United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 congressional elections in Arizona were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state
of Arizona
in the United States House of Representatives
, co-inciding with the presidential
election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress
from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011.
Arizona has eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of four Republicans and four Democrats. Two of the Democrats took Republican seats in 2006, and were at risk during the 2008 election. The delegation is now three Republicans and five Democrats. District 1 changed party (from open Republican to Democratic), although CQ Politics had forecast districts 1, 3, 5 and 8 to be at some risk for the incumbent party.
The party primary elections were held September 2, 2008.
This open seat was contested by Republican Sydney Ann Hay, a mining industry lobbyist; Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick
, a former State Representative and prosecutor; Independent Brent Maupin, a Sedona engineer and businessman; and Libertarian Thane Eichenauer. The Cook Political Report ranked this race as 'Likely Democratic,' and CQ Politics, the Rothenberg Political Report, and the New York Times all forecast the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
This district had been represented by Republican Rick Renzi
since 2003. In August 2007, Renzi announced he would not seek re-election, four months after the FBI raided Renzi's family business as part of a federal investigation. Renzi received only 52% of the vote compared to 44% for his Democratic opponent – Sedona
civil rights attorney Ellen Simon – in 2006; George W. Bush won 54% of the vote in this northern Arizona district in 2004.
In the Democratic primary, Kirkpatrick won by almost 15 points, against publisher and former Phoenix TV newscaster Mary Kim Titla
, mental health advocate Jeffrey Brown
and attorney Howard Shanker. (Simon had announced her intention to run again, but then dropped out in May 2007, citing personal reasons.)
In the Republican primary, Hay, who ran unsuccessfully in 2002, earned a narrower-than-expected victory against Sandra L. B. Livingstone, Tom Hansen and Barry Hall. State Representative Bill Konopnicki, former Navajo County Supervisor Lewis Tenney and State Senator Tom O'Halleran
were other potential candidates.
Kirkpatrick earned endorsements from leaders in government, education, tribal communities, first responders, and other groups. Among those endorsing her were: Governor Janet Napolitano
, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords
, U.S. Representative Harry Mitchell
, the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Police Association, the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs, the International Association of Firefighters, Navajo County School Superintendent Linda Morrow, county sheriffs in Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, and Pinal Counties, Coconino County School Superintendent Cecilia Owen, Pinal County School Superintendent Orlenda Roberts, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Wendsler Nosie, White Mountain Apache Tribal Chairman Ronnie Lupe, former Navajo Nation president Dr. Peterson Zah, and many other tribal leaders. The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper, and the White Mountain Independent and the Arizona Daily Sun, two of the most widely-read newspapers in the district, also endorsed her candidacy.
Kirkpatrick ran on a platform of tax cuts for 86 million middle class families, making health care affordable and accessible to all, and encouraging renewable energy projects to end America's dependence on foreign energy and create jobs for rural Arizona. She supports increasing teacher salaries, expanding SCHIP, and adding a division to the army. Kirkpatrick is known as an advocate for early education, Native Americans, and law enforcement. As a member of the Arizona State Legislature, Kirkpatrick was known for her willingness to work across party lines.
This district has been represented by Republican Trent Franks
since 2003. In what was essentially a rematch of the previous election, he was challenged by Democrat John Thrasher (campaign website), Libertarian Powell Gammill and Green William Crum. CQ Politics forecasts the race as 'Safe Republican'.
This district has been represented by Republican John Shadegg
since 1995. He was challenged by Democrat Bob Lord (campaign website), a tax attorney, and Libertarian Michael Shoen. Running as Independents were Mark Yannone (campaign website), Annie Loyd, Steve May
and Edwin Winkler. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Republican'.
An outspoken conservative, Shadegg has consistently been re-elected in this Republican-leaning district (Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+6) in the northern Phoenix suburbs which gave George W. Bush 57.9 percent of the vote in 2004. However, Lord outraised Shadegg in the first quarter of 2007 and even had more cash on hand compared to Shadegg, which resulted in an unusually competitive race. However, Shadegg's campaign team noted that Shadegg's funds are smaller than expected due to Shadegg donating most of the money in 2006 to fellow Republicans in a last-ditch, albeit lackluster attempt to retain control of Congress.
