President Bush won Montana by more than 20 points in both 2000 and 2004, but Montana also had a popular Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer, and a newly elected Democratic junior senator, Jon Tester. 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. Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch was the Republican candidate; U.S. Army veteran and former congressman Larry LaRocco was the Democratic candidate. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Since 2003 (108th Congress, 1st Session), the Senate has provided interactive seating plans to identify where each of the 100 members sit in the Chamber and which historic desk they use. When a seat became open, the first senator to speak for it won the right to it. McCain won Nebraska but Obama earned an electoral vote by winning the popular vote in the 2nd Congressional District. senate.gov - Origins wikipedia.org - United States Senate McCains victory in South Carolina, Florida, and in key states on Super Tuesday created an clear path to the nomination. The state traditionally leaned Republican, but John Kerry from neighboring Massachusetts narrowly won the state in the 2004 Presidential election. [62] Nevertheless, McConnell was re-elected by a margin of 53% to 47%. The election was the first in which an African American was elected President. judge cancels special election to replace Lott", "Barbour's Attorney Appeals Special-Elex Ruling", "Mississippi Supreme Court sets election for November", "Former Rep. Shows running for Lott's seat", "Shows drops out of race to replace Lott", "US Senate Special Election Official Certification", "16th time a charm for veteran candidate", "Green Party's Larrick to enter Senate race", "Official Results of Nebraska Primary Election, May 13, 2008", "Anthony B. Fisher for U.S. Senate in 2008 official website", "Politics1 - Online Guide to New Jersey Politics", "Write In Carl Peter Klapper for United States Senator", "Republican Senator From New Mexico Is Said to Be Retiring", "SurveyUSA Approval Ratings for New Mexico Senators", "Sen. Ensign Says GOP Majority Would Be 'Fairly Miraculous', "Mary Easley has active public life, but she's no Hillary Clinton", Beating a Popular Incumbent | SKDKnickerbocker, "Oklahoma State Election Board - Primary Election 2008", "Oregon Senate: Merkley tops Smith for first time 43% to 41%", "Merkley ready for Senate race victory lap", "Oregon Secretary of State: Official Results May 2008 Primary Election", "Graham beats GOP challenger in SC Senate primary", "US Senate primary recount: Conley to face Graham", "South Carolina Working Families Party Nominates - Ballot Access News", "The Associated Press: Johnson to Run for Senate After Illness", "South Dakota Secretary of State, Shantel Krebs", "Alexander Running Again, Sets Fundraiser". Former Representative Bob Schaffer of Fort Collins was the Republican nominee. It was rumored that Lt. McCain and Obama differed on the presence of American troops in Iraq. For more information please visit. All seats in the House were up for election, including seats of the 435 voting representatives from the states and the 6 non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Select Source. Another Democrat, former Congressman Ronnie Shows, also filed to run, but he withdrew in February 2008 and endorsed Musgrove. A December 2007 poll showed Coleman's approval rating among Minnesota voters at 53%. [53] Kathy Cummings, a retired special education teacher was nominated via convention by the Green Party. On August 23, 2008, the Democratic nominee for President, Barack Obama, announced that Biden would be joining him on the ticket as the vice presidential nominee. Latinos and the 2008 Presidential Election. However, New Hampshire had not elected a Democratic United States senator since 1975. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama won the presidential election, making Biden the next VP. A September 2007 poll put Inhofe's approval rating at 47%, with 41% disapproving of his performance. [19] Two former Veco executives have plead guilty to paying the younger Stevens $242,000 in bribes. pres, senate, and governor data Let's Talk Elections: 2022 senate projections Political Analysis: 2022 senate projections MIT Election Lab: past pres, senate, house data Dave Leip's Atlas: past presidential results CNN: 2022 . Democrat. The Republican nominee was Jay Wolfe of Salem, a former State Senator. As of 2023, Stevens still holds this record. Physician Steve Sauerberg of La Grange won the February 5 Republican primary. Year-end cash on hand was $6.04 million for Coleman and $3.10 million for Franken.[71]. The Republicans, who openly conceded early on that they wouldn't be able to regain the majority in this election,[3][4] lost eight seats. Each state (Including the District of Columbia) is allocated a number of electors equal to its number of representatives plus two for each of its senators. Obama won nearly all major demographic groups on his way to victory. Senator Max Baucus was a popular Democrat in Montana, representing a state that has long been fairly Republican but also receptive to Democrats in state and local elections. In a state that had been trending to the Democratic party recently, senator Tom Harkin faced the Republican nominee, small business owner Christopher Reed, whom he defeated with 63% of the vote to Reed's 37%. 