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

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, coinciding with the

presidential President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected would 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 th ...

from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011. Arizona had eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of four Republicans and four Democrats. Two of the Democrats had taken Republican seats in 2006, and were at risk during the 2008 election. The delegation elected in 2008 consisted of three Republicans and five Democrats: district 1 changed party (from open Republican to Democratic), although ''CQ Politics'' had forecast districts 1, 3, 5 and 8 to be at some risk for the incumbent party.Arizona's most competitive congressional races
''The Arizona Republic'', July 13, 2008. The party primary elections were held September 2, 2008.

Overview

Statewide

By district

Results of the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona by district:

District 1

Incumbent Republican Rick Renzi, who had represented the district since 2003, did not run for re-election. He was re-elected with only 52% of the vote compared to 44% for his Democratic opponent –

Sedona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...

civil rights attorney Ellen Simon – in 2006; George W. Bush won 54% of the vote in this northern Arizona district in 2004. The district had a PVI of R+2.

Republican primary

In August 2007, Renzi announced he would not seek re-election, four months after the FBI raided Renzi's family business as part of a federal investigation.

Candidates

In the Republican primary, Sydney Ann Hay, mining industry lobbyist, earned a narrower-than-expected victory against Sandra L. B. Livingstone, Tom Hansen and Barry Hall.

=Nominee

= *Sydney Hay, mining industry lobbyist and candidate for this seat in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

=Eliminated in primary

= *Barry Hall, former Baptist minister *Sandra Livingstone, former State Department official and lawyer *Tom Hansen, engineer

=Withdrawn

= *Preston Korn, candidate for state representative in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

=Declined

= *

Ken Bennett Kenneth Roy Bennett (born August 1, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who served as president of the Arizona Senate and served as the 19th Secretary of State of Arizona, from 2009 to 2015. He was a candidate for Governor of Arizona ...

, former president of the

Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms w ...

Bill Konopnicki William "Bill" Konopnicki (April 7, 1945 – October 17, 2012) was an Arizona politician. He and his wife were also the owners of radio station KTHQ as well as several others. Konopnicki was a Republican. Konopnicki was born in Michigan and moved ...

, state representative *

Steve Pierce Steve Pierce (born 1950) is an American politician from Arizona. Pierce was a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives for District 1, serving until 2021. He was a member of the Arizona Senate from the 1st district. He was ...

, rancher * Kris Mayes, member of the Arizona Corporation Commission * Tom O'Halleran, state senator * Rick Renzi, incumbent U.S. Representative *Lewis Tenney, former Navajo County Supervisor

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Ann Kirkpatrick, former state representative and prosecutor

=Eliminated in primary

= *Jeffrey Brown, mental health advocate * Mary Kim Titla, publisher and former Phoenix TV newscaster *Howard Shanker, attorney

=Withdrawn

= *Allan Affeldt, Mayor of

Winslow Winslow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, a market town and civil parish * Winslow Rural District, Buckinghamshire, a rural district from 1894 to 1974 United States and Canada * Rural Municipality of Winslo ...

*Ellen Simon, civil rights attorney and nominee for this seat in

(dropped out in May 2007, citing personal reasons)

=Declined

= *George Cordova, businessman and nominee for this seat in

*Jim Ledbetter, attorney *Bob Mitchell, former Mayor of

Casa Grande , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Casa Grande-Casa Grande Union High School-1920-2.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the ...

(brother of Democratic Congressman Harry Mitchell) * Jim Pederson, real estate developer, former Chair of the

Arizona Democratic Party The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. Party organization The Arizona Democratic Party is organized into three parts: the state committee, the executive ...

and nominee for U.S. Senate in

*Carter Olson, Pinal County attorney * Steve Owens, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality director and nominee for the 6th district in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

Endorsements

Kirkpatrick earned endorsements from leaders in government, education, tribal communities, first responders, and other groups. Among those endorsing her were: Governor Janet Napolitano, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, U.S. Representative Harry Mitchell, the

Arizona Education Association Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

, the Arizona Police Association, the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs, the

International Association of Fire Fighters The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is a labor union representing paid full-time firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the United States and Canada. The IAFF was formed in 1918 and is affiliated with the AFL ...

