United States Senate election in Kansas, 2008
Encyclopedia
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.
has announced that he is retiring due to "self-imposed term limits," which means Roberts will become the senior Senator from Kansas in 2011. It is considered one of the more 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
.
The Rothenberg Political Report considered it a 'Safe Republican'.
, Douglas
and Wyandotte
.
Pat Roberts
Charles Patrick "Pat" Roberts is the senior United States Senator from Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 1997...
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 BrownbackSam Brownback
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...
has announced that he is retiring due to "self-imposed term limits," which means Roberts will become the senior Senator from Kansas in 2011. It is considered one of the more 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
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
.
Candidates
- Jim SlatteryJim SlatteryJames Charles Slattery is an American politician and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas.- Early life and career :...
, former U.S. Congressman and 1994Kansas gubernatorial election, 1994The Kansas gubernatorial election of 1994 included incumbent Republican Governor Mike Hayden won the open seat vacated by the retirement of Governor Joan Finney. He defeated Jim Slattery.-Results:...
Democratic nominee for Governor - Lee JonesLee JonesLee Jones may refer to:* Lee Jones , formerly of Liverpool F.C.* Lee Jones , Welsh footballer* Lee Jones , New Zealand international football player...
, 2004United States Senate election in Kansas, 2004The 2004 United States Senate election in Kansas was held November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Sam Brownback won re-election to a second term.-Results:...
Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
Results
Results
Candidates
- Pat RobertsPat RobertsCharles Patrick "Pat" Roberts is the senior United States Senator from Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 1997...
(R), incumbent U.S. Senator - Jim SlatteryJim SlatteryJames Charles Slattery is an American politician and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas.- Early life and career :...
(D), U.S. Congressman - Randall Hodgkinson (L), attorney
- Joseph L. Martin (Re), 2006 Secretary of State nominee
Predictions
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 | Slattery | Roberts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | October 28, 2008 | 33% | 60% |
| Survey USA | October 22, 2008 | 35% | 57% |
Rasmussen Reports |
October 13, 2008 | 36% | 55% |
Rasmussen Reports |
September 23, 2008 | 38% | 58% |
| Survey USA | September 22, 2008 | 35% | 55% |
| Survey USA | August 20, 2008 | 31% | 58% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 11, 2008 | 37% | 56% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 15, 2008 | 33% | 61% |
| TargetPoint Consulting, Inc. | July 1, 2008 | 34% | 54% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 11, 2008 | 39% | 48% |
| Cooper & Secrest | June 5-June 8, 2008 | 36% | 48% |
| Research 2000/Daily Kos | June 2-June 4, 2008 | 38% | 50% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 13, 2008 | 40% | 52% |
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: AtchisonAtchison County, Kansas
Atchison County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16,924. Its county seat and most populous city is Atchison. The county is named in honor of David Rice Atchison, a United States Senator from Missouri...
, Douglas
Douglas County, Kansas
Douglas County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 110,826...
and Wyandotte
Wyandotte County, Kansas
Wyandotte County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The county's population was 157,505 for the 2010 census. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City with which it shares a unified government...
.
External links
- Elections & Legislative from the Kansas Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Kansas 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...
- Kansas, U.S. Senate 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...
- Kansas U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Kansas 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...
- Roberts (R-i) vs Slattery (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Official campaign websites