(Redirected from
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2008)
.svg){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Harkin: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Reed: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg)
| Elections in Iowa |
|---|
 |
The 2008 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Senator Tom Harkin sought re-election to a fifth term in office. Unlike Harkin's three previous reelection bids, he was not challenged by a sitting United States Congressman but instead faced small businessman Christopher Reed, who won the Republican primary by just a few hundred votes. Harkin defeated Reed in a landslide, winning 94 of Iowa's 99 counties. As of 2023 [update], this is the last time that a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate election in Iowa.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Tom Harkin, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin (incumbent) | 90,785 | 98.83% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 1,074 | 1.17% | |
| Total votes | 91,859 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- George Eichhorn, former Iowa State Representative
- Steve Rathje, construction company executive
- Christopher Reed, small businessman
Results
Reed
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Eichhorn
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 70–80%
Rathje
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Christopher Reed | 24,964 | 35.32% | |
| Republican | George Eichhorn | 24,390 | 34.52% | |
| Republican | Steve Rathje | 21,062 | 29.80% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 256 | 0.36% | |
| Total votes | 70,672 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report [2] | Safe D | October 23, 2008 |
| CQ Politics [3] | Safe D | October 31, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report [4] | Safe D | November 2, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics [5] | Safe D | November 4, 2008 |
Polling
.jpg)
| Poll source | Dates administered | Christopher Reed (R) |
Tom Harkin (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | April 21–23, 2008 | 20% | 59% |
| Research 2000 | June 10, 2008 | 37% | 53% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 10, 2008 | 37% | 55% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 7, 2008 | 36% | 60% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 17–18, 2008 | 37% | 60% |
| Survey USA | October 23, 2008 | 41% | 57% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 29, 2008 | 35% | 61% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin (incumbent) | 941,665 | 62.66% | +8.48% | |
| Republican | Christopher Reed | 560,006 | 37.26% | -6.52% | |
| Write-in | 1,247 | 0.08% | N/A | ||
| Majority | 381,659 | 25.39% | +15.00% | ||
| Turnout | 1,502,918 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Butler (Largest city: Parkersburg)
- Crawford (Largest city: Denison)
- Delaware (Largest city: Manchester)
- Van Buren (Largest city: Keosauqua)
- Plymouth (largest city: Le Mars)
- Grundy (largest city: Grundy Center)
- Harrison (largest city: Missouri Valley)
- Cass (largest city: Atlantic)
- Ida (largest city: Ida Grove)
- Fremont (largest city: Sidney)
- Pottawattamie (largest city: Council Bluffs)
- Sac (largest city: Sac City)
- Shelby (largest city: Harlan)
- Marion (largest city: Pella)
- Mills (largest city: Glenwood)
- Montgomery (largest city: Red Oak)
- Mahaska (largest city: Oskaloosa)
See also
References
- ^ a b "Official Results Report 2008 Primary Election" (PDF). Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Race Ratings Chart: Senate Archived October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
- ^ "2008 Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008" (PDF). Retrieved January 17, 2020.