2008 Delaware gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2008 United States gubernatorial elections.

2008 Delaware gubernatorial election

←  2004 November 4, 2008 2012  →

Nominee Jack Markell Bill Lee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 266,861 126,662 Percentage 67.5% 32.0%

County results House district results Markell:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Lee:     50–60%

Governor before election Ruth Ann Minner Democratic Elected Governor Jack Markell Democratic

The 2008 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the United States presidential election. Democratic state Treasurer Jack Markell defeated Republican Bill Lee in a landslide, succeeding incumbent Ruth Ann Minner, also a Democrat, who was prevented from running for a third term.

As of 2008, Democrats had controlled the Delaware governorship for 16 years. In an upset, state Treasurer Jack Markell defeated Lieutenant Governor John Carney by 51% to 49% for the Democratic nomination on September 9. Carney was considered the favorite. The Republican nominee was former state Superior Court Judge Bill Lee, defeating airline pilot Michael Protrack. Lee was the Republican nominee for governor in 2004, and lost to Minner by a narrow margin.

The race received more attention with the potential elevation of U.S. Senator Joe Biden as Barack Obama's choice as his Vice President of the United States. Election of a Republican governor would assist the party by proxy gaining an additional seat in the US Senate. Biden resigned his seat in the United States Senate on January 15, 2009, and Ted Kaufman was appointed by Governor Minner to the vacant seat. Kaufman had previously served as Senator Biden's Chief of Staff during his tenure in the United States Senate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John Carney, Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• Jack Markell, Delaware State Treasurer

Results

Democratic primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jack Markell	37,849	51.17%
	Democratic	John Carney	36,112	48.83%
Total votes			73,961	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bill Lee, former Delaware Superior Court justice and nominee for governor in 2004
• Michael Protack, airline pilot

Results

Republican primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Lee	20,826	71.88%
	Republican	Michael Protack	8,146	28.12%
Total votes			28,972	100.00%

Blue Enigma Party

• Jeffrey Brown, bartender and party founder

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [2]	Safe D	October 16, 2008
Rothenberg Political Report [3]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4]	Safe D	November 3, 2008
Real Clear Politics [5]	Safe D	November 4, 2008

Polling

Source	Date	Jack Markell (D)	Bill Lee (R)
Survey USA [6]	October 28, 2008	62%	27%
Rasmussen Reports [7]	October 10, 2008	62%	34%
West Chester University/WHYY [8]	October 9, 2008	61%	30%
Fairleigh Dickinson [9]	September 23, 2008	61%	27%
Survey USA [10]	September 23, 2008	64%	29%

Results

2008 Delaware gubernatorial election ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jack Markell	266,861	67.52%	+16.65%
	Republican	Bill Lee	126,662	32.05%	−13.74%
	Blue Enigma	Jeffrey Brown	1,681	0.43%
Majority			140,199	35.48%	+30.40%
Total votes			395,204	100.00
	Democratic hold		Swing

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Kent (largest city: Dover)
• Sussex (largest city: Seaford)

See also

• 2004 Delaware gubernatorial election
• Sarah McBride, a Markell staffer

References

1. "State of Delaware - Department of Elections - State of Delaware". Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
2. "2008 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
3. "2008 Gubernatorial Ratings". Gubernatorial Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
4. "THE LAST LAST WORD The Crystal Ball's Final Projections for the 2008 Election". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
5. "2008 Delaware Governor Race". RealClearPolitics. November 4, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
6. Survey USA
7. Rasmussen Reports
8. West Chester University/WHYY
9. Fairleigh Dickinson
10. Survey USA
11. "State of Delaware - Department of Elections - State of Delaware". Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2011.

External links

• Delaware Commissioner of Elections
• Delaware Governor candidates at Project Vote Smart
• Delaware Governor race from OurCampaigns.com
• Delaware Governor race from 2008 Race Tracker
• Campaign contributions from Follow the Money
• Official campaign websites (archived)
  • John Carney, Democratic candidate
  • Bill Lee, Republican candidate
  • Jack Markell, Democratic candidate