2008 United States Senate elections

For related races, see 2008 United States elections.

The 2008 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. 33 seats were up for regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve 6-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Class 2. There were also 2 special elections, the winners of those seats would finish the terms that ended on January 3, 2013. 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.

2008 United States Senate elections

← 2006 November 4, 2008 December 2 (Georgia runoff) 2010 →
35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Harry Reid Mitch McConnell Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 2005 January 3, 2007 Leader's seat Nevada Kentucky Seats before 49 49 Seats after 57 41 Seat change 8 8 Popular vote 33,650,061[1][a] 28,863,067[1][a] Percentage 51.88% 44.5% Seats up 12 23 Races won 20 15   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 2[b] Seats after 2 [c] Seat change Popular vote 176,752[1] Percentage 0.27% Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Miss. & Wyo.): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election Harry Reid Democratic Elected Majority Leader Harry Reid Democratic

Going into these elections, the Senate consisted of 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and 2 Independents who caucused with the Democrats, giving the Democratic caucus the slightest 51–49 majority.^[2] Of the seats up for election in 2008, 23 were held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. The Republicans, who openly conceded early on that they would not be able to regain the majority in this election,^[3][4] lost 8 seats. Democratic candidates defeated Republican incumbents in Alaska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, and, after a lengthy recount process, Minnesota. Additionally, they won Republican-held open seats in Colorado, New Mexico, and Virginia.

Each major party has Hill committees 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.^[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]

This election cycle was the second cycle in a row in which no seats switched from Democratic to Republican, and the first since 1990 in which the Democrats retained all their seats. In addition, this was the largest Democratic Senate gain since 1986, where they also won 8 seats. These elections marked the first time since 1964 in which a Democratic presidential candidate who won the White House had a Senate coattail effect. As of 2024, this is the last time Democrats won U.S. Senate seats in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Dakota.

Along with 2 independents who caucus with them, Democrats held at least 58 seats as a result of the elections. 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 60–40 (briefly providing the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority, and thus they were able to hypothetically override any filibusters). Republicans gained a seat in a January 2010 special election in Massachusetts, thereby making the balance 59–41 before the start of the next election cycle.

Results summary

↓

57

2

41

Democratic

Independent

Republican

Summary of the 2008 United States Senate elections results

Parties									Total
		Democratic	Republican	Independent	Libertarian	Independence	Green	Others
Before these elections		49	49	2	—	—	—	—	100
Not up	Class 1 (2006→2012)	22	8	2	—	—	—	—	31
	Class 3 (2004→2010)	15	19	—	—	—	—	—	34
	Total	37	26	2	—	—	—	—	65
Up	Class 1	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	2
	Class 2	12	21	—	—	—	—	—	33
	Total	12	23	—	—	—	—	—	35
Incumbent retired	Total before	—	5	—	—	—	—	—	5
	Held by same party	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	2
	Replaced by other party	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats		—	—	—	—	—	3
	Result after	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	5
Incumbent ran	Total before	12	18	—	—	—	—	—	30
	Won election	12	13	—	—	—	—	—	25
	Lost election	5 Republicans replaced by 5 Democrats		—	—	—	—	—	5
	Result after	17	13	—	—	—	—	—	30
Net gain/loss		8	8	—	—	—	—	—	8
Total elected		20	15	—	—	—	—	—	35
Nation-wide vote	Votes[A]	33,650,061	28,863,067	176,752	798,154	450,702	427,427	496,124	64,862,287
	Share	51.88%	44.50%	0.27%	1.23%	0.69%	0.66%	0.76%	100%
Result		57	41	2	—	—	—	—	100

1. For the Georgia senate race, votes from the runoff election are counted.

Sources:

• Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[1]
• U.S. Senate Popular Vote and FEC Total Receipts by Party, via TheGreenPapers.com
• "U.S. Senate (Full results)". CNN. July 1, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
• "The Green Papers 2008 U.S. Senate Popular Vote and FEC Total Receipts by Party". The Green Papers. Retrieved November 19, 2008.

Change in composition

Before the elections

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40 Ill. Ran	D39 Del. Ran	D38 Ark. Ran	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Iowa Ran	D42 La. Ran	D43 Mass. Ran	D44 Mich. Ran	D45 Mont. Ran	D46 N.J. Ran	D47 R.I. Ran	D48 S.D. Ran	D49 W.Va. Ran	I1
Majority (with Independents) ↑									I2
R41 N.C. Ran	R42 Okla. Ran	R43 Ore. Ran	R44 S.C. Ran	R45 Tenn. Ran	R46 Texas Ran	R47 Va. Retired	R48 Wyo. (Reg) Ran	R49 Wyo. (Sp) Ran
R40 N.M. Retired	R39 N.H. Ran	R38 Neb. Retired	R37 Miss. (Sp) Ran	R36 Miss. (Reg) Ran	R35 Minn. Ran	R34 Me. Ran	R33 Ky. Ran	R32 Kan. Ran	R31 Idaho Retired
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27 Ala. Ran	R28 Alaska Ran	R29 Colo. Retired	R30 Ga. Ran
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

After the elections

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40 Ill. Re-elected	D39 Del. Re-elected	D38 Ark. Re-elected	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Iowa Re-elected	D42 La. Re-elected	D43 Mass. Re-elected	D44 Mich. Re-elected	D45 Mont. Re-elected	D46 N.J. Re-elected	D47 R.I. Re-elected	D48 S.D. Re-elected	D49 W.Va. Re-elected	D50 Alaska Gain
Majority →									D51 Colo. Gain
R41 Wyo. (Sp) Elected[d]	Vacant Minn. Disputed	I2	I1	D56 Va. Gain	D55 Ore. Gain	D54 N.C. Gain	D53 N.M. Gain	D52 N.H. Gain
R40 Wyo. (Reg) Re-elected	R39 Texas Re-elected	R38 Tenn. Re-elected	R37 S.C. Re-elected	R36 Okla. Re-elected	R35 Neb. Hold	R34 Miss. (Sp) Elected[d]	R33 Miss. (Reg) Re-elected	R32 Me. Re-elected	R31 Ky. Re-elected
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27 Ala. Re-elected	R28 Ga. Re-elected	R29 Idaho Hold	R30 Kan. Re-elected
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

Beginning of the first session

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40	D39	D38	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41	D42	D43	D44	D45	D46	D47	D48	D49	D50
Majority →									D51
I2	I1	D58 Minn. Gain	D57 Penn. Changed	D56	D55	D54	D53	D52
R40	R39	R38	R37	R36	R35	R34	R33	R32	R31
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28	R29	R30
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

Key:	D# Democratic I# Independent R# Republican

Race summary

Special elections during the 110th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 2008 or before January 3, 2009, sorted by election date, then state, then class.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Mississippi (Class 1)	Roger Wicker	Republican	2007 (appointed)	Interim appointee elected.	▌Y Roger Wicker (Republican) 55.0% ▌Ronnie Musgrove (Democratic) 45.0%
Wyoming (Class 1)	John Barrasso	Republican	2007 (appointed)	Interim appointee elected.	▌Y John Barrasso (Republican) 73.4% ▌Nick Carter (Democratic) 26.5%