On February 11, 2008, incumbent Shadegg announced he would not run for an eighth term, saying that he wanted to "seek a new challenge in a different venue to advance the cause of freedom." However, on February 21, Shadegg retracted the statement and announced he would seek re-election. Over 140 Republicans in Congress had signed a letter asking Shadegg to keep his seat. Although it was speculated that he would run for the United States Senate
if John McCain
were to become president, Shadegg had expressed his intention to leave public life and return to the private sector before changing his mind.
Annie Loyd, running on a platform of "transpartisan politics", has been described by The Arizona Republic
as a moderate. Born in South Dakota
and a community activist in Los Angeles
, Loyd is a 15-year resident of Phoenix. She has also appeared at Columbia University
. Shadegg's 2006 opponent, consultant Herb Paine, announced his support for Loyd.
The race was covered in the East Valley Tribune and showed a 27% independent voter population and noted increased registration of independents, in a district of 600,000 people cutting across urban Phoenix into rural parts of northern Maricopa county. The Federal Elections Commission reports that as of December 31, 2007, Shadegg had raised over $1,000,000, Lord over $600,000, and Loyd $26,000. May and Winkler had not reported any fundraising.
This district was previously held by Arizona's junior United States Senator, Republican
Jon Kyl
.
This district has been represented by Democrat Ed Pastor
since 1991. He was challenged by Republican Don Karg, Libertarian Joe Cobb and Green Rebecca DeWitt. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
This district has been represented by Democrat Harry Mitchell
since 2007. Mitchell unseated conservative Republican J.D. Hayworth by 50% to 47% in this Republican-leaning district (Cook PVI: R+4) in the northeastern Phoenix suburbs that gave George W. Bush 54% of the vote in 2004. The largely Republican nature of this district made a tough 2008 race certain, though Mitchell, who has a government complex in Tempe
named after him, had won a lot of tough elections in the past. Maricopa County
Treasurer David Schweikert
won the Republican primary against Susan Bitter Smith
, former State Representative Laura Knaperek
, State Representative Mark Anderson
, Jim Ogsbury and Lee Gentry
. Libertarian Warren Severin also ran. CQ Politics forecasts the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
This district has been represented since 2001 by Republican Jeff Flake
(campaign website), who is perhaps best known for his opposition to pork barrel
projects and advocacy for earmark reform since 2001. He was challenged by Democrat Rebecca Schneider (campaign website) and Libertarian Rick Biondi.
Richard Grayson, an Apache Junction resident who ran as a write-in candidate in Florida's 4th congressional district
in 2004, filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for this seat as a Democrat, as did trucking-firm account manager Chris Gramazio. Schneider, a library supervisor from Mesa
, also filed and ended up defeating Gramazio in the Democratic primary.
There was no Democratic candidate in this heavily Republican district in 2004 or 2006. George W. Bush won with 64% here in 2004. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
This district has been represented by Democrat Raúl Grijalva
since 2003. He was challenged by Republican Joseph Sweeney and Libertarian Raymond Patrick Petrulsky. Republican Milton Chewning (campaign website), who previously ran for this seat in 2006, lost to Sweeney in the primary. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
Gabrielle Giffords
was reelected for a second term.
Her challenger was Republican State Senate President Tim Bee
. Libertarian Paul Davis and Independent Derek Tidball
(campaign website) also ran. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
Giffords defeated conservative Republican Randy Graf
by a 54% to 42% margin in 2006. Bush narrowly won here with 52% to 47% for John Kerry
in 2004.
Giffords attracted a lot of attention in late May and June due to the shuttle flight of her husband Mark E. Kelly, who served as commander of the space shuttle's STS-124
mission.
Bee's campaign generated state and national press coverage when his campaign co-chair, former Congressman Jim Kolbe
, resigned and withdrew his support in early July. Kolbe had held the seat for 22 years until Giffords took office in 2007.
