2008 United States Senate elections, Georgia
In the 2008 election, first-term incumbent Republican senator Saxby Chambliss was opposed primarily by Democrat Jim Martin, as well as third party candidates, including Libertarian Allen Buckley and Eleanor Garcia of the Socialist Workers Party.


2008 United States Senate elections, Georgia
Martin, current Georgia Commissioner of Human Resources, former member of the Georgia General Assembly, Vietnam War veteran, and 2006 candidate for lieutenant governor, secured the Democratic nomination after defeating DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones by a 59% to 41% margin in the August 5 run-off election.


2008 United States Senate elections, Georgia
In December 2007, Chambliss had an approval rating of 53% and a disapproval rating of 34% according to Strategic Vision, a Republican polling firm. For most of the campaign, Chambliss maintained a comfortable lead in most polls. However, in the weeks leading up to the 2008 general election, polls showed the race tightening, reflecting a general nationwide trend.


2008 United States Senate elections, Georgia
On November 4, 2008, Chambliss received 49.8% of the vote, with Martin about 3% behind and Buckley receiving 3% of the vote. However, Georgia law stated that if no candidate receives a simple majority of the popular vote, then the election will be decided in a run-off. On December 2, 2008, Chambliss won the run-off with 57% of vote to Martin's 43%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Idaho
On September 1, 2007, senator Larry Craig announced his intent to resign from the Senate effective September 30, 2007. The announcement followed by just six days the disclosure that he had pleaded guilty on August 1, 2007 to a reduced misdemeanor charge arising out of his arrest on June 11 at the Minneapolis airport for soliciting sex with a man in the restroom. Craig found almost no support among Republicans in his home state or Washington. On October 4, 2007, senator Craig announced he will not seek re-election, but would remain in office until the end of his term.


2008 United States Senate elections, Idaho
Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch was the Republican candidate; U.S. Army veteran and former congressman Larry LaRocco was the Democratic candidate. Risch and LaRocco ran against each other in the 2006 Lieutenant Governor race, which Risch won by a wide margin. Libertarian Kent Marmon also ran. The last Democratic senator from Idaho was Frank Church, who was defeated in the Republican landslide of 1980 after serving four terms.


2008 United States Senate elections, Idaho
Risch won the election with approximately 58% of the vote.


2008 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin remained favored in Illinois. He sought to be re-elected in a state that has steadily become more Democratic since 1992. CQpolitics.com rated the contest as "safe Democrat."


2008 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Physician Steve Sauerberg of La Grange won the February 5 Republican primary. Kathy Cummings, a retired special education teacher was nominated via convention by the Green Party. Chad Koppie, a retired airline pilot and vice-chairman of the Illinois Center Right Coalition, was the nominee of the Constitution Party.


2008 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Durbin won with 68% of the vote. Sauerberg had 29%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Iowa
In a state that has been trending to the Democratic party recently, senator Tom Harkin faced the Republican nominee, small business owner Christopher Reed, whom he defeated with 63% of the vote to Reed's 37%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Kansas
Senator Pat Roberts sought re-election to a third term. Although Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, former Democratic Congressman and army veteran Jim Slattery was nominated to run against Roberts. Pat Roberts currently has an approval rating of 56%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
Democrats made Senate Minority Leader, four-term senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky a target due to his leadership of Senate Republicans and his ties to President Bush, as well as his mediocre approval rating in the state, which was below 50%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
Businessman and U.S. Army veteran Bruce Lunsford, who lost the 2007 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Governor Steve Beshear, was the Democratic nominee.


2008 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
Once thought to be secure in his re-election, McConnell's lead had shrunk dramatically thanks to the financial crisis and polling showed the race tightening between him and Lunsford. Nevertheless, McConnell was re-elected by a margin of 53% to 47%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Incumbent Mary Landrieu was elected in 1996 following a recount and was narrowly re-elected in 2002 in a runoff election. Since those elections, Democrats have had to endure the loss of some reliable voters because Hurricane Katrina dispersed many African-Americans from New Orleans, although the vast majority still live within Louisiana. The state has become more Republican over the past 12 years. Louisiana elected David Vitter in 2004, the state's first Republican senator since Reconstruction. And Louisianans elected Republican Bobby Jindal as the first Indian-American Governor in the country's history in 2007. Louisiana's electoral votes easily went to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.


2008 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
On August 27, 2007, state Treasurer John Neely Kennedy announced he was switching parties from Democrat to Republican. On November 29, after being personally recruited by Vitter and former Bush administration official Karl Rove, Kennedy announced plans to challenge Landrieu in 2008.


2008 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
In the end, Landrieu was re-elected with 52% of the vote, Kennedy having 46%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Maine
In Maine, Susan Collins sought a third term in the Senate. She has maintained a high approval rating, and also in her favor is the landslide re-election of Maine's senior Senator, Olympia Snowe, who had the largest margin of victory of any GOP Senate candidate - besides the largely unopposed Richard Lugar (R-IN) - in the 2006 election cycle. Collins was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2002 over State Sen. Chellie Pingree. Fellow senator Joe Lieberman, citing his status as an independent, endorsed Collins in her 2008 re-election bid.


2008 United States Senate elections, Maine
On May 8, 2007, Rep. Tom Allen (ME-1) announced his candidacy on . He had already expressed interest in running and had been building the apparatus necessary to wage a Senate campaign.


2008 United States Senate elections, Maine
Collins won on election day with 61% of the vote, compared to 39% for Allen.


2008 United States Senate elections, Massachusetts
Incumbent John Kerry sought another Senate term in Massachusetts. Republican author and conservative activist Jerome Corsi, known for his public criticism of Kerry, had stated that he would run for the seat in 2008 but later changed his mind. Jim Ogonowski, a retired Air Force pilot who was closely defeated by now-Representative Niki Tsongas in a 2007 special election, was running against Kerry. but failed to obtain the required candidacy signatures. The Republican challenger turned out to be Jeff Beatty, an ex-Army Delta Force officer who garnered 30% of the vote in a challenge to Democratic Congressman Bill Delahunt in 2006. Kerry was challenged by defense attorney Edward O'Reilly for the Democratic nomination, winning 69% of the vote to O'Reilly's 31%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Massachusetts
Kerry won with 66% of the vote to Beatty's 31%. Libertarian Robert J. Underwood had 3%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Michigan
With the Democratic Party takeover of Capitol Hill in the 2006 midterm elections, senator Carl Levin has become one of the most powerful people in Washington as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He was expected to easily win re-election.


2008 United States Senate elections, Michigan
Challenging Levin were Republican State Representative Jack Hoogendyk, Green candidate Harley G. Mikkelson,  candidate , Libertarian professor Scotty Boman, and Natural Law's candidate Doug Dern.


2008 United States Senate elections, Michigan
Levin won re-election with 63% of the vote, to Hoogendyk's 34%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
2007 year-end reports filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that Al Franken had raised $7.04 million through December 31, 2007 while Norm Coleman had raised $6.24 million. Year-end cash on hand was $6.04 million for Coleman and $3.10 million for Franken.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
Note: The ±% column reflects the change in total number of votes won by each party from the previous election. Additionally, votes cast for Paul Wellstone in the 2002 election are not factored into the DFL's total from that year.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
The 2008 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota featured first-term Republican incumbent senator Norm Coleman, Democrat Al Franken, a comedian and radio personality, and former U.S. senator Dean Barkley, a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
A December 2007 poll showed Coleman's approval rating among Minnesota voters at 53%. The seat was heavily targeted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee because of Minnesota's Democratic leanings and recent Democratic gains in national and statewide elections. These factors, coupled with a national political climate favorable to Democrats, made the Minnesota Senate race one of the most competitive and closely watched of the cycle.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
Franken announced his candidacy on February 14, 2007, more than 20 months before the election. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minnesota), joined the race in October 2007. Attorney Mike Ciresi, an unsuccessful candidate in the 2000 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, was considered a serious candidate, but withdrew from the race on March 10, 2008, clearing the path for Franken to secure the party's nomination.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
Barkley, who had briefly been appointed Senator after the death of Paul Wellstone in 2002, ran under the banner of the Independence Party, the largest third party in Minnesota. He was included in most of the debates and ultimately received 15% of the vote in the general election, a strong showing for a third party candidate. It is not clear whether Barkley detracted more votes from Coleman or Franken.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
Polls over the course of the campaign indicated that the race was very competitive, with many polls showing Franken and Coleman virtually tied or within the margin of error, as well as several polls showing each candidate with a significant lead at one point or another. The presence of a serious third party candidate further complicated matters.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
On November 4, 2008, Coleman received 1,211,590 votes to Franken's 1,211,375 votes, a margin of 215 votes, far less than 0.1%, thereby triggering an automatic recount. Barkley received 437,404 votes, about 15% of total votes cast.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
On January 3, 2009, with the recount apparently completed, Franken had an unofficial lead of 225 votes, but former senator Coleman's attorneys contested the official results in the courts. During the recount process, Minnesota was represented by only one senator, Amy Klobuchar.


