2008 U.S. Senate Election
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2008 U.S. Senate Election
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. 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. 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 rega ...
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United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the United States Constitution, Article One of the Constitution of the United States, U.S. Constitution to pass or defeat federal legislation. The Senate also has exclusive power to confirm President of the United States, U.S. presidential appointments, to approve or reject treaties, and to convict or exonerate Impeachment in the United States, impeachment cases brought by the House. The Senate and the House provide a Separation of powers under the United States Constitution, check and balance on the powers of the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive and Federal judiciary of the United States, judicial branches of government. The composition and powers of the Se ...
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2008 United States Gubernatorial Elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 4, 2008, in 11 states and two territories. Prior to the election, eight of the total seats were held by Democratic Party (United States), Democrats and five by Republican Party (United States), Republicans. Two governors were prohibited by term limits from seeking re-election in 2008. The only governorship to change party was the open seat in 2008 Missouri gubernatorial election, Missouri, which was won by a Democrat after being previously held by a Republican. These elections coincided with the 2008 United States presidential election, presidential election, as well as the elections of the 2008 United States Senate elections, United States Senate and the 2008 United States House elections, United States House of Representatives and many local elections, state elections, and ballot propositions. Election predictions Race summary States Territories Closest races States where the margin of victory was under 5% ...
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National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to the Senate. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. It was reorganized in 1948 and renamed the National Republican Senatorial Committee. It has been chaired by Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina since 2025. The NRSC helps elect Republican incumbents and challengers primarily through fundraising. List of chairmen See also *National Republican Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the United States Republican Party, Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Repub ... * Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee References External links * {{Authority control Senatorial Committee United States Senate Hill committees ...
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Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. Its purpose is to elect Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York who succeeded Gary Peters of Michigan after the 2024 Senate elections. DSCC's current executive director is Devan Barber. List of chairs and vice chairs Chairs Vice chairs Recent history 2001–2002 election cycle Patty Murray became the first female Chair of the DSCC in 2001. Her team raised more than $143 million, beating the previous record by $40 million. However, the Democratic Party lost two seats in the subsequent election which saw President George W. Bush become the first sitting president to take control of the Senate in a midterm election since 1914. This result may be attributed to George W. Bush's post- 9/11 popularity and the death of Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, who had been favored to win. 2005– ...
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Hill Committee
In the United States, a political party committee is an organization, officially affiliated with a political party and registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which raises and spends money for political campaigning. Political party committees are distinct from political action committees, which are formally independent of political parties and subject to different rules. Though their own internal rules differ, the two major political parties ( Democrats and Republicans) have essentially parallel sets of committees; third parties have more varied organizational structures. National committees The Democratic National Committee (DNC), Reform Party National Committee, Green National Committee, Libertarian National Committee, and Republican National Committee (RNC) are the official central organizations for their respective parties. They have the greatest role in presidential election years when they are responsible for planning the nominating convention. The DNC a ...
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2008 United States Senate Election In Virginia
The 2008 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican Senator John Warner decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. Mark Warner (unrelated) won the open seat by more than 31 percentage points, defeating Republican and fellow former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore and becoming the first Democrat to win this seat since 1966 United States Senate election in Virginia, 1966. This was also the first time since 1964 that the state voted simultaneously for 1964 United States presidential election in Virginia, a Democratic presidential candidate and 1964 United States Senate election in Virginia, a Democratic Senate candidate, having voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 United States presidential election in Virginia, concurrent presidential election, albeit by a far lesser margin. This was Virginia's first open-seat election since 1988 United States Senate election in Virginia, 1988. Since Warner took office in 2009, Democrats have hel ...
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2008 United States Senate Election In New Mexico
The 2008 United States Senate election in New Mexico was held on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the 2008 United States presidential election, 2008 U.S. presidential election. Incumbent Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator Pete Domenici decided to retire instead of seeking a seventh term. All three of New Mexico's U.S. Representatives (Tom Udall, Steve Pearce (politician), Steve Pearce, and Heather Wilson) retired from the House to run in this election, which was the first open Senate seat in the state since 1972 where Domenici was first elected on this seat. Pearce narrowly defeated Wilson in the Republican primary, but Udall won the general election after an uncontested Democratic primary. In February 2007 Domenici indicated his intention to run for re-election. By October 2007, he changed his mind, stating that because of the progression of a medical condition, he would not seek a seventh term. Domenici also lost his chairmanship af ...
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2008 United States Senate Election In Colorado
The 2008 United States Senate election in Colorado was held November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held August 12, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Wayne Allard decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. Democratic nominee Mark Udall won the open seat, making this the first time a Democrat won this seat since 1972, and that Democrats held both Senate seats since 1979. Democratic primary Candidates * Mark Udall, U.S. Representative Results Republican primary Candidates * Bob Schaffer, Colorado State Board of Education member, former U.S. Representative and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2004 Results General election Campaign The election featured an open contest because incumbent U.S. Senator Wayne Allard declined to seek re-election. He honored his 1996 pledge to serve no more than two terms in the U.S. Senate and announced that he would retire from his service to the US Senate and not seek a 3rd term, leaving Colorado's Cla ...
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2008 United States Senate Election In Minnesota
The 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 2008. After a legal battle lasting over eight months, the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) candidate, Al Franken, defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate, with Coleman's Senate predecessor Dean Barkley taking third place. Franken took his oath of office on July 7, 2009, more than half a year after the end of Coleman's term on January 3, 2009. This election, alongside the concurrent Senate election in New Jersey, was the last U.S. Senate election in which both major party candidates were Jewish. When the initial count was completed on November 18, Franken was trailing Coleman by 215 votes. The close margin triggered a mandatory recount. After reviewing ballots that had been challenged during the recount and counting 953 wrongly rejected absentee ballots, the State Canvassing Board officially certified the recount results with F ...
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2008 United States Senate Election In Oregon
The 2008 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Gordon H. Smith sought reelection to a third term. Smith was the only Republican Senator from the West Coast (excluding Alaska) and the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon. He was opposed by Democrat Jeff Merkley, the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, and David Brownlow of the Constitution Party of Oregon. Merkley won by a narrow margin, with Smith not conceding until two days after the election. Merkley became the first Democrat to win this seat since 1960, and since Smith was the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon at the time, this was the first time since 1860 that no Republicans won or held statewide office in Oregon. Merkley's inauguration marked the first time since 1967 that Democrats held both of Oregon's United States Senate seats. This was one of the most competitive races during the 2008 United States Sen ...
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2008 United States Senate Election In North Carolina
The 2008 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Senate election coincided with the presidential, U.S. House elections, gubernatorial, Council of State, and statewide judicial elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole ran for re-election to a second term but was defeated by Kay Hagan. The November general election was the first time in North Carolina history, and only the eighth time in U.S. history, that the two major-party candidates for a U.S. Senate seat were both women. In addition, Hagan became the first woman to defeat an incumbent woman in a U.S. Senate election. As of 2024, this is the last time that a Democrat won a U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, and the only time since 1998. This was the first time Democrats won this seat since 1966. Democratic primary Candidates * Kay Hagan, State Senator * Duskin Lassiter, trucker * Jim Neal, businessman * Howard Staley, doctor * Marcus Williams, attorn ...
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2008 United States Senate Election In New Hampshire
The United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John E. Sununu ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in a rematch of the 2002 election. Shaheen's win marked the first time since 1972 that Democrats won this seat, and made her the first Democratic Senator elected from New Hampshire since John A. Durkin's victory in 1975. Background For a considerable amount of time, New Hampshire had always been considered an island of conservatism in the Northeast. Following the 2006 election, however, many offices were taken over by Democrats: Representatives Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes, Governor John Lynch, the majority of the New Hampshire Executive Council, and the majority of both legislative chambers (which had not occurred since 1911). The popularity of Governor Lynch was considered an impediment to Sununu's re-election. Though the state voted for then- Gov. George W. ...
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