On July 13, The Arizona Republic
summarized the race: "Giffords has proved adept at fundraising and is considered a rising star in Democratic circles. But Bee is one of the state's highest-profile political figures and has enlisted the support of some heavy-hitters, including President Bush, the headliner of a Tucson fundraiser planned for later this month." Giffords has the "advantages of incumbency. Plus, Bee is just off a tough legislative term in which he drew heavy criticism for his role in a state budget deal and the referral of an anti-gay-marriage proposal to the November ballot. Bee remains a popular political figure, and registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 14,000 in the district." On July 16, The Arizona Republic reported that freshman Congresswoman Giffords "has proved to be the most successful fundraiser among the state's House delegation and now has more than $2 million in her campaign coffers."
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, co-inciding with the presidential
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress
111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011.
Arizona has eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of four Republicans and four Democrats. Two of the Democrats took Republican seats in 2006, and were at risk during the 2008 election. The delegation is now three Republicans and five Democrats. District 1 changed party (from open Republican to Democratic), although CQ Politics had forecast districts 1, 3, 5 and 8 to be at some risk for the incumbent party.
The party primary elections were held September 2, 2008.
Overview
| United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2008 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Democratic Arizona Democratic Party The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in Arizona. Its headquarters is in Phoenix.-Party organization:The Arizona Democratic Party is organized into three parts, the state committee, the executive committee, and the executive board.-State Committee:The state committee... |
1,055,305 | 45.47% | 5 | +1 | |
| Republican Arizona Republican Party The Arizona Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Arizona. Its headquarters is in Phoenix.- Elected officers of the State Committee:- State Executive Committee :- State Committee :* The 15 county Republican chairmen... |
1,021,798 | 44.03% | 3 | –1 | |
| Libertarian Libertarian Party of Arizona The Libertarian Party of Arizona is the Arizona affiliate of the Libertarian Party. The state chair is Michael Kielsky. Between the November election in 2008 and April 1, 2009 the number of voters registered as Libertarians in Arizona, rose 11.6%, for a total of 20,256 voters... |
61,100 | 2.63% | 0 | 0 | |
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
9,411 | 0.41% | 0 | 0 | |
| Green Arizona Green Party The Green Party of Arizona is the affiliate of the Green Party in Arizona. It was founded by Carolyn Campbell and others in the 1990s.The Arizona Green Party is perhaps best known for its strong stances on immigration... |
8,080 | 0.35% | 0 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 2,155,694 | 92.88% | — | — | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 165,157 | 7.12% | — | — | |
| Totals | 2,320,851 | 100.00% | 8 | — | |
| Voter turnout | 77.69% | ||||
District 1
This open seat was contested by Republican Sydney Ann Hay, a mining industry lobbyist; Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick
Ann Kirkpatrick
Ann Kirkpatrick is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She earlier served in the Arizona House of Representatives. She was defeated by Republican Paul Gosar in the 2010 election...
, a former State Representative and prosecutor; Independent Brent Maupin, a Sedona engineer and businessman; and Libertarian Thane Eichenauer. The Cook Political Report ranked this race as 'Likely Democratic,' and CQ Politics, the Rothenberg Political Report, and the New York Times all forecast the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
This district had been represented by Republican Rick Renzi
Rick Renzi
Richard George "Rick" Renzi is a former American politician and was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing . Renzi has pending Federal criminal charges against him for his involvement in a land-swap deal. On April 19, 2007, the FBI raided his family...
since 2003. In August 2007, Renzi announced he would not seek re-election, four months after the FBI raided Renzi's family business as part of a federal investigation. Renzi received only 52% of the vote compared to 44% for his Democratic opponent – Sedona
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona...
civil rights attorney Ellen Simon – in 2006; George W. Bush won 54% of the vote in this northern Arizona district in 2004.
In the Democratic primary, Kirkpatrick won by almost 15 points, against publisher and former Phoenix TV newscaster Mary Kim Titla
Mary Kim Titla
Mary Kim Titla is an American publisher, journalist, former TV reporter, and was a 2008 candidate for Arizona's First Congressional District. She is an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe....