2008 Actual Election Results 2008 Election Facts McCain won Nebraska but Obama earned an electoral vote by winning the popular vote in the 2nd Congressional District. For more information please visit Once thought to be secure in his re-election, McConnell's lead had shrunk dramatically thanks to the financial crisis and polling showed the race tightening between him and Lunsford. Hagan's poll numbers continued to best Dole's, however, and Hagan defeated Dole by a wider than expected[123] margin of 53% to 44%. McCain sought to connect his campaign to the maverick image he received during his unsuccessful 2000 bid. Obama selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden to offset concerns about Obamas experience with foreign policy. Incumbent Mary Landrieu was elected in 1996 following a recount and was narrowly re-elected in 2002 in a runoff election. In the end, Landrieu was re-elected with 52% of the vote, Kennedy having 46%. Republican. He defeated ophthalmologist Gordon Leitch[129] in the May 20 Republican primary. to easily win re-election. Setting the popular vote will also set the color of a state, Clicking on a district will set the popular vote to max, Clicking doesn\'t set state color or open menu, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, F - hold down to quickly fill in districts, D - hold down to fill/disable entire states. During the 60th Congress (19071909), 10 Republicans sat on the Democratic side, while during the 75th Congress (19371939), 13 Democrats sat on the Republican side. ", Bligh, Michelle C., and Jeffrey C. Kohles. [49] Risch and LaRocco ran against each other in the 2006 Lieutenant Governor race, which Risch won by a wide margin. Republicans gained a seat in a January 2010 special election in Massachusetts, thereby making the balance 5941 before the start of the next election cycle. The 33 seats in the United States Senate Class 2 were up for election, plus special Senate elections in Mississippi and Wyoming. [119] There was early speculation that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley might be pressured into running against her but this did not come to pass. Begich announced his candidacy for the Senate seat on April 22, 2008. [132], In Rhode Island, Democratic senator Jack Reed had an approval rating of 66% in November 2006. Stevens was the most senior U.S. On election day, Shaheen defeated Sununu, 52% to 45%. Collins was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2002 over State Sen. Chellie Pingree. 2008 Nomination Battle. McCain also hoped that Palins youth and relatability to conservative women would buoy his campaign. Outgoing Republican President George W. Bush's policies and actions and the American public's desire for change were key issues throughout the campaign. National security and foreign policy issues took a back seat to the economy due to an unraveling financial crisis. ""Should They Dance with the One Who Brung'Em?" States shown here did not allocate all their available electoral votes to one candidate. It was also the first time two sitting senators ran against each other. USA - 2008 House Election Map Clear Map Share Map Style Misc Login Privacy Sidebar Tossup 435 Republican 0 Democrat 0 + 0 0 0 0 435 0 0 0 0 YAPms 2 Beta - Discord USA 2018 House Map Shortcuts F - hold down to quickly fill in districts CTRL - hold down to decrement the color Enable Simulator District House Floor: H.R.1917 Congress Contact | For more information please visit. Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois won the presidential election, by defeating his challenger, Senator John McCain, and the Democrats bolstered their majority in both Houses of Congress . 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. The goal of having two senators per state is to have each state equally represented in the senate. All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats. Senator Pat Roberts sought re-election to a third term. In South Dakota, 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. Durbin won with 68% of the vote. Thirty-three seats were up for regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Class 2. What If All States Split Their Electoral Votes. This marked the first time that Nebraska has split its electoral vote since it moved away from the winner-take-all method in 1992. Incumbent John Kerry sought another Senate term in Massachusetts. The April 2009 party switch of Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter from Republican to Democrat and the July 2009 resolution of the Minnesota election in favor of Democrat Al Franken increased the Democratic majority to 6040 (providing the Democrats, including the two Independent senators who caucus with them, a supermajority and thus able to hypothetically over-ride any filibusters). Select a state to learn about its history in the United States Senate 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.