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 2009; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Jeff Sessions	Republican	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jeff Sessions (Republican) 63.4% ▌Vivian Davis Figures (Democratic) 36.5%
Alaska	Ted Stevens	Republican	1968 (appointed) 1970 (special) 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Mark Begich (Democratic) 47.8% ▌Ted Stevens (Republican) 46.6% ▌Bob Bird (Alaskan Independence) 4.2% Others ▌David Haase (Libertarian) 0.8% ▌Ted Gianoutsos (Independent) 0.4%
Arkansas	Mark Pryor	Democratic	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mark Pryor (Democratic) 79.5% ▌Rebekah Kennedy (Green) 20.5%
Colorado	Wayne Allard	Republican	1996 2002	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y Mark Udall (Democratic) 52.8% ▌Bob Schaffer (Republican) 42.5% ▌Doug Campbell (Constitution) 2.6% ▌Bob Kinsey (Green) 2.1%
Delaware	Joe Biden	Democratic	1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Joe Biden (Democratic) 64.7% ▌Christine O'Donnell (Republican) 35.3%
Georgia	Saxby Chambliss	Republican	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	First round: ▌Y Saxby Chambliss (Republican) 49.8% ▌Y Jim Martin (Democratic) 46.8% ▌Allen Buckley (Libertarian) 3.4% Runoff: ▌Y Saxby Chambliss (Republican) 57.5% ▌Jim Martin (Democratic) 42.5%
Idaho	Larry Craig	Republican	1990 1996 2002	Incumbent retired. Republican hold.	▌Y Jim Risch (Republican) 57.7% ▌Larry LaRocco (Democratic) 34.1% ▌Rex Rammell (Independent) 5.4% Others ▌Kent Marmon (Libertarian) 1.5% ▌Pro-Life (Independent) 1.3%
Illinois	Dick Durbin	Democratic	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Dick Durbin (Democratic) 67.8% ▌Steve Sauerberg (Republican) 28.5% Others ▌Kathy Cummings (Green) 2.2% ▌Larry Stafford (Libertarian) 0.9% ▌Chad Koppie (Constitution) 0.5%
Iowa	Tom Harkin	Democratic	1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Tom Harkin (Democratic) 62.7% ▌Christopher Reed (Republican) 37.3%
Kansas	Pat Roberts	Republican	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Pat Roberts (Republican) 60.0% ▌Jim Slattery (Democratic) 36.4% Others ▌Randall Hodgkinson (Libertarian) 2.1% ▌Joseph Martin (Reform) 1.3%
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell	Republican	1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mitch McConnell (Republican) 53.0% ▌Bruce Lunsford (Democratic) 47.0%
Louisiana	Mary Landrieu	Democratic	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mary Landrieu (Democratic) 52.1% ▌John Kennedy (Republican) 45.7% Others ▌Richard Fontanesi (Libertarian) 1.0% ▌Jay Patel (Independent) 0.7% ▌Robert Stewart (Independent) 0.5%
Maine	Susan Collins	Republican	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Susan Collins (Republican) 61.3% ▌Tom Allen (Democratic) 38.6%
Massachusetts	John Kerry	Democratic	1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Kerry (Democratic) 65.8% ▌Jeff Beatty (Republican) 31.0% ▌Robert Underwood (Libertarian) 3.2%
Michigan	Carl Levin	Democratic	1978 1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Carl Levin (Democratic) 62.7% ▌Jack Hoogendyk (Republican) 33.8% Others ▌Scott Boman (Libertarian) 1.6% ▌Harley Mikkelson (Green) 0.9% ▌Michael Nikitin (Constitution) 0.6% ▌Doug Dern (Natural Law) 0.4%
Minnesota	Norm Coleman	Republican	2002	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic (DFL) gain. Winner delayed term until July 7, 2009, due to election dispute.	▌Y Al Franken (DFL) 41.99% ▌Norm Coleman (Republican) 41.98% ▌Dean Barkley (IPM) 15.15% Others ▌Charles Aldrich (Libertarian) 0.48% ▌James Niemackl (Constitution) 0.31% ▌Write-ins 0.08%
Mississippi	Thad Cochran	Republican	1978 1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Thad Cochran (Republican) 61.4% ▌Erik R. Fleming (Democratic) 38.6%
Montana	Max Baucus	Democratic	1978 1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Max Baucus (Democratic) 72.9% ▌Bob Kelleher (Republican) 27.1%
Nebraska	Chuck Hagel	Republican	1996 2002	Incumbent retired. Republican hold.	▌Y Mike Johanns (Republican) 57.5% ▌Scott Kleeb (Democratic) 40.1% Others ▌Kelly Rosberg (Nebraska) 1.4% ▌Steve Larrick (Green) 1.0%
New Hampshire	John E. Sununu	Republican	2002	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic) 51.7% ▌John E. Sununu (Republican) 45.2% ▌Ken Blevens (Libertarian) 3.1%
New Jersey	Frank Lautenberg	Democratic	1982 1982 (appointed) 1988 1994 2000 (retired) 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Frank Lautenberg (Democratic) 56.0% ▌Dick Zimmer (Republican) 42.0% Others ▌Jason Scheurer (Libertarian) 0.5% ▌J. M. Carter (Independent) 0.5% ▌Daryl Mikell Brooks (Independent) 0.5% ▌Jeffrey Boss (Independent) 0.3% ▌Sara Lobman (Socialist Workers) 0.3%
New Mexico	Pete Domenici	Republican	1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y Tom Udall (Democratic) 61.3% ▌Steve Pearce (Republican) 38.7%
North Carolina	Elizabeth Dole	Republican	2002	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Kay Hagan (Democratic) 52.7% ▌Elizabeth Dole (Republican) 44.2% ▌Chris Cole (Libertarian) 3.1%
Oklahoma	Jim Inhofe	Republican	1994 (special) 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jim Inhofe (Republican) 56.7% ▌Andrew Rice (Democratic) 39.2% ▌Stephen Wallace (Independent) 4.1%
Oregon	Gordon H. Smith	Republican	1996 2002	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Jeff Merkley (Democratic) 48.9% ▌Gordon H. Smith (Republican) 45.6% ▌Dave Brownlow (Constitution) 5.2%
Rhode Island	Jack Reed	Democratic	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jack Reed (Democratic) 73.4% ▌Robert Tingle (Republican) 26.6%
South Carolina	Lindsey Graham	Republican	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lindsey Graham (Republican) 57.5% ▌Bob Conley (Democratic) 42.3%
South Dakota	Tim Johnson	Democratic	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Tim Johnson (Democratic) 62.5% ▌Joel Dykstra (Republican) 37.5%
Tennessee	Lamar Alexander	Republican	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lamar Alexander (Republican) 65.1% ▌Bob Tuke (Democratic) 31.6% Others ▌Edward Buck (Independent) 1.3% ▌Christopher Fenner (Independent) 0.5% ▌Daniel Lewis (Libertarian) 0.4% ▌Chris Lugo (Green) 0.4% ▌Ed Lawhorn (Independent) 0.4% ▌David Gatchell (Independent) 0.3%
Texas	John Cornyn	Republican	2002 2002 (appointed)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Cornyn (Republican) 54.8% ▌Rick Noriega (Democratic) 42.8% ▌Yvonne Adams Schick (Libertarian) 2.3%
Virginia	John Warner	Republican	1978 1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y Mark Warner (Democratic) 65.0% ▌Jim Gilmore (Republican) 33.7% Others ▌Bill Redpath (Libertarian) 0.6% ▌Gail Parker (Independent Green) 0.6%
West Virginia	Jay Rockefeller	Democratic	1984 1990 1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jay Rockefeller (Democratic) 63.7% ▌Jay Wolfe (Republican) 36.3%
Wyoming	Mike Enzi	Republican	1996 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mike Enzi (Republican) 75.6% ▌Chris Rothfuss (Democratic) 24.3%

Special elections during the next Congress

There were no special elections in 2009.

Closest races

In nine races the margin of victory was under 10%. However, Georgia proceeded to a runoff election where the Republican candidate won by over 10%.

District	Winner	Margin
Minnesota	Democratic (flip)	0.01%
Alaska	Democratic (flip)	1.3%
Oregon	Democratic (flip)	3.6%
Georgia general	Republican	3.0%
Kentucky	Republican	6.0%
New Hampshire	Democratic (flip)	6.3%
Louisiana	Democratic	6.4%
North Carolina	Democratic (flip)	8.5%
Mississippi special	Republican	9.9%

South Dakota was the tipping point state, decided by a margin of 25.0%.

Final pre-election predictions

Several sites and individuals published predictions of competitive seats. These predictions looked at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent was running for re-election) and the other candidates, and the state's partisan lean (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assigned ratings to each seat, indicating the predicted advantage that a party had in winning that seat. Most election predictors used:

• "tossup": no advantage
• "tilt" (used by some predictors): advantage that is not quite as strong as "lean"
• "lean": slight advantage
• "likely": significant, but surmountable, advantage
• "safe" or "solid": near-certain chance of victory