, mental health advocate Jeffrey Brown
Jeffrey Brown
Jeffrey Brown is a comic book writer and artist born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.-Biography:After growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a 25-year-old Jeffrey Brown moved to Chicago in 2000 to pursue an MFA at the School of the Art Institute. By the time he finished his studies, he had abandoned...
and attorney Howard Shanker. (Simon had announced her intention to run again, but then dropped out in May 2007, citing personal reasons.)
In the Republican primary, Hay, who ran unsuccessfully in 2002, earned a narrower-than-expected victory against Sandra L. B. Livingstone, Tom Hansen and Barry Hall. State Representative Bill Konopnicki, former Navajo County Supervisor Lewis Tenney and State Senator Tom O'Halleran
Tom O'Halleran
Tom O'Halleran is a former Republican member of the Arizona Senate, who represented the 1st District from 2007 to 2009. He was unseated by primary challenger Steve Pierce during the 2008 election cycle...
were other potential candidates.
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
Kirkpatrick earned endorsements from leaders in government, education, tribal communities, first responders, and other groups. Among those endorsing her were: Governor Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...
, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress...
, U.S. Representative Harry Mitchell
Harry Mitchell
Harry E. Mitchell is a former U.S. Representative who represented from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career :...
, the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Police Association, the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs, the International Association of Firefighters, Navajo County School Superintendent Linda Morrow, county sheriffs in Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, and Pinal Counties, Coconino County School Superintendent Cecilia Owen, Pinal County School Superintendent Orlenda Roberts, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Wendsler Nosie, White Mountain Apache Tribal Chairman Ronnie Lupe, former Navajo Nation president Dr. Peterson Zah, and many other tribal leaders. The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper, and the White Mountain Independent and the Arizona Daily Sun, two of the most widely-read newspapers in the district, also endorsed her candidacy.
Kirkpatrick ran on a platform of tax cuts for 86 million middle class families, making health care affordable and accessible to all, and encouraging renewable energy projects to end America's dependence on foreign energy and create jobs for rural Arizona. She supports increasing teacher salaries, expanding SCHIP, and adding a division to the army. Kirkpatrick is known as an advocate for early education, Native Americans, and law enforcement. As a member of the Arizona State Legislature, Kirkpatrick was known for her willingness to work across party lines.
Results
Kirkpatrick's victory results in a House gain for Democrats.District 2
This district has been represented by Republican Trent Franks
Trent Franks
Trent Franks is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district takes in the entire northwestern corner of the state, including Kingman and Lake Havasu City, but most of its vote is cast in the western Phoenix suburbs.-Early life, education and...
since 2003. In what was essentially a rematch of the previous election, he was challenged by Democrat John Thrasher (campaign website), Libertarian Powell Gammill and Green William Crum. CQ Politics forecasts the race as 'Safe Republican'.
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
Results
Incumbent Trent Franks held on to his seat with almost 60% of the votes.District 3
This district has been represented by Republican John Shadegg
John Shadegg
John Barden Shadegg is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district, numbered as the 4th District before the 2000 Census, includes much of northern Phoenix....
since 1995. He was challenged by Democrat Bob Lord (campaign website), a tax attorney, and Libertarian Michael Shoen. Running as Independents were Mark Yannone (campaign website), Annie Loyd, Steve May
Steve May
Steve May is a politician from Arizona, a former member of the Arizona House of Representatives. May came to national attention in 1999 when, following a speech to the House in which he discussed his homosexuality, he was discharged from the United States Army Reserve under the gay-exclusionary law...
and Edwin Winkler. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Republican'.
An outspoken conservative, Shadegg has consistently been re-elected in this Republican-leaning district (Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+6) in the northern Phoenix suburbs which gave George W. Bush 57.9 percent of the vote in 2004. However, Lord outraised Shadegg in the first quarter of 2007 and even had more cash on hand compared to Shadegg, which resulted in an unusually competitive race. However, Shadegg's campaign team noted that Shadegg's funds are smaller than expected due to Shadegg donating most of the money in 2006 to fellow Republicans in a last-ditch, albeit lackluster attempt to retain control of Congress.
