot. The main issues for State Convention delegates was their preference for party chairman and U.S. Senate nominee. James S. Gilmore secured the Senate nomination over Robert G. Marshall
by 70 votes out of 10,378. Although Gilmore outspent Marshall by more than 8 to 1, a coalition of Pro-life
activists, libertarians
and some moderates from Northern Virginia
almost succeeded in nominating Marshall. Later in the day, that coalition elected Delegate Jeffrey M. Frederick
as state party chair over incumbent John H. Hager
(Jenna Bush
's father-in-law).
The Eighth
and Tenth Congressional district
s chose their congressional candidates in primary election
s June 10, 2008.
In October 2008, Virginia's Republican Party chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick
compared Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama
to Osama bin Laden
because of his association with Bill Ayers
. Both had friends who bombed buildings in the United States. A McCain spokeswoman complained Frederick's remarks were "not appropriate."
On November 3, 2008, the Virginia Republican Party charged that local election officials had mailed absentee ballots ten days late to military members overseas. Its lawsuit sought to modify the rule which requires all absentee votes to be received by the time that the polls close in order to give overseas absentee voters and additional 10 days to return their ballots.
For 2008, the Republican Party of Virginia raised $489,024 compared with $2,200,851 for the Democratic party.
, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards
, Dennis Kucinich
, Barack Obama
, and Bill Richardson all turned in enough signatures to the Virginia State Board of Elections to qualify to run in the Commonwealth. Chris Dodd did not file with the State Board of Elections by the December 14, 5:00 pm deadline.
Delegates to the 2008 National Convention were selected in proportion to the votes gained in the primary. The results of the primary are:
Each city or county held a caucus to elect delegates to the state convention in proportion to the primary results during the third week of April.
The Democratic Party of Virginia will send 103 delegates and 14 alternates to the national convention in Denver, Colorado
. Eighteen of the 103 delegates were automatically allocated to party leaders. In May 2008, 54 delegates and 11 alternates were elected at Congressional District Conventions. An additional 20 at large delegates, 11 party leader and elected official delegates, and 3 alternates were elected at the Virginia State Democratic Convention on June 14, 2008, in Hampton, Virginia
.
The allocation of delegates between the two candidates which received at least 15% of the vote, based on the primary results, are as follows:
In the November 4, 2008 General Election, the Barack Obama
/ Joe Biden
ticket carried the state with 1,897,941 (52.21%) to 1,699,428 (46.75%). Thirty-two percent of that margin came from Arlington County in Northern Virginia. Democrat Mark Warner
also defeated former Governor James Gilmore for the United States Senate 2,302,480 (64.69%) to 1,211,654 (34.04%).
For 2008, the Democratic Party of Virginia raised $2,200,851 compared with $489,024 for the Republican party.
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...
. It also elected a United States Senator, members of the United States House of Representatives
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...
, and local officers such as county board and school board members.
Republican candidate selections and activities
On February 12, 2008, a Presidential primary decided which candidate would receive Virginia's delegates to the 2008 National convention. The results were:| John McCain John McCain John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election.... |
241,780 | 50.99% |
| Mike Huckabee Mike Huckabee Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won... |
188,835 | 39.83% |
| 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... |
21,799 | 4.59% |
| Mitt Romney Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W... |
16,307 | 3.43% |
| Fred D. Thompson | 3,493 | 0.73% |
| Rudy Giuliani Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001.... |
1,879 | 0.39% |
In a second step, city and county caucuses elected delegates to Congressional District and the State Conventions. The third step was a series of Congressional District conventions held in late April and early May 2008; they elected some of Virginia's delegates to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
. The Republican State Convention (Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
May 30-31, 2008) chose the Republican Senate nominee, twenty-seven (27) delegates, and twenty-seven (27) alternate
delegates at large to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Since the Republican primary is winner-take-all, all National Convention delegates must vote for John McCain on the first ballot. The main issues for State Convention delegates was their preference for party chairman and U.S. Senate nominee. James S. Gilmore secured the Senate nomination over Robert G. Marshall
Robert G. Marshall
Robert G. "Bob" Marshall is a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 13th District, currently serving his 7th term. His district includes portions of Prince William and Loudoun counties.In 2008, Marshall was a candidate for the United States Senate seat being...
by 70 votes out of 10,378. Although Gilmore outspent Marshall by more than 8 to 1, a coalition of Pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activists, libertarians
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
and some moderates from Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
almost succeeded in nominating Marshall. Later in the day, that coalition elected Delegate Jeffrey M. Frederick
Jeff Frederick
Jeffrey M. Frederick is a former member of the General Assembly of Virginia. A Republican, he served three terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and also served as chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia and as a member of the Republican National Committee from May 2008 to April...
as state party chair over incumbent John H. Hager
John H. Hager
John Henry Hager is an American politician who served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from July 2007 until May 2008...