2008 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
On April 13, 2009, a three-judge panel ruled that Al Franken received the most votes in Minnesota's 2008 Senate race and ruled against Coleman's claims on all counts. Coleman appealed this decision. On June 30, 2009, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Al Franken received the most votes, and Norm Coleman conceded defeat after the ruling, allowing Al Franken to be Senator-elect of Minnesota. Franken was sworn in as Minnesota's junior senator on July 7.


2008 United States Senate elections, Mississippi, Mississippi (regular)
Incumbent Republican Thad Cochran announced that he would seek re-election for a sixth term. Cochran, who has not faced serious opposition since he was re-elected in 1984, faced Democratic state Representative Erik R. Fleming, whom he defeated with 61% of the vote.


2008 United States Senate elections, Mississippi, Mississippi (special)
Roger Wicker, formerly the representative of Mississippi's 1st congressional district, was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour on December 31, 2007, to fill the vacancy caused by the December 18 resignation of Trent Lott. It had been speculated that Lott wished to resign before a new lobbying reform law, effective the first day of 2008, took effect; having resigned before the end of 2007, Lott may become a lobbyist in 2009 instead of 2010. Controversy arose when Barbour called for the special election to be held on the same day as the general election.


2008 United States Senate elections, Mississippi, Mississippi (special)
As a result, Mississippi's Attorney General Jim Hood challenged Barbour in court, claiming that the special election needed to be held within 100 days of Lott's resignation, as per state law. Initially, a Mississippi Circuit Court judge sided with Hood, ruling that the election take place on or before March 19, 2008. However, Barbour filed an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which overturned the earlier ruling and set the special election for November 4, 2008.


2008 United States Senate elections, Mississippi, Mississippi (special)
Democratic former Governor Ronnie Musgrove challenged Wicker. Another Democrat, former Congressman Ronnie Shows, also filed to run, but he withdrew in February 2008 and endorsed Musgrove. Wicker beat Musgrove 55% to 45%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Montana
Senator Max Baucus was a popular Democrat in Montana, representing a state that has long been fairly Republican but also receptive to Democrats in state and local elections. President Bush won Montana by more than 20 points in both 2000 and 2004, but Montana also had a popular Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer, and a newly elected Democratic junior senator, Jon Tester.


2008 United States Senate elections, Montana
Baucus was not expected to face a significant challenge from the 85-year-old Republican nominee, Bob Kelleher, who surprised observers by winning the June 3 Republican primary despite supporting a number of positions that put him to the political left of Baucus, such as nationalization of the American oil and gas industry.


2008 United States Senate elections, Montana
Baucus easily won re-election, taking 73% of the vote, with Kelleher taking 27%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Nebraska
In Nebraska, incumbent Republican Chuck Hagel chose to retire rather than run for a third term.


2008 United States Senate elections, Nebraska
Former Governor Mike Johanns, who recently resigned as Agriculture Secretary, was the Republican nominee, having defeated opponent Pat Flynn 87-13 in the primary. Scott Kleeb, 2006 candidate for Nebraska's 3rd congressional district, defeated businessman Tony Raimondo, a former Republican, by a wide margin in the Democratic primary.


2008 United States Senate elections, Nebraska
Nebraska state Green Party Co-Chairman Steve Larrick was also a candidate, as was Kelly Rosberg of the Nebraska Party.


2008 United States Senate elections, Nebraska
Johanns won, taking 58% of the vote, with Kleeb taking 40%


2008 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
Incumbent Republican John E. Sununu represented the swing state of New Hampshire. The state traditionally leaned Republican, but John Kerry from neighboring Massachusetts narrowly won the state in the 2004 Presidential election. New Hampshire also saw major Democratic gains in the 2006 elections, when Democrats took both of the previously Republican-held House seats, the gubernatorial race with a record vote share of 74%, and majorities in the State House and Senate, giving them concurrent control of both bodies for the first time since 1874. However, New Hampshire had not elected a Democratic United States senator since 1975.


2008 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
Sununu's 2002 opponent, former Governor Jeanne Shaheen, decided to run and was generally considered to be a very formidable challenger. Three consecutive monthly Rasmussen Reports poll showed Shaheen defeating Sununu by 49% to 41%. Prior to Shaheen's entry, Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, Katrina Swett, wife of former Democratic congressman Richard Swett, and former astronaut Jay Buckey had announced that they were running for the Democratic nomination. After Shaheen's entry, however, all three withdrew and endorsed the former governor.


2008 United States Senate elections, New Jersey
Incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg sought re-election in 2008, though he was 84. In the Primary, Lautenberg soundly defeated Representative Rob Andrews (NJ-1) by a margin of 62% to 32%. In November 2006, the senator had the lowest approval rating of any Democrat running for re-election in 2008 (with 39% approving and 45% disapproving), with his approval standing only at 42% as of September 2007 with voters saying he does not deserve re-election 46%-36%. The Republican nominee was former Congressman and 1996 senatorial candidate Dick Zimmer.


2008 United States Senate elections, New Jersey
Sara Lobman of the Socialist Workers Party and Independent Anthony Fisher were also declared candidates. Furthermore, in the wake of the financial crisis, Carl Peter Klapper entered the race as a write-in candidate.


2008 United States Senate elections, New Mexico
While senator Pete Domenici had declared that he would seek re-election in New Mexico, he changed his mind and announced on October 4, 2007 that he was retiring at the end of his current term due to a degenerative brain disorder. Domenici normally would have been expected to win re-election easily, having won his current term with the support of two out of three New Mexico voters; however, he is to be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee for his role in firing U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Domenici's role in the developing scandal had reduced the probability he would have been re-elected, and a SurveyUSA poll showed his approval ratings at 41%, with 54% disapproving. The potential scandal may have also contributed to his decision to leave the Senate.


2008 United States Senate elections, New Mexico
Tom Udall, the popular Representative from New Mexico's 3rd District, was the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee was Rep. Steve Pearce, who represented the more conservative southern part of the state.


2008 United States Senate elections, New Mexico
When asked whether the Republicans were abandoning their hopes of holding onto Domenici's seat, senator John Ensign, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, responded that "You don’t waste money on races that don’t need it or you can’t win."


2008 United States Senate elections, New Mexico
Udall won the election with 61% of the vote, with Pearce taking 39%.


2008 United States Senate elections, North Carolina
In North Carolina, there had been rumors that senator Elizabeth Dole would retire from the Senate and run for governor, but she said in 2006 that she intended to run for re-election. There was early speculation that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley might be pressured into running against her but this did not come to pass. The Democratic nominee was state senator Kay Hagan, who defeated Jim Neal and Dustin Lassiter in the Democratic primary. A Rasmussen poll released May 11, 2008 showed Hagan leading Dole by a statistically insignificant margin, 48% - 47%, suggesting a competitive race. Hagan's poll numbers continued to best Dole's, however, and Hagan defeated Dole by a wider than expected margin of 53% to 44%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, senator Jim Inhofe announced that he would seek a third full term. A September 2007 poll put Inhofe's approval rating at 47%, with 41% disapproving of his performance. Inhofe's opponent was State senator Andrew Rice. Inhofe was re-elected, 57% to 39%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Oregon
Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon ran for a third term. He defeated ophthalmologist Gordon Leitch in the May 20 Republican primary. Smith faced Democratic Oregon House of Representatives Speaker Jeff Merkley in the November general election. Merkley beat longtime Democratic activist Steve Novick and three other candidates in a hotly contested primary.


2008 United States Senate elections, Oregon
In a July 16, 2008 poll, Merkley overtook Smith for the first time 43% to 41%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Oregon
On November 6, 2008, Jeff Merkley was projected the winner of the contest, with 48.9% to Smith's 45.6%. Gordon Smith formally conceded soon afterward.


2008 United States Senate elections, Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, Democratic senator Jack Reed had an approval rating of 66% in November 2006. National Journal has declared that "Reed is probably the safest incumbent of the 2008 cycle". Reed's opponent was Robert Tingle, a pit manager at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, whom Reed defeated in his re-election campaign in 2002.


2008 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Senator Lindsey Graham, as a popular Republican incumbent in strongly conservative South Carolina, had been considered unlikely to be vulnerable to a Democratic challenge. Graham's support for a compromise immigration bill, however, drew an angry response from many South Carolina conservatives, who recruited Buddy Witherspoon, a former South Carolina Republican Party leader, to challenge Graham for the nomination. Graham easily bested Witherspoon in the June 10 primary.


2008 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
First-time candidate Bob Conley, an airline pilot, was the Democratic nominee. Conley, whose victory in the Democratic primary over Michael Cone was a surprise, is a former Republican who supported Ron Paul in 2008 and campaigned as the more conservative candidate on some issues, notably illegal immigration and the bailout of Wall Street.