Constituency	Incumbent		2008 election ratings
State	Senator	Last election[e]	Cook[6]	CQ Politics[7]	Rothenberg[8]	RCP[9]	Result
Alabama	Jeff Sessions	58.6% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Sessions (63.4%)
Alaska	Ted Stevens	78.2% R	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Begich (47.8%)(flip)
Arkansas	Mark Pryor	53.9% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Pryor (79.5%)
Colorado	Wayne Allard (retiring)	50.7% R	Lean D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	M. Udall (52.8%) (flip)
Delaware	Joe Biden	58.2% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Biden (64.7%)
Georgia	Saxby Chambliss	52.8% R	Tossup	Tossup	Lean R	Tossup	Chambliss (57.4%)[f]
Idaho	Larry Craig (retiring)	65.2% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Risch (57.7%)
Illinois	Dick Durbin	60.3% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Durbin (67.8%)
Iowa	Tom Harkin	54.2% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Harkin (62.7%)
Kansas	Pat Roberts	82.5% R	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Roberts (60.1%)
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell	64.7% R	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Tossup	McConnell (53.0%)
Louisiana	Mary Landrieu	51.7% D	Lean D	Lean D	Lean D	Lean D	Landrieu (52.1%)
Maine	Susan Collins	58.4% R	Likely R	Lean R	Likely R	Likely R	Collins (61.3%)
Massachusetts	John Kerry	80.0% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Kerry (65.9%)
Michigan	Carl Levin	60.6% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Levin (62.7%)
Minnesota	Norm Coleman	49.5% R	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Tossup	Franken (42.0%)(flip)
Mississippi (regular)	Thad Cochran	84.6% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Cochran (61.4%)
Mississippi (special)	Roger Wicker	Appointed (2007)[g]	Tossup	Lean R	Lean R	Lean R	Wicker (55.0%)
Montana	Max Baucus	62.7% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Baucus (72.9%)
Nebraska	Chuck Hagel (retiring)	82.8% R	Likely R	Likely R	Safe R	Likely R	Johanns (57.5%)
New Hampshire	John Sununu	50.8% R	Tossup	Lean D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Shaheen (51.6%)(flip)
New Jersey	Frank Lautenberg	53.9% D	Safe D	Likely D	Safe D	Likely D	Lautenberg (56.0%)
New Mexico	Pete Domenici (retiring)	65.0% R	Lean D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	T. Udall (61.3%)(flip)
North Carolina	Elizabeth Dole	53.5% R	Tossup	Lean D (flip)	Lean D (flip)	Tossup	Hagan (52.6%)(flip)
Oklahoma	Jim Inhofe	57.3% R	Likely R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Inhofe (56.7%)
Oregon	Gordon Smith	56.2% R	Tossup	Tossup	Lean D (flip)	Tossup	Merkley (48.9%)(flip)
Rhode Island	Jack Reed	78.4% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Reed (73.4%)
South Carolina	Lindsey Graham	54.4% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Graham (57.5%)
South Dakota	Tim Johnson	49.6% D	Likely D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Johnson (62.5%)
Tennessee	Lamar Alexander	54.3% R	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Alexander (65.1%)
Texas	John Cornyn	55.3% R	Safe R	Likely R	Safe R	Safe R	Cornyn (54.8%)
Virginia	John Warner (retiring)	82.6% R	Likely D (flip)	Safe D (flip)	Likely D (flip)	Safe D (flip)	M. Warner (65.0%)(flip)
West Virginia	Jay Rockefeller	63.1% D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Safe D	Rockefeller (63.7%)
Wyoming (regular)	Mike Enzi	73.0% R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Enzi (75.6%)
Wyoming (special)	John Barrasso	Appointed (2007)[h]	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Safe R	Barrasso (73.4%)

Gains and losses

Map of retirements:

  Republican incumbent

  Democratic incumbent

  Republican incumbent retired

Results of the Senate election by county

Retirements

Five Republicans retired rather than seek re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Colorado	Wayne Allard	Mark Udall
Idaho	Larry Craig	Jim Risch
Nebraska	Chuck Hagel	Mike Johanns
New Mexico	Pete Domenici	Tom Udall
Virginia	John Warner	Mark Warner

Defeats

Five Republicans sought re-election but lost in the general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Alaska	Ted Stevens	Mark Begich
Minnesota	Norm Coleman	Al Franken
New Hampshire	John E. Sununu	Jeanne Shaheen
North Carolina	Elizabeth Dole	Kay Hagan
Oregon	Gordon H. Smith	Jeff Merkley

Post-election changes

Four Democrats resigned and were replaced by Democrats. One Republican was switched to Democrat on April 28, 2009. Two other Democrats died on August 25, 2009, and June 28, 2010, respectively, while another Republican resigned on September 9, 2009.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Colorado (Class 3)	Ken Salazar	Michael Bennet
Delaware (Class 2)	Joe Biden	Ted Kaufman
Florida (Class 3)	Mel Martínez	George LeMieux
Illinois (Class 3)	Barack Obama	Roland Burris
Massachusetts (Class 1)	Ted Kennedy	Paul G. Kirk
New York (Class 1)	Hillary Clinton	Kirsten Gillibrand
Pennsylvania (Class 3)	Arlen Specter	Arlen Specter
West Virginia (Class 1)	Robert Byrd	Carte Goodwin

Alabama

Alabama election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Jeff Sessions Vivian Davis Figures Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,305,383 752,391 Percentage 63.36% 36.52%

Sessions:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Figures:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Jeff Sessions Republican Elected U.S. senator Jeff Sessions Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Alabama

See also: List of United States senators from Alabama

Alabama senator Jeff Sessions sought re-election to a third term. Johnny Swanson announced his candidacy in March 2006 for the Democratic nomination.^[10]

Despite voting heavily for Bush in 2004, Alabama still had a strong Democratic presence; Democrats controlled 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 would not seek the Senate seat, in order to avoid a primary battle with state senator Vivian Davis Figures.^[11] Figures has won elections in the Republican-leaning Mobile area. In the Democratic primary, Figures won the nomination and 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.^[12][13] Perry was endorsed by Alabama Statesmen,^[14] Boston Tea Party,^[15] and Christians for Life and Liberty.^[16]

Sessions defeated Figures, taking 63% of the vote to Figures's 37%

Republican primary^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeff Sessions (incumbent)	199,690	92.27%
	Republican	Earl Mack Gavin	16,718	7.73%
Total votes			216,408	100.00%

Democratic primary^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vivian Davis Figures	112,074	63.72%
	Democratic	Johnny Swanson	38,757	22.03%
	Democratic	Mark Townsend	25,058	14.25%
Total votes			175,889	100.00%

Alabama general^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeff Sessions (Incumbent)	1,305,383	63.36%
	Democratic	Vivian Davis Figures	752,391	36.52%
	Write-In	Write-ins	2,417	0.12%
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			2,060,191	100.00%
Turnout				N/A
	Republican hold

Alaska

Alaska election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Mark Begich Ted Stevens Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 151,767 147,814 Percentage 47.8% 46.5%

Borough and census area results Begich:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Stevens:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Ted Stevens Republican Elected U.S. senator Mark Begich Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Alaska

See also: List of United States senators from Alaska

Alaska ADL senatorial primary, 2008^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark Begich	63,747	84.12%
	Democratic	Ray Metcalfe	5,480	7.23%
	Independence	Bob Bird	4,216	5.56%
	Libertarian	Fredrick Haase	1,375	1.81%
	Democratic	Frank Vondersaar	965	1.27%
Total votes			75,783	100.00%

Republican primary^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ted Stevens (incumbent)	66,900	63.52%
	Republican	David Cuddy	28,364	26.93%
	Republican	Vic Vickers	6,102	5.79%
	Republican	Michael Corey	1,496	1.42%
	Republican	Roderic Sikma	1,133	1.08%
	Republican	Rich Wanda	732	0.69%
	Republican	Gerald Heikes	599	0.57%
Total votes			105,326	100.00%

Alaska general^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mark Begich	151,767	47.77%	+37.26%
	Republican	Ted Stevens (Incumbent)	147,814	46.52%	−31.65%
	Independence	Bob Bird	13,197	4.15%	+1.22%
	Libertarian	Fredrick Haase	2,483	0.78%	−0.25%
	Independent	Ted Gianoutsos	1,385	0.44%
	Write-ins		1,077	0.34%
Majority			3,953	1.24%	−66.42%
Turnout			317,723
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

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 Stevens filed papers for re-election for an eighth term.^[22]

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.^[23] Two former Veco executives have pleaded guilty to paying the younger Stevens $242,000 in bribes.^[24] 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.^[25]

On July 29, 2008, a federal grand jury indicted Stevens on seven felony counts for making false statements,^[26] and on October 26, a jury found Stevens guilty on all charges.^[27]

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.^[28]

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.^[29]

Stevens's conviction on seven felony counts of corruption damaged his re-election bid, 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's 46.5%. Stevens was the most senior U.S. Senator to ever lose re-election, defeating Warren Magnuson's 1980 record. As of 2023, Stevens still holds this record.

On April 1, 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, citing serious prosecutorial misconduct during the trial, decided to drop all charges against Stevens—an action that vacated his conviction.^[30]

Arkansas

Arkansas election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Mark Pryor Rebekah Kennedy Party Democratic Green Popular vote 804,678 207,076 Percentage 79.5% 20.5%

County results Pryor:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Mark Pryor Democratic Elected U.S. senator Mark Pryor Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Arkansas

See also: List of United States senators from Arkansas

Arkansas general^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark Pryor (Incumbent)	804,678	79.53%
	Green	Rebekah Kennedy	207,076	20.47%
Total votes			1,011,754	100.00%
Invalid or blank votes			75,586	n/a
	Democratic hold

Despite being a first-term senator in a state George W. Bush won twice, Democrat Mark Pryor 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.^[32] 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%.

