2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
All 9 Tennessee seats to the United States House of Representatives
Turnout	66.34% 16.37 pp
Democratic 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%	Republican 60–70% 70–80%

Last updated March 12, 2024

The 2008 congressional elections in Tennesse was held on November 4, 2008, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the state of Tennessee, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2008^[2]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Democratic	1,195,542	51.94%	5	—
	Republican	977,677	42.47%	4	—
	Independents	128,666	5.59%	0	—
Totals		2,301,885	100.00%	9	—

Popular vote

Democratic			51.94%
Republican			42.47%
Other			5.59%

House seats

Democratic			55.56%
Republican			44.44%

By district

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Tennessee 1	David Davis	Republican	2006	Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Phil Roe (Republican) 71.8% ▌ Rob Russell (Democratic) 24.5% ▌Joel Goodman (Independent) 1.7% ▌ James Reeves (Independent) 1.1% ▌ Thomas Owens (Independent) 0.8%
Tennessee 2	Jimmy Duncan	Republican	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jimmy Duncan (Republican) 78.1% ▌ Bob Scott (Democratic) 21.9%
Tennessee 3	Zach Wamp	Republican	1994	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Zach Wamp (Republican) 69.4% ▌ Doug Vandagriff (Democratic) 27.4% ▌ Jean Howard-Hill (Independent) 1.8% ▌ Ed Choate (Independent) 1.4%
Tennessee 4	Lincoln Davis	Democratic	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lincoln Davis (Democratic) 58.8% ▌ Monty Lankford (Republican) 37.8% ▌ James Anthony Gray (Independent) 1.9% ▌ Kevin Ragsdale (Independent) 1.5%
Tennessee 5	Jim Cooper	Democratic	1982 1994 (retired) 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jim Cooper (Democratic) 65.9% ▌ Gerard Donovan (Republican) 31.0% ▌ Jon Jackson (Independent) 2.0% ▌ John Miglietta (Green) 1.2%
Tennessee 6	Bart Gordon	Democratic	1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Bart Gordon (Democratic) 74.4% ▌ Chris Baker (Independent) 25.6%
Tennessee 7	Marsha Blackburn	Republican	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Marsha Blackburn (Republican) 68.6% ▌ Randy Morris (Democratic) 31.4%
Tennessee 8	John Tanner	Democratic	1988	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Tanner (Democratic) Uncontested
Tennessee 9	Steve Cohen	Democratic	2006	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Steve Cohen (Democratic) 87.9% ▌ Jake Ford (Independent) 4.9% ▌ Dewey Clark (Independent) 4.4% ▌ Mary Wright (Independent) 2.8%

District 1

This district covers northeast Tennessee, including all of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties and parts of Jefferson County and Sevier County. It has been represented by Republican David Davis since 2007.

Johnson City mayor Roe narrowly defeated Davis in the Republican primary by a margin of 50% to 49% (only 500 votes).^[3] Davis was elected in 2006, succeeding retiring congressman Bill Jenkins, winning the Republican nomination over a crowded field which included Roe. Roe, a retired OB/GYN, was endorsed by several local newspapers, refused PAC and special interest money, and promised not to serve any more than ten years in Congress. He was a shoo-in for election in a district that has only elected Republicans since 1880.

Tennessee's 1st congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Roe	168,343	71.82
	Democratic	Rob Russell	57,525	24.54
	Independent	Joel Goodman	3,988	1.70
	Independent	James W. Reeves	2,544	1.09
	Independent	T. K. Owens	1,981	0.85
Total votes			234,381	100.00
	Republican hold

District 2

This district lies in the east-central part of the state, based in Knoxville, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has been represented by Republican Jimmy Duncan since November 1988. He ran against Democrat Bob Scott. No Democrat has held this seat since 1855. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Tennessee's 2nd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jimmy Duncan (inc.)	227,120	78.11
	Democratic	Bob Scott	63,639	21.89
Total votes			290,759	100.00
	Republican hold

District 3

This district has been represented by Republican Zach Wamp since 1995. His Democratic opponent was Doug Vandagriff. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Tennessee's 3rd congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Zach Wamp (inc.)	184,964	69.37
	Democratic	Doug Vandagriff	73,059	27.40
	Independent	Jean Howard-Hill	4,848	1.82
	Independent	Ed Choate	3,750	1.41
	Write-ins		7	0.00
Total votes			266,628	100.00
	Republican hold