2008 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
The South Carolina Working Families Party had also nominated Michael Cone. South Carolina's election law allows for electoral fusion. This was the first time the party nominated a candidate for statewide office. However, because he lost the Democratic primary, Cone was not listed on the ballot under the state's sore loser law.


2008 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Graham easily won re-election with 58% of the vote to Conley's 42%.


2008 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
In South Dakota, senator Tim Johnson's seat was considered a top GOP target in 2008, considering Johnson's narrow 524-vote victory in 2002 over then-Representative and current U.S. senator John Thune, as well as his recent health problems. Johnson underwent surgery in December 2006 for a cerebral arteriovenous malformation and was discharged from the hospital on April 30, 2007. On October 19, 2007, Johnson formally announced that he is seeking re-election. According to a November 2006 SurveyUSA poll, Johnson has an approval rating of 70%, with just 26% disapproving of his performance, making him an early favorite despite the state's Republican leaning.


2008 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Republicans were unsuccessful in persuading Governor Mike Rounds and former Lieutenant Governor Steve Kirby to run. State Representative Joel Dykstra announced his candidacy on July 5, 2007. Other Republicans included Charles Lyonel Gonyo and Sam Kephart. Dykstra won the Republican primary on June 3.


2008 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Johnson was re-elected, with 62.5% to Dykstra's 37.5%. This seat was the tipping point state in the 2008 senate elections.


2008 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
Former Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander was elected in 2002 to succeed retiring senator Fred Thompson. He has announced he will seek a second term in 2008. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.


2008 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
Former Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party Bob Tuke was the Democratic nominee, defeating Businessman Gary Davis 30% to 23%. Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett received 20% of the vote.


2008 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
2006 Green Party Senate nominee Chris Lugo originally announced as a Democrat but dropped out of the Democratic race before the filing deadline. He filed as an independent and was subsequently named as the Green Party nominee Edward Buck was also in the race.


2008 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
Daniel Lewis is running as a Libertarian candidate for the United States Senate. He was certified March 3, 2008 by the Tennessee Division of Elections as having achieved ballot access for the November 4, 2008 election as a candidate for United States Senate. The Libertarian Party of Tennessee officially selected Daniel Lewis as their candidate for United States Senate on Saturday March 8, 2008 the at their annual convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Lewis is currently serving as the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. He ran for the Tennessee House in 2004.


2008 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
Also reported to be in the race are David "None of the Above" Gatchell a ballot activist & frequent candidate and Emory "Bo" Heyward, a software company employee, conservative activist & 2006 candidate.


2008 United States Senate elections, Texas
Texas has not elected a Democrat in a statewide election since 1994, but according to pre-election Rasmussen polling, senator John Cornyn had an approval rating of 50%. Texas House of Representatives member and Afghanistan War veteran Rick Noriega secured his place as Cornyn's Democratic challenger in the March 4 primary, beating out opponents Gene Kelly, Ray McMurrey, and Rhett Smith. The same Rasmussen poll showed Cornyn leading Noriega by a narrow four percentage points - 47% to 43%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Texas
Christian activist Larry Kilgore of Mansfield, Texas, was a Republican challenger for the March 2008 primary election, but Cornyn easily won the Republican primary.


2008 United States Senate elections, Texas
There were three Libertarians, including 2006 LP senate nominee Scott Jameson, running for their party's nomination. In addition, the Green Party of Texas sought ballot access for its candidate David B. Collins.


2008 United States Senate elections, Virginia
John Warner announced on August 31, 2007 that he would not seek re-election for another term. Former Governor Jim Gilmore, who dropped out of the 2008 presidential election, was the Republican nominee for the seat. Popular Democratic former Governor Mark Warner (no relation) was the Democratic nominee for the race. Polling showed him as a strong favorite to win the seat.


2008 United States Senate elections, Virginia
When asked whether the Republicans were abandoning their hopes of holding onto Warner's seat, senator John Ensign, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, responded that "You don’t waste money on races that don’t need it or you can’t win."


2008 United States Senate elections, Virginia
In one of the first senate races called on election day, Warner won, taking 65% of the vote, with Gilmore winning 34%. Since Democrat Jim Webb had defeated incumbent Republican George Allen for Virginia's other Senate seat in 2006, Virginia's senate delegation flipped from entirely Republican to entirely Democratic in just two years.


2008 United States Senate elections, West Virginia
Senator Jay Rockefeller, great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, sought a fifth term representing West Virginia. Even though West Virginia is a historically Democratic state, in which the party had a 50-32% edge in party affiliation over the Republicans in the 2004 elections, the state party is more conservative than the national party, giving its votes to President George W. Bush in that election and in 2000. Democrats Sheirl Fletcher and Billy Hendricks challenged Rockefeller in the primary but were defeated. The Republican nominee was Jay Wolfe of Salem, a former State Senator.


2008 United States Senate elections, West Virginia
Rockefeller handily won on election day, being re-elected with 64% of the vote. Wolfe had 36%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Wyoming, Wyoming (regular)
Incumbent Republican Mike Enzi was considered likely to be re-elected without significant opposition for a third term in strongly Republican Wyoming. His Democratic opponent was Chris Rothfuss, a professor at the University of Wyoming and a chemical engineer, nanotechnologist, and diplomat. Pre -election polling indicated that Enzi led Rothfuss by 24%.


2008 United States Senate elections, Wyoming, Wyoming (special)
Republican John Barrasso was appointed by Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) on June 22, 2007 to fill the senate seat of Republican Craig L. Thomas, who died on June 4. Wyoming law requires that the interim senator be affiliated with the same political party as the departed senator. Barrasso ran in the November 4, 2008 special election, held on the day of the 2008 presidential election, to serve out the remainder of Thomas's term, which expires in January 2013.


2008 United States Senate elections, Wyoming, Wyoming (special)
On the Democratic side, Casper City Councilman Keith Goodenough announced his candidacy. In the primary on August 19, Goodenough was defeated by a political newcomer, Gillette defense attorney Nick Carter, who became Barrasso's opponent in the general election.


2008 United States Senate elections, Wyoming, Wyoming (special)
Barrasso won on Election Day, taking 73% of the vote and winning every county in the state.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi
The 2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi was held on November 4, 2008. This election was held on the same day of Thad Cochran's re-election bid in the 2008 United States Senate election in Mississippi. The winner of this special election served the rest of the Senate term, which ended in January 2013. Unlike most Senate elections, this was a non-partisan election in which the candidate who got a majority of the vote won, and if the first-place candidate did not get 50%, a runoff election with the top two candidates would have been held. In the election, no run-off was necessary as Republican nominee and incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Roger Wicker won election to finish the term.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
On December 18, 2007, U.S. Senator Trent Lott resigned in his fourth-term to pursue "something else" in the private sector. He ended up starting his own lobbying firm.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
On December 31, 2007, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour appointed U.S. Representative Roger Wicker to the vacant seat. Wicker then began his Senate campaign.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
Former Governor Ronnie Musgrove, former U.S. Representative and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, former Jackson mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., former Governor Ray Mabus, and former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore were all considered potential Democratic candidates,. Of the five, only Musgrove decided to run. Another Democrat, former congressman Ronnie Shows also decided to run, but withdrew on February 19, 2008  after determining that he could not raise enough funds to effectively campaign against Wicker and Musgrove. Shows gave his endorsement to Musgrove. There was a dispute about the date on which the special election should occur and whether the governor appointed the interim senator in keeping with state law.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
Mississippi law states that Gov. Barbour had 10 days after receiving official notification of the vacancy to appoint an interim senator pending a special election. Barbour appointed Wicker on December 31, 2007, 13 days after Lott's resignation.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
The state Democratic party objected to the timing of the special election. Barbour set the special election for November 4, 2008. Democrats claimed that he had 10 days to set a special election within 90 days (no later than March 29, 2008 ), and the issue went to court for resolution.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
Mississippi Attorney General, Democrat Jim Hood, issued a non-binding opinion that the election must be held within 100 days of Lott's resignation. Hood said that Barbour would be breaking the law if he holds the special election in November 2008. Hood sued Barbour in court over the issue. Hood wanted the date of the special election to be March 11, the same day as Mississippi's presidential primary.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
The state’s chief elections officer, the then-Mississippi Secretary of State, Democrat Eric Clark, backed the governor's position.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Background
Governor Barbour claimed that the definition of "year" in the law in question is 365 days. Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter ruled that the election must take place no later than March 19. On February 6, 2008, after Barbour appealed,the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed Judge Delaughter and ruled that the non-partisan special election may be held on November 4.


2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi, Candidates
Note: Mississippi special elections are nonpartisan. Party labels are for informational purposes only.


2008 United States Senate special election in Wyoming
The 2008 United States Senate special election in Wyoming took place on November 4, 2008, at the same time as the regular election to the United States Senate in Wyoming. The special election occurred to complete the term of Republican incumbent Craig L. Thomas, who won reelection in 2006, but died in June 2007. Despite being a Democrat, Governor Dave Freudenthal was obliged by state law to appoint a Republican, and selected state senator John Barrasso. Barrasso was unopposed in the Republican primary, and went on to win the general election to fill the remainder of the term until January 3, 2013.


