United States Senate election in New Hampshire, 2008
Encyclopedia
The United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John E. Sununu
ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen
.
in the Northeast. Following the 2006 election, however, many statewide offices were taken over by Democrats: Representatives
Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes
, Governor
John Lynch, the majority of the New Hampshire Executive Council (a five-member Lt. Gov.-like board), and the majority of both legislative chambers (which had not occurred since 1911). The popularity of the governor could be a factor in the election to Sununu's detriment, yet such speculation is premature. Also, though the state voted for then-Gov.
George W. Bush
in 2000, Sen.
John Kerry
narrowly won the state over Bush
in 2004.
Astronaut
Jay Buckey MD
, Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand
, and Katrina Swett
, (wife of former Congressman Richard Swett
), had announced their candidacies but withdrew in favor of former Governor Jeanne Shaheen upon her entrance into the race.
Shaheen had been the Democratic nominee for the race in 2002. Since 2005, Shaheen had served as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University
's Kennedy School of Government before leaving on September 14, 2007. She had been aggressively courted to run by Senator Ted Kennedy
(D-MA) on behalf of Senate Democrats, and by a "Draft Shaheen" campaign led by former New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Kathy Sullivan
.
The filing deadline for the Democratic and Republican Parties was June 13, 2008. Shaheen filed, as did Raymond Stebbins
.
of likely voters reported that only 31 percent in the poll said Sununu deserved re-election, with 47 percent saying that someone else should get his seat.
A July 2008 Granite State Poll had Sununu's favorability rating at 52%, his unfavorability rating at 33%, and neutral or undecided by 16%. Shaheen is viewed favorable by 53% and unfavorable by 31% and netural or undecided by 15%.
Senator John McCain
, the Republican nominee for President, had mentioned Sununu as a possible running mate for the 2008 presidential election, as well as Lindsey Graham
, Bob Riley
, Steve Forbes
and John Thune
. Sununu had said he would remain neutral in the New Hampshire primary. However, McCain selected Alaska
governor Sarah Palin
instead.
said that Sununu was one of the most endangered incumbents, due largely to his continuing support of the President's Iraq policy. Nonpartisan newsletter Larry Sabato
's Crystal Ball
, following Jeanne Shaheen's entrance into the race, listed the race as "Leans Democratic." CQ Politics also rated the seat as "Leans Democratic".
John E. Sununu
John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen
Jeanne Shaheen
Jeanne Shaheen is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the Senior United States Senator from New Hampshire. The first woman in U.S. history to be elected as both a Governor and U.S. Senator, she was the first woman to be elected Governor of New Hampshire, serving from...
.
Background
New Hampshire has always been considered an island of conservatismConservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
in the Northeast. Following the 2006 election, however, many statewide offices were taken over by Democrats: 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...
Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes
Paul Hodes
Paul Hodes is an attorney, musician, and the former U.S. Representative for , serving fom 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was New Hampshire's first Jewish representative....
, Governor
Governor of New Hampshire
The Governor of the State of New Hampshire is the supreme executive magistrate of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.The governor is elected at the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Vermont, to hold...
John Lynch, the majority of the New Hampshire Executive Council (a five-member Lt. Gov.-like board), and the majority of both legislative chambers (which had not occurred since 1911). The popularity of the governor could be a factor in the election to Sununu's detriment, yet such speculation is premature. Also, though the state voted for then-Gov.
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
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 2000, Sen.
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...
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...
narrowly won the state over 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.
Campaign
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Jay Buckey MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand
Steve Marchand
Steve Marchand is the former mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was an early Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate for the 2008 election, but he dropped out of the race in 2007 and endorsed former Governor Jeanne Shaheen....
, and Katrina Swett
Katrina Swett
Katrina Swett is a professor and politician, who ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for Congress in New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district during the 2010 United States midterm elections.-Early life, education and career:...
, (wife of former Congressman Richard Swett
Richard Swett
Richard "Dick" Swett is an American politician from the U.S. state of New Hampshire.-Early life, education and career:Swett was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and moved to New Hampshire with his family as a child...
), had announced their candidacies but withdrew in favor of former Governor Jeanne Shaheen upon her entrance into the race.
Shaheen had been the Democratic nominee for the race in 2002. Since 2005, Shaheen had served as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Kennedy School of Government before leaving on September 14, 2007. She had been aggressively courted to run by Senator Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
(D-MA) on behalf of Senate Democrats, and by a "Draft Shaheen" campaign led by former New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Kathy Sullivan
Kathy Sullivan
Kathy Sullivan is the name of:*Kathy Sullivan *Kathy Sullivan , former Chairwoman of the Democratic Party in New Hampshire-See also:...
.
The filing deadline for the Democratic and Republican Parties was June 13, 2008. Shaheen filed, as did Raymond Stebbins
Raymond Stebbins
Raymond C. "Ray" Stebbins is United States attorney and political activist, a member of the Democratic Party. He is best known as a winner of the Democratic New Hampshire Vice Presidential primary....
.
Results
Candidates
- Tom Alciere, former State Representative
- John SununuJohn SununuJohn Sununu is the name of two U.S. politicians:* John H. Sununu, Governor of New Hampshire and White House Chief of Staff for George H. W. Bush * John E. Sununu, his son, U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator...
, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
Candidates
- Ken Blevens (L)
- Jeanne ShaheenJeanne ShaheenJeanne Shaheen is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the Senior United States Senator from New Hampshire. The first woman in U.S. history to be elected as both a Governor and U.S. Senator, she was the first woman to be elected Governor of New Hampshire, serving from...
(D), former Governor - John E. SununuJohn E. SununuJohn Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
(R), incumbent U.S. Senator
Campaign
A November 2006 SurveyUSA poll of New Hampshire voters found Sununu had a 47% approval rating. A February 1, 2007 poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire found that only 45% of New Hampshire voters held a favorable opinion of Sununu. In June 2007, a poll by 7NEWS and Suffolk UniversitySuffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
of likely voters reported that only 31 percent in the poll said Sununu deserved re-election, with 47 percent saying that someone else should get his seat.
A July 2008 Granite State Poll had Sununu's favorability rating at 52%, his unfavorability rating at 33%, and neutral or undecided by 16%. Shaheen is viewed favorable by 53% and unfavorable by 31% and netural or undecided by 15%.
Senator 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....
, the Republican nominee for President, had mentioned Sununu as a possible running mate for the 2008 presidential election, as well as Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...
, Bob Riley
Bob Riley
Bob Riley may refer to:* Bob Riley, 52nd Governor of Alabama* Bob C. Riley, acting Governor of Arkansas for 11 days in 1975* Bob Riley , sports car designer and founder of Riley Technologies...
, Steve Forbes
Steve Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes, Jr. is an American editor, publisher, and businessman. He is the editor-in-chief of business magazine Forbes as well as president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc. He was a Republican candidate in the U.S. Presidential primaries in 1996...
and John Thune
John Thune
John Randolph Thune is the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota and a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as a U.S. Representative for .-Early Life, Education:...
. Sununu had said he would remain neutral in the New Hampshire primary. However, McCain selected Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
instead.
Predictions
Political analyst Chuck ToddChuck Todd
Charles David “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist, Chief White House Correspondent and political director for NBC News, and contributing editor to Meet the Press...
said that Sununu was one of the most endangered incumbents, due largely to his continuing support of the President's Iraq policy. Nonpartisan newsletter Larry Sabato
Larry Sabato
Larry Joseph Sabato is an American political scientist and analyst. He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and director of its Center for Politics. He founded Sabato's Crystal Ball, an online newsletter and website that provides free political analysis and...
's Crystal Ball
Sabato's Crystal Ball
Sabato’s Crystal Ball is a free, nonpartisan weekly online newsletter and comprehensive website in the United States that analyzes the current American political scene and predicts electoral outcomes for U.S House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, governors, and U.S. president races...
, following Jeanne Shaheen's entrance into the race, listed the race as "Leans Democratic." CQ Politics also rated the seat as "Leans Democratic".
Polling
| Source | Date | Sununu (R) | Shaheen (D) | Blevens (L) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | October 30, 2008 | 40% | 53% | 6% | 2% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 30, 2008 | 44% | 52% | –– | –– |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 23, 2008 | 46% | 52% | –– | –– |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 1, 2008 | 45% | 50% | 1% | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 23, 2008 | 52% | 45% | 1% | 2% |
| Granite State Poll | September 14, 2008 | 44% | 48% | –– | 7% |
| American Research Group | September 13, 2008 | 40% | 52% | –– | 8% |
| Public Opinion Strategies | September 3, 2008 | 44% | 46% | 3% | 5% |
| American Research Group | August 18, 2008, 2008 | 41% | 52% | –– | 7% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 19, 2008 | 43% | 52% | –– | –– |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 23, 2008 | 45% | 51% | –– | –– |
| American Research Group | July 19, 2008 | 36% | 58% | –– | –– |
| Granite State Poll | July 20, 2008 | 42% | 46% | –– | 10% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 20, 2008 | 39% | 53% | –– | –– |
| American Research Group | June 18, 2008 | 40% | 54% | –– | 6% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 23, 2008 | 43% | 50% | –– | –– |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 21, 2008 | 41% | 49% | –– | –– |
| American Research Group | March 20, 2008 | 33% | 47% | –– | 20% |
| Rasmussen Reports | February 13, 2008 | 41% | 49% | –– | –– |
| Granite State Poll | February 11, 2008 | 37% | 54% | –– | 7% |
| American Research Group | December 20, 2007 | 52% | 41% | –– | 7% |
| SurveyUSA | November 5, 2007 | 42% | 53% | –– | 5% |
| WMUR-CNN | September 2007 | 38% | 54% | –– | 7% |
| American Research Group | September 18, 2007 | 41% | 46% | –– | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 16, 2007 | 43% | 48% | –– | 9% |
| WMUR-CNN | July 2007 | 38% | 54% | –– | 7% |
| Research 2000 | July 2007 | 34% | 56% | –– | 10% |
| American Research Group | June 2007 | 29% | 57% | –– | 14% |
| American Research Group | March 29, 2007 | 34% | 44% | –– | 22% |
Results
External links
- Election Division from the New Hampshire Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for New Hampshire 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...
- New Hampshire, 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...
- New Hampshire U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- New Hampshire 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...
- Sununu (R-i) vs Shaheen (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Official campaign websites
- John Sununu, Republican nominee
- Jay Buckey, withdrawn
- Jeanne Shaheen, Democratic nominee
- anti-Sununu website from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- anti-Shaheen website from the National Republican Senatorial Committee