District 4

This district lies in Middle and East Tennessee and includes all of Bledsoe, Campbell, Coffee, Cumberland, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Maury, Moore, Morgan, Pickett, Scott, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren, and White Counties, as well as portions of Hickman, Roane, and Williamson counties. It has been represented by Democrat Lincoln Davis since 2003. He ran against Republican Monty Lankford. Although the 4th is one of the few districts in the nation that is not considered safe for either party, its size and the fact it includes five television markets make it fairly easy for incumbents to tenure themselves in. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Tennessee's 4th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lincoln Davis (inc.)	146,776	58.76
	Republican	Monty J. Lankford	94,447	37.81
	Independent	James Anthony Gray	4,869	1.95
	Independent	Kevin Ragsdale	3,713	1.49
Total votes			249,805	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 5

This district lies in Middle Tennessee, including almost all of Davidson County, half of Wilson County, and half of Cheatham County. Nearly two-thirds of the district's voting population lives in Nashville. It has been represented by Democrat Jim Cooper since 2003. He ran against Republican Gerard Donovan. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Tennessee's 5th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Cooper (inc.)	181,467	65.84
	Republican	Gerard Donovan	85,471	31.01
	Independent	Jon Jackson	5,464	1.98
	Independent	John P. Miglietta	3,196	1.16
	Write-ins		4	0.00
Total votes			275,602	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 6

This district lies in Middle Tennessee, including all of Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, and Trousdale Counties, as well as a portion of Wilson County. It has been represented by Democrat Bart Gordon since 1985. He ran against independent candidate Chris Baker. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Tennessee's 6th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bart Gordon (inc.)	194,264	74.42
	Independent	Chris Baker	66,764	25.58
Total votes			261,028	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 7

This district lies in Middle and southwestern Tennessee, connecting suburbs of Memphis and Nashville. It has been represented by Republican Marsha Blackburn since 2003. She ran against Democrat Randy G. Morris. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Tennessee's 7th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Marsha Blackburn (inc.)	217,332	68.58
	Democratic	Randy G. Morris	99,549	31.42
Total votes			316,881	100.00
	Republican hold

District 8

This district covers roughly the northwestern part of the state. It has been represented by Democrat John S. Tanner since 1989. He ran unopposed by any party candidates and encountered opposition from only a few write-in votes. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Tennessee's 8th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John S. Tanner (inc.)	180,465	99.97
	Write-ins		54	0.03
Total votes			180,519	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 9

This district lies in southwestern Tennessee, located entirely within Shelby County and including most of the city of Memphis. It has been represented by Democrat Steve Cohen since 2007, who ran against independent candidates Jake Ford, Dewey Clark, and Taylor Shelby Wright. CQ Politics forecasts the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Cohen defeated attorney Nikki Tinker by a 79% to 19% margin in the Democratic primary. Cohen, who is the only white congressman representing a majority black district, defeated Tinker, who is black, by a much narrower margin in 2006. There was much controversy over accusations made by the Tinker campaign that Cohen was involved with the Ku Klux Klan, and circulation of anti-Semitic propaganda against Cohen, who is Jewish.^[4] No Republican filed in this overwhelmingly Democratic district, although Cohen's primary victory assured him of a second term in any case.

Tennessee's 9th congressional district election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (inc.)	198,798	87.85
	Independent	Jake Ford	11,003	4.86
	Independent	Dewey Clark	10,047	4.44
	Independent	Taylor Shelby Wright	6,434	2.84
Total votes			226,282	100.00
	Democratic hold

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States House of Representatives elections in California</span> 2008 House elections in California

The 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in California were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent California various congressional districts in the United States House of Representatives. In the 111th Congress, California has 53 seats in the House, apportioned accordingly after the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected to two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 to January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the United States presidential election as well as other elections in California.

The 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Arkansas in the United States House of Representatives. Arkansas has four 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 from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the 2008 presidential election.

The 2008 congressional elections in Colorado were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Colorado in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011.

The 2008 congressional elections in Illinois were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the State of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and U.S. Senate elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011.