2008 United States Senate special election in Wyoming, Background
Wyoming law dictates that when a U.S. Senate seat becomes vacant, the departing senator's state party at the time of the most recent election must create a list of three finalists, with the governor to select one of those candidates to fill the seat. Speculation about potential Republican challengers had included the other finalists to succeed Thomas, Cynthia Lummis and Tom Sansonetti; as well as former state House Speaker Randall Luthi, and former U.S. Attorney Matt Mead.


2008 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia
The 2008 Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia took place on November 4, 2008, to elect a shadow member to the United States House of Representatives to represent the District of Columbia. Unlike non-voting delegates, the Shadow Representative is only recognized by the District of Columbia and is not officially sworn or seated. Incumbent Shadow Representative Mike Panetta won election to a second term.


2008 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia, Primary elections, Other primaries
A Republican primary was held but no candidates filed and only 248 write-in votes were cast.


2008 United States Virgin Islands general election
Legislative elections were held in United States Virgin Islands on 4 November 2008.


2008 United States Virgin Islands general election, United States House of Representatives
Incumbent U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen announced that she intended to seek a fourth term in the United States House of Representatives. Her announcement of her decision to seek re-election came in a press conference held at her congressional district office in Sunny Isle, United States Virgin Islands, on January 10, 2008. Christensen ran unopposed in the 2008 Congressional election.


2008 United States Women's Curling Championship
The 2008 United States Women's Curling Championship was held from February 16 to 23 at the Hibbing Curling Club in Hibbing, Minnesota. It was held in conjunction with the 2008 United States Men's Curling Championship. Team McCormick, led by Debbie McCormick, won the tournament for the third year in a row, a record for the US Nationals. With the win Team McCormick earned the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2009 World Women's Championship held in Gangneung, South Korea, where they finished 9th.


2008 United States Women's Curling Championship, Teams
Seven teams competed in the 2008 Championship. It would have been eight teams but Alex Carlson's team chose to withdraw to focus on the 2008 US Junior Championships, which were held just before the Women's Championship, February 2 to 9.


2008 United States Women's Curling Championship, Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Central Standard Time (UTC−6).


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack
In the morning hours on July 9, 2008, an attack on the  Consulate General of the United States, Istanbul resulted in the deaths of the three gunmen and three Turkish National Police officers.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack
The attack occurred at a time when the facility was at full function. It is the responsibility of the host state to take care of security as per Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, The attack
All three of the attackers were Turkish nationals, and ethnic Kurds. Armed with pistols and shotguns, the attackers arrived in a car and then got out. One of them quickly opened fire near the main entrance to the compound. Footage from a security camera at the site showed, as the shootout was unfolding, three armed and bearded men emerging from a Ford Focus being used as an unlicensed taxicab, killing a traffic policeman, then running toward a guard post some 50 yards away as other policemen fired back. The vehicle left the scene, but its driver later turned himself into the authorities; he had no prior connection to the attackers. There were no casualties in the attack apart from the three attackers and three police officers.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, The attack
Two of the slain police officers were identified as Erdal Oztas, 28, from the village of Karahacik located in Çorum Province, and Nedim Calik.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, The attack
The NTV television network and Doğan News Agency identified the attackers as Erkan Kargın, 26, and Raif Topçıl, 20, both from the southeastern city of Bitlis and Bülent Çınar, 23, from the eastern city of Iğdır. Police did not confirm their identities, but Interior Minister Besir Atalay said two of the assailants had criminal records. It was suggested that a shotgun used by Erkan Kargın and two Glock automatic pistols were purchased with a 4,000 YTL loan, withdrawn from the Istanbul branch of a bank, by Kadir Özmen.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, The attack
Özmen had originally planned to attend the attack, but this plan was abandoned. A 24-page indictment, prepared by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office Deputy Fikret Seçen, charged Özmen with membership of an armed terrorist organization, possession of explosives and membership in the alleged Ergenekon organization, which meant being charged with attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey. A decision to arrest him was made, however as his ID number could not be determined, the prosecutor's office closed the investigation.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, The attack
In response to the attack, the US temporarily increased security at all of its Turkish diplomatic missions.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, The attack
The unsuccessful attack showed that the (new) consulate grounds were safe for the American diplomatic staff. The project management for the land acquisition and the construction of the consulate building was headed by Gary S. Lachman while he was working as the New Embassy and Consulate Team Leader at the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations at the U.S. Department of State.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, Allegations of al-Qaeda involvement
Turkish officials initially blamed al-Qaeda, and the US did not rule out al-Qaeda support. However, the attackers had no direct connection to any transnational or indigenous terrorist group, other than possible training ties.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, Allegations of al-Qaeda involvement
On July 13, 2008, one suspect was arrested and charged with membership in a terror organization in connection to the attack on the consulate. Another two individuals were also charged and released pending trials. In all, twelve individuals have been detained for questioning related to the attacks.


2008 United States consulate in Istanbul attack, Allegations of al-Qaeda involvement
In December 2008, two suspected al-Qaeda members were charged over the consulate attack.


2008 United States elections
The 2008 United States elections were held on November 4. Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois won the presidential election, and Democrats bolstered their majority in both Houses of Congress.


2008 United States elections
Obama won his party's presidential nomination after defeating Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries. With Republican President George W. Bush term-limited, Senator John McCain of Arizona won the Republican nomination in the 2008 Republican primaries. Obama won the general election with 52.9 percent of the popular vote and 365 of the 538 electoral votes.


2008 United States elections
Democrats picked up net gains of eight Senate seats and 21 seats in the House of Representatives on the back of Obama's coattail effect. They also won a net gain of one gubernatorial seat. The 2006 elections and 2008 elections represented the first time since the 1930s that one party made substantial gains in Congress in two consecutive elections. This would be the last election until 2020 in which the Democrats won the Presidency and unified control of Congress.


2008 United States elections
Before 2020, this is the last presidential election year where the party that won the White House had coattails in the Senate, House of Representatives and Governorships.


2008 United States elections
The major theme during the campaign was the American public's general desire of change and reform from both Washington and the policies of President Bush. The economy and other domestic policies were also dominant issues, especially during the last months of the campaign after the onset of the 2008 economic crisis.


2008 United States elections, Federal races, President
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was the Democratic nominee, and Senator John McCain of Arizona was the Republican nominee. Incumbent President George W. Bush was ineligible for re-election per the 22nd Amendment, which limits a president to two terms, and incumbent Vice President Dick Cheney declined to run for the office.


2008 United States elections, Federal races, President
The 2008 presidential election was the first since 1952 in which neither an incumbent president nor an incumbent vice president was a candidate.


2008 United States elections, Federal races, President
Senator Obama won the number of electors necessary to be elected president and was inaugurated on January 20, 2009.


2008 United States elections, Federal races, United States Senate
The 33 seats in the United States Senate Class 2 were up for election, plus special Senate elections in Mississippi and Wyoming. The resignation of Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, and the death of Wyoming Senator Craig L. Thomas, both Class 1 senators, meant that both of those states' senate seats were up for election. The Democrats won 8 seats while the Republicans did not gain a seat.


2008 United States elections, Federal races, United States House of Representatives
All seats in the House were up for election, including seats of the 435 voting representatives from the states and the 6 non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. This marked the first time that the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands selected a delegate to Congress.


2008 United States elections, Federal races, United States House of Representatives
Democrats won the nationwide popular vote for the House of Representatives by 7.2 percentage points, gaining 21 seats. They increased their total number of seats to 257, the largest number of seats held by either party in the House since Democrats lost control of Congress in the 1994 elections.


2008 United States elections, State races, Governors
Eleven of the fifty United States governors were up for re-election, as were the governorships of two U.S. territories. Eight incumbent state governors were running for re-election, while the retirements of Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware, Matt Blunt of Missouri, and Mike Easley of North Carolina left those gubernatorial positions open. The incumbent governors of Puerto Rico, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, and American Samoa, Togiola Tulafono, were also up for re-election.


2008 United States elections, State races, Governors
The only governorship that changed party hands was in Missouri: Democrat Jay Nixon was elected to replace Blunt, who chose to retire instead of seeking a second term.


2008 United States elections, State races, State legislatures
The New Hampshire Senate saw the election of the first ever female majority. This is first time this has occurred in any chamber of any state legislature in United States history.


2008 United States elections, State races, State legislatures
The New York State Assembly, New York State Senate, and Governor's mansion were controlled by the Democrats for the first time since the Great Depression.


2008 United States elections, State races, State legislatures
Overall, the Democrats took control of six legislative bodies to the Republicans' four. Democrats took control of the Delaware House of Representatives, for the first time since 1985, the Montana House of Representatives, the Nevada Senate, the New York State Senate, for only the second time since WWII, the Ohio House of Representatives, and the Wisconsin State Assembly. Republicans took control of the Montana Senate; both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly, for the first time since reconstruction; and the Oklahoma Senate, for the first time in state history.


