2008 United States Senate election in Idaho
The 2008 United States Senate election in Idaho was held on November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held on May 27.[1] Incumbent Senator Larry Craig decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Fellow Republican Jim Risch won the open seat.
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County results Risch: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% LaRocco: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Background edit
Incumbent Larry Craig announced his intent to resign following an incident where he allegedly solicited another man for gay sex in a public restroom.[2] Craig later decided not to resign but did announce that he would not seek re-election. The filing deadline for the election was March 21, 2008. A total of 13 candidates filed for the seat.[3] Republican and Democratic candidates ran for their respective nominations in the May 27 primary.
Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch defeated a crowded field for the Republican nomination, while former Congressman Larry LaRocco won the Democratic nomination in similar fashion. Conservative independents Rex Rammell and Pro-Life (formerly Marvin Richardson) also qualified for the general election ballot. Former Caldwell city council member Kent Marmon secured the Libertarian nomination. In the general election, Risch defeated LaRocco and the other candidates to keep the seat in Republican hands.
Republican primary edit
Candidates edit
- Jim Risch, Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
- Fred Adams
- Brian Hefner
- Bill Hunter
- Richard Phenneger, Businessman
- Hal James Styles
- Scott Syme, Iraq War veteran[4]
- Neal Thompson
Results edit
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Risch | 80,743 | 65.34% | |
Republican | Scott Syme | 16,660 | 13.48% | |
Republican | Richard Phenneger | 6,532 | 5.29% | |
Republican | Neal Thompson | 5,375 | 4.35% | |
Republican | Fred M. Adams | 4,987 | 4.04% | |
Republican | Bill Hunter | 4,280 | 3.46% | |
Republican | Brian E. Hefner | 2,915 | 2.36% | |
Republican | Hal James Styles, Jr. | 2,082 | 1.68% | |
Total votes | 123,574 | 100.00% |
Democratic primary edit
Candidates edit
- Larry LaRocco, former U.S. Representative[6]
- David J. Archuleta
Results edit
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Larry LaRocco | 29,023 | 72.35% | |
Democratic | David J. Archuleta | 11,074 | 27.60% | |
Democratic | Write-ins | 20 | 0.05% | |
Total votes | 40,117 | 100.00% |
General election edit
Candidates edit
- Larry LaRocco, former U.S. Congressman (Democratic)
- Kent A. Marmon, former member of the Caldwell City Council (Libertarian)
- Pro-life (Independent)
- Rex Rammell, veterinarian, elk rancher, and Republican candidate for State House in 2002 and 2004 (Independent)
- Jim Risch, Lieutenant Governor and former Governor (Republican)
Predictions edit
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[7] | Safe R | October 23, 2008 |
CQ Politics[8] | Safe R | October 31, 2008 |
Rothenberg Political Report[9] | Safe R | November 2, 2008 |
Real Clear Politics[10] | Safe R | November 4, 2008 |
Polling edit
Poll Source | Dates administered | Larry LaRocco (D) | Jim Risch (R) | Rex Rammel (I) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Survey USA | September 6–8, 2007 | 36% | 52% | - |
Myers Research | November 13–19, 2007 | 34% | 48% | - |
November 26 – December 12, 2007 | 27% | 46% | - | |
May 20–25, 2008 | 28% | 43% | 6% | |
Research 2000 | July 28–30, 2008 | 32% | 42% | 5% |
August 18–22, 2008 | 30% | 41% | 3% | |
September 9, 2008 | 30% | 58% | - |
Results edit
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Risch | 371,744 | 57.65% | -7.51% | |
Democratic | Larry LaRocco | 219,903 | 34.11% | +1.56% | |
Independent | Rex Rammell | 34,510 | 5.35% | ||
Libertarian | Kent Marmon | 9,958 | 1.54% | -0.75% | |
Independent | Pro-Life | 8,662 | 1.35% | ||
Write-in | 3 | 0.00% | |||
Majority | 151,841 | 23.55% | -9.06% | ||
Turnout | 644,780 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Elections, Campaign Disclosure and Lobbyists August 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Idaho Secretary of State
- ^ . Archived from the original on September 3, 2007.
- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 19, 2008.
- ^ "Iraq vet announces bid in GOP Senate primary".
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
- ^ "LaRocco to run for Senate; Craig mum on future]". Retrieved May 8, 2007.[dead link]
- ^ "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Race Ratings Chart: Senate October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
- ^ "2008 Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
External links edit
- U.S. Congress candidates for Idaho at Project Vote Smart
- from CQ Politics
- Idaho U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Idaho U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions for Idaho congressional races from OpenSecrets
- Official campaign websites (Archived)
- , Republican nominee
- , Democratic nominee
- , Libertarian nominee
- , Independent candidate