, Navajo County School Superintendent Linda Morrow, county sheriffs in Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, and Pinal Counties, Coconino County School Superintendent Cecilia Owen, Pinal County School Superintendent Orlenda Roberts, Navajo Nation

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Joe Shirley Jr.,

San Carlos Apache The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation ( Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed fr ...

Tribal Chair Wendsler Nosie, White Mountain Apache Tribal Chair Ronnie Lupe, former Navajo Nation

Dr. Peterson Zah, and many other tribal leaders. The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper, and the

White Mountain Independent Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. is a family owned and operated newspaper and commercial printing company based in Casa Grande, Arizona. Since its inception, it has grown to 6 community newspapers, 4 specialty publications, 3 news websites and ...

and the Arizona Daily Sun, two of the most widely read newspapers in the district, also endorsed her candidacy.

Results

Kirkpatrick won by almost 15 points over Kim Titla.

Libertarian primary

Results

Independents

Independent Brent Maupin, a Sedona engineer and businessman.

General election

Campaign

Kirkpatrick ran on a platform of tax cuts for 86 million middle-class families, making health care affordable and accessible to all, and encouraging renewable energy projects to end America's dependence on foreign energy and create jobs for rural Arizona. She also supported increasing teacher salaries, expanding SCHIP, and adding a division to the army. As a member of the Arizona State Legislature, Kirkpatrick was known for her willingness to work across party lines. Hay meanwhile ran on increasing offshore drilling and in the

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR or Arctic Refuge) is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States on traditional Gwich'in lands. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest national wildlife ...

as well as tapping oil reserves in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

to stimulate the economy. She also recognized the need to reach across party lines to create meaningful change.

Predictions

The Cook Political Report ranked this race as 'Likely Democratic,' and

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 ...

, the Rothenberg Political Report, and

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

all forecast the race as 'Leans Democratic'.

Results

Kirkpatrick's victory resulted in a House gain for Democrats.
Race ranking and details
from

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). ...

District 2

Incumbent Republican Trent Franks, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 58.6% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of R+9.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Trent Franks, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic primary

In what was essentially a rematch of the previous election, Franks was challenged by Democrat John Thrashe
campaign website

Candidates

=Nominee

= *John Thrasher, educator and nominee for this seat in

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Powell Gammill, molecular biologist and nominee for this seat in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

Results

Green primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *William Crum

Results

General election

Predictions

''CQ Politics'' forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Results

Race ranking and details
from

Campaign contributions
from

District 3

Incumbent Republican John Shadegg, who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 59.3% of the vote in 2006. This district was previously held by Arizona's junior United States senator, Republican

Jon Kyl Jon Llewellyn Kyl ( ; born April 25, 1942) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator for Arizona from 1995 to 2013 and again in 2018. A Republican, he held both of Arizona's Senate seats at different times, ser ...

. The district had a PVI of R+6.

Republican primary

An outspoken conservative, Shadegg has consistently been re-elected in this Republican-leaning district (Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+6) in the northern Phoenix suburbs which gave George W. Bush 57.9 percent of the vote in 2004. However, Lord outraised Shadegg in the first quarter of 2007 and even had more cash on hand compared to Shadegg, which resulted in an unusually competitive race. However, Shadegg's campaign team noted that Shadegg's funds are smaller than expected due to Shadegg donating most of the money in 2006 to fellow Republicans in a last-ditch, albeit lackluster attempt to retain control of Congress. On February 11, 2008, incumbent Shadegg announced he would not run for an eighth term, saying that he wanted to "seek a new challenge in a different venue to advance the cause of freedom." However, on February 21, Shadegg retracted the statement and announced he would seek re-election. Over 140 Republicans in Congress had signed a letter asking Shadegg to keep his seat. Although it was speculated that he would run for 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 pow ...

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

were to become president, Shadegg had expressed his intention to leave public life and return to the private sector before changing his mind. Steve May a former

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

had announced a run for the seat but withdrew from the race when Shadegg announced he would seek another term after all.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * John Shadegg, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Withdrawn

= * Steve May, former

=Declined

= * Pamela Gorman,

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

*Sean Noble, Shadegg's Chief of Staff * Jim Waring,

* James Weiers, Speaker of the

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...