2008 United States elections, State races, State legislatures
After the election, Democrats controlled both houses in the state legislatures of 27 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.


2008 United States elections, State races, State legislatures
Republicans controlled both houses in the state legislatures of 14 states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.


2008 United States elections, State races, State legislatures
Eight states had divided legislatures: Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.


2008 United States federal budget
The 2008 United States Federal Budget began as a proposal by President George W. Bush to fund government operations for October 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008. The requested budget was submitted to the 110th Congress on February 5, 2007.


2008 United States federal budget
The government was initially funded through a series of four temporary continuing resolutions. Final funding for the Department of Defense was enacted on November 13, 2007 as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2008, while the remaining departments and agencies were funded as part of an omnibus spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, on December 26, 2007.


2008 United States federal budget, Total spending
The President's budget for 2008 totals $2.9 trillion. Percentages in parentheses indicate percentage change compared to 2007. This budget request is broken down by the following expenditures:


2008 United States federal budget, Total spending
The Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan are not included in the regular budget. Instead they are funded through special appropriations.


2008 United States federal budget, Deficit
With projected receipts significantly less than projected outlays, the budget proposed by President Bush predicts a net deficit of approximately 240 billion dollars. The actual deficit was 454.8 billion.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections
The 2008 United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 4, 2008, in 11 states and two territories. Prior to the election, eight of the total seats were held by Democrats and five by Republicans. Two governors were prohibited by term limits from seeking re-election in 2008. The only governorship to change party was the open seat in Missouri, which was won by a Democrat after being previously held by a Republican.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections
These elections coincided with the presidential election, as well as the elections of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and many local elections, state elections and ballot propositions.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Retired Democratic governors, Ruth Ann Minner (Delaware)
Ruth Ann Minner was term-limited in 2008. 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.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Retired Democratic governors, Ruth Ann Minner (Delaware)
The race got more attention due to the Vice Presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Joe Biden. Since Biden, a senator, was elected to be Vice President, he needed to resign his Senate seat. The new governor was then called upon to appoint someone to replace Biden in the Senate. Since Lee would naturally have been more inclined to select a Republican, his election could have caused a Republican pickup in the Senate by proxy. However, he was defeated by a wide margin on election day by Markell. Senator Biden resigned his seat in the United States Senate on January 15, 2009, and Governor Minner appointed Ted Kaufman to Biden's seat. Kaufman had previously served as Senator Biden's Chief of Staff during his tenure in the United States Senate.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Retired Democratic governors, Mike Easley (North Carolina)
Mike Easley was term-limited in 2008, in another state whose governorship has been held by Democrats for 16 years. Democratic Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue was the Democratic nominee, defeating Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the Republican nominee.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Retired Republican governors, Matt Blunt (Missouri)
Matt Blunt was considered to be the most vulnerable incumbent in the 2008 election cycle, but decided on January 22, 2008 not to seek re-election. Blunt's approval rating was the nation's second-lowest after Governor Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky for much of 2007, though his approval rating improved and approached 50% in a May poll conducted by SurveyUSA.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Retired Republican governors, Matt Blunt (Missouri)
The Republican nominee was Congressman Kenny Hulshof. The Democratic nominee was four-term Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1998. Nixon defeated Hulshof comfortably, despite the fact that Missouri ultimately voted for John McCain, a Republican, for president. Missouri was the only state not to re-elect the incumbent party for governor in 2008.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Togiola Tulafono (American Samoa)
American Samoa's Togiola Tulafono sought re-election in 2008 with Lieutenant Governor Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia. He won his first term 55.7% to 44.3% in the 2004 run-off against Afoa Moega Lutu. Tulafono was again challenged by Afoa Moega Lutu and Velega Savali, who ran as a nonpartisan team for governor and lieutenant governor respectively. Utu Abe Malae and Tuika Tuika also ran to become the next Governor on separate, nonpartisan tickets. Tulafono won in a close vote that split three ways.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Brian Schweitzer (Montana)
Democrat Brian Schweitzer of Montana (running with Lt. Governor John Bohlinger) was heavily favored to win re-election as he had better funding and high approval ratings as current Governor. The Republican nominee was State Senator Roy Brown (running with Steve Daines), and the Libertarian nominee was Stan Jones (running with Michael Baker). Schweitzer won some press coverage with his well-received speech to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He was criticized, however, for a speech in July in which he jested that he helped defeat U.S. Senator Conrad Burns in 2006 by tampering with the vote totals, which he insisted was purely a joke. Schweitzer won re-election by a comfortable margin despite the criticism.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, John Lynch (New Hampshire governor)
In New Hampshire, Democrat John Lynch easily won re-election against State Senator Joseph D. Kenney, the Republican nominee.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, John Lynch (New Hampshire governor)
NOTE: New Hampshire's gubernatorial elections are held every in alternate (even-numbered) years, instead of every fourth year.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá (Puerto Rico)
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá of Puerto Rico ran for a second term in 2008. In 2004, Acevedo narrowly beat former Governor and Senator Pedro Rosselló, also a Democrat, by a mere 3,566 votes.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá (Puerto Rico)
Republican at-large Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuño, who announced in December 2006 that he would not again seek re-election to his current post, ran against him. There was also a movement to elect Senator Rosselló as a write-in choice for governor.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá (Puerto Rico)
The Puerto Rican Independence Party's candidate was Edwin Irizarry Mora, while a fourth candidate, Rogelio Figueroa (Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party), ran on an environmentalist platform.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá (Puerto Rico)
Acevedo was defeated by Fortuño on election day. The federal indictment against Acevedo for alleged corruption schemes when he was in Congress, and generally low approval, may have been a drag on his candidacy and chances of winning re-election.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Christine Gregoire (Washington)
Democrat Christine Gregoire is perhaps best known for having won in 2004 by 133 votes in the third official count, after having lost the initial count by 261 votes and the first recount by 24 votes. Her 2004 opponent, Republican former State Senator Dino Rossi, officially announced his candidacy on October 25, 2007. Pre -election SurveyUSA polls showed Gregoire leading Rossi by a statistically insignificant 50% to 47% margin. A September 10 poll by Rasmussen Reports showed Rossi pulling ahead by a 52% to 46% margin. The race was expected to be extremely close, but Gregoire was reelected by a wider than expected margin of 6.48%.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Democratic incumbents, Joe Manchin (West Virginia)
Democrat Joe Manchin ran for re-election in West Virginia and was heavily favored according to pre-election polls. On November 4, he faced former State Senator Russ Weeks, a Republican, and Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson, who ran in 2004. Butch Paugh of the Constitution Party also attempted a run but failed to qualify for the ballot. Manchin won re-election by a landslide.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Republican incumbents, Mitch Daniels (Indiana)
Incumbent Republican Mitch Daniels faced Democratic nominee former Congresswoman and Undersecretary of Agriculture Jill Long Thompson, and Libertarian nominee engineer Andy Horning, who also ran for governor in 2000.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Republican incumbents, Mitch Daniels (Indiana)
Some pundits thought Mitch Daniels was vulnerable in 2008, but polling taken by SurveyUSA on October 21 and 22, 2008 showed him with a significant 54-35 lead. He won re-election easily, confirming these predictions.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Republican incumbents, Mitch Daniels (Indiana)
While Indiana had not voted Democratic for president since 1964, Daniels was the first Republican elected governor in 16 years there. Daniels was also endorsed by the state's largest newspapers, the Indianapolis Star, the Evansville Courier & Press, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, the Times of Northwest Indiana, the Gary Post-Tribune and the Louisville Courier-Journal.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Republican incumbents, John Hoeven (North Dakota)
Republican John Hoeven announced he would seek re-election for a third term in 2008. He won re-election with 74% of the vote. Soundly defeating the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, State Senator Tim Mathern, (24%) and independent candidate DuWayne Hendrickson (2%).


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Republican incumbents, Jon Huntsman, Jr. (Utah)
Jon Huntsman, Jr. was heavily favored to win re-election in Utah. As of 2008, Republicans had controlled the Utah governorship for 24 years. Democrat Bob Springmeyer challenged Huntsman, but was decisively defeated.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Election summaries, Republican incumbents, Jim Douglas (Vermont)
Three-term incumbent Jim Douglas ran as a Republican, and House Speaker Gaye Symington ran as a Democrat. Other candidates included Anthony Pollina of the Vermont Progressive Party and Cris Ericson of the Marijuana Party. Douglas was re-elected.


2008 United States gubernatorial elections, Overall results
At the 2008 Elections, all 55 governorships of the states and territories were occupied. However, in the 2008 election cycle, only thirteen seats were up for election - eleven were statewide, and two were territorial. Eight seats were held by Democrats, and the remaining five were held by Republicans.