[135]. These voting patterns translated into an Obama victory with inroads into the South and West. 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. 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. This marked the first time that Nebraska has split its electoral vote since it moved away from the winner-take-all method in 1992. Michigan and Minnesota held elections for their lower, but not upper houses. [citation needed]. Sara Lobman of the Socialist Workers Party and Independent Anthony Fisher were also declared candidates. [126] Inhofe's opponent was State senator Andrew Rice. Explore the current seating plan below, use the dropdown for access to past interactive seating plans, or browse PDFs of seating configurations from before 2003. Libertarian Robert J. Underwood had 3%. The Electoral College is the process in which the United States elects its president. Congress. 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's term, which expires in January 2013. Dykstra won the Republican primary on June 3. The Obama campaign also realized its commitment to younger voters by winning all age groups except those aged 65 years and older. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D) won the presidency by defeating Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) on November 4, 2008. 2006 Green Party Senate nominee Chris Lugo originally announced as a Democrat but dropped out of the Democratic race before the filing deadline. [120] The Democratic nominee was state senator Kay Hagan,[121] who defeated Jim Neal and Dustin Lassiter in the Democratic primary. His Democratic opponent was Chris Rothfuss, a professor at the University of Wyoming and a chemical engineer, nanotechnologist, and diplomat. Obama won Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia, with Florida and North Carolina representing early evening signs of Democratic success. This seat was the tipping point state in the 2008 senate elections. As of 2023, this is the latest round in which a newly-elected U.S. The 2008 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota 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. Each major party has Hill committees that work to support its candidates for the House and Senate, chiefly by providing funds. Obama also offered the chance for voters to elect the nations first African American president and a relatively young president at 47 years old. Such seating became known as the Cherokee Strip, a reference to the region in Oklahoma with land that at the time belonged neither to the Indian Territory nor the United States. Merkley beat longtime Democratic activist Steve Novick and three other candidates in a hotly contested primary. senate.gov - Origins wikipedia.org - United States Senate Biden vacated his senate seat shortly after the election, allowing for the Governor of Delaware to appoint a successor. The Libertarian Party of Tennessee officially selected Daniel Lewis as their candidate for United States Senate on Saturday March 8, 2008, at their annual convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. [90][91] 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. Democrats made Senate Minority Leader, 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 was below 50%.[61]. The United States Senate is the upper legislature of the bicameral legislative branch. Palins selection initially bumped McCains popularity, though gaffes on the campaign trail offset this boost. [104] Prior to Shaheen's entry, Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand,[105] Katrina Swett, wife of former Democratic congressman Richard Swett,[106] and former astronaut Jay Buckey[107] had announced that they were running for the Democratic nomination. [134] National Journal has declared that "Reed is probably the safest incumbent of the 2008 cycle". [5] The NRSC chair, senator John Ensign, took the unusual step of chastising the Republican Senators who, like him, were not facing re-election, and who he thought should have done more to help raise money for their colleagues.[5]. In Oklahoma, senator Jim Inhofe announced that he would seek a third full term. Oct. 05: Senate Races. 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. In 1988 and 2000, the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominees Lloyd Bentsen and Joe Lieberman, ran similarly for their seat in Texas and Connecticut, respectively. Former Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party Bob Tuke was the Democratic nominee, defeating Businessman Gary Davis 30% to 23%. senate.gov - Origins There are typically two reasons a senator might want to change desks: to gain a better location within the Chamber, or to occupy a desk previously used by a particular senator. Senator Lindsey Graham, as a popular Republican incumbent in strongly conservative South Carolina, had been considered unlikely to be vulnerable to a Democratic challenge. Those votes were tallied before a joint session of Congress on January 8, 2009. Incumbent President George W. Bush was ineligible for re-election per the 22nd Amendment, which limits a president to two terms, and incumbent Vice President Dick Cheney declined to run for the office. [81] 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. On Jan. 1, 2008, Gov. 