Colorado

Colorado election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Mark Udall Bob Schaffer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,230,994 990,755 Percentage 52.8% 42.5%

Udall:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Schaffer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Wayne Allard Republican Elected U.S. senator Mark Udall Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Colorado

See also: List of United States senators from Colorado

Democratic primary^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark Udall	194,227	100.00%
Total votes			194,227	100.00%

Republican primary^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Schaffer	239,212	100.00%
Total votes			239,212	100.00%

Colorado general^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mark Udall	1,230,994	52.80%	+7.03%
	Republican	Bob Schaffer	990,755	42.49%	−8.20%
	Constitution	Douglas Campbell	59,733	2.56%	+1.04%
	Green	Bob Kinsey	50,004	2.14%
	Write-ins		135	0.01%
Majority			240,239	10.30%	+5.38%
Turnout			2,331,621
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

On January 15, 2007, incumbent senator Wayne Allard (R) announced he would not seek re-election, honoring his pledge to serve no more than two terms.^[35]

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.^[36] 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.^[37]

Other candidates included Bob Kinsey of Denver as the Green Party nominee,^[38] Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell as the American Constitution Party's nominee,^[39] and Independent candidate Buddy Moore, unaffiliated any party.^[40]

On Election Day, Udall defeated Schaffer 53% to 43%.

Delaware

Delaware election

← 2002 2010 (special) →

Nominee Joe Biden Christine O'Donnell Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 257,539 140,595 Percentage 64.7% 35.3%

Biden:      50–60%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Joe Biden Democratic Elected U.S. senator Joe Biden Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Delaware

See also: List of United States senators from Delaware

Delaware general^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Biden (Incumbent)	257,539	64.69%	+6.47%
	Republican	Christine O'Donnell	140,595	35.31%	−5.49%
Majority			116,944	29.37%	+11.96%
Turnout			398,134
	Democratic hold		Swing

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.^[42] Delaware law allowed Biden to run for vice president and senator at the same time, so he would have kept the Senate seat if the presidential ticket had lost. In 1988 and 2000, the Democratic vice presidential nominees Lloyd Bentsen and Joe Lieberman, ran similarly for their seat in Texas and Connecticut, respectively. 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.

Biden was re-elected with 65% of the vote, or 257,484 votes. O'Donnell received 140,584 votes (35% of the vote).

Georgia

2008 United States Senate election in Georgia

← 2002 November 4, 2008 (first round) December 2, 2008 (runoff) 2014 →

Nominee Saxby Chambliss Jim Martin Party Republican Democratic First round 1,867,097 49.8% 1,757,393 46.8% Runoff 1,228,033 57.4% 909,923 42.6%

First round county results Runoff county results Chambliss:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Martin:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Tie:      40–50%

U.S. Senator before election Saxby Chambliss Republican Elected U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Georgia

See also: List of United States senators from Georgia

2008 Georgia U.S. Senate Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Saxby Chambliss	392,902	100.0%
Turnout			392,928	100.0%

2008 Georgia U.S. Senate Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vernon Jones	199,026	40.4%
	Democratic	Jim Martin	169,635	34.4%
	Democratic	Dale Cardwell	79,181	16.1%
	Democratic	Rand Knight	25,667	5.2%
	Democratic	Josh Lanier	19,717	4.0%
Total votes			493,226	100.0%

2008 Georgia U.S. Senate Democratic primary election runoff

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jim Martin	191,061	59.9%	+25.5%
	Democratic	Vernon Jones	127,993	40.1%	−0.3%
Total votes			319,054	100.0%

Georgia general^[43][44]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Saxby Chambliss (Incumbent)	1,867,097	49.8%	−3.0%
	Democratic	Jim Martin	1,757,393	46.8%	+0.9%
	Libertarian	Allen Buckley	127,923	3.4%	+2.1%
	Socialist Workers	Eleanor Garcia (write-in)	43	0.0%	n/a
	Independent	William Salomone Jr. (write-in)	29	0.0%	n/a
Majority			109,704	2.92%
Turnout			3,752,577

Runoff election^[45]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Saxby Chambliss (Incumbent)	1,228,033	57.4%	+7.6%
	Democratic	Jim Martin	909,923	42.6%	−4.2%
Majority			318,110	14.8%
Turnout			2,137,956
	Republican hold		Swing

In the 2008 election, first-term incumbent Republican senator Saxby Chambliss 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.^[46] 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 49.8% of the vote,^[47] with Martin about 3% behind and Buckley receiving 3% of the vote.^[48] However, Georgia law stated 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%.^[49]

Idaho

Idaho election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Jim Risch Larry LaRocco Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 371,744 219,903 Percentage 57.7% 34.1%   Nominee Rex Rammell Party Independent Popular vote 34,510 Percentage 5.4%

County results Risch:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% LaRocco:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Larry Craig Republican Elected U.S. senator Jim Risch Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Idaho

See also: List of United States senators from Idaho

Democratic Primary results^[50]

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%

Republican primary^[50]

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%

Idaho general^[51]

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-ins		3	0.00%
Majority			151,841	23.55%	−9.06%
Turnout			644,780
	Republican hold		Swing

On September 1, 2007, senator Larry Craig announced his intent to resign from the Senate effective September 30, 2007.^[52] 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.^[53]

Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch was the Republican candidate; U.S. Army veteran and former congressman Larry LaRocco was the Democratic candidate.^[54] 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.^[55] 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% of the vote.^[56]

Illinois

Illinois election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Dick Durbin Steve Sauerberg Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,615,844 1,520,621 Percentage 67.84% 28.53%

County results Durbin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Sauerberg:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Dick Durbin Democratic Elected U.S. senator Dick Durbin Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Illinois

See also: List of United States senators from Illinois

Democratic primary^[57]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dick Durbin (Incumbent)	1,653,833	100.00%
Total votes			1,653,833	100.00%

Republican primary^[57]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve Sauerberg	395,199	55.62%
	Republican	Andy Martin	240,548	33.85%
	Republican	Mike Psak	74,829	10.53%
Total votes			710,576	100.00%

Illinois general^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Dick Durbin (Incumbent)	3,615,844	67.84%	+7.51%
	Republican	Steve Sauerberg	1,520,621	28.53%	−9.49%
	Green	Kathy Cummings	119,135	2.24%	0.00%
	Libertarian	Larry A. Stafford	50,224	0.94%	−0.70%
	Constitution	Chad N. Koppie	24,059	0.45%	0.00%
Majority			2,095,223	39.31%	+17.00%
Turnout			5,329,884
	Democratic hold		Swing

Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin remained favored in Illinois. 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.^[58] Kathy Cummings, a retired special education teacher was nominated via convention by the Green Party.^[59] 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 68% of the vote. Sauerberg had 29%.

Iowa

Iowa election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Tom Harkin Christopher Reed Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 941,665 560,006 Percentage 62.66% 37.26%

County results Harkin:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Reed:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Tom Harkin Democratic Elected U.S. senator Tom Harkin Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Iowa

See also: List of United States senators from Iowa

Democratic primary^[60]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Harkin (Incumbent)	90,785	98.83%
	Democratic	Write-ins	1,074	1.17%
Total votes			91,859	100.00%

Republican primary^[60]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Christopher Reed	24,964	35.32%
	Republican	George Eichhorn	24,390	34.52%
	Republican	Steve Rathje	21,062	29.80%
	Republican	Write-ins	256	0.36%
Total votes			70,672	100.00%

Iowa general^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Harkin (Incumbent)	941,665	62.66%	+8.48%
	Republican	Christopher Reed	560,006	37.26%	−6.52%
	Write-ins		1,247	0.08%
Majority			381,659	25.39%	+15.00%
Turnout			1,502,918
	Democratic hold		Swing

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%.

Kansas

Kansas election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Pat Roberts Jim Slattery Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 712,396 429,691 Percentage 60.1% 36.5%

County results Roberts:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Slattery:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Pat Roberts Republican Elected U.S. senator Pat Roberts Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Kansas

See also: List of United States senators from Kansas

Republican Party primary^[61]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pat Roberts (Incumbent)	214,911	100.00%
Total votes			214,911	100.00%

Democratic primary^[61]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Slattery	68,106	68.93%
	Democratic	Lee Jones	30,699	31.07%
Total votes			98,805	100.00%

Kansas general^[62]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Pat Roberts (Incumbent)	727,121	60.06%	−22.46%
	Democratic	Jim Slattery	441,399	36.46%
	Libertarian	Randall Hodgkinson	25,727	2.12%	−6.98%
	Reform	Joseph L. Martin	16,443	1.36%	−7.02%
Majority			285,722	23.60%	−49.82%
Turnout			1,210,690
	Republican hold		Swing

Senator Pat Roberts 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%.^[63]

Roberts was re-elected with 60% to Slattery's 36%.