2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The men's national basketball team of the United States won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. They qualified for the Olympics by winning the 2007 FIBA American Championship held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team was nicknamed the "Redeem Team", a play on an alternative name for the legendary 1992 squad that was called the "Dream Team", and a reference to the fact that the United States came away with disappointing Bronze Medals during the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Kobe Bryant was named the team captain and Mike Krzyzewski was named the head coach of the 2008 team." An ESPN program, Road to Redemption, followed the team's preparations.


2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The United States defeated Spain 118–107 in the final to win the gold. Dwyane Wade was the leading scorer for team USA averaging 16 points per game.


2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The withdrawal of all major stars prior to the 2004 Olympics and an embarrassing performance of those young and inexperienced who were called to replace them prompted USA Basketball to change its approach to the formation of a national team. As a result, the organization initiated a long-term project that saw NBA players committing to play for the team long before the start of the 2008 Olympics (instead of hastily accepting invitations merely weeks prior to the start of the tournament). Many 2008 Olympians participated in the 2007 Americas championships, where the US won gold, thus qualifying for the Olympics. The final roster featured eleven NBA All-Stars, a Hall of Fame coach, and two NBA MVPs.


2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Record, Preliminary Round
The team competed in Group B of the Preliminary Round


2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Roster
The following is the United States roster in the men's basketball tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics.


2008 United States motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2008 United States motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 2008 MotoGP championship. It took place on the weekend of July 18–20, 2008, at the Laguna Seca circuit. It was an eventful race between Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner where the lead was hotly contested between the two. On lap 23, with Rossi leading after an ingenious but controversial pass down the corkscrew, Stoner entered into the last corner too deep and ended up in the gravel trap. Rossi retained his lead for the remainder of the race while Stoner managed to finish in second place despite his mistake. Rossi won for the first time at Laguna Seca and Stoner set a new lap record with a time of 1:21.488.


2008 United States motorcycle Grand Prix
As usual, only the MotoGP class was permitted to race at Laguna Seca due to the Californian air pollution law prohibiting two-stroke engines in the state.


2008 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round eleven has concluded.


2008 United States presidential debates
The United States presidential debates of 2008 were sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a bipartisan organization that sponsored four debates that occurred at various locations around the United States in September and October 2008. Three of the debates involved the presidential nominees, and one involved the vice-presidential nominees.


2008 United States presidential debates
Republican Party nominee John McCain and Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama did not agree to additional debates; however, each was interviewed at the Civil Forum on the Presidency, held on August 16, 2008, and at the Service Nation Presidential Forum on September 11, 2008. Their respective running mates, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, did not participate in any additional debates.


2008 United States presidential debates, Joint appearances
On Saturday, August 16, 2008, both McCain and Obama appeared at Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in California. Similar to the Compassion Forum held in the Democratic debates, each candidate appeared separately, answering similar questions from Warren for one hour. Obama appeared first, followed by McCain.


2008 United States presidential debates, Joint appearances
On September 11, 2008, McCain and Obama were separately interviewed at the Service Nation presidential forum at Columbia University.


2008 United States presidential debates, Debate schedule, Format
The first and third of the 90-minute CPD presidential debates were divided into nine 9-minute issue segments, allowing the candidates to discuss selected topics, answer follow-ups from the moderator and directly address each other. The second CPD presidential debate featured a town hall format in which voters, either present at the debate or via the internet, posed questions on a topic of their choice. The format of the single vice presidential debate followed that of the first and third presidential debates, but included questions on all topics, with shorter response and discussion periods compared to the presidential debates.


2008 United States presidential debates, Debate schedule, Participants
The Republican nominees were Senator John McCain, and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The Democratic nominees were Senators Barack Obama and Joseph Biden. The debates were sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.


2008 United States presidential debates, Debate schedule, Participants
On August 2, 2008, Obama accepted the CPD proposal. In his letter, he stated that due to the short period between the conventions and the campaign, that it was "likely that the four Commission debates will be the sole series of debates" between the two. McCain criticized Obama for rejecting his town hall proposal. On August 18, 2008, McCain and Obama announced they had agreed to the general CPD framework for the three scheduled presidential debates and the one vice presidential debate.


2008 United States presidential debates, Debate schedule, Criticism
A Zogby International poll released on August 15, 2008 indicated that more than 50% of Democratic and Republican voters would like to see Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr included in the presidential debates. Almost 70% of independent voters would also like to see him included. 46% of all voters polled and 59% of independents would also like to see independent candidate Ralph Nader included.


2008 United States presidential debates, September 26: First presidential debate (University of Mississippi)
Although the debate was originally planned to focus on foreign policy and national security, Lehrer did devote the first half of the debate due to the ongoing 2008 financial crisis, a portion of the debate focused on economic issues. McCain repeatedly referred to his experience, drawing on stories from the past. Often, he joked of his age and at one point seemed to mock his opponent. Obama tied McCain to what he characterized as Bush Administration mistakes and repeatedly laid out detailed plans. Neither McCain nor Obama broke from talking points, and neither candidate made any major gaffe.


2008 United States presidential debates, September 26: First presidential debate (University of Mississippi), Reception
An estimated 52.4 million people watched the debate. A CBS poll conducted after the debate on independent voters found that 38% felt it was a draw, 40% felt Obama had won, and 22% thought that McCain had won. Voters and analysts agreed that Obama had won on the economy, but that McCain had done better on foreign policy issues, which were the focus of the debate. However, Obama had a more substantial lead on the economy than McCain did on foreign policy. Initial CNN polling reported Obama won the debate overall by a margin of 51–38.


2008 United States presidential debates, September 26: First presidential debate (University of Mississippi), Reception
A CBS poll of uncommitted voters shows Obama winning 39–24, with 37% of voters undecided. Time's Mark Halperin graded Obama's performance an A- and McCain's performance a B-. One analyst, Nate Silver, gave greater emphasis to the fact that Obama spoke more effectively about the issues that mattered most to the voters, an interpretation that was backed up by Time Magazine commentator Joe Klein.


2008 United States presidential debates, September 26: First presidential debate (University of Mississippi), Reception
Several pollsters noted in the subsequent week that the public's perception of the debate might have been influenced by John McCain not looking at, or directly talking to his opponent during the debate, something many considered disrespectful.


2008 United States presidential debates, September 26: First presidential debate (University of Mississippi), Proposed postponement
On September 24, 2008, McCain announced his intention to suspend his campaign the next day and declared that he wanted to delay the first debate "until we have taken action" on the Paulson financial rescue plan. The reason given for the proposed postponement was so that McCain and Obama could return to Washington, D.C. in order to work on a legislative response to the unfolding financial crisis of 2007–2008.


2008 United States presidential debates, September 26: First presidential debate (University of Mississippi), Proposed postponement
Obama rejected that idea, stating that "this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess." A McCain adviser suggested replacing the Vice Presidential debate with the first Presidential debates and postponing the VP debates to an unspecified later date. Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, Robert Khayat, proposed that Obama hold a townhall meeting with the audience if McCain failed to appear. On the morning of September 26, McCain agreed to participate in the debate, claiming that there had been enough progress in the financial bailout plan. Three days later, however, the House of Representatives defeated the bailout proposal.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis)
The vice presidential debate took place on October 2, 2008, between U.S. vice presidential candidates Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, and Joe Biden, the senior Senator for Delaware, at Washington University in St. Louis, and was moderated by Public Broadcasting Service journalist Gwen Ifill. It was the first such debate to feature a female candidate since the 1984 vice presidential debate. The debate was watched by about 70 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most-watched vice presidential debate in history. It was only the second presidential or vice presidential debate to surpass 70 million viewers, the first being the 1980 presidential debate between Governor Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter, which drew nearly 81 million viewers.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Venue
Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, had been offered the opportunity to host the debate, but declined in order to pursue hosting one of the presidential debates. In November 2007 it was announced that Washington University in St. Louis would be the venue for the debate, making the university the only institution, as of 2008, to have hosted three or more presidential debates.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Debate
The first 90-minute presidential debate was divided into nine 3-minute issue segments, allowing the candidates to discuss selected topics, answer follow-ups from a moderator and directly address each other. The vice-presidential debate format followed that of the first presidential debate, but included questions on all topics and had shorter response and discussion periods.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Debate
The two candidates had never met before, which was part of the build-up to the debate. Palin said on one of her stump speeches before the debate, "I've never met [Biden] before. But I've been hearing about his Senate speeches since I was in, like, second grade." After moderator Gwen Ifill introduced the candidates, where they came out, Palin asked Biden, "Can I call you Joe?" He replied affirmatively. She said at one point, "I may not answer the questions the way the moderator and you want to hear."


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Debate
Critics said she was avoiding the debate itself, while her supporters could make the claim that she was answering the questions to "Joe six-pack" or "hockey moms". She used her inexperience to her advantage by saying, "It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider and not used to the ways you guys operate."