*Ed Winkler, Mayor of Paradise Valley

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bob Lord, tax attorney
campaign website

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Michael Shoen

Results

Independents

Running as Independents were Mark Yannone
campaign website
, Annie Loyd and Edwin Winkler. Annie Loyd, running on a platform of "transpartisan politics", has been described by ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

'' as a moderate. Born in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

and a community activist in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, Loyd is a 15-year resident of Phoenix. She has also appeared at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Shadegg's 2006 Democratic opponent, consultant Herb Paine, announced his support for Loyd. However none of the Independents made the ballot.

General election

Campaign

The race was covered in the '' East Valley Tribune'' and showed a 27% independent voter population and noted increased registration of independents, in a district of 600,000 people cutting across urban Phoenix into rural parts of northern Maricopa county. The Federal Elections Commission reports that as of December 31, 2007, Shadegg had raised over $1,000,000, Lord over $600,000, and Loyd $26,000. May and Winkler had not reported any fundraising.

Polling

Predictions

Results

Despite having his campaign privately criticized by Republican operatives, Shadegg was re-elected by 12 points in strong Democratic year.
Race ranking and details
from

Campaign contributions
from

District 4

Incumbent Democrat Ed Pastor, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 72.5% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of D+14.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Ed Pastor, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Don Karg

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Joe Cobb, retired economist and nominee for the 7th District in

Results

Green primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Rebecca DeWitt, accountant

Results

General election

Predictions

''CQ Politics'' forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Results

Race ranking and details
from

Campaign contributions
from

District 5

This district has been represented by Democrat Harry Mitchell since 2007. Mitchell unseated conservative Republican

J.D. Hayworth John David Hayworth Jr. (born July 12, 1958) is an American television host and former politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007 from Arizona's 5th Congressional District. He curr ...

by 50% to 47% in this Republican-leaning district in the northeastern Phoenix suburbs that gave George W. Bush 54% of the vote in 2004. The largely Republican nature of this district made a tough 2008 race certain, though Mitchell, who has a government complex in Tempe named after him, had won a lot of tough elections in the past. The district had a PVI of R+4.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Harry Mitchell, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * David Schweikert, former Maricopa County Treasurer, former

and candidate for this seat in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Mark Anderson, former

Susan Bitter Smith Susan Bitter Smith (born 1956) is currently the vice-president of Technical Solutions, and executive director Arizona/New Mexico Cable Communications Association. She is a registered Republican in the state of Arizona, and has held multiple pub ...

, executive director of the Arizona-New Mexico Cable Communications Association and candidate for the 1st District in

and

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

*Lee Gentry, business owner, attorney and certified public accountant *

Laura Knaperek Laura Knaperek (July 12, 1955 – March 3, 2016) was an American Republican politician and public official from Arizona. She was first elected to the Arizona state House of Representatives in 1994. She compiled a conservative record while taking a ...

, former

*Jim Ogsbury, lobbyist and former congressional aide

=Declined

= * Hugh Hallman, Mayor of Tempe * Jeff Hatch-Miller, member of Arizona Corporation Commission and former

* Tom Liddy, lawyer, son of

G. Gordon Liddy George Gordon Battle Liddy (November 30, 1930 – March 30, 2021) was an American lawyer, FBI agent, talk show host, actor, and convicted felon in the Watergate scandal as the chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit during the Nixon admi ...

and candidate for the 1st District in

*Sean Noble, chief of staff to Rep. John Shadegg * Michele Reagan,

* Matt Salmon, former U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor in

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Warren Severin, businessman and nominee for this seat in

Results

General election

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 20, 2008

Polling

Predictions

Results

Race ranking and details
from

Campaign contributions
from

District 6

Incumbent Republican

Jeff Flake Jeffry Lane Flake (born December 31, 1962) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current U.S Ambassador to Turkey. A member of the Republican Party, Flake served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013 and ...

, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 74.8% of the vote in 2006. There was no Democratic candidate in this heavily Republican district in 2004 or 2006. George W. Bush won with 64% here in 2004. The district had a PVI of R+12.