On February 11, 2008, incumbent Shadegg announced he would not run for an eighth term, saying that he wanted to "seek a new challenge in a different venue to advance the cause of freedom." However, on February 21, Shadegg retracted the statement and announced he would seek re-election. Over 140 Republicans in Congress had signed a letter asking Shadegg to keep his seat. Although it was speculated that he would run for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
if John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
were to become president, Shadegg had expressed his intention to leave public life and return to the private sector before changing his mind.
Annie Loyd, running on a platform of "transpartisan politics", has been described by The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
as a moderate. Born in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and a community activist in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Loyd is a 15-year resident of Phoenix. She has also appeared at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Shadegg's 2006 opponent, consultant Herb Paine, announced his support for Loyd.
The race was covered in the East Valley Tribune and showed a 27% independent voter population and noted increased registration of independents, in a district of 600,000 people cutting across urban Phoenix into rural parts of northern Maricopa county. The Federal Elections Commission reports that as of December 31, 2007, Shadegg had raised over $1,000,000, Lord over $600,000, and Loyd $26,000. May and Winkler had not reported any fundraising.
This district was previously held by Arizona's junior United States Senator, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Jon Kyl
Jon Kyl
Jon Llewellyn Kyl is the junior U.S. Senator from Arizona and the Senate Minority Whip, the second-highest position in the Republican Senate leadership. In 2010 he was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for his persuasive role in the Senate.The son...
.
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
Results
Incumbent John Shadegg held his seat with about 54% of the votes.District 4
This district has been represented by Democrat Ed Pastor
Ed Pastor
Edward Lopez "Ed" Pastor is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of southern, western, and downtown Phoenix, along with a portion of Glendale....
since 1991. He was challenged by Republican Don Karg, Libertarian Joe Cobb and Green Rebecca DeWitt. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
Results
Incumbent Ed Pastor held his seat with about 72% of the votes.District 5
This district has been represented by Democrat Harry Mitchell
Harry Mitchell
Harry E. Mitchell is a former U.S. Representative who represented from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career :...
since 2007. Mitchell unseated conservative Republican J.D. Hayworth by 50% to 47% in this Republican-leaning district (Cook PVI: R+4) in the northeastern Phoenix suburbs that gave George W. Bush 54% of the vote in 2004. The largely Republican nature of this district made a tough 2008 race certain, though Mitchell, who has a government complex in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
named after him, had won a lot of tough elections in the past. Maricopa County
Maricopa County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.0% White*5.0% Black*2.1% Native American*3.5% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.5% Two or more races*12.7% Other races*29.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Treasurer David Schweikert
David Schweikert
David Schweikert is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served two terms in the Arizona State House of Representatives , was chairman of the state Board of Equalization , and was the elected Maricopa County Treasurer . He ran for the U.S...
won the Republican primary against Susan Bitter Smith
Susan Bitter Smith
Susan Bitter Smith is an Arizona Republican politician.She is a former Vice-Mayor and City Council member in the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, a Past Chairman of the Walter Cronkite Foundation, a Past President of the ASU Alumni Association, and the Honorary Chairman of the ASU MBA Alumni Council...
, former State Representative Laura Knaperek
Laura Knaperek
Laura Knaperek is a Republican public official in Arizona. She was first elected to the Arizona state House of Representatives in 1994. She compiled a conservative record while taking an avid interest in youth and family issues. In 2002, she ran for the state Senate, but lost the general...
, State Representative Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson is a journalist and author based in western Massachusetts. He has written for Harper's, The Boston Globe, Wired, Science, and the Rolling Stone and is a regular contributor to New Scientist and Wired News.Anderson is a proponent of the Oxfordian theory that the Elizabethan court...
, Jim Ogsbury and Lee Gentry
Lee Gentry
Elmer Lee Gentry was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Tulsa and was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1941 NFL Draft....
. Libertarian Warren Severin also ran. CQ Politics forecasts the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
Results
Incumbent Harry Mitchell held his seat based with about 53% of the votes.District 6
This district has been represented since 2001 by Republican Jeff Flake
Jeff Flake
Jeffrey Lane "Jeff" Flake is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was featured in the documentary series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories....