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%, thereby triggering an automatic recount. 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. Five Republicans retired rather than seek re-election. Usage Policy | These elections marked the first time since 1964 in which a Democratic presidential candidate who won the White House had a Senate coattail effect. Popular vote totals generally gathered from state Certificates of Ascertainment and/or results posted directly by individual states. CQpolitics.com rated the contest as "safe Democrat.". [91] Controversy arose when Barbour called for the special election to be held on the same day as the general election. This seating plan is updated at the start of each Congress, and as needed if members change desks or seating locations or if a new senator is sworn in. Pat Roberts currently has an approval rating of 56%.[58]. He filed as an independent and was subsequently named as the Green Party nominee[146] Edward Buck was also in the race. Justices Opened Door to Gerrymander Presidential Elections, How Trump Could Win Re-Election By One Electoral Vote, 3 Myths About Abolishing the Electoral College, 5 Reasons to Abolish the Electoral College, Another Look at the 2020 Battleground States, Imagining the 2024 Electoral Map After Redistricting, The Electoral College Penalizes Voters In High Turnout States, The Winner-Take-All Electoral College Isnt In the Constitution. Democrats picked up net gains of eight Senate seats and 21 seats in the House of Representatives on the back of Obama's coattail effect. By December 2007, a credit crisis related to overextension of subprime mortgage-backed securities led to a significant recession. Going into these elections, the Senate consisted of 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and two Independents who caucused with the Democrats, giving the Democratic caucus the slightest 5149 majority. The 2008 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. [51], Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin remained favored in Illinois. This seating plan is updated at the start of each Congress, and as needed if members change desks or seating locations or if a new senator is sworn in. [5] Seven territorial chambers in four territories and the District of Columbia were up. N.M. Governors House Senate Mixx Buzz. Image Reproduction Requests. [8][9] Perry was endorsed by Alabama Statesmen,[10] Boston Tea Party,[11] and Christians for Life and Liberty. They increased their total number of seats to 257, the largest number of seats held by either party in the House since Democrats lost control of Congress in the 1994 elections. On December 2, 2008, Chambliss won the run-off with 57% of vote to Martin's 43%. 2012 Election Map: The race for Senate control. Date. Politics Coronavirus Jan. 6 Riot International Entertainment Business Technology Lifestyle Health 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. The 2008 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Graham easily won re-election with 58% of the vote to Conley's 42%. . Once, during the 1950s, when Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon had left the Republican Party but not yet joined the Democratic Party, he placed his chair temporarily in the middle of the center aisle in order to demonstrate his independence. Pre-election polling indicated that Enzi led Rothfuss by 24%. Rockefeller handily won on election day, being re-elected with 64% of the vote. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election. simplemaps_election.selected.R = ['AK', 'AL', 'AR', 'AZ', 'GA', 'ID', 'KS', 'KY', 'LA', 'MO', 'MS', 'MT', 'ND', 'NE', 'NE1', 'NE3', 'OK', 'TN', 'TX', 'UT', 'SC', 'SD', 'WY', 'WV']; McCain won Nebraska but Obama earned an electoral vote by winning the popular vote in the 2nd Congressional District. The site was created by Taegan Goddard, who runs a network of political websites including Political Wire, Political Job Hunt and the Political Dictionary. Overview and Live Results: Chicago Mayoral Election, Legislative Special Elections, Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin Running for U.S. Senate, Initial 2024 House Ratings from Sabato's Crystal Ball. [131], On November 6, 2008, Jeff Merkley was projected the winner of the contest, with 48.9% to Smith's 45.6%. On November 18, the race was called for Begich, who won with 47.8% to Stevens's 46.5%. . The first month of the Republican primaries was competitive with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee securing a victory in the Iowa caucus and McCain winning New Hampshire. Graham easily bested Witherspoon in the June 10 primary.[136]. [159] [20] On July 30, 2007, the IRS and FBI raided Stevens's home in Alaska. The presidential election, which was won by Democrat Barack Obama, elections for all House of Representatives seats; elections for several gubernatorial elections; and many state and local elections occurred on the same date. [114] 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 was to be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee for his role in firing U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Today the desks are no longer arranged in their original order, but are moved within the Chamber to suit the needs of the Senate. Table of Contents 1 2008 Election Results 2 Primaries 3 Economic Issues 4 National Security 5 Strategy 6 2008 Election Results 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. * Democratic total includes Bernard Sanders, an independent from Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats. O'Donnell received 140,584 votes (35% of the vote). Mr. Lewis was serving as the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. There are 33 seats up for reelection in 2012, but only seven are . During the presidential election campaign, the major-party candidates ran on a platform of change and reform in Washington. In Maine, Susan Collins sought a third term in the Senate. When the new senators were first sworn in, the balance was 5841 in favor of the Democrats, with the unresolved election in Minnesota causing that seat to remain vacant. [50] The last Democratic senator from Idaho was Frank Church, who was defeated in the Republican landslide of 1980 after serving four terms. [32], Other candidates included Bob Kinsey of Denver as the Green Party nominee,[33] Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell as the American Constitution Party's nominee,[34] and Independent candidate Buddy Moore, unaffiliated any party.[35]. Barrasso won on Election Day, taking 73% of the vote and winning every county in the state. The Democrats gained 8 seats, while the Republicans did not gain a seat. Independent. Biden was re-elected with 65% of the vote, or 257,484 votes. Content Responsibility | Collins. [44], On September 1, 2007, senator Larry Craig announced his intent to resign from the Senate effective September 30, 2007. Occasionally one party maintains such an overwhelming majority that it becomes necessary for majority party members to sit on the minority party side in the Senate Chamber. [93] However, Barbour filed an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which overturned the earlier ruling and set the special election for November 4, 2008.[94][95]. Which States Split Their Electoral Votes? [137] Conley, whose victory in the Democratic primary over Michael Cone was a surprise, is a former Republican who supported Ron Paul in 2008 and campaigned as the more conservative candidate on some issues, notably illegal immigration and the bailout of Wall Street. This marked the first time that the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands selected a delegate to Congress. The United States Senate is the upper legislature of the bicameral legislative branch. [109] The Republican nominee was former Congressman and 1996 senatorial candidate Dick Zimmer. Projected Senate: Dem 58 GOP 42 : Main page: Previous report: Next report: Senate polls Web.csv . Senator Jay Rockefeller, great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, sought a fifth term representing West Virginia. The assignment of these desks is governed by a series of Senate resolutions. He also secured wins in Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, and New Mexico, which were not reliable parts of the Democratic coalition to that point. The candidates sparred through the June 3 primaries despite Obama securing enough delegates to win the nomination earlier in the race. This map is shaded by how large the popular vote difference was between the two nominees. [130], In a July 16, 2008, poll, Merkley overtook Smith for the first time 43% to 41%. These maps are also available as a timeline for each election from 1972-2020. The incumbent governors of Puerto Rico, Anbal Acevedo Vil, and American Samoa, Togiola Tulafono, were also up for re-election. The 2008 United States elections were held on November 4. 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. Tex. Inhofe was re-elected, 57% to 39%. RCP Senate Map Race Changes; Senate No Toss Ups Race Changes; RCP House Map; 49: Democrats * Since 2003 (108th Congress, 1st Session), the Senate has provided interactive seating plans to identify where each of the 100 members sit in the Chamber and which historic desk they use. Republicans need a net gain of four seats in November to win control of the Senate. Democrats held at least 57 seats as a result of the election. 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),[108] with his approval standing only at 42% as of September 2007 with voters saying he does not deserve re-election 46%-36%. 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. By continuing to use the website cookies for non personal advertisements and analytics will still run. Gordon Smith formally conceded soon afterward. 2008 Election Map: Senate By MATTHEW BLOCH, FARHANA HOSSAIN, CARL HULSE, JOHN MCGRATH AND DEREK WILLIS