(Jenna Bush
Jenna Bush
Jenna Welch Bush Hager , is the younger of the sororal twin daughters of the 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, and a granddaughter of the 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush. She and her sister, Barbara, were the first twin children of a U.S. President...
's father-in-law).
The Eighth
Virginia's 8th congressional district
Virginia's Eighth Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The residents of the 8th District are currently represented by Democratic Congressman Jim Moran, first elected to the 8th's seat in the U.S...
and Tenth Congressional district
Virginia's 10th congressional district
Virginia's Tenth Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The residents of the 10th District are currently represented by Republican Congressman Frank Wolf, first elected to the 10th's seat in the U.S...
s chose their congressional candidates in primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
s June 10, 2008.
| 8th C.D. | Mark Ellmore | 3,286 | 56.04% | Amit K. Singh | 2,577 | 43.95% |
| 10th C.D. | Frank R. Wolf (incumbent) | 16,726 | 91.73% | Vern P. McKinley | 1,506 | 8.26% |
In October 2008, Virginia's Republican Party chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick
Jeff Frederick
Jeffrey M. Frederick is a former member of the General Assembly of Virginia. A Republican, he served three terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and also served as chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia and as a member of the Republican National Committee from May 2008 to April...
compared Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama
Barack 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...
to Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
because of his association with Bill Ayers
Bill Ayers
William Charles "Bill" Ayers is an American elementary education theorist and a former leader in the movement that opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He is known for his 1960s activism as well as his current work in education reform, curriculum, and instruction...
. Both had friends who bombed buildings in the United States. A McCain spokeswoman complained Frederick's remarks were "not appropriate."
On November 3, 2008, the Virginia Republican Party charged that local election officials had mailed absentee ballots ten days late to military members overseas. Its lawsuit sought to modify the rule which requires all absentee votes to be received by the time that the polls close in order to give overseas absentee voters and additional 10 days to return their ballots.
For 2008, the Republican Party of Virginia raised $489,024 compared with $2,200,851 for the Democratic party.
Democratic candidate selections
The 2008 Presidential Preference Primary was held on February 12, 2008. Joe BidenJoe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
, Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
, Barack Obama
Barack 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...
, and Bill Richardson all turned in enough signatures to the Virginia State Board of Elections to qualify to run in the Commonwealth. Chris Dodd did not file with the State Board of Elections by the December 14, 5:00 pm deadline.
Delegates to the 2008 National Convention were selected in proportion to the votes gained in the primary. The results of the primary are:
| Barack Obama Barack 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... |
619,515 | 63.73% |
| Hillary Clinton | 343,177 | 35.30% |
| John Edwards John Edwards Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in... |
5,109 | 0.52% |
| Dennis J. Kucinich | 2,335 | 0.24% |
| Bill Richardson | 1,054 | 0.10% |
| 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... |
791 | 0.08% |
Each city or county held a caucus to elect delegates to the state convention in proportion to the primary results during the third week of April.
The Democratic Party of Virginia will send 103 delegates and 14 alternates to the national convention in Denver, Colorado
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...
. Eighteen of the 103 delegates were automatically allocated to party leaders. In May 2008, 54 delegates and 11 alternates were elected at Congressional District Conventions. An additional 20 at large delegates, 11 party leader and elected official delegates, and 3 alternates were elected at the Virginia State Democratic Convention on June 14, 2008, in Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
.
The allocation of delegates between the two candidates which received at least 15% of the vote, based on the primary results, are as follows:
| Delegate Type | Total | Obama | Clinton |
| District Level Delegates | 54 | 35 | 19 |
| District Level Alternates | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| At-Large Delegates | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| At-large Alternates | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Pledged PLEOs | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Unpledged PLEO Delegates | 16 | ||
| Unpledged Add-on Delegates | 2 |
In the November 4, 2008 General Election, the Barack Obama
Barack 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...
/ 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...
ticket carried the state with 1,897,941 (52.21%) to 1,699,428 (46.75%). Thirty-two percent of that margin came from Arlington County in Northern Virginia. Democrat 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...
also defeated former Governor James Gilmore for the United States Senate 2,302,480 (64.69%) to 1,211,654 (34.04%).
For 2008, the Democratic Party of Virginia raised $2,200,851 compared with $489,024 for the Republican party.
See also
- United States Senate election in Virginia, 2008United States Senate election in Virginia, 2008The 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...
- United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2008United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2008The 2008 congressional elections in Virginia were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the state of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections...
- United States presidential election in Virginia, 2008United States presidential election in Virginia, 2008The 2008 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 4, 2008 throughout all 50 states and D.C., which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice...