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The 2008 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the United States presidential election. Democratic state Treasurer Jack Markell defeated Republican Bill Lee in a landslide, succeeding incumbent Ruth Ann Minner, also a Democrat, who was prevented from running for a third term.
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  Markell: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Lee: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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As of 2008, Democrats had controlled the Delaware governorship for 16 years. In an upset, state Treasurer Jack Markell defeated Lieutenant Governor John Carney by 51% to 49% for the Democratic nomination on September 9. Carney was considered the favorite. The Republican nominee was former state Superior Court Judge Bill Lee, defeating airline pilot Michael Protrack. Lee was the Republican nominee for governor in 2004, and lost to Minner by a narrow margin.
The race received more attention with the potential elevation of U.S. Senator Joe Biden as Barack Obama's choice as his Vice President of the United States. Election of a Republican governor would assist the party by proxy gaining an additional seat in the US Senate. Biden resigned his seat in the United States Senate on January 15, 2009, and Ted Kaufman was appointed by Governor Minner to the vacant seat. Kaufman had previously served as Senator Biden's Chief of Staff during his tenure in the United States Senate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jack Markell | 37,849 | 51.17% | |
| Democratic | John Carney | 36,112 | 48.83% | |
| Total votes | 73,961 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Lee | 20,826 | 71.88% | |
| Republican | Michael Protack | 8,146 | 28.12% | |
| Total votes | 28,972 | 100.00% | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[2] | Safe D | October 16, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[3] | Safe D | November 2, 2008 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] | Safe D | November 3, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[5] | Safe D | November 4, 2008 |
| Source | Date | Jack Markell (D) |
Bill Lee (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA[6] | October 28, 2008 | 62% | 27% |
| Rasmussen Reports[7] | October 10, 2008 | 62% | 34% |
| West Chester University/WHYY[8] | October 9, 2008 | 61% | 30% |
| Fairleigh Dickinson[9] | September 23, 2008 | 61% | 27% |
| Survey USA[10] | September 23, 2008 | 64% | 29% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jack Markell | 266,861 | 67.52% | +16.65% | |
| Republican | Bill Lee | 126,662 | 32.05% | −13.74% | |
| Blue Enigma | Jeffrey Brown | 1,681 | 0.43% | ||
| Majority | 140,199 | 35.48% | +30.40% | ||
| Total votes | 395,204 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
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