The United States House of Representative elections of 2008 in North Carolina were held on November 4, 2008, as part of the biennial election to the United States House of Representatives. All thirteen seats in North Carolina, and 435 nationwide, were elected to the 111th United States Congress. The party primary elections were held on May 6, 2008.

The 2008 congressional elections in Indiana were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the State of Indiana in the United States House of Representatives. Indiana has nine 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 from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The elections coincide with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The 2008 congressional elections in Pennsylvania was held on November 4, 2008, to determine who will represent the state of Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives. Pennsylvania has 19 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 from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The 2008 congressional elections in Kentucky were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives. Kentucky has six seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected were to serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The 2008 congressional elections in Mississippi were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Mississippi in the United States House of Representatives. The primary election for candidates seeking the nomination of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party was held on March 11, with a run-off being held for the Republican nomination in the first and third districts, and for the Democratic nomination in the first district.

The 2008 congressional elections in Georgia were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Georgia in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011.

The 2008 congressional elections in Virginia were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. Primary elections were held on June 10, 2008.

The 2008 congressional elections in Rhode Island were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent Rhode Island in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011.

The 2008 United States House of Representatives Elections in Florida were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the state of Florida in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The 2008 congressional elections in Hawaii were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who was to represent the state of Hawaii in the United States House of Representatives for the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until their terms of office expire on January 3, 2011. Incumbent Neil Abercrombie (D) was reelected in Hawaii's 1st congressional district. Incumbent Mazie Hirono (D) was reelected in Hawaii's 2nd congressional district.

The 2008 congressional elections in Idaho were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the state of Idaho in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected were to serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011.

The 2008 congressional elections in Connecticut were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The Primary election was held on August 12.

The 2008 congressional elections in Oklahoma were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Oklahoma in the United States House of Representatives. Oklahoma has five seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The 2008 congressional elections in Massachusetts were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who will represent the U.S. state of Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives. Massachusetts has ten 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 112th Congress from January 3, 2011 until January 3, 2013. All current representatives are member of the Democratic Party and none of the ten faced major party opposition in 2008.

The 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee was held on November 2, 2010, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the state of Tennessee, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts.

References

↑ "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2008". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 4, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
↑ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
↑ Roe Defeats Davis In 1st District TriCities.com, August 8, 2008
↑ Tenn. Democrat beats lawyer who linked him to KKK Archived August 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Division of Elections from the Tennessee Secretary of State
U.S. Congress candidates for Tennessee at Project Vote Smart
Tennessee U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
Campaign contributions for Tennessee congressional races from OpenSecrets

Preceded by 2006 elections	United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee 2008	Succeeded by 2010 elections

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2008". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 4, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2023.

[2] "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".

[3] Roe Defeats Davis In 1st District TriCities.com, August 8, 2008

[4] Tenn. Democrat beats lawyer who linked him to KKK Archived August 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e (2007 ←) 2008 United States elections (→ 2009)
U.S. President	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Guam (straw poll)
U.S. Senate	Alabama Alaska Arkansas Colorado Delaware District of Columbia (shadow) Georgia Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi (special) Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia Wyoming Wyoming (special)
U.S. House (election ratings)	Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California 12th sp Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia delegate shadow Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois 14th sp Indiana 7th sp Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana 1st sp 6th sp Maine Maryland 4th sp Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi 1st sp Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio 11th sp Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas U.S. Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Governors	American Samoa Delaware Lt. Gov Indiana Missouri Lt. Gov Montana New Hampshire North Carolina Lt. Gov North Dakota Puerto Rico Utah Vermont Washington West Virginia
Attorneys General	North Carolina Pennsylvania Washington Ohio (special)
State legislatures	California Assembly Senate Connecticut Senate Delaware House Senate Iowa House Senate Massachusetts House Senate Michigan House Minnesota House Montana House New Mexico House Senate New York Assembly North Carolina House Senate South Carolina Senate Texas House Senate Washington (state) House Senate
State officials	Pennsylvania Auditor General Treasurer Washington Secretary of State
Mayors	Augusta, GA Bakersfield, CA Baton Rouge, LA Fresno, CA Honolulu, HI Irvine, CA Mesa, AZ Milwaukee, WI Orlando, FL Portland, OR Sacramento, CA San Diego, CA San Juan, PR Santa Ana, CA Scottsdale, AZ Stockton, CA Virginia Beach, VA
States	Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas U.S. Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming