2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee

Last updated

2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee
Flag of Tennessee.svg
  2002 November 4, 2008 2014  
Turnout66.34% Increase2.svg [1] 15.94 pp
  LamarAlexander (cropped).jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Lamar Alexander Bob Tuke
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote1,571,637767,236
Percentage65.14%31.64%

2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee results map by county.svg
2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee by Congressional District.svg
2008 TN Senate.svg
Alexander:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Tuke:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Tie:     50%

U.S. senator before election

Lamar Alexander
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Lamar Alexander
Republican

The 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 4, 2008, to elect a member of the U.S. Senate from the State of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander won re-election to a second term.

Contents

Alexander flipped reliably Democratic Davidson County, home to Nashville which has not voted Republican on a presidential level since 1988. With that, he also won 65.1% of the vote against Democrat Bob Tuke, who won just 32.6%. Alexander also won 28% of the African American vote. [2]

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican Party primary results [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Lamar Alexander (Incumbent) 244,222 100.00%
Total votes244,222 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

Mike Padgett finished third after Gary Davis, who did not campaign and used no money. Many were surprised at the results. They claimed that perhaps there was name confusion, with two incumbent congressmen David Davis and Lincoln Davis. [4]

Results

Democratic Party primary results [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Bob Tuke 59,050 32.21%
Democratic Gary G. Davis39,11921.34%
Democratic Mike Padgett33,47118.26%
Democratic Mark E. Clayton32,30917.62%
Democratic Kenneth Eaton14,7028.02%
Democratic Leonard D. Ladner4,6972.55%
Total votes183,348 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Major

Minor

In Tennessee, a candidate seeking a House or Senate seat at the state or national level must gather 25 signatures from registered voters to be put on the ballot for any elected office. [6] [7] [8] [9] Presidential candidates seeking to represent an officially recognized party must either be named as candidates by the Tennessee Secretary of State or gather 2,500 signatures from registered voters, and an independent candidate for President must gather 275 signatures and put forward a full slate of eleven candidates who have agreed to serve as electors. [10] In order to be recognized as a party and have its candidates listed on the ballot under that party's name, a political party must gather signatures equal to or in excess of 2.5% of the total number of votes cast in the last election (about 45,000 signatures based on the election held in 2006). [11] The last third party to be officially recognized was the American Party in 1968; none of its candidates received five percent of the statewide vote in 1970 and it was then subject to desertification as an official party.[ citation needed ]. Due to these hurdles third party candidates almost always appear on the ballot as independents.

  • Edward Buck (I)
  • Christopher Fenner (I)
  • David "None of the Above" Gatchell (I)
  • Bo Heyward (I)
  • Ed Lawhorn (I)
  • Daniel T. Lewis (L) [12]
  • Chris Lugo (I), Green party peace activist

Campaign

On April 3, 2007, Alexander confirmed that he would seek re-election to the Senate in 2008. Alexander has remained a popular figure in Tennessee since his first term as governor and faced no opposition in the Republican primary [13] Tuke is a former Marine who served in the Vietnam War. Tuke served as Barack Obama's Presidential campaign chair in Tennessee. Tuke declared himself to be a candidate March 3, 2008, and he secured the help of several high profile Democratic campaigners including Joe Trippi. There were many minor candidates in the race. Chris Lugo announced on January 17 that he was seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party as a 'Progressive Democrat.' [14] In March 2008, Lugo announced he was dropping his candidacy for the Democratic nomination, and would run either for the Green Party nomination or as an independent. [15]

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [16] Safe ROctober 23, 2008
CQ Politics [17] Likely ROctober 31, 2008
Rothenberg Political Report [18] Safe RNovember 2, 2008
Real Clear Politics [19] Safe RNovember 4, 2008

Polling

SourceDateAlexander (R)Tuke (D)
Ayres, McHenry & Associates (R) March 11, 200859%28%
Rasmussen Report April 8, 200859%30%
MTSU Poll September 29, 200850%26%
Rasmussen Reports September 29, 200856%32%
Rasmussen Reports October 16, 200862%34%

Results

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2008 [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Lamar Alexander (Incumbent) 1,579,477 65.14% +10.87%
Democratic Bob Tuke 767,23631.64%−12.69%
Independent Edward L. Buck31,6311.30%N/A
Independent Christopher G. Fenner11,0730.46%N/A
Independent Daniel Towers Lewis9,3670.39%N/A
Independent Chris Lugo9,1700.38%N/A
Independent Ed Lawhorn8,9860.37%N/A
Independent David Gatchell7,6450.32%N/A
Majority812,24133.50%+23.56%
Turnout 2,424,58566.34%
Republican hold Swing

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 United States presidential election</span> 53rd quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1996 United States presidential election was the 53rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton defeated former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican nominee, and Ross Perot, the Reform Party nominee and 1992 independent presidential candidate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar Alexander</span> American politician and attorney (born 1940)

Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987 and the 5th United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993, where he helped with the implementation of Education 2000.

<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. 33 seats were up for regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve 6-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Class 2. There were also 2 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">2006 Texas gubernatorial election</span>

The 2006 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006, to elect the governor of Texas. The election was a rare five-way race, with incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry running for re-election against Democrat Chris Bell and Independents Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman, as well as Libertarian nominee James Werner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election</span>

The 2006 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006 and included the races for the Governor of Pennsylvania and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. Incumbent Democratic Governor Ed Rendell successfully ran for re-election. Pennsylvania's first female lieutenant governor, Catherine Baker Knoll, was also running for re-election.

