2008 United States Senate election in Kansas
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 Roberts: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Slattery: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2008 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts won re-election to a third term.
Background
The state of Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Kansas's other Republican Senator Sam Brownback announced that he is retiring due to "self-imposed term limits," which meant Roberts became the senior Senator from Kansas in 2011. It is considered one of the most Republican states in the U.S. The last time its electors went to a Democrat was the Presidential Election of 1964, when Lyndon Johnson carried the state over Barry Goldwater.
Roberts had announced ahead of the 1996 election that "I plan only to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate",[1] but he broke that pledge in this election.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Pat Roberts, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat Roberts (Incumbent) | 214,911 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 214,911 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jim Slattery, former U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor in 1994
- Lee Jones, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2004
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Slattery | 68,106 | 68.93% | |
| Democratic | Lee Jones | 30,699 | 31.07% | |
| Total votes | 98,805 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Pat Roberts (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Jim Slattery (D), former U.S. Representative
- Randall Hodgkinson (L), attorney
- Joseph L. Martin (Re), nominee for Secretary of State in 2006
Predictions
CQ Politics rated this race as 'Republican Favored'.[4] The Cook Political Report considered it 'Solid Republican'.[5] The Rothenberg Political Report considered it a 'Safe Republican'.[6]
Polling
| Poll Source | Dates administered | Slattery | Roberts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | May 13, 2008 | 40% | 52% |
| Research 2000/Daily Kos | June 2–4, 2008 | 38% | 50% |
| Cooper & Secrest | June 5–8, 2008 | 36% | 48% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 11, 2008 | 39% | 48% |
| TargetPoint Consulting, Inc. | July 1, 2008 | 34% | 54% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 15, 2008 | 33% | 61% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 11, 2008 | 37% | 56% |
| Survey USA | August 20, 2008 | 31% | 58% |
| Survey USA | September 22, 2008 | 35% | 55% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 23, 2008 | 38% | 58% |
| October 13, 2008 | 36% | 55% | |
| Survey USA | October 22, 2008 | 35% | 57% |
| Survey USA | October 28, 2008 | 33% | 60% |
Results
Roberts won by 24 percentage points over Slattery, carrying 102 of the state's 105 counties. Slattery only carried three counties in northeast Kansas: Atchison, Douglas and Wyandotte.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat Roberts (Incumbent) | 727,121 | 60.06% | −22.46% | |
| Democratic | Jim Slattery | 441,399 | 36.46% | ||
| Libertarian | Randall Hodgkinson | 25,727 | 2.12% | −6.98% | |
| Reform | Joseph L. Martin | 16,443 | 1.36% | −7.02% | |
| Majority | 285,722 | 23.60% | −49.82% | ||
| Turnout | 1,210,690 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ^ "Pat Roberts Said In 1996 He'd Only Serve Two Terms — He's Running For His Fourth". BuzzFeed. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ http://www.kssos.org/elections/08elec/2008ElectionOfficialVoteTotals.pdf
- ^ http://www.kssos.org/elections/08elec/2008ElectionOfficialVoteTotals.pdf
- ^ Race Ratings Chart: Senate Archived October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
- ^ 2008 Senate Race Ratings Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Cook Political Report, October 9, 2008
- ^ 2008 Senate Ratings The Rothenberg Political Report, September 29, 2008
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2008/2008Stat.htm#stateKS
External links
- Elections & Legislative from the Kansas Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Kansas at Project Vote Smart
- Kansas, U.S. Senate CQ Politics
- Kansas U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Kansas U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
- Roberts (R-i) vs Slattery (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Official campaign websites