United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander
won re-election to a second term.
.
in 1968; none of its candidates received five percent of the statewide vote in 1970 and it was then subject to desertification as an official party.. Due to these hurdles third party
candidates almost always appear on the ballot as independents.
. Tuke served as Barack Obama
's Presidential campaign chair in Tennessee. Tuke declared himself to be a candidate March 3, 2008, and he secured the help of several high profile Democratic campaigners including Joe Trippi
. There were many minor candidates in the race. Chris Lugo announced on January 17 that he was seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party as a 'Progressive Democrat.' In March 2008, Lugo announced he was dropping his candidacy for the Democratic nomination, and would run either for the Green Party nomination or as an independent.
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...
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander
Lamar Alexander
Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
won re-election to a second term.
Candidates
- Bob TukeBob TukeRobert Dudley "Bob" Tuke was the Democratic nominee for the 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee, having won the Democratic primary in August...
, former Chairman of the Democratic Party of Tennessee - Gary Davis, perennial candidate
- Mike Padgett, former Knox CountyKnox County, TennesseeKnox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
Clerk - Mark Clayton, insurance agent
- Kenneth Eaton, businessman and NashvilleNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
mayoral candidate in 2003 and 2007 - Leonard Ladner, truck-driver
Campaign
Mike Padgett finished third after Gary Davis, who did not campaign and used no money. Many were surprised at the results. They claimed that perhaps there was name confusion, with two incumbent congressmen David Davis and Lincoln DavisLincoln Davis
Lincoln Edward Davis is the former U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
.
Results
Results
Major
- Lamar AlexanderLamar AlexanderAndrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
(R), incumbent U.S. Senator and former Governor - Bob TukeBob TukeRobert Dudley "Bob" Tuke was the Democratic nominee for the 2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee, having won the Democratic primary in August...
(D), Chairman of the Democratic Party of Tennessee (2005-2007)
Minor
In Tennessee, a candidate seeking a House or Senate seat at the state or national level must gather 25 signatures from registered voters to be put on the ballot for any elected office. Presidential candidates seeking to represent an officially recognized party must either be named as candidates by the Tennessee Secretary of State or gather 2,500 signatures from registered voters, and an independent candidate for President must gather 275 signatures and put forward a full slate of eleven candidates who have agreed to serve as electors. In order to be recognized as a party and have its candidates listed on the ballot under that party's name, a political party must gather signatures equal to or in excess of 2.5% of the total number of votes cast in the last election (about 45,000 signatures based on the election held in 2006). The last third party to be officially recognized was the American PartyAmerican Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
in 1968; none of its candidates received five percent of the statewide vote in 1970 and it was then subject to desertification as an official party.. Due to these hurdles third party
Third party (United States)
The term third party is used in the United States for any and all political parties in the United States other than one of the two major parties . The term can also refer to independent politicians not affiliated with any party at all and to write-in candidates.The United States has had a...
candidates almost always appear on the ballot as independents.
- Edward Buck (I)
- Christopher Fenner (I)
- David "None of the Above" Gatchell (I)
- Bo Heyward (I)
- Ed Lawhorn (I)
- Daniel T. LewisDaniel T. LewisDaniel Towers Lewis is an educator and Libertarian activist from Nashville, Tennessee. He was previously the Secretary of the Hamilton County Libertarian Party in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is currently the Chair of the Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County-Early and...
(L) - Chris Lugo (I), Green partyGreen Party (United States)The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
peace activist
Campaign
On April 3, 2007, Alexander confirmed that he would seek re-election to the Senate in 2008. Alexander has remained a popular figure in Tennessee since his first term as governor and faced no opposition in the Republican primary Tuke is a former Marine who served in the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Tuke served as Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's Presidential campaign chair in Tennessee. Tuke declared himself to be a candidate March 3, 2008, and he secured the help of several high profile Democratic campaigners including Joe Trippi
Joe Trippi
Joe Trippi is a long-time American Democratic campaign worker and consultant. A mainstay in presidential politics, Trippi has worked on the presidential campaigns of Edward Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Dick Gephardt, Jerry Brown and most recently John Edwards...
. There were many minor candidates in the race. Chris Lugo announced on January 17 that he was seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party as a 'Progressive Democrat.' In March 2008, Lugo announced he was dropping his candidacy for the Democratic nomination, and would run either for the Green Party nomination or as an independent.
Polling
| Source | Date | Alexander (R) | Tuke (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | October 16, 2008 | 62% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 29, 2008 | 56% | 32% |
| MTSU Poll | September 29, 2008 | 50% | 26% |
| Rasmussen Report | April 8, 2008 | 59% | 30% |
| Ayres, McHenry & Associates (R) | March 11, 2008 | 59% | 28% |
Results
External links
- Division of Elections from the Tennessee Department of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Tennessee 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...
- Tennessee, U.S. Senate from CQ PoliticsCongressional RecordThe Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
- Tennessee U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Tennessee 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...
- Alexander (R-i) vs Tuke (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Official campaign websites
- Lamar Alexander, Republican incumbent candidate
- Mark E. Clayton, Democratic candidate
- Kenneth Eaton, Democratic candidate
- Mike Padgett, Democratic candidate
- Bob Tuke, Democratic candidate
- David "None of the Above" Gatchell, Independent candidate
- Ed Lawhorn, Independent candidate
- Daniel T. Lewis, Independent (Libertarian Party) candidate
- Chris Lugo, Independent (Green Party) candidate