HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2008 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 4, 2008 to elect a member of the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...
to represent the
State of South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
. Incumbent Republican
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
won election to a second term.


Democratic primary


Candidates

* Bob Conley, pilot * Michael Cone, attorney


Campaign

Conley, a conservative Democrat, supported ending
illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
, "protecting American workers," bringing American troops home from the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...
, increasing veterans' benefits, reducing American dependence on foreign oil, tougher regulations on Wall Street (bringing back Glass-Steagall), ending Wall Street bailouts, repealing the
Patriot Act The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appro ...
, "cutting spending," and "fidelity to the Constitution." He also opposed
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
. Michael Cone, Conley's primary opponent, criticized Conley for being too conservative, that "We've nominated a Republican in a Democratic primary." Conley was a Republican but left the party due to frustration over immigration, trade, and the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...
. Some compared him to Republican Congressman
Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as we ...
, as Conley supported Paul in his presidential campaign.


Results

Conley defeated Cone in the
primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
on June 16, following a recount, by a margin of 1,058 votes.


Republican primary


Candidates

*
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
, incumbent U.S. Senator * Buddy Witherspoon, former National Committeeman of the
South Carolina Republican Party The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in South Carolina. It is one of two major political parties in the state, along with the South Carolina Democratic Party, and is the dominant part ...


Polling


Results


General election


Candidates

* Bob Conley (D), pilot * Lindsey Graham (R), incumbent U.S. Senator


Campaign

Conley, who had switched to the Democratic Party from the Republican Party, was opposed by much of the Democratic establishment because of his controversial positions such as his vocal opposition to immigration reform and same-sex marriage and his support of
Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as we ...
's presidential bid. A number of prominent Democratic figures in the state, including U.S. Congressman
James Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He has served as House Majority Whip since 2019. He is a two-time maj ...
, supported Lindsey Graham over Conley in the general election. Political scientist Bill Moore claimed "The bottom line is, by not paying attention to this race, they ended up embarrassed by what has transpired: a Republican getting the Democratic Party's nomination for U.S. Senate and a Republican who comes across as even more conservative than Lindsey Graham." Graham had $3.8 million. In fact, he spent more time on the campaign trail for John McCain than he has defending his own seat. Conley only raised $23,628 during the campaign. Conley was so unknown that even Graham admitted "Almost no one knows my opponent. The Democrats really didn't field a — make a serious challenge — in terms of trying to find an opponent for me."Republican Graham aims to turn aside Dem challenge , SCNOW
/ref> Despite Conley’s landslide defeat, he is the last Democrat to carry
McCormick County McCormick County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,526, making it the second least-populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is McCormick. The county was formed in 191 ...
in a Senate election as of 2021.


Predictions


Polling


Results


See also

*
2008 United States Senate elections The 2008 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-three seats were up for regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 200 ...
*
2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina The 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held on June 10 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on June 24. The composition of th ...


References


External links


South Carolina State Election Commission

U.S. Congress candidates for South Carolina
at
Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

South Carolina, U.S. Senate
from
CQ Politics Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is part of a privately owned publishing company called CQ Roll Call that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress. CQ was acquired by the Economist Group and combined ...

South Carolina U.S. Senate
from ''OurCampaigns.com''
Campaign contributions
from
OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...

Graham (R-i) vs Conley (D)
graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com * ''Official campaign websites'' (Archived) *
Lindsey Graham
*
Bob Conley
*
John J. Cina
{{2008 United States elections
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...