Rosalind Kurita is a Tennessee politician who was formerly Speaker pro tempore of the Tennessee State Senate, who represented State Senate District 22, centered on Clarksville. In 2005 she unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for the United States Senate seat up for election in 2006. She was appointed to her old seat on January 22, 2019, to serve as a caretaker until a special election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee</span>

The 2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Senator Bill Frist, the Majority Leader, retired after two terms in office. The open seat was won by Republican nominee Bob Corker, who defeated Democratic nominee Harold Ford Jr.

The Independent Greens of Virginia was the state affiliate of the Independence Party of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It became a state party around 2003 when a faction of the Arlington local chapter of the Green Party of Virginia (GPVA) split from the main party. As of 2011, it bills itself as a "fiscally conservative, socially responsible green party", with an emphasis on rail transportation and "more candidates". In support of wider ballot participation, it endorses many independent candidates who are not affiliated with the party.

<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 runoff 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">2012 United States Senate election in Tennessee</span>

The 2012 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the general election including the 2012 U.S. presidential election, elections to the House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Corker won a second term in a landslide, defeating Democrat Marck Clayton, carrying all but two counties in the state.

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

The 2014 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate from the State of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander defeated Democrat Gordon Ball, and was re-elected to a third term in office with 61.9% of the vote against 31.9%.

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

The 2014 United States Senate election in Oregon took place on November 4, 2014 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Oregon, concurrently with the election of the Governor of Oregon, 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.

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

The 2014 United States Senate election in Alabama took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate for Alabama.

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

The 2020 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 2020, with the 33 class 2 seats of the Senate contested in regular elections. Of these, 21 were held by Republicans, and 12 by Democrats. The winners were elected to 6-year terms from January 3, 2021, to January 3, 2027. Two special elections for seats held by Republicans were also held in conjunction with the general elections: one in Arizona, to fill the vacancy created by John McCain's death in 2018; and one in Georgia, following Johnny Isakson's resignation in 2019. These elections ran concurrently with the 2020 United States presidential election in which incumbent president Donald Trump lost to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election</span>

The 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Haslam was term-limited, and is prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term. Republican candidate Bill Lee was elected with 59.6% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee and former Nashville mayor Karl Dean.

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

The 2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 3, 2020, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate. The 2020 U.S. presidential election and elections to the U.S. House of Representatives were also held, as well as the State Senate and State House elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Lamar Alexander announced that he would not run for re-election on December 17, 2018. The former United States Ambassador to Japan, Bill Hagerty won the open seat by a large margin defeating his Democratic opponent Marquita Bradshaw.

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

The 2020 United States presidential election in Tennessee was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Tennessee voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris. Tennessee has 11 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Tennessee gubernatorial election</span>

The 1974 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Governor Winfield Dunn was ineligible to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Tennessee prohibited governors from serving consecutive terms at the time. Democratic nominee Ray Blanton defeated Republican opponent Lamar Alexander with 55.4% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Tennessee elections</span>

Tennessee state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Primary elections for the United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, and Tennessee House of Representatives, as well as various judicial retention elections, were held on August 6, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Tennessee elections</span>

Tennessee state elections in 2008 were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Primary elections for the United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, and Tennessee House of Representatives, as well as various judicial retention elections, including elections for two Tennessee Supreme Court justices, were held on August 7, 2008.

References

  1. "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2008". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 4, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. Dade, Corey (November 22, 2008). "Tennessee Resists Obama Wave". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Cagle, Frank (August 13, 2008). "Last week's county election puts the Republican machine back in power". Knoxville Metro Pulse. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Qualifying Procedures for Candidates for United States Senator Archived March 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ", Tennessee Division of Elections (accessed November 3, 2008).
  7. "Qualifying Procedures for Tennessee Candidates for United States House of Representatives [ permanent dead link ]", Tennessee Division of Elections (accessed November 3, 2008).
  8. "Qualifying Procedures for Candidates for Tennessee State Senator", Tennessee Division of Elections (accessed November 3, 2008).
  9. "Qualifying Procedures for Candidates for Tennessee House of Representatives", Tennessee Division of Elections (accessed November 3, 2008).
  10. "Tennessee Ballot Access Procedures for Candidates for U.S. President Archived March 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ", Tennessee Division of Elections (accessed November 3, 2008).
  11. "Against all odds, third-party candidates fight on", The Tennessean (accessed November 3, 2008).
  12. United States Senate Candidate List From Tennessee http://www.state.tn.us/sos/election/cand/USSenateList.pdf
  13. "4/3/2007 - Alexander Running Again, Sets Fundraiser - Breaking News - Chattanoogan.com". Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
  14. Piesyk, Christine Anne (October 29, 2007). "Activist Chris Lugo seeks U.S. Senate seat; critical of 'misdirected' national priorities". Clarksville Online - Clarksville News, Sports, Events and Information. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  15. Nathan Frick (March 21, 2008). "Democratic Senate Field Narrowed". News Channel 9. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  16. "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  17. Race Ratings Chart: Senate Archived October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
  18. "2008 Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  19. "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  20. "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".