United States Senate election in Alabama, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 4, 2008 to elect one of Alabama
's members to the United States Senate
. Incumbent
Republican
U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions
won re-election to a third term.
; see Dixiecrat
.
In 2004
, George W. Bush
won Alabama's nine electoral votes by a margin of 25 percentage points with 62.5% of the vote. The eleven counties that voted Democratic are part of the Black Belt
counties, where African American
s are the majority racial group.
On January 10, 2007, Rep. Artur Davis
announced that he would not run for the seat. Despite voting heavily for George W. Bush
in 2004, Alabama still has a strong Democratic presence and Democrats control majorities of both chambers in the Alabama Legislature
. Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks
appeared to be preparing for a run, but on June 12, 2007, he announced that he would not seek the Senate seat, in order to avoid a primary battle with State Senator Vivian Davis Figures.
Primary election were held on June 3.
The Rothenberg Political Report considered it a 'Safe Republican'.
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
's members to 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...
. Incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Republican
Alabama Republican Party
The Alabama Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Alabama. It is the dominant political party in Alabama. The state party is governed by the Alabama Republican Executive Committee. Most of the committee's more than 200 members are elected in district...
U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party...
won re-election to a third term.
Background
Since 1980, Alabama voters have increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the Federal level, especially in Presidential elections. By contrast, Democratic candidates have been elected to many state-level offices and comprise a longstanding majority in the Alabama LegislatureAlabama Legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
; see Dixiecrat
Dixiecrat
The States' Rights Democratic Party was a short-lived segregationist political party in the United States in 1948...
.
In 2004
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
won Alabama's nine electoral votes by a margin of 25 percentage points with 62.5% of the vote. The eleven counties that voted Democratic are part of the Black Belt
Black Belt (region of Alabama)
The Black Belt is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, and part of the larger Black Belt Region of the Southern United States, which stretches from Texas to Maryland. The term originally referred to the region underlain by a thin layer of rich, black topsoil developed atop the chalk of the Selma...
counties, where African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s are the majority racial group.
On January 10, 2007, Rep. Artur Davis
Artur Davis
Artur Genestre Davis is a former member of the United States House of Representatives for , serving from 2003 to 2011 when he was succeeded by Terri Sewell, also a member of the Democratic Party....
announced that he would not run for the seat. Despite voting heavily for George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in 2004, Alabama still has a strong Democratic presence and Democrats control majorities of both chambers in the Alabama Legislature
Alabama Legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
. Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks
Ron Sparks (politician)
Ronald D. Sparks is the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries for the state of Alabama. Sparks is a member of the Democratic party, and was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Alabama in the state's 2010 gubernatorial election.- Early life, education and career :Sparks is a graduate of...
appeared to be preparing for a run, but on June 12, 2007, he announced that he would not seek the Senate seat, in order to avoid a primary battle with State Senator Vivian Davis Figures.
Primary election were held on June 3.
Candidates
- Vivian Davis FiguresVivian Davis FiguresVivian Davis Figures is a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 33rd District in Mobile County since she was elected on January 28, 1997 to serve the remaining term of her late husband, Senator Michael A. Figures, who was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate...
– State Senator - Johnny Swanson - Army veteran
- Mark Townsend
Results
| Alabama Democratic senatorial primary, 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
| Vivian Figures Vivian Davis Figures Vivian Davis Figures is a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 33rd District in Mobile County since she was elected on January 28, 1997 to serve the remaining term of her late husband, Senator Michael A. Figures, who was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate... |
112,074 | 63.72% |
| Johnny Swanson | 38,757 | 22.03% |
| Mark Townsend | 25,058 | 14.25% |
| Totals | 175,889 | 100.00% |
Candidates
- Earl Mack Gavin
- Jeff SessionsJeff SessionsJefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party...
- Incumbent U.S. Senator, whose approval rating was 56% in December 2007.
Results
| Alabama Republican senatorial primary, 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
| Jeff Sessions Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party... (incumbent Incumbent The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W... ) |
199,690 | 92.27% |
| Earl Gavin | 16,718 | 7.73% |
| Totals | 216,408 | 100.00% |
Candidates
- Jeff Sessions (R)-incumbent U.S. Senator
- Vivian Figures (D)-State Senator
- Darryl W. Perry, write-inWrite-in candidateA write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
candidate, the 2004 Libertarian Party nominee for Pennsylvania State Treasurer and 2007 candidate for Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama.
Predictions
Poll results showed Sessions with an exceptionally comfortable lead, which was verified by the election results. CQ Politics rated this race as 'Republican Favored'. The Cook Political Report considered it 'Solid Republican'.The Rothenberg Political Report considered it a 'Safe Republican'.
Polling
| Poll Source | Dates administered | Figures (D) | Sessions (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | October 27, 2008 - October 28, 2008 | 32% | 65% |
| Survey USA | October 8, 2008 - October 9, 2008 | 33% | 64% |
| Survey USA | September 16, 2008 - September 17, 2008 | 31% | 66% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 31, 2008 | 31% | 58% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 30, 2008 | 34% | 58% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 27, 2008 | 29% | 62% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 2, 2008 | 36% | 57% |
| Rasmussen Reports | November 14, 2007 | 30% | 62% |
| SurveyUSA | August 25 - 27, 2007 | 37% | 59% |
Results
External links
- 2008 Election Information from the Secretary of State of Alabama
- U.S. Congress candidates for Alabama 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...
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from Congress.org
- Alabama, U.S. Senate 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...
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from The Green Papers
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from OurCampaigns.com
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- 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...
- Sessions (R-i) vs Figures (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election News from Alabama Live news media
- Vivian Davis Figures, Democratic candidate
- Darryl W. Perry, Write-in candidate (Alabama Statesmen/Boston Tea Party)
- Jeff Sessions, Republican incumbent
- Johnny Swanson, Democratic candidate