2008 United States Senate election in Kansas

Last updated

2008 United States Senate election in Kansas
Flag of Kansas.svg
  2002 November 4, 2008 2014  
  Pat Roberts official photo 2.jpg Jim Slattery.jpg
Nominee Pat Roberts Jim Slattery
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote712,396429,691
Percentage60.06%36.46%

2008 United States Senate election in Kansas results map by county.svg
County results
Roberts:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
     80–90%     >90%
Slattery:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Pat Roberts
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Pat Roberts
Republican

The 2008 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts won re-election to a third term.

Contents

Background

The state of Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Kansas's other Republican Senator Sam Brownback announced that he is retiring due to "self-imposed term limits," which meant Roberts became the senior senator from Kansas in 2011. It is considered one of the most Republican states in the U.S. The last time its electors went to a Democrat was the Presidential Election of 1964, when Lyndon Johnson carried the state over Barry Goldwater.

Roberts had announced ahead of the 1996 election that "I plan only to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate", [1] but he broke that pledge in this election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican Party primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Pat Roberts (Incumbent) 214,911 100.00%
Total votes214,911 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jim Slattery 68,106 68.93%
Democratic Lee Jones30,69931.07%
Total votes98,805 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [3] Safe ROctober 23, 2008
CQ Politics [4] Likely ROctober 31, 2008
Rothenberg Political Report [5] Safe RNovember 2, 2008
Real Clear Politics [6] Safe RNovember 4, 2008

Polling

Poll SourceDates administeredSlatteryRoberts
Rasmussen Reports May 13, 200840%52%
Research 2000/Daily Kos June 2–4, 200838%50%
Cooper & Secrest June 5–8, 200836%48%
Rasmussen Reports June 11, 200839%48%
TargetPoint Consulting, Inc. July 1, 200834%54%
Rasmussen Reports July 15, 200833%61%
Rasmussen Reports August 11, 200837%56%
Survey USA August 20, 200831%58%
Survey USA September 22, 200835%55%
Rasmussen Reports September 23, 200838%58%

Rasmussen Reports

October 13, 200836%55%
Survey USA October 22, 200835%57%
Survey USA October 28, 200833%60%

Results

General election results [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Pat Roberts (Incumbent) 727,121 60.06% -22.46%
Democratic Jim Slattery 441,39936.46%+36.46%
Libertarian Randall Hodgkinson25,7272.12%-6.98%
Reform Joseph L. Martin16,4431.36%-7.02%
Majority285,72223.60%-49.82%
Turnout 1,210,690
Republican hold Swing

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate elections</span>

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, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Class 2. There were also two special elections, the winners of those seats would finish the terms that ended on January 3, 2013. The presidential election, which was won by Democrat Barack Obama, elections for all House of Representatives seats; elections for several gubernatorial elections; and many state and local elections occurred on the same date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Massachusetts took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry, who remained in the Senate after losing the presidency to incumbent President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, won re-election to a fifth term in office. Kerry later resigned his seat in 2013 to become Secretary of State under the Obama administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Colorado</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Colorado was held November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held August 12, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Wayne Allard decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. Democratic nominee Mark Udall won the open seat, making this the first time a Democrat won this seat since 1972, and that Democrats held both Senate seats since 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was held on November 4, 2008. The statewide primary election was held July 29, with the run-off on August 26. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe won re-election to a third term over Democrat Andrew Rice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Louisiana</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 4, 2008. This was the first time since the 1970s that Louisiana used primaries for federal races. Incumbent Senator Mary Landrieu won a third term by 6.39 percentage points despite being forecast as one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats during 2008. She had received praise and wide publicity for her advocacy after Hurricane Katrina, particularly during hearings regarding FEMA's response to the disaster. This is the last time that Democrats won any statewide election in Louisiana other than Governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Delaware</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Senator Joe Biden, who was also the Democratic nominee for vice president in the concurrent presidential election, faced Christine O'Donnell in the general election. Biden won re-election to a seventh term with 64.69% of the vote, his best-performing result in his senatorial career, while also being elected vice president. Biden took his oath of office in the Senate chamber with the rest of his colleagues on January 3, 2009, but resigned his seat on January 15, 2009, and assumed the vice presidency five days later. Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner appointed Ted Kaufman, a Democrat and longtime Biden advisor, to fill the vacant seat pending a 2010 special election in which O'Donnell once again ran unsuccessfully for the seat, losing to Democrat Chris Coons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Arkansas</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Senator Mark Pryor ran for a second term. No Republican filed to challenge him, and his only opponent was Green Party candidate Rebekah Kennedy. Pryor won re-election with almost 80% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in South Dakota</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 4, 2008. Primary elections were held on June 3, 2008. Incumbent Senator Tim Johnson won re-election to a third term. As of 2024, this election alongside the simultaneous House race is the last time a Democrat won a statewide election in South Dakota. This is the last time that a Senate candidate and a presidential candidate of different political parties simultaneously won South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Montana</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Montana was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Senator Max Baucus won re-election to a sixth term in a landslide, winning more than 70% of the vote and carrying every county in the state, despite Republican John McCain's narrow victory in the state in the concurrent presidential election. Baucus later resigned his seat on February 6, 2014 after the Senate confirmed him to be U.S. Ambassador to China, having already announced his intention to retire at the end of term on April 23, 2013. As of 2024, this is the last time Democrats won the Class 2 Senate seat in Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Texas</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican John Cornyn defeated Democratic nominee Rick Noriega, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, to win re-election to a second term in office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Georgia</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 4, 2008. The run off election took place on December 2, 2008. Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, first elected in 2002, sought re-election to his position as a United States Senator from Georgia. He was challenged by Democratic nominee Jim Martin and Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley. After a runoff election on December 2, Chambliss was elected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Illinois</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin sought a third term in office and faced minimal opposition from Republican Steve Sauerberg. As expected, Durbin overwhelmingly won re-election. On the same night, fellow Democratic Senator Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, defeating Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Idaho</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Idaho was held on November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held on May 27. Incumbent Senator Larry Craig decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Fellow Republican Jim Risch won the open seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 4. Incumbent Senator Jay Rockefeller won re-election to a fifth term in a landslide, defeating Republican Jay Wolfe by a 27-point margin. Despite this overwhelming win, this remains the last time that a Democrat has won West Virginia's Class 2 U.S. Senate seat. In both of the two subsequent elections for the seat, Republicans have swept every single county.

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

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Senate election in Kansas</span>

The 2010 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Senator Sam Brownback did not seek a third full term, but instead successfully ran for Governor of Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election in Kansas</span>

The 2008 United States presidential election in Kansas took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose six representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in Kansas</span>

The 2014 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Kansas</span>

The 2016 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on August 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate election in Kansas</span>

The 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

References

  1. "Pat Roberts Said In 1996 He'd Only Serve Two Terms — He's Running For His Fourth". BuzzFeed. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Results" (PDF). www.kssos.org. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  3. "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  4. Race Ratings Chart: Senate Archived October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
  5. "2008 Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  6. "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  7. "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2021.