Kentucky

Kentucky election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Mitch McConnell Bruce Lunsford Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 953,816 847,005 Percentage 53.0% 47.0%

County results McConnell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Lunsford:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Mitch McConnell Republican Elected U.S. senator Mitch McConnell Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Kentucky

See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky

Republican primary^[64]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mitch McConnell (incumbent)	168,127	86.09%
	Republican	Daniel Essek	27,170	13.91%
Total votes			195,297	100.00%

Democratic primary^[64]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bruce Lunsford	316,992	51.15%
	Democratic	Greg Fischer	209,827	33.85%
	Democratic	David L. Williams	34,363	5.54%
	Democratic	Michael Cassaro	17,340	2.80%
	Democratic	Kenneth Stepp	13,451	2.17%
	Democratic	David Wylie	7,528	1.21%
	Democratic	James E. Rice	2,365	3.28%
Total votes			619,904	100.00%

Kentucky general^[65]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mitch McConnell (incumbent)	953,816	52.97%	−11.7%
	Democratic	Bruce Lunsford	847,005	47.03%	+11.7%
Turnout			1,800,821	62.00%	+19.2%
	Republican hold		Swing

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%.^[66]

Businessman and U.S. Army veteran Bruce Lunsford, who lost the 2007 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Governor Steve Beshear, was the Democratic nominee.

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.^[67] Nevertheless, McConnell was re-elected by a margin of 53% to 47%.

Louisiana

Louisiana election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Mary Landrieu John Neely Kennedy Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 988,298 867,177 Percentage 52.1% 45.7%

Landrieu:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70%      80–90% Kennedy:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Mary Landrieu Democratic Elected U.S. senator Mary Landrieu Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Louisiana

See also: List of United States senators from Louisiana

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mary Landrieu (Incumbent)	988,298	52.11%	+0.41%
	Republican	John Neely Kennedy	867,177	45.72%	−2.58%
	Libertarian	Richard Fontanesi	18,590	0.98%	n/a
	Independent	Jay Patel	13,729	0.72%	n/a
	Independent	Robert Stewart	8,780	0.46%	n/a
Majority			121,121	6.39%	+2.99%
Turnout			1,896,574	100.0%
	Democratic hold		Swing

Incumbent Mary Landrieu 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, as well as 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.^[68][69]

In the end, Landrieu was re-elected with 52% of the vote, Kennedy having 46%.

Maine

Maine election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Susan Collins Tom Allen Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 444,300 279,510 Percentage 61.3% 38.6%

County results Municipality results Collins:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Allen:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Susan Collins Republican Elected U.S. senator Susan Collins Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Maine

See also: List of United States senators from Maine

2008 Maine U.S. Senate Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Allen	69,932	85.6%
	Democratic	Tom Ledue	11,795	14.4%
Turnout			81,727

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Susan Collins (incumbent)	444,300	61.33%	+2.9%
	Democratic	Tom Allen	279,510	38.58%	−3.0%
		write-ins	620	0.09%	n/a
Majority			164,790
Turnout			724,430
	Republican hold		Swing

In Maine, 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. Fellow senator Joe Lieberman, citing his status as an independent, endorsed Collins in her 2008 re-election bid.

On May 8, 2007, Rep. Tom Allen (ME-1) announced his candidacy on his website Archived May 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. He had already expressed interest in running and had been building the apparatus necessary to wage a Senate campaign.^[70]

Collins won on election day with 61% of the vote, compared to 39% for Allen.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

← 2002 2013 (special) →

Nominee John Kerry Jeff Beatty Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,959,843 922,727 Percentage 65.8% 31.0%

County results Municipality results Kerry   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Beatty   40–50%

U.S. senator before election John Kerry Democratic Elected U.S. senator John Kerry Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts

Democratic primary in Massachusetts

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Kerry (incumbent)	335,923	68.92%
	Democratic	Edward O'Reilly	151,473	31.08%
Turnout			487,396

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Kerry (Incumbent)	1,959,843	65.82%	−14.2%
	Republican	Jeff Beatty	922,727	30.99%	+30.99%
	Libertarian	Robert J. Underwood	94,727	3.18%	−15.1%
Majority			1,037,116
Turnout			2,977,631
	Democratic hold		Swing

Incumbent John Kerry sought another Senate term in Massachusetts.^[71] 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.^[72] 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% of the vote to O'Reilly's 31%.

Kerry won with 66% of the vote to Beatty's 31%. Libertarian Robert J. Underwood had 3%.

Michigan

Michigan election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Carl Levin Jack Hoogendyk Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,038,386 1,641,070 Percentage 62.7% 33.8%

Levin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hoogendyk:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Carl Levin Democratic Elected U.S. senator Carl Levin Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Michigan

See also: List of United States senators from Michigan

Michigan general^[73]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Carl Levin (Incumbent)	3,038,386	62.7%	+2.1%
	Republican	Jack Hoogendyk	1,641,070	33.8%	−4.1%
	Libertarian	Scotty Boman	76,347	1.6%	n/a
	Green	Harley Mikkelson	43,440	0.9%	+0.1%
	U.S. Taxpayers	Michael Nikitin	30,827	0.6%	n/a
	Natural Law	Doug Dern	18,550	0.4%	+0.1%
Majority			1,397,316
Turnout			4,848,620
	Democratic hold		Swing

With the Democratic Party takeover of Capitol Hill in the 2006 midterm elections, senator Carl Levin had become one of the most powerful people in Washington as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He was expected^{[by whom?]} 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.^[74]

Levin won re-election with 63% of the vote, to Hoogendyk's 34%.

Minnesota

Minnesota election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Al Franken Norm Coleman Dean Barkley Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Independence Popular vote 1,212,629 1,212,317 437,505 Percentage 41.99% 41.98% 15.15%

Franken:      40–50%      50–60% Coleman:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Norm Coleman Republican Elected U.S. senator Al Franken Democratic (DFL)

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota

See also: List of United States senators from Minnesota

Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken	164,136	65.34%
	Democratic (DFL)	Priscilla Lord Faris	74,655	29.72%
	Democratic (DFL)	Dick Franson	3,923	1.56%
	Democratic (DFL)	Bob Larson	3,152	1.25%
	Democratic (DFL)	Rob Fitzgerald	3,095	1.23%
	Democratic (DFL)	Ole Savior	1,227	0.49%
	Democratic (DFL)	Alve Erickson	1,017	0.40%
Turnout			251,205

Independence primary^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Dean Barkley	6,678	58.88%
	Independence	Jack Uldrich	1,405	12.39%
	Independence	Stephen Williams	800	7.05%
	Independence	Kurt Michael Anderson	761	6.71%
	Independence	Doug Williams	639	5.63%
	Independence	Darryl Stanton	618	5.45%
	Independence	Bill Dahn	440	3.88%
Turnout			11,341

Republican primary^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Norm Coleman (Incumbent)	130,973	91.32%
	Republican	Jack Shepard	12,456	8.68%
Turnout			143,429

2007 year-end reports filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that Al Franken had raised $7.04 million through December 31, 2007, while Norm Coleman had raised $6.24 million. Year-end cash on hand was $6.04 million for Coleman and $3.10 million for Franken.^[76]

General election (Results certified November 18)^[77][78][79]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Norm Coleman (Incumbent)	1,211,590	41.988%
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken	1,211,375	41.981%
	Independence	Dean Barkley	437,404	15.19%
	Libertarian	Charles Aldrich	13,916	0.48%
	Constitution	James Niemackl	8,905	0.31%
	Write-ins		2,365	0.08%
Plurality			215	0.007%
Turnout			2,885,555

Note: The ±% column reflects the change in total number of votes won by each party from the previous election. Additionally, votes cast for Paul Wellstone in the 2002 election are not factored into the DFL's total from that year.

Recounting ballots by hand in Olmsted County.

Hennepin County ballot paper.

General election (Results certified January 5, 2009)^[80][81][82]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken	1,212,431	41.991%
	Republican	Norm Coleman (Incumbent)	1,212,206	41.984%
	Independence	Dean Barkley	437,505	15.15%
	Libertarian	Charles Aldrich	13,923	0.48%
	Constitution	James Niemackl	8,907	0.31%
	Write-ins		2,365	0.08%
Plurality			225	0.007%
Turnout			2,887,337

General election (Results certified after election contest)^{[83][80][81][82]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken	1,212,629	41.994%
	Republican	Norm Coleman (Incumbent)	1,212,317	41.983%
	Independence	Dean Barkley	437,505	15.151%
	Libertarian	Charles Aldrich	13,923	0.48%
	Constitution	James Niemackl	8,907	0.31%
	Write-ins		2,365	0.08%
Plurality			312	0.011%
Turnout			2,887,646
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

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.

A December 2007 poll showed Coleman's approval rating among Minnesota voters at 53%.^[84] 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.^[85] Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minnesota), joined the race in October 2007.^[86] 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, who had briefly been appointed Senator after the death of Paul Wellstone in 2002, ran under the banner of the Independence Party, the largest third party in Minnesota.^[87][88] He was included in most of the debates and ultimately received 15% of the vote in the general election, a strong showing for a third-party 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%, thereby triggering an automatic recount. Barkley received 437,404 votes, about 15% of total votes cast.^[89]

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.^[90] During the recount process, 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.^[91] Coleman appealed this decision.^[92] 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.^[93] Franken was sworn in as Minnesota's junior senator on July 7.

Mississippi

See also: List of United States senators from Mississippi

Mississippi (regular)

Mississippi election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Thad Cochran Erik Fleming Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 766,111 480,915 Percentage 61.4% 38.6%

Cochran:      50–60%      60–70%     70–80%      80–90% Fleming:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Thad Cochran Republican Elected U.S. senator Thad Cochran Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Mississippi

Incumbent Republican Thad Cochran announced that he would seek re-election for a sixth term.^[94] 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 61% of the vote.

Mississippi general^[95]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Thad Cochran (Incumbent)	766,111	61.44%	−23.2%
	Democratic	Erik Fleming	480,915	38.56%	n/a
Majority			285,196
Turnout			1,247,026
	Republican hold		Swing

Mississippi (special)

Mississippi special election

← 2006 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Roger Wicker Ronnie Musgrove Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 683,409 560,064 Percentage 55.0% 45.0%

Wicker:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Musgrove:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Roger Wicker Republican Elected U.S. senator Roger Wicker Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi

Roger Wicker, 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.^[96][97] 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.^[97] 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.^[98] Initially, a Mississippi Circuit Court judge sided with Hood, ruling that the election take place on or before March 19, 2008.^[99] However, Barbour filed an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which overturned the earlier ruling and set the special election for November 4, 2008.^[100][101]

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.^[102][103] Wicker beat Musgrove 55% to 45%.

2008 Mississippi U.S. Senate special election^[104]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Roger Wicker (incumbent)	683,409	54.96%	−8.6%
	Democratic	Ronnie Musgrove	560,064	45.04%	+9.9%
Majority			123,345
Turnout			1,243,473
	Republican hold		Swing

Montana

Montana election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Max Baucus Robert Kelleher Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 345,937 128,762 Percentage 72.9% 27.1%

County results Baucus:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Max Baucus Democratic Elected U.S. senator Max Baucus Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Montana

See also: List of United States senators from Montana

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. 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. 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.^[105]

Baucus easily won re-election, taking 73% of the vote, with Kelleher taking 27%.

Democratic Party primary^[106]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Max Baucus (Incumbent)	165,050	100.00%
Total votes			165,050	100.00%

Republican Party primary^[106]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Kelleher	26,936	36.32%
	Republican	Michael Lange	17,044	22.98%
	Republican	Kirk Bushman	15,507	20.91%
	Republican	Patty Lovaas	7,632	10.29%
	Republican	Anton Pearson	4,257	5.74%
	Republican	Shay Joshua Garnett	2,788	3.76%
Total votes			74,164	100.00%

Montana general^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Max Baucus (incumbent)	348,289	72.92%	+10.18%
	Republican	Bob Kelleher	129,369	27.08%	−4.65%
Majority			218,920	45.84%	+14.84%
Turnout			477,658
	Democratic hold		Swing

Nebraska

Nebraska election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Mike Johanns Scott Kleeb Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 455,854 317,456 Percentage 57.5% 40.1%

Johanns:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Kleeb:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Chuck Hagel Republican Elected U.S. senator Mike Johanns Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Nebraska

See also: List of United States senators from Nebraska

In Nebraska, incumbent Republican 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,^[107] as was Kelly Rosberg of the Nebraska Party.

Johanns won, taking 58% of the vote, with Kleeb taking 40%.

Republican primary^[108]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Johanns	112,191	78.61%
	Republican	Pat Flynn	31,560	21.12%
Total votes			143,751	100.00%

Democratic primary^[108]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Scott Kleeb	65,582	68.37%
	Democratic	Tony Raimondo	24,141	25.17%
	Democratic	James Bryan Wilson	3,224	3.36%
	Democratic	Larry Marvin	2,672	2.80%
Total votes			95,919	100.00%

Green Party primary^[108]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Green	Steve Larrick	123	100.00%
Total votes			123	100.00%

Nebraska Party primary^[108]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nebraska	Barry Richards	209	100.00%
Total votes			209	100.00%

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mike Johanns	455,854	57.5%	−25.2%
	Democratic	Scott Kleeb	317,456	40.1%	+25.5%
	Nebraska	Kelly Renee Rosberg	11,438	1.4%	n/a
	Green	Steve Larrick	7,763	1.0%	n/a
Majority			138,398
Turnout			792,511
	Republican hold		Swing

New Hampshire

New Hampshire election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Jeanne Shaheen John E. Sununu Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 358,438 314,403 Percentage 51.6% 45.3%

County results Municipality results Shaheen:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90% Sununu:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      40–50%

U.S. senator before election John E. Sununu Republican Elected U.S. senator Jeanne Shaheen Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in New Hampshire

See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire

Incumbent Republican John E. Sununu 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.^[109] Three consecutive monthly Rasmussen Reports poll showed Shaheen defeating Sununu by 49% to 41%.^[110] Prior to Shaheen's entry, Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand,^[111] Katrina Swett, wife of former Democratic congressman Richard Swett,^[112] and former astronaut Jay Buckey^[113] 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%.

Shaheen, the Democratic choice, at a rally in the lead-up to the election.

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jeanne Shaheen	43,968	88.5%
	Democratic	Raymond Stebbins	5,281	10.6%
		write-ins	407	0.8%
Turnout			49,656

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Sununu (Incumbent)	60,852	88.7%
	Republican	Tom Alciere	7,084	10.3%
		write-ins	685	1.0%
Turnout			68,621

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jeanne Shaheen	358,438	51.6%	+5.2%
	Republican	John Sununu (Incumbent)	314,403	45.3%	−5.5%
	Libertarian	Ken Blevens	21,516	3.1%	+0.9%
Majority			44,035
Turnout			694,357
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

New Jersey

2008 United States Senate election in New Jersey

← 2002 2013 (special) →

Nominee Frank Lautenberg Dick Zimmer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,951,218 1,461,025 Percentage 56.0% 42.0%

County results Congressional district results Municipality results Lautenberg:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100% Zimmer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Frank Lautenberg Democratic Elected U.S. senator Frank Lautenberg Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in New Jersey

See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey

Incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg 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),^[114] with his approval standing only at 42% as of September 2007 with voters saying he does not deserve re-election 46%-36%.^[115] 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.^[116][117] Furthermore, in the wake of the financial crisis, Carl Peter Klapper entered the race as a write-in candidate.^[118]

Lautenberg won re-election, winning 56%-42%.

Democratic primary^[119]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Frank Lautenberg (incumbent)	203,012	58.9%
	Democratic	Rob Andrews	121,777	35.3%
	Democratic	Donald Cresitello	19,743	5.7%
Turnout			344,532

Republican primary^[119]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Dick Zimmer	84,663	45.8%
	Republican	Joseph Pennacchio	74,546	40.3%
	Republican	Murray Sabrin	25,576	13.8%
Turnout			184,785

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Frank Lautenberg (incumbent)	1,951,218	56.0%	+2.1%
	Republican	Dick Zimmer	1,461,025	42.0%	−2.0%
	Independent	Daryl Mikell Brooks	20,920	1.0%	n/a
	Libertarian	Jason Scheurer	18,810	0.5%	n/a
	Independent	J.M. Carter	15,935	0.5%	n/a
	Independent	Jeff Boss	10,345	0.3%	n/a
	Socialist Workers	Sara Lobman	9,187	0.3%	n/a
Majority			490,193
Turnout			3,482,445
	Democratic hold		Swing

New Mexico

New Mexico election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Tom Udall Steve Pearce Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 505,128 318,522 Percentage 61.3% 38.7%

County results Udall:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Pearce:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Pete Domenici Republican Elected U.S. senator Tom Udall Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in New Mexico

See also: List of United States senators from New Mexico

While senator Pete Domenici 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.^[120] 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. 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.^[121] 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."^[122]

Udall won the election with 61% of the vote, with Pearce taking 39%.

Democratic Party primary^[123]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Udall	141,629	100.00%
Total votes			141,629	100.00%

Republican primary^[123]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve Pearce	57,953	51.29%
	Republican	Heather Wilson	55,039	48.71%
Total votes			112,992	100.00%

New Mexico general^[124]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Udall	505,128	61.33%	+26.37%
	Republican	Steve Pearce	318,522	38.67%	−26.37%
Majority			186,606	22.66%	−7.43%
Turnout			823,650
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

North Carolina

North Carolina election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Kay Hagan Elizabeth Dole Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,249,311 1,887,510 Percentage 52.7% 44.2%

Hagan:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Dole:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Elizabeth Dole Republican Elected U.S. senator Kay Hagan Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in North Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina

In North Carolina, 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.^[125] There was early speculation that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley might be pressured into running against her but this did not come to pass.^[126] The Democratic nominee was state senator Kay Hagan,^[127] 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%,^[128] suggesting a competitive race. Hagan's poll numbers continued to best Dole's, however, and Hagan defeated Dole by a wider than expected^[129] margin of 53% to 44%.

Democratic Primary election^[130]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Kay Hagan	801,920	60.1%
	Democratic	Jim Neal	239,623	18.0%
	Democratic	Marcus W. Williams	170,970	12.8%
	Democratic	Duskin Lassiter	62,136	4.6%
	Democratic	Howard Staley	60,403	4.5%
Turnout			1,335,052

Republican primary^[130]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Elizabeth Dole (Incumbent)	460,665	90.0%
	Republican	Pete DiLauro	51,406	10.0%
Turnout			512,071

North Carolina general^[131]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Kay Hagan	2,249,311	52.65%	+7.7%
	Republican	Elizabeth Dole (Incumbent)	1,887,510	44.18%	−9.4%
	Libertarian	Chris Cole	133,430	3.17%	+2.1%
	Other	Write-Ins	1,719	0.0%	0.0%
Majority			361,801
Turnout			4,271,970
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Oklahoma

Oklahoma election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Jim Inhofe Andrew Rice Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 763,375 527,736 Percentage 56.7% 39.2%

County results Inhofe:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Rice:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Jim Inhofe Republican Elected U.S. senator Jim Inhofe Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

See also: List of United States senators from Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, 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.^[132] Inhofe's opponent was State senator Andrew Rice. Inhofe was re-elected, 57% to 39%.

Democratic primary^[133]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Andrew Rice	113,795	59.65%
	Democratic	Jim Rogers	76,981	40.35%
Total votes			190,776	100.00%

Republican primary^[133]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Inhofe (Incumbent)	116,371	84.18%
	Republican	Evelyn R. Rogers	10,770	7.79%
	Republican	Ted Ryals	7,306	5.28%
	Republican	Dennis Lopez	3,800	2.75%
Total votes			138,247	100.00%

Oklahoma general^[134]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Inhofe (Incumbent)	763,375	56.68%	−0.62%
	Democratic	Andrew Rice	527,736	39.18%	+2.87%
	Independent	Stephen Wallace	55,708	4.14%
Majority			235,639	17.50%	−3.50%
Turnout			1,346,819
	Republican hold		Swing

Oregon

Oregon election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Jeff Merkley Gordon Smith David Brownlow Party Democratic Republican Constitution Popular vote 864,392 805,159 92,565 Percentage 48.9% 45.6% 5.2%

Merkley:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Smith:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Gordon H. Smith Republican Elected U.S. senator Jeff Merkley Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Oregon

See also: List of United States senators from Oregon

Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon ran for a third term. He defeated ophthalmologist Gordon Leitch^[135] 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.^[136]

In a July 16, 2008, poll, Merkley overtook Smith for the first time 43% to 41%.^[137]

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.^[138]

Democratic primary^[139]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jeff Merkley	246,482	44.82%
	Democratic	Steve Novick	230,889	41.98%
	Democratic	Candy Neville	38,367	6.98%
	Democratic	Roger S. Obrist	12,647	2.30%
	Democratic	Pavel Goberman	12,056	2.19%
	Democratic	David Loera	6,127	1.11%
	Democratic	Write-ins	3,398	0.62%
Total votes			549,966	100.00%

Republican primary^[139]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gordon Smith (Incumbent)	296,330	85.41%
	Republican	Gordon Leitch	48,560	14.00%
	Republican	Write-ins	2,068	0.69%
Total votes			309,943	100.00%

Oregon general^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jeff Merkley	864,392	48.90%	+9.30%
	Republican	Gordon H. Smith (Incumbent)	805,159	45.55%	−10.66%
	Constitution	David Brownlow	92,565	5.24%	+3.52%
	Write-ins		5,388	0.30%
Majority			59,233	3.35%	−13.25%
Turnout			1,767,504
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Jack Reed Robert Tingle Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 320,644 116,174 Percentage 73.4% 26.6%

County results Municipality results Reed:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Jack Reed Democratic Elected U.S. senator Jack Reed Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, Democratic senator Jack Reed had an approval rating of 66% in November 2006.^[140] 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.^[141]

Reed won the election, with 73% of the vote.

2008 Rhode Island U.S. Senate Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jack Reed (incumbent)	48,038	86.8%
	Democratic	Christopher Young	7,277	13.2%
Turnout			55,315

2008 Rhode Island U.S. Senate general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jack Reed (incumbent)	320,644	73.4%	−5.0%
	Republican	Bob Tingle	116,174	26.6%	+5.0%
Majority			204,470
Turnout			436,818
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Carolina

South Carolina election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Lindsey Graham Bob Conley Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,076,150 790,216 Percentage 57.5% 42.3%

Graham:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Conley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Lindsey Graham Republican Elected U.S. senator Lindsey Graham Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in South Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina

Senator Lindsey Graham, as a popular Republican incumbent in strongly conservative South Carolina, had 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.^[142]

First-time candidate Bob Conley, an airline pilot, was the Democratic nominee.^[143] 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.

The South Carolina Working Families Party had also nominated Michael Cone. South Carolina's election law allows for electoral fusion. This was the first time the party nominated a candidate for statewide office.^[144] However, because he lost the Democratic primary, Cone was not listed on the ballot under the state's sore loser law.^[145]

Graham easily won re-election with 58% of the vote to Conley's 42%.

2008 South Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Bob Conley	74,125	50.3%
	Democratic	Michael Cone	73,127	49.7%
Turnout			147,252

2008 South Carolina U.S. Senate Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Lindsey Graham (incumbent)	187,736	66.8%
	Republican	Buddy Witherspoon	93,125	33.2%
Turnout			280,861

South Carolina general^[146]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Lindsey Graham (incumbent)	1,076,534	57.52%	+3.1%
	Democratic	Bob Conley	790,621	42.25%	−1.9%
	Write-ins		4,276	0.23%	+0.1%
Majority			285,913
Turnout			1,871,431
	Republican hold		Swing

South Dakota

South Dakota election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Tim Johnson Joel Dykstra Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 237,835 142,766 Percentage 62.5% 37.5%

County results Johnson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Dykstra:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Tim Johnson Democratic Elected U.S. senator Tim Johnson Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in South Dakota

See also: List of United States senators from South Dakota

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. 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 was seeking re-election.^[147] According to a November 2006 SurveyUSA poll, Johnson had an approval rating of 70%, with just 26% disapproving of his performance,^[148] making him an early favorite despite the state's Republican lean.

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 62.5% to Dykstra's 37.5%. This seat was the tipping point state in the 2008 senate elections.

Republican primary^[149]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Dykstra	34,598	65.74%
	Republican	Sam Kephart	13,047	24.79%
	Republican	Charles Gonyo	4,983	9.47%
Total votes			52,628	100.00%

South Dakota general^[150]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tim Johnson (Incumbent)	237,889	62.49%	+12.87%
	Republican	Joel Dykstra	142,784	37.51%	−11.96%
Majority			95,105	24.98%	+24.83%
Turnout			380,673
	Democratic hold		Swing

Tennessee

Tennessee election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Lamar Alexander Bob Tuke Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,571,637 762,779 Percentage 65.14% 32.64%

Alexander:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Tuke:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Lamar Alexander Republican Elected U.S. senator Lamar Alexander Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee

See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee

Former Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander was elected in 2002 to succeed retiring senator Fred Thompson. He has announced he will seek a second term in 2008.^[151] 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^[152] Edward Buck was also in the race.

Daniel Lewis ran 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, at their annual convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Lewis was serving as the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. He ran for the Tennessee House in 2004.^[153]

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.

Democratic Party primary^[154]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bob Tuke	59,050	32.21%
	Democratic	Gary G. Davis	39,119	21.34%
	Democratic	Mike Padgett	33,471	18.26%
	Democratic	Mark E. Clayton	32,309	17.62%
	Democratic	Kenneth Eaton	14,702	8.02%
	Democratic	Leonard D. Ladner	4,697	2.55%
Total votes			183,348	100.00%

Republican Party primary^[155]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lamar Alexander (Incumbent)	244,222	100.00%
Total votes			244,222	100.00%

Tennessee general^[156]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Lamar Alexander (Incumbent)	1,579,477	65.14%	+10.87%
	Democratic	Bob Tuke	767,236	31.64%	−12.69%
	Independent	Edward L. Buck	31,631	1.30%	N/A
	Independent	Christopher G. Fenner	11,073	0.46%	N/A
	Independent	Daniel Towers Lewis	9,367	0.39%	N/A
	Independent	Chris Lugo	9,170	0.38%	N/A
	Independent	Ed Lawhorn	8,986	0.37%	N/A
	Independent	David Gatchell	7,645	0.32%	N/A
Majority			812,241	33.50%	+23.56%
Turnout			2,424,585	66.34%
	Republican hold		Swing

Texas

Texas election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee John Cornyn Rick Noriega Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 4,337,469 3,389,365 Percentage 54.8% 42.8%

County results Cornyn:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Noriega:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election John Cornyn Republican Elected U.S. senator John Cornyn Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Texas

See also: List of United States senators from Texas

Texas 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%.^[157] 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.^[158]

There were three Libertarians, including 2006 LP senate nominee Scott Jameson, running for their party's nomination.^[159] In addition, the Green Party of Texas sought ballot access for its candidate David B. Collins.^[160]

In the end, John Cornyn won re-election, 55%-43%

Democratic primary^[161]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rick Noriega	1,110,579	51.01%
	Democratic	Gene Kelly	584,966	26.87%
	Democratic	Ray McMurrey	269,402	12.37%
	Democratic	Rhett Smith	213,305	9.75%

Republican Primary^[162]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Cornyn (incumbent)	997,216	81.48%	+4.17%
	Republican	Larry Kilgore	226,649	18.52%	+0.00%

2008 Texas U.S. Senate general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Cornyn (incumbent)	4,337,469	54.82%	−0.48%
	Democratic	Rick Noriega	3,389,365	42.83%	−0.50%
	Libertarian	Yvonne Adams Schick	185,241	2.34%	+1.55%
Majority			948,104
Turnout			7,912,075	58.28%
	Republican hold		Swing

Virginia

Virginia election

← 2002 2014 →
Turnout	67.0% (voting eligible)[163]
Nominee Mark Warner Jim Gilmore Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,369,327 1,228,830 Percentage 65.0% 33.7%
Warner:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Gilmore:      40–50%      50–60%
U.S. senator before election John Warner Republican Elected U.S. senator Mark Warner Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from Virginia

Republican senator John Warner chose to retire after five terms.

John Warner announced on August 31, 2007, that he would not seek re-election for another term.^[164] Former Governor Jim Gilmore, who dropped out of the 2008 presidential election, was the Republican nominee for the seat.^[165] Popular Democratic former Governor Mark Warner (no relation) was the Democratic nominee for the race.^[166] Polling showed him as a strong favorite to win the seat.^[167]

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."^[122]

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.

Former Gov. Mark Warner (D) campaigns at the Dixie Theatre in Staunton, Virginia

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R)

Virginia general^[168]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mark Warner	2,369,327	65.03%	+65.03%
	Republican	Jim Gilmore	1,228,830	33.72%	−48.85%
	Independent Greens	Glenda Parker	21,690	0.60%	+0.60%
	Libertarian	Bill Redpath	20,269	0.56%	+0.56%
	Write-ins		3,178	0.09%	−0.47%
Majority			1,140,497	31.30%	−41.53%
Turnout			3,643,294
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

West Virginia

West Virginia election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Jay Rockefeller Jay Wolfe Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 444,107 252,764 Percentage 63.7% 36.3%

County results Rockefeller:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Wolfe:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Jay Rockefeller Democratic Elected U.S. senator Jay Rockefeller Democratic

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from West Virginia

Senator Jay Rockefeller, 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.^[169] 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.

Rockefeller handily won on election day, being re-elected with 64% of the vote. Wolfe had 36%.

2008 West Virginia U.S. Senate Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Rockefeller (Incumbent)	271,370	77.1%
	Democratic	Sheirl Fletcher	51,073	14.5%
	Democratic	Billy Hendricks	29,707	8.4%
Turnout			352,150

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jay Wolfe	N/A	100.00%
Turnout				100.00%

West Virginia general^[170]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Rockefeller (Incumbent)	447,560	63.7%	+0.6%
	Republican	Jay Wolfe	254,629	36.3%	−0.6%
Majority			192,931
Turnout			702,189
	Democratic hold		Swing

Wyoming

See also: List of United States senators from Wyoming

Wyoming (regular)

Wyoming election

← 2002 2014 →

Nominee Mike Enzi Chris Rothfuss Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 189,046 60,631 Percentage 75.6% 24.3%

County results Enzi:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Mike Enzi Republican Elected U.S. senator Mike Enzi Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Wyoming

Incumbent Republican Mike Enzi 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%.

Enzi won another term, 76%-24%.

Democratic primary^[171]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Chris Rothfuss	14,221	62.38%
	Democratic	Al Hamburg	8,578	37.62%
Total votes			22,799	100.00%

Republican primary^[172]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Enzi (Incumbent)	69,195	100.00%
Total votes			69,195	100.00%

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mike Enzi (incumbent)	189,046	75.63%	+2.68%
	Democratic	Chris Rothfuss	60,631	24.26%	−2.79%
	Write-ins		269	0.11%
Majority			128,415	51.38%	+5.47%
Turnout			249,946
	Republican hold		Swing

Wyoming (special)

Wyoming special election

← 2006 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee John Barrasso Nick Carter Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 183,063 66,202 Percentage 73.4% 26.5%

County results Barrasso:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election John Barrasso Republican Elected U.S. senator John Barrasso Republican

Main article: 2008 United States Senate special election in Wyoming

See also: List of United States senators from Wyoming and 2008 United States Senate election in Wyoming

Republican John Barrasso 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.^[173] 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's term, which expires in January 2013.^[174]

On the Democratic side, Casper City Councilman Keith Goodenough announced his candidacy.^[175] 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.^[176]

Barrasso won on Election Day, taking 73% of the vote and winning every county in the state.

Democratic primary^[171]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Nick Carter	12,316	50.68%
	Democratic	Keith Goodenough	11,984	49.32%
Total votes			22,799	100.00%

Republican primary^[172]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Barrasso (Incumbent)	68,194	100.00%
Total votes			68,194	100.00%

Wyoming special election^[177]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Barrasso (Incumbent)	183,063	73.35%	+3.37%
	Democratic	Nick Carter	66,202	26.53%	−3.33%
	None	Write-ins	293	0.12%
Majority			116,861	46.83%	+6.70%
Turnout			249,558
	Republican hold		Swing

See also

• 2008 United States elections
  • 2008 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 2008 United States presidential election
  • 2008 United States House of Representatives elections
• 110th United States Congress
• 111th United States Congress

Notes

1. For the Georgia senate race, votes from the runoff election are counted.
2. Although Joe Lieberman (CT) was elected in 2006 on the Connecticut for Lieberman ticket, most sources (including himself) refer to him as an independent Democrat and he is included here as an independent.
3. Both independents caucused with the Democrats.
4. Appointee elected
5. The last elections for this group of senators were in 2002, except for those elected in a special election or who were appointed after the resignation or passing of a sitting senator, as noted.
6. This race was decided in a run-off on December 2, 2008, after no candidate reached 50% of the vote on November 3.
7. Republican Trent Lott won with 63.6% of the vote in 2006, but resigned on December 18, 2007.
8. Republican Craig L. Thomas won with 70.0% of the vote in 2006, but died on June 4, 2007.

References

1. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (July 10, 2009). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008". U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 37, 68, 72.
2. Sherman, Emily (October 8, 2008). "'Perfect storm' could give Dems 'magic 60' in Senate". CNN. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
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External links

• Cook Political Report 2008 Senate Race Ratings
• CQ Politics Senate Analysis Archived January 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
• Interactive Map of 2008 Senate Races Archived April 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
• Senate Newspaper Endorsement List
• FiveThirtyEight Senate Projections
• Intrade Composite Poll - Supermajority Predictions
• United States Election 2008 Web Archive from the U.S. Library of Congress
• List of Senate Newspaper Endorsements