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The 2008 United States Senate election in Idaho was held on November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held on May 27.[1] Incumbent Senator Larry Craig decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Fellow Republican Jim Risch won the open seat.
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 Risch: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% LaRocco: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Rammell: 70–80% Marmon: >90% Tie: 40–50% No data | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Larry Craig announced his intent to resign following an incident where he allegedly solicited another man for gay sex in a public restroom.[2] Craig later decided not to resign but did announce that he would not seek re-election. The filing deadline for the election was March 21, 2008. A total of 13 candidates filed for the seat.[3] Republican and Democratic candidates ran for their respective nominations in the May 27 primary.
Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch defeated a crowded field for the Republican nomination, while former Congressman Larry LaRocco won the Democratic nomination in similar fashion. Conservative independents Rex Rammell and Pro-Life (formerly Marvin Richardson) also qualified for the general election ballot. Former Caldwell city council member Kent Marmon secured the Libertarian nomination. In the general election, Risch defeated LaRocco and the other candidates to keep the seat in Republican hands.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Risch | 80,743 | 65.34% | |
| Republican | Scott Syme | 16,660 | 13.48% | |
| Republican | Richard Phenneger | 6,532 | 5.29% | |
| Republican | Neal Thompson | 5,375 | 4.35% | |
| Republican | Fred M. Adams | 4,987 | 4.04% | |
| Republican | Bill Hunter | 4,280 | 3.46% | |
| Republican | Brian E. Hefner | 2,915 | 2.36% | |
| Republican | Hal James Styles, Jr. | 2,082 | 1.68% | |
| Total votes | 123,574 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Larry LaRocco | 29,023 | 72.35% | |
| Democratic | David J. Archuleta | 11,074 | 27.60% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 20 | 0.05% | |
| Total votes | 40,117 | 100.00% | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[7] | Safe R | October 23, 2008 |
| CQ Politics[8] | Safe R | October 31, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[9] | Safe R | November 2, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[10] | Safe R | November 4, 2008 |
| Poll Source | Dates administered | Larry LaRocco (D) |
Jim Risch (R) |
Rex Rammel (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA[11] | September 6–8, 2007 | 36% | 52% | - |
| Myers Research[12] | November 13–19, 2007 | 34% | 48% | - |
| Robinson Research[13] | November 26 – December 12, 2007 | 27% | 46% | - |
| Celinda Lake[14] | May 20–25, 2008 | 28% | 43% | 6% |
| Research 2000[15] | July 28–30, 2008 | 32% | 42% | 5% |
| Greg Smith[16] | August 18–22, 2008 | 30% | 41% | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports[17] | September 9, 2008 | 30% | 58% | - |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Risch | 371,744 | 57.65% | −7.51% | |
| Democratic | Larry LaRocco | 219,903 | 34.11% | +1.56% | |
| Independent | Rex Rammell | 34,510 | 5.35% | ||
| Libertarian | Kent Marmon | 9,958 | 1.54% | −0.75% | |
| Independent | Pro-Life | 8,662 | 1.35% | ||
| Write-in | 3 | 0.00% | |||
| Majority | 151,841 | 23.55% | −9.06% | ||
| Turnout | 644,780 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
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