Delaware gubernatorial election, 2008

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Delaware gubernatorial election, 2008
Flag of Delaware.svg
  2004 November 4, 2008 2012  

  Jack Markell (cropped).jpg No image.svg
Nominee Jack Markell William Swain Lee
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote266,861126,662
Percentage67.5%32.0%

Delaware Senate-Governor Election Results by County, 2012.svg
County Results
Markell:
     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Governor before election

Ruth Ann Minner
Democratic

Elected Governor

Jack Markell
Democratic

The election for Governor of Delaware took place on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the United States presidential election. Democrat Jack Markell was elected governor, succeeding incumbent Ruth Ann Minner, also a Democrat, who was prevented from running for a third term.

Jack Markell American politician

Jack Alan Markell is an American former businessman and politician who served as the 73rd Governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Ruth Ann Minner American politician

Ruth Ann Minner is an American politician and businesswoman from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. She is a member of the Democratic Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, and the 72nd Governor of Delaware from 2001 to 2009.

Contents

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. The Republican nominee was former state Superior Court Judge William Swain "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 but Lee was defeated by a wide margin by Markell. Senator 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 (politician) American politician

John Charles Carney Jr. is an American politician who is the 74th Governor of Delaware, serving since January 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and served as the U.S. Representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2017 prior to his governorship. Carney was also the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from 2001 to 2009 and served as Delaware's Secretary of Finance. He first unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Delaware in 2008, losing to Jack Markell. He ran for Governor of Delaware again in 2016 and won to succeed Markell, who was term-limited.

Lieutenant Governor of Delaware

The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January.

Results

Democratic primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jack Markell37,84951%
Democratic John Carney36,11249%
Total votes73,961100%

Republican primary

Candidates

William Swain Lee is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware. He is a member of the Republican Party, who served as a judge of the Delaware Superior Court. He was the 2004 and 2008 Republican nominee for Governor of Delaware.

The Delaware Superior Court, previously known as the Superior Court and Orphans' Court, is the state trial court of general jurisdiction in the state of Delaware. It has original jurisdiction over most criminal and civil cases. It also serves as an intermediate appellate court, hearing appeals on the record from the Court of Common Pleas, Family Court, and most state administrative agencies. It is headed by Judge Jan R. Jurden

Results

Republican primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican William Swain Lee20,82672%
Republican Michael Protack8,14628%
Total votes28,972100%

Blue Enigma Party

Polling

Governor

SourceDateJack Markell (D)Bill Lee (R)
Survey USA October 28, 200862%27%
Rasmussen Reports October 10, 200862%34%
West Chester University/WHYY October 9, 200861%30%
Fairleigh Dickinson September 23, 200861%27%
Survey USA September 23, 200864%29%

General election

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2008 [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Jack Markell 266,861 67.52% +16.65%
Republican William Swain Lee 126,66232.05%-13.74%
Blue Enigma Jeffrey Brown1,6810.43%
Majority140,19935.48%+30.40%
Total votes395,204100.00
Democratic hold Swing

See also

Sarah McBride American human rights activist

Sarah McBride is an American transgender rights activist. She is currently the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign. McBride made national headlines when she came out as transgender to her college while serving as student body president at American University.

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