Republican primary

Flake, who was perhaps best known for his opposition to

pork barrel ''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district. The usage originated in American English, and i ...

projects and advocacy for earmark reform ran unopposed.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representativ
campaign website
,

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Richard Grayson, an

Apache Junction Apache Junction is a city in Pinal and Maricopa counties in the state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,499, most of whom lived in Pinal County. It is named for the junction of the Apache Trail and Old West Highway. Th ...

resident who ran as a write-in candidate in

Florida's 4th congressional district Florida's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in northeastern Florida, encompassing Nassau and parts of Duval and St. Johns counties. The district is currently represented by Republican Aaron Bean. As part of the 2020 redi ...

in 2004, filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for this seat as a Democrat, as did trucking-firm account manager Chris Gramazio. Rebecca Schneider
campaign website
, a library supervisor from Mesa, also filed and ended up defeating Gramazio in the Democratic primary.

=Nominee

= * Rebecca Schneider, library supervisor (D- Mesa)

=Eliminated in primary

= *Chris Gramazio, trucking-firm account manager

=Withdrawn

= * Richard Grayson, perennial candidate

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Rick Biondi

Results

General election

Predictions

forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Results

Race ranking and details
from

Campaign contributions
from

District 7

Incumbent Democrat Raúl Grijalva, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 61.1% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of D+10.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Raúl Grijalva, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Joseph Sweeney, educator, nominee for this seat in

and candidate in

=Eliminated in primary

= *Milton Chewning
campaign website

Results

Libertarian primary

Results

General election

Predictions

forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Results

Race ranking and details
from

Campaign contributions
from

District 8

Incumbent Democrat Gabby Giffords, who had represented the district since

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, ran for re-election. She was elected with 54.3% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of R+1. Bush narrowly won here with 52% to 47% for

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

in 2004.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Gabby Giffords, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Tim Bee Timothy S. Bee is a Republican politician and business owner who served in the Arizona State Senate from 2001 through 2008. He was first elected to the Arizona Senate in 2001 and left in 2009 due to term limits. In 2008, he was the Republican ca ...

, President of the

Results

Libertarian primary

Results

Independents

Derek Tidball
campaign website
also ran.

General election

Campaign

Early on in the campaign Bee was assessed by the Rothenberg Political Report to be the number one challenger race in the nation saying "In 2008, Giffords will face state Senate President Tim Bee (R), whose candidacy represents a slice of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy election cycle for national Republicans... the 8th District should feature one of the most competitive races for the House in the country." Roll Call stated said that Bee's candidacy "erases some key advantages the freshman incumbent carried into her successful 2006 Congressional campaign." Giffords attracted a lot of attention in late May and June due to the shuttle flight of her husband

Mark E. Kelly Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician, former astronaut, and United States Navy captain who has served as the junior United States senator from Arizona since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected ...

, who served as commander of the space shuttle's

STS-124 STS-124 was a Space Shuttle mission, flown by Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' to the International Space Station. ''Discovery'' launched on 31 May 2008 at 17:02 EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of 25 May 2008, and landed safely at t ...

mission. Bee's campaign generated state and national press coverage when his campaign co-chair, former Congressman

Jim Kolbe James Thomas Kolbe (June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Arizona's 5th congressional district from 1985 to 2003 and its 8t ...

, resigned and withdrew his support in early July. Kolbe had held the seat for 22 years until Giffords took office in 2007. On July 13, the Arizona Republic summarized the race: "Giffords has proved adept at fundraising and is considered a rising star in Democratic circles. But Bee is one of the state's highest-profile political figures and has enlisted the support of some heavy-hitters, including President Bush, the headliner of a Tucson fundraiser planned for later this month." Giffords has the "advantages of incumbency. Plus, Bee is just off a tough legislative term in which he drew heavy criticism for his role in a state budget deal and the referral of an anti-gay-marriage proposal to the November ballot. Bee remains a popular political figure, and registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 14,000 in the district." On July 16, the Arizona Republic reported that freshman Congresswoman Giffords "has proved to be the most successful fundraiser among the state's House delegation and now has more than $2 million in her campaign coffers."Matthew Benson
Incumbents lead money race
''The Arizona Republic'', July 16, 2008.

Polling

Bee (R) vs Giffords (D-i)
graph of collected poll results from ''Pollster.com''

Predictions

Results

Race ranking and details
from

Campaign contributions
from

References

;Specific ;General
2008 Competitive House Race Chart
''

The Cook Political Report ''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...

'', November 4, 2008.
2008 House Ratings
'' The Rothenberg Political Report'', November 2, 2008.

{{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; ...