This seating plan is updated at the start of each Congress, and as needed if members change desks or seating locations or if a new senator is sworn in. [90][91] 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. 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%.[61]. A September 2007 poll put Inhofe's approval rating at 47%, with 41% disapproving of his performance. Explore the current seating plan below, use the dropdown for access to past interactive seating plans, or browse PDFs of seating configurations from before 2003. [43] 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. Going into these elections, the Senate consisted of 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and two Independents who caucused with the Democrats, giving the Democratic caucus the slightest 5149 majority. The candidates disagreed on the causes of the financial crisis and tax policy. Six of the 69 Democratic senators sat with the 23 Republican and 4 Independent senators. Election Map [169] 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.[170]. What If All States Split Their Electoral Votes. [12], Sessions defeated Figures, taking 63% of the vote to Figures's 37%, Dispelling rumors that he would retire due to advanced age (he was 84 years old on election day) and ongoing federal investigations into his conduct, senator Ted Stevens filed papers for re-election for an eighth term. Click on the states in the map to toggle them between Democrat, Republican and Tossup. The Upshot's Senate forecasting model uses a combination of polling data and a fundamentals model that includes among other things candidate political experience, money raised, and state . Other Republicans included Charles Lyonel Gonyo and Sam Kephart. 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. Setting the popular vote will also set the color of a state, Clicking on a district will set the popular vote to max, Clicking doesn\'t set state color or open menu, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, F - hold down to quickly fill in districts, D - hold down to fill/disable entire states. The Libertarian Party of Tennessee officially selected Daniel Lewis as their candidate for United States Senate on Saturday March 8, 2008, at their annual convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. Each desk was custom made for a particular location within the Chamber. A Rasmussen poll released May 11, 2008, showed Hagan leading Dole by a statistically insignificant margin, 48% - 47%,[122] suggesting a competitive race. He selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate to counter arguments that McCains age would be a detriment to presidential service. These voting patterns translated into an Obama victory with inroads into the South and West. Johanns won, taking 58% of the vote, with Kleeb taking 40%. McCain also hoped that Palins youth and relatability to conservative women would buoy his campaign. 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. [8][9] Perry was endorsed by Alabama Statesmen,[10] Boston Tea Party,[11] and Christians for Life and Liberty. 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. RCP Senate Map Race Changes; Senate No Toss Ups Race Changes; RCP House Map; 49: Democrats * Haley Barbour (R) named Rep. Roger Wicker (R . The last time a Cherokee Strip existed in the Senate Chamber was during the 76th Congress (19391941). [citation needed] Franken was sworn in as Minnesota's junior senator on July 7. [19] Two former Veco executives have plead guilty to paying the younger Stevens $242,000 in bribes. [54] Chad Koppie, a retired airline pilot and vice-chairman of the Illinois Center Right Coalition, was the nominee of the Constitution Party. 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),[108] with his approval standing only at 42% as of September 2007 with voters saying he does not deserve re-election 46%-36%. Obama won nearly all major demographic groups on his way to victory. Two senators from each state are elected to represent their state. Senate Big Board - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times State Results Alaska Ariz. Calif. Colo. Conn. D.C. Hawaii Idaho Md. During the 89th Congress (19651967), four senators were placed in an unusual fifth row behind the Democratic senators. [41] For most of the campaign, Chambliss maintained a comfortable lead in most polls. Obama won the general election with 52.9 percent of the popular vote and 365 of the 538 electoral votes. [32], Other candidates included Bob Kinsey of Denver as the Green Party nominee,[33] Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell as the American Constitution Party's nominee,[34] and Independent candidate Buddy Moore, unaffiliated any party.[35]. [37] Delaware law allowed Biden to run for Vice President and senator at the same time, so he would have kept the Senate seat if the presidential ticket had lost. [152], There were three Libertarians, including 2006 LP senate nominee Scott Jameson, running for their party's nomination. In Nebraska, incumbent Republican Chuck Hagel chose to retire rather than run for a third term. [81] 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. The 2008 presidential election focused on a national economic crisis that evolved throughout the race. Senator to ever lose re-election, defeating Warren Magnuson's 1980 record. Elections to state legislatures were held on November 4, 2008, alongside other elections, in which Democrats scored significant gains in a blue wave election. [7] Figures has won elections in the Republican-leaning Mobile area. In one of the first senate races called on election day, Warner won, taking 65% of the vote, with Gilmore winning 34%. Obama argued that deregulation of the financial industry led to risky trading mechanisms contributing to the crisis. [6] In New York, the Democrats obtained a trifecta for the first time since 1935.[7]. 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. [47] 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. His Democratic opponent was Chris Rothfuss, a professor at the University of Wyoming and a chemical engineer, nanotechnologist, and diplomat. Obama won the Electoral College after receiving 365 votes to 173 votes for McCain. [86] Coleman appealed this decision. This marked the first time that Nebraska has split its electoral vote since it moved away from the winner-take-all method in 1992. To win the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of all electors. In these special elections, the winner was seated during 2008 or before January 3, 2009, sorted by election date, then state, then class. 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. Please enter a name, party, and color for each candidate. [80] Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minnesota), joined the race in October 2007. [18], An ex-oil company executive, Bill Allen, paid for part of the renovation costs on Stevens's personal residence. The same Rasmussen poll showed Cornyn leading Noriega by a narrow four percentage points - 47% to 43%. On November 4, 2008, Chambliss received 49.8% of the vote,[42] with Martin about 3% behind and Buckley receiving 3% of the vote. 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. Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks appeared to be preparing for a run, but on June 12, 2007, Sparks announced that he would not seek the Senate seat, in order to avoid a primary battle with state senator Vivian Davis Figures. McCain still won the white vote, though Obamas share of the vote was large enough to win in some Republican areas. Justices Opened Door to Gerrymander Presidential Elections, How Trump Could Win Re-Election By One Electoral Vote, 3 Myths About Abolishing the Electoral College, 5 Reasons to Abolish the Electoral College, Another Look at the 2020 Battleground States, Imagining the 2024 Electoral Map After Redistricting, The Electoral College Penalizes Voters In High Turnout States, The Winner-Take-All Electoral College Isnt In the Constitution. Obama won his party's presidential nomination after defeating Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries. ", Bligh, Michelle C., and Jeffrey C. Kohles. The campaign engaged targeted groups through networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Senate Catalogue of Graphic Art ", Campbell, James E. "An exceptional election: Performance, values, and crisis in the 2008 presidential election. The selected electors from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia voted for President and Vice President of the United States on December 15, 2008. [91] Controversy arose when Barbour called for the special election to be held on the same day as the general election. It was rumored that Lt. A temporary interim senator, Paul G. Kirk, was appointed to the seat of Edward M. Kennedy upon his death. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama won the presidential election, making Biden the next VP.