(campaign website), who is perhaps best known for his opposition to pork barrel
Pork barrel
Pork barrel is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district...
projects and advocacy for earmark reform since 2001. He was challenged by Democrat Rebecca Schneider (campaign website) and Libertarian Rick Biondi.
Richard Grayson, an Apache Junction resident who ran as a write-in candidate in Florida's 4th congressional district
Florida's 4th congressional district
Florida's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. The district takes in most of Jacksonville along with a portion of North Florida...
in 2004, filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for this seat as a Democrat, as did trucking-firm account manager Chris Gramazio. Schneider, a library supervisor from Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, also filed and ended up defeating Gramazio in the Democratic primary.
There was no Democratic candidate in this heavily Republican district in 2004 or 2006. George W. Bush won with 64% here in 2004. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
Results
Incumbent Jeff Flake held his seat with about 62% of the votes.District 7
This district has been represented by Democrat Raúl Grijalva
Raul Grijalva
Raúl M. Grijalva is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes half of metro Tucson, all of Yuma and Nogales, and some peripheral parts of metro Phoenix.-Early life, education and career:...
since 2003. He was challenged by Republican Joseph Sweeney and Libertarian Raymond Patrick Petrulsky. Republican Milton Chewning (campaign website), who previously ran for this seat in 2006, lost to Sweeney in the primary. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
Results
Incumbent Raúl Grijalva held his seat with about 63% of the votes.District 8
Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress...
was reelected for a second term.
Her challenger was Republican State Senate President Tim Bee
Tim Bee
Timothy S. Bee is a Republican politician and business owner who served in the Arizona State Senate from 2003 to 2007. He was first elected to the Arizona Senate in 2001, and left in 2009 due to term limits. In 2008, he was the Republican candidate for Arizona's 8th congressional district seat in...
. Libertarian Paul Davis and Independent Derek Tidball
Derek Tidball
Derek Tidball is a British theologian, sociologist of religion and Baptist minister. From 1995 to 2007 he was the principal of the London School of Theology.-Education:...
(campaign website) also ran. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
Giffords defeated conservative Republican Randy Graf
Randy Graf
Randy J. Graf is a former member of the Arizona State House. He was the Republican nominee for in 2006. The district occupies most of Tucson, all of Cochise County, and parts of Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties.- Background :...
by a 54% to 42% margin in 2006. Bush narrowly won here with 52% to 47% for John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
in 2004.
Giffords attracted a lot of attention in late May and June due to the shuttle flight of her husband Mark E. Kelly, who served as commander of the space shuttle's STS-124
STS-124
STS-124 was a Space Shuttle mission, flown by Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Discovery launched on 31 May 2008 at 17:02 EDT, moved from an earlier scheduled launch date of 25 May 2008, and landed safely at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, at 11:15...
mission.
Bee's campaign generated state and national press coverage when his campaign co-chair, former Congressman Jim Kolbe
Jim Kolbe
James Thomas "Jim" Kolbe is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Arizona's 8th congressional district, serving 11 terms from 1985 to 2007.-Early life:...
, resigned and withdrew his support in early July. Kolbe had held the seat for 22 years until Giffords took office in 2007.
On July 13, The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
summarized the race: "Giffords has proved adept at fundraising and is considered a rising star in Democratic circles. But Bee is one of the state's highest-profile political figures and has enlisted the support of some heavy-hitters, including President Bush, the headliner of a Tucson fundraiser planned for later this month." Giffords has the "advantages of incumbency. Plus, Bee is just off a tough legislative term in which he drew heavy criticism for his role in a state budget deal and the referral of an anti-gay-marriage proposal to the November ballot. Bee remains a popular political figure, and registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 14,000 in the district." On July 16, The Arizona Republic reported that freshman Congresswoman Giffords "has proved to be the most successful fundraiser among the state's House delegation and now has more than $2 million in her campaign coffers."
- Race ranking and details from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
- Bee (R) vs Giffords (D-i) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com
Results
Incumbent Gabrielle Giffords held her seat with about 55% of the votes.External links
- Elections from the Arizona Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Arizona at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Arizona U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions for Arizona congressional races from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...