The 2008 congressional elections in Missouri were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who will represent the
state of
Missouri in the
United States House of Representatives. The primary election for candidates seeking the nomination of the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, and the Libertarian Party was held on August 5.
Missouri has nine seats in the House, apportioned according to the
2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the
111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the
2008 U.S. presidential election.
The races not forecasted as safe for the incumbent party were 6 and 9; however, the Republicans held both seats. The state was the only one where the party that won the most seats did not win the most votes in the state in 2008.
Overview
United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri, 2008[1]
Incumbent Democratic Congressman
William Lacy Clay Jr. easily dispatched with Libertarian challenger Robb Cunningham in this
St. Louis-based liberal district.
Incumbent Republican Congressman
Todd Akin easily won re-election to a fifth term over Democratic nominee Bill Haas and Libertarian candidate Thomas Knapp in this conservative district rooted in the northern and western suburbs of
St. Louis.
In this fairly liberal district based in the southern portion of
St. Louis and previously represented by
House Minority LeaderDick Gephardt, Democratic Congressman
Russ Carnahan easily defeated Republican Chris Sander, Libertarian Kevin Babcock, and Constitution Party candidate Cindy Redburn to win a third term.
Long-serving incumbent Democratic Congressman
Ike Skelton, the Chairman of the
House Armed Services Committee, easily defeated Republican nominee Jeff Parnell in this conservative, west-central Missouri district to win a seventeenth term. By contrast, in the simultaneous
2008 presidential election the district gave 61 percent of its vote to
Republican nominee
John McCain and 38 percent to
Democratic nominee
Barack Obama, making this the only Missouri district with opposite results in the two elections.
Democratic incumbent Congressman
Emanuel Cleaver defeated Republican nominee Jacob Turk to win a third term in this fairly liberal district based in
Kansas City.
Incumbent Republican Congressman
Sam Graves survived a high-profile challenge from Democratic nominee and former
Kansas City Mayor
Kay Barnes by a much healthier margin than expected. Barnes' inability to capitalize on the strong
Democratic wave sweeping the country ultimately left her defeated in this normally conservative district based in northwest Missouri.
Incumbent Republican Congressman
Roy Blunt, a former short-serving
House Majority Leader defeated Democrat Richard Monroe, Libertarian Kevin Craig, and Constitution candidate Travis Maddox to easily win another term in office.
In this staunchly conservative district based in southeast Missouri, incumbent Republican Congresswoman
Jo Ann Emerson had no difficulty in dispatching Democrat Joe Allen, Libertarian Branden McCullough, and Constitution candidate Richard Smith to win another term in office.