The 2008 congressional elections in Michigan were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. Michigan had fifteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the

111th Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with t ...

from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the

2008 U.S. presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John Mc ...

. The 7th and 9th district seats were considered to be competitive. Both seats were occupied by Republicans who lost to Democratic opponents. The makeup of the Michigan congressional delegation in 2008 consisted of nine Republicans and six Democrats. As a result of the 2008 election, the delegation in 2009/2010 consists of eight Democrats and seven Republicans. The two Democratic Party gains came in the 7th and 9th districts.

Overview

District 1

Popular incumbent

Bart Stupak Bartholomew Thomas Stupak (; born February 29, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Democratic Party, Stupak served as the U.S. representative from from 1993 to 2011. Stupak chose not to seek re-election in 2010. He de ...

was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Conservative state Representative Tom Casperson, from

Escanaba Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city and the county seat of Delta County, Michigan, Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula. The popu ...

, won the Republican primary election over Linda Goldthorpe and Don Hooper. The

Libertarian Party Libertarian Party may refer to: *Libertarian Party (Argentina) * Liberal Libertarian Party * Libertarian Party of Australia * Libertarian Party of Canada ** British Columbia Libertarian Party **Libertarian Party of Manitoba (now Freedom Party of Ma ...

nominated Daniel Grow; the U.S. Taxpayers Party nominated Joshua Warren and the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

nominated

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

Jean Treacy. The 1st District is generally socially conservative and strongly pro-union. It covers the entire

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

and the northern part of the

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

, and is the largest congressional district east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat. MI1 House 2008 Counties

District 2

Pete Hoekstra Cornelis Piet Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who is serving as Ambassador to Canada. Hoekstra had served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member ...

, a conservative incumbent and ranking Republican on the

House Intelligence Committee The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Rick Crawford. It is the primary comm ...

, was challenged by Democrat Fred Johnson,2008 Official Michigan Primary Candidate Listing
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Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

Dan Johnson
campaign website
and U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Ronald Graeser. The district is centered on Michigan's West Shoreline and includes the cities of

Muskegon Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

and

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican. MI2 House 2008 Counties

District 3

Incumbent

Vern Ehlers Vernon James Ehlers (February 6, 1934 – August 15, 2017) was an American physicist and politician who represented Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 until his retirement in 2011. A Republican, he also served eight years ...

was re-elected. The district trends Republican and is centered on

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. Ehlers was challenged by Democrat Henry Sanchez and

Erwin Haas. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican. MI3 House 2008 Counties

District 4

Republican

David Lee Camp David Lee Camp (born July 9, 1953) is a former American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2015. Camp represented since 1993, and previously served one term representing . A member of the ...

was reelected. He was by challenged by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Andrew Concannon,

Allitta Hren, and U.S. Taxpayer Party candidate John Emerick. This large district stretches from Owosso in the east central part of the state to

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although it partly extends into Leelanau County. The city's population was 15,678 at the 2020 census, while the four-county Traverse C ...

to the extreme northwest part of the Lower Peninsula. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican. MI4 House 2008 Counties

District 5

Democrat

Dale Kildee Dale Edward Kildee (September 16, 1929 – October 13, 2021) was an American politician who served as U.S. Representative of Michigan from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Democratic Party. His district included Flint, Saginaw and Ba ...

ran for re-election in 2008. The Flint area congressman has served for over 30 years. His district (covering

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

, Bay City and part of the western part of

The Thumb The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of t ...

) is strongly Democratic. Petitions were circulated for Democratic state senator John Gleason to challenge Kildee, but Gleason decided not to run. Kildee is challenged on by Republican candidate by Matt Sawicki of Bay City,

candidate Leonard Schwartz and

candidate Ken Mathenia of

Grand Blanc Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County, Michigan, Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint, Michigan, Flint. The population was 7,784 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 US Census. It is part of the Flint metrop ...

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat. MI5 House 2008 Counties

District 6

Republican

Fred Upton Frederick Stephen Upton (born April 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1987 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he represented Kalamazoo, Michigan, ...

had three opponents, Democrat Don Cooney, Green Edward Pinkney and Libertarian Greg Merle. The sixth district covers the southwest corner of lower Michigan. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican. MI6 House 2008 Counties

District 7

The seventh district covers the middle part of southern lower Michigan. Republican incumbent

Tim Walberg Timothy Lee Walberg (born April 12, 1951) is an American politician serving as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from Michigan since 2011, representing the state's Michigan's 5th congressional district, 5th congression ...

faced State Senate Minority Leader and Democratic nominee

Mark Schauer Mark Hamilton Schauer (born October 2, 1961) is an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. Schauer was previously a member of the Michigan House of Representatives f ...

, Libertarian Ken Proctor, Green Lynn Meadows and independent Sharon Reiner. CQ Politics forecast the race as 'No Clear Favorite'. Walberg was elected in 2006 with a surprisingly thin 49.9% of the vote, despite outspending Democratic opponent Sharon Reiner 20:1. This made Walberg a top target for defeat in 2008 by the

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises funds and organizes races in ...

. Schauer defeated Renier in the August 5 primary, after which Renier ran in the general election as a

write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

candidate with no party affiliation. MI7 House 2008 Counties

District 8

Incumbent Republican Mike Rogers was re-elected in 2006 with 55.3% of the vote compared to 42.9% for his Democratic opponent.