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Debate
Palin spoke in greatest depth about energy policy while Biden spoke in greatest depth about foreign affairs. Biden refrained from criticizing Palin, concentrating his criticisms on McCain. Although Palin offered brief criticism of Biden, she concentrated most of her criticism on Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Whereas Biden defended against Palin's criticisms of Obama, Palin tended not to offer detailed defenses against Biden's criticisms of Republican nominee John McCain and the George W. Bush administration, emphasizing instead generalizations about McCain and Palin's plans to reform the ways of Washington. Biden let it be known that he thought at one time McCain was a "maverick," but that is no longer the case.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Debate
During the debate, Palin talked about a potential surge strategy in Afghanistan and identified the commanding general there as "McClellan." Pundits criticized Biden's omission of the general's name; he referred to him several times only as the "commanding general in Afghanistan," until it was discovered the General's name is in fact David D. McKiernan.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Debate
One of the most memorable moments during the debate came at the end when Biden talked about the tragedy that affected his family when his wife and daughter died and his sons were injured. He explained by saying, "The notion that somehow, because I'm a man, I don't know what it's like to raise two kids alone, I don't know what it's like to have a child you're not sure is going to – is going to make it – I understand [...]." Palin did not react to this, instead returning to her campaign's platform.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
Much interest leading up to the debate stemmed from Governor Palin's poorly handled interviews conducted in the weeks leading up to the event; many of her responses were the brunt of severe criticism, and a poll in early October from the Pew Research Center showed that the number of people who believed Palin was qualified to serve as president had dropped to 37% from 52% in early September. Consequently, the vice-presidential debate was largely seen as an opportunity for further destruction or redemption on Palin's part.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
Several polls suggested that Biden had won the debate; although, many observers were surprised by Palin's speaking abilities and knowledge of John McCain's policies. CNN polls found Biden won 51 to 36. It is widely agreed that both candidates accurately followed the "do no harm" guideline of vice-presidential debates. James Taylor, professor of political science at the University of San Francisco commented, "[Palin] resuscitated herself, but I'm not sure she did quite enough to do anything for John McCain." He added "Biden demonstrated he knows John McCain better than Sarah Palin does. She couldn't offer rebuttals during the depth of discussions. She read the Cliff Notes on McCain, and Biden has known John McCain."


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
According to a poll of uncommitted voters conducted immediately after the debate by CBS News and Knowledge Networks, 46% thought Senator Biden won the debate, 21% thought Governor Palin had won, and 33% thought it was a tie. Fox News Channel held a poll regarding the performance of each candidate, with 51% of the votes in favor of Biden, and 39% in favor of Palin. The Opinion Research Corporation's poll on the debate revealed that 51% of viewers felt Biden had won, while 36% were in favor of Palin. In the same poll, 87% said Biden was capable of fulfilling the duties of the vice presidency, while 42% said Palin was capable. Palin was considered more likable however, scoring 54% to Biden's 36%. Mark Halperin of Time graded both candidates' performances a B.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Reception
The event overall was widely described as having little effect on the 2008 presidential race, although a CBS News poll found that the presidential race tightened following the vice-presidential debate, with the Obama-Biden lead falling from 9 points to 4 points.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Moderator Gwen Ifill
The debate's format offered moderator Gwen Ifill great freedom and power to decide the questions which can cover domestic or international issues. On the day before the debate, it gained wide media attention that Ifill had authored a new book The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama, which was to be released by publisher Doubleday on January 20, 2009, the day of the presidential inauguration. Ifill did not inform the debate commission about her book.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Moderator Gwen Ifill
Fox News' Washington managing editor Brit Hume claimed Ifill had a "financial stake" in an Obama victory because of the profit she stood to make from her book. John McCain said he was confident Ifill would do "a totally objective job," but stated, "Does this help that if she has written a book that's favorable to Senator Obama? Probably not." In response to the controversy, Ifill questioned why people assume that her book will be favorable toward Obama, saying "Do you think they made the same assumptions about Lou Cannon [who is white] when he wrote his book about [Ronald] Reagan? ".


2008 United States presidential debates, October 2: Vice presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis), Moderator Gwen Ifill
A national poll was held immediately following the vice-presidential debate, indicating that 95% of viewers felt Ifill was fair and unbiased.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 7: Second presidential debate (Belmont University)
Moderator Tom Brokaw of NBC News opened the debate by stating that since the first debate, a lot had changed in the world and for the worse. While Brokaw did not ask the initial questions, he did ask follow-up ones. When the candidates were asked who they would consider as the next Secretary of the Treasury, John McCain said that he might concur with Obama's suggestion of Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and then went on also to suggest former eBay president Meg Whitman. Barack Obama reiterated the mention of Buffett and said there are also many other qualified Americans. Both candidates said that it is important to choose as Treasury Secretary someone who earns the trust of the American people. The first 5 questions all were related to the economy.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 7: Second presidential debate (Belmont University)
The first Internet question came from a 78-year-old, as Brokaw pointed out, "child of the Depression" about sacrifices that Americans might have to make in the future. McCain responded that spending– besides defense, veterans' affairs, and certain other programs that he specified during the first debate– would have to be frozen.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 7: Second presidential debate (Belmont University)
McCain was critical of Obama's support for a $3 million earmark which would have bought a new planetarium projector for Chicago's Adler Planetarium, the oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. The current Zeiss Mark VI projector is 40 years old and no longer supported by its manufacturer, Carl Zeiss AG. McCain referred to it as an overhead projector. The earmark was not approved.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 7: Second presidential debate (Belmont University), Reception
CNN's poll conducted after the debate found that 54% of those surveyed thought that Obama had won and 30% felt McCain had won. In CBS's poll of uncommitted voters, 40% felt Obama had won, 26% thought McCain had won, and 34% said it was a tie. Time's Mark Halperin graded Obama's performance a B+ and McCain's performance a B.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 7: Second presidential debate (Belmont University), Reception
Several media outlets, especially those on the Internet, reported controversy over McCain referring to Obama as "that one" while discussing energy policy. Many critics of McCain, including the Obama campaign, compared it to the first debate, when McCain did not look at Obama. This incident was recreated on Saturday Night Live, with the actor portraying McCain referring to his opponent as "this character here," "junior," and "pee-pants." Many comedy show performers - Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and the Saturday Night Live crew - also lampooned McCain's habit of "wandering aimlessly about the stage" during the debate while Obama was speaking.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 15: Third presidential debate (Hofstra University)
The third presidential debate occurred on Wednesday, October 15 at 9:00 PM EST in the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on the campus of Hofstra University. The focus was on domestic policy and the economy.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 15: Third presidential debate (Hofstra University), Joe the Plumber
During the debate repeated references were made to Joe Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber". Wurzelbacher had spoken with Obama while he was campaigning in Holland, Ohio. Wurzelbacher claimed that Obama's tax policy would make it difficult for him to expand his business and hire more employees if he bought the business at which he had been employed as a plumber.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 15: Third presidential debate (Hofstra University), Joe the Plumber
Obama gave a five-minute response where he said "under his proposal taxes on any revenue from $250,000 on down would stay the same, but that amounts above that level would be subject to a 39 percent tax, instead of the current 36 percent rate", and that his plan includes a 50 percent small-business tax credit for health care and a proposal to eliminate the capital-gains tax for small businesses that increase in value,and "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody", which Wurzelbacher later dismissed as "tap dancing...he was almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr.".


2008 United States presidential debates, October 15: Third presidential debate (Hofstra University), Joe the Plumber
In the debate, McCain repeatedly brought up "Joe the Plumber" and Obama and McCain then made statements aimed directly at Wurzelbacher. These events led to subsequent media attention directed at Wurzelbacher. He reportedly had been registered to vote in 1992 under the name "Samuel Joseph Worzelbacher", and voted in his first primary on March 4 of this year, registering as a Republican. After the debate, Wurzelbacher did not declare his vote for either candidate, although he expressed concern that Obama's plans were "one step closer to socialism." Obama's running mate Joe Biden argued that the vast majority of small businesses are smaller than Wurzelbacher's.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 15: Third presidential debate (Hofstra University), Joe the Plumber
In an interview the day after the debate, Wurzelbacher said Obama's tax plan wouldn't affect him right now, because he doesn't make $250,000. He also indicated to reporters that he was a conservative, a fan of the military and McCain. He said meeting McCain would be an honor but said he hadn't been contacted by the Republican campaign.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 15: Third presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
CNN's poll conducted after the debate found that 58% of those surveyed thought that Obama had won and 31% felt McCain had won. In CBS's poll of uncommitted voters, 53% felt Obama had won and 22% thought McCain had won, Obama's largest margin of victory of the three debates. A Politico poll of undecided voters, conducted over a 15-minute period following the completion of the presidential debate, showed that 49% felt Obama won, while 46% believed McCain won the debate. Among respondents not identified with either major political party, McCain was judged the night’s winner, 51-42 percent. Obama’s most important lead may have come among Hispanic voters, who said he bested McCain by a 50-36 percent margin.