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

Democratic activist Bob Alexander (who lost in 2004 to Rogers) announced that he is running again. Aaron Stuttman is running for the

, Will Tyler White for the Libertarian Party, and George Zimmer for the U.S. Taxpayers Party. This district stretches from the western

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

suburbs to the

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

area. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican. MI8 House 2008 Counties

District 9

This district covers parts of

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its seat of government is Pontiac, and its largest city is Troy. As of the ...

. Republican incumbent

Joe Knollenberg Joseph Kastl Knollenberg (November 28, 1933 – February 6, 2018) was an American politician from Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing and . In his congressional term, Knol ...

was challenged by former Michigan Lottery commissioner and military veteran, Democratic nominee

Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Michigan, a seat he has hel ...

. Libertarian Adam Goodman, Green Party Douglas Campbell and Independent Dr.

Jack Kevorkian Murad Jacob Kevorkian (May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011) was an American pathologist and euthanasia proponent. He publicly championed a terminal patient's right to die by physician-assisted suicide, embodied in his quote, "Dying is not a crime" ...

were also running. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'No Clear Favorite'. Knollenberg was targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after his surprisingly narrow margin of victory in the 2006 election, receiving 51.5% of the vote compared with 46.2% for his Democratic opponent. MI9 House 2008 Counties

District 10

Republican incumbent

Candice Miller Candice Sue Miller (née McDonald; born May 7, 1954) is an American politician serving as the Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County, Michigan since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Miller previously served as the U.S. representative ...

was challenged by Democratic nominee Robert Denison, Libertarian Neil Kiernan Stephenson, and Green Candace Caveny. This district stretches from the northeast

suburbs up to most of

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican. MI10 House 2008 Counties

District 11

Incumbent Republican Thad McCotter was challenged by Democrat Joseph Larkin who defeated Edward Kriewall in the August 5 party primary. Also running were Libertarian John Tatar and Green Erik Shelley. This district covers part of

's western suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Lean Republican. MI11 House 2008 Counties

District 12

12-term Democrat

Sander M. Levin Sander Martin Levin (born September 6, 1931) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019, representing (numbered as the from 1983 to 1993 and as the from 1993 to 2013). Levin, a member ...

was challenged by Republican Bert Copple, Libertarian John Vico, Green William J. O'Palicky and U.S. Taxpayers' Lester Townsend. This district covers part of Detroit's northern suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat. MI12 House 2008 Counties

District 13

Incumbent Democrat

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick Carolyn Jean Cheeks Kilpatrick (born June 25, 1945) is a former American politician who was U.S. Representative for and then from 1997 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In August 2010 she lost the Democratic primary election t ...

narrowly survived the August 5 party primary. She faced complications due to the legal troubles facing her son,

mayor

Kwame Kilpatrick Kwame Malik Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Repre ...

. Cheeks Kilpatrick won with 39.1% of the vote over former state representative Mary Waters with 36% of the vote and state senator Martha Scott with 24.9% of the vote. A televised debate between the three candidates developed into a shouting match. Cheeks Kilpatrick faced Republican candidate Edward Gubics, Libertarian candidate

Greg Creswell The Libertarian Party of Michigan is the state affiliate of the Libertarian Party of the United States (LP) for Michigan. Like the national LP, the Libertarian Party of Michigan advocates for libertarian political goals. The party gained primary ...

and Green Party candidate George Cosetti in the general election. This district covers the east side of Detroit and its eastern and

Downriver Downriver is a region of the Detroit metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan covering 18 municipalities in Wayne County, south of Detroit, along the western shore of the Detroit River. Etymology The name derives from the fact that the ...

suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat. MI13 House 2008 Counties

District 14

Powerful incumbent Democrat

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. Conyers was the sixth-longest serving member of Congress and the lo ...

, chairman of the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

, had one Democratic opponent in the primary, Detroit pastor Rev.

Horace Sheffield Horace Sheffield III (born December 28, 1954) is an American pastor and media personality. Sheffield is the Pastor of New Destiny Christian Fellowship. Sheffield as of 2018 serves as the Co-Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, MDP Community ...

, but Sheffield's campaign was short lived because he withdrew his name and announced his support for Conyers. Conyers faced Libertarian Rick Secula and Green Party Clyde Shabazz in the general election. This district covers the west side of Detroit and some inner western and downriver suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat. MI14 House 2008 Counties

District 15

55-year Congressional veteran Democrat

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. ( ; July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician from the state of Michigan who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, D ...

is the Dean of the HouseLocally, he is also referred to as the Dean of Downriver and chairman of the

House Energy and Commerce Committee The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more tha ...

. He was challenged by Republican Jack Lynch, Libertarian Gregory Scott Stempfle, Green Aimee Smith and U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate James Wagner. The 15th district includes

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Ypsilanti Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north ...

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

, the downriver suburbs of Detroit and the semi-rural southeastern corner of Michigan. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat. MI15 House 2008 Counties

References

External links

Elections in Michigan
from the ''Michigan Secretary of State''
U.S. Congress candidates for Michigan
at

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American 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 offic ...

Michigan U.S. House Races
from ''2008 Race Tracker''
Campaign contributions for Michigan congressional races
from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector an ...

{{2008 United States elections

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

John Conyers John Dingell