2008 United States presidential debates, October 15: Third presidential debate (Hofstra University), Reception
Bruce Merrill, professor of media and mass communications at Arizona State University, claimed, "I really think that [McCain's] negativism, the attack mode was one that does not play well with women and independents." Many observers felt that Obama had to simply avoid stumbles or mistakes in order to succeed in the debate. This was reflected in another professor's sentiments: "I didn't think Obama was as comfortable this time as he was in the other two debates, but I didn't really hear any gaffe, any major mistake," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Sabato added, "he might even be judged the winner." Time's Mark Halperin graded McCain's performance an A- and Obama's performance a B.


2008 United States presidential debates, Third party debates, October 15: C-SPAN (Columbia University)
The first of two televised third-party debates was held October 15 at Columbia University. The debate was broadcast by C-SPAN. It included Independent candidate Ralph Nader, Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin, and Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney. It was hosted by Amy Goodman, moderator of the widely syndicated TV/radio program Democracy Now.


2008 United States presidential debates, Third party debates, October 15: C-SPAN (Columbia University)
Libertarian candidate Bob Barr was invited, but declined to participate  (citing scheduling conflicts).


2008 United States presidential debates, Third party debates, October 23: Free & Equal debate (Washington, D.C.)
The second of the televised third-party debates was sponsored by the Free & Equal Elections Foundation and took place in Washington, D.C. on October 23. The third party candidates who could theoretically win the 270 votes needed to win the election were invited, and Independent candidate Ralph Nader and Constitution party candidate Chuck Baldwin attended. Journalist Chris Hedges moderated. It was broadcast on cable by C-SPAN and on the Internet by Break-the-Matrix (BtM), one of the event sponsors (Other sponsors included Open Debates, the Daily Paul, and Steal Back Your Vote).


2008 United States presidential debates, Third party debates, October 23: Free & Equal debate (Washington, D.C.)
Libertarian candidate Bob Barr was invited, but declined to participate  (citing scheduling conflicts).


2008 United States presidential debates, Third party debates, November 2: Free & Equal vice presidential debate (Las Vegas)
On November 2, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a third-party debate was hosted by the Free & Equal Elections Foundation. Libertarian VP nominee Wayne Allyn, Constitution Party VP nominee Darrell Castle, and independent VP nominee Matt Gonzalez participated.


2008 United States presidential debates, Third party debates, Other, Alternative Presidential Candidates' Debate
An Alternative Presidential Candidates' Debate was hosted by The Coalition for October Debate Alternatives (CODA), the Nashville Peace Coalition, and Vanderbilt Students of Nonviolence at Vanderbilt University, moderated by Bruce Barry. The participants were Bradford Lyttle of the U.S. Pacifist Party, Charles Jay of the Boston Tea Party, Gloria LaRiva of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Frank McEnulty of the New American Independent Party, Vice-Presidential candidate Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party and Brian Moore of the Socialist Party.


2008 United States presidential debates, Third party debates, Other, October 28: Third Party Forum (Cypress College)
On October 28, a Third Party Forum was held at Cypress College hosted by Associated Students. Bradford Lyttle and Frank McEnulty participated as well as representatives for the Constitution Party, Green Party, and Nader campaign. A sixth, Bruce Bongardt, also participated describing himself as a "virtual candidate" who was not on the ballot but wanted to share his ideas.


2008 United States presidential debates, Proposed debates that did not materialize, Proposals by third parties
In November 2007, the CPD rejected New Orleans as a debate site on grounds that the city had not recovered sufficiently from Hurricane Katrina to handle such an event. The decision was criticized, and various candidates and newspapers urged the commission to hold a debate in New Orleans.


2008 United States presidential debates, Proposed debates that did not materialize, Proposals by third parties
On April 29, 2008, Google and YouTube announced that they would sponsor a U.S. Presidential Forum, to be held on September 18 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. It was intended to be hosted by The New Orleans Consortium, which consists of Women of the Storm and the Greater New Orleans Foundation as well as Dillard University, Loyola University New Orleans, Tulane University, and Xavier University.


2008 United States presidential debates, Proposed debates that did not materialize, Proposals by third parties
Unlike debates organized by the CPD, the 15% polling threshold was substituted with a threshold for participation at "no less than 10 percent of the voting age population intending to vote, as measured by at least three nationally-recognized public opinion surveys." This non-CPD sanctioned event was cancelled because no candidates or parties agreed to appear.


2008 United States presidential debates, Proposed debates that did not materialize, Proposals by third parties
At the end of August, 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain agreed to participate in a written "debate" on scientific issues, organized by a coalition of scientific, professional and media organizations called ScienceDebate.org. On August 30, Obama's responses were published in Nature magazine, and McCain's were published on September 15, 2008.


2008 United States presidential debates, Proposed debates that did not materialize, Proposals by the candidates
In June 2008, John McCain proposed 10 town-hall style debates, considered his best format. Obama proposed five total debates between June and Election Day: three traditional debates plus a joint town hall on the economy in July and an "in-depth debate" on foreign policy in August.


2008 United States presidential election
The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior Senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior Senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John McCain, the senior Senator from Arizona, and Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska. Obama became the first African American to be elected to the presidency, as well as being only the third sitting United States Senator elected president, joining Warren G. Harding and John F. Kennedy. Meanwhile, Biden became the first senator running mate of a senator elected president since Lyndon B. Johnson (who was Kennedy's running mate) in the 1960 election.


2008 United States presidential election
Incumbent Republican President George W. Bush was ineligible to pursue a third term due to the term limits established by the 22nd Amendment. McCain secured the Republican nomination by March 2008, defeating former governors Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and other challengers. The Democratic primaries were marked by a sharp contest between Obama and the initial front-runner, former First Lady and Senator Hillary Clinton. Clinton's victory in the New Hampshire primary made her the first woman to win a major party's presidential primary. After a long primary season, Obama secured the Democratic nomination in June 2008.


2008 United States presidential election
Early campaigning focused heavily on the Iraq War and Bush's unpopularity. McCain supported the war, as well as a troop surge that had begun in 2007, while Obama strongly opposed the war. Bush endorsed McCain, but the two did not campaign together, and Bush did not appear in person at the 2008 Republican National Convention. Obama campaigned on the theme that "Washington must change," while McCain emphasized his experience. The campaign was strongly affected by the onset of a major financial crisis, which peaked in September 2008. McCain's decision to suspend his campaign during the height of the financial crisis backfired as voters viewed his response as erratic.


2008 United States presidential election
Obama won a decisive victory over McCain, winning the Electoral College and the popular vote by a sizable margin, including states that had not voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1976 (North Carolina) and 1964 (Indiana and Virginia). Obama received the largest share of the popular vote won by a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and was the first Democrat to win an outright majority of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.


2008 United States presidential election
Obama's total count of 69.5 million votes stood as the largest tally ever won by a presidential candidate until 2020, when this was surpassed by both major party candidates in a high-turnout election. He was the first Democrat to win without Arkansas and Missouri since those states joined the Union in 1836 and 1821 and the first Democrat to win the presidency without winning West Virginia since 1916. Because one West Virginia elector voted for the Democrat in 1916, Obama was the first Democrat to win without any electors from the state since its founding in 1863. Obama flipped nine states that had voted Republican in 2004: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia, as well as Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.


2008 United States presidential election, Background
Article Two of the United States Constitution provides that the President and Vice President of the United States must be natural-born citizens of the United States, at least 35 years old, and residents of the United States for a period of at least 14 years. Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the political parties, in which case each party devises a method (such as a primary election) to choose the candidate the party deems best suited to run for the position.


2008 United States presidential election, Background
Traditionally, the primary elections are indirect elections where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate. The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf. The general election in November is also an indirect election, where voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors in turn directly elect the president and vice president.


2008 United States presidential election, Background
President George W. Bush, a Republican and former Governor of Texas, was ineligible to seek reelection to a third term due to the Twenty-second Amendment; in accordance with Section 1 of the Twentieth Amendment, his term expired at noon eastern standard time on January 20, 2009.


2008 United States presidential election, Background
Also ineligible to run for an additional term as president was past two-term president Bill Clinton. While neither of them ran, former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush, each having served only one term, were both eligible to run for a second term as president.


2008 United States presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Party nomination, Before the primaries
Media speculation had begun almost immediately after the results of the 2004 presidential election were released. In the 2006 midterm elections, the Democrats regained majorities in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Early polls taken before anyone had announced a candidacy had shown Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as the most popular potential Democratic candidates.


2008 United States presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Party nomination, Before the primaries
Nevertheless, the media speculated on several other candidates, including Al Gore, the runner-up in the 2000 election; John Kerry, the runner-up in the 2004 election; John Edwards, Kerry's running mate in 2004; senator from Delaware Joe Biden; New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson; Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack; and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh.


2008 United States presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Party nomination, Before the primaries
Edwards was one of the first to formally announce his candidacy for the presidency, on December 28, 2006. This run would be his second attempt at the presidency. Clinton announced intentions to run in the Democratic primaries on January 20, 2007. Obama announced his candidacy on February 10 in his home state of Illinois.