2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona
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, coinciding with the presidential election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected would serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011.
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All 8 Arizona seats to the United States House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 77.69% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Arizona |
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Arizona had 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 had taken Republican seats in 2006, and were at risk during the 2008 election. The delegation elected in 2008 consisted of 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.[1]
The party primary elections were held September 2, 2008.[2]
Overview
Statewide
| Party | Candidates | Votes | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | +/– | % | |||
| Democratic | 8 | 1,055,305 | 45.47 | 5 |  1 |
62.50 | |
| Republican | 8 | 1,021,798 | 44.03 | 3 |  1 |
37.50 | |
| Libertarian | 8 | 61,100 | 2.63 | 0 |  |
0.0 | |
| Independent | 4 | 9,411 | 0.41 | 0 | |
0.0 | |
| Green | 2 | 8,080 | 0.35 | 0 | |
0.0 | |
| Valid votes | 2,155,694 | 92.88 | — | ||||
| Invalid or blank votes | 165,157 | 7.12 | — | ||||
| Total | 30 | 2,320,851 | 100.0 | 8 | |
100.0 | |
By district
Results of the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona by district:
| District | Democratic | Republican | Others | Total | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| District 1 | 155,791 | 55.88% | 109,924 | 39.43% | 13,072 | 4.69% | 278,787 | 100.0% | Democratic gain |
| District 2 | 125,611 | 37.16% | 200,914 | 59.44% | 11,498 | 3.40% | 338,023 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| District 3 | 115,759 | 42.07% | 148,800 | 54.08% | 10,602 | 3.85% | 275,161 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| District 4 | 89,721 | 72.11% | 26,435 | 21.25% | 8,271 | 6.65% | 124,427 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 5 | 149,033 | 53.16% | 122,165 | 43.57% | 9,167 | 3.27% | 280,365 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 6 | 115,457 | 34.55% | 208,582 | 62.42% | 10,137 | 3.03% | 334,176 | 100.0% | Republican hold |
| District 7 | 124,304 | 63.26% | 64,425 | 32.79% | 7,760 | 3.95% | 196,489 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 8 | 179,629 | 54.72% | 140,553 | 42.82% | 8,084 | 2.46% | 328,266 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| Total | 1,055,305 | 45.47% | 1,021,798 | 44.03% | 78,591 | 10.50% | 2,155,694 | 100.0% | |
District 1
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 County results Kirkpatrick: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hay: 40–50% 50-60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Rick Renzi, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 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. The district had a PVI of R+2.
Republican primary
In August 2007, Renzi announced he would not seek re-election,[3] four months after the FBI raided Renzi's family business as part of a federal investigation.
In the Republican primary, Sydney Ann Hay, mining industry lobbyist[4] 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.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sydney Ann Hay | 17,825 | 39.1 | |
| Republican | Sandra Livingstone | 15,621 | 34.2 | |
| Republican | Tom Hansen | 7,847 | 17.2 | |
| Republican | Barry Hall | 2,743 | 6.0 | |
| Republican | Preston Korn (Withdrew) | 1,596 | 3.5 | |
| Total votes | 45,632 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
In the Democratic primary, Ann Kirkpatrick, a former State Representative and prosecutor, 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.)
Endorsements
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 Gabby 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 Fire Fighters, 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 Jr., San Carlos Apache Tribal Chair Wendsler Nosie, White Mountain Apache Tribal Chair Ronnie Lupe, former Navajo Nation President Dr. Peterson Zah, and many other tribal leaders.[6] 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.
Libertarian primary
Thane Eichenauer ran unopposed.
Independents
Independent Brent Maupin, a Sedona engineer and businessman.
Campaign
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.
Predictions
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'.
Results
Kirkpatrick's victory resulted in a House gain for Democrats.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ann Kirkpatrick | 155,791 | 55.9 | |||
| Republican | Sydney Hay | 109,924 | 39.4 | |||
| Independent | Brent Maupin | 9,394 | 3.4 | |||
| Libertarian | Thane Eichenauer | 3,678 | 1.3 | |||
| Total votes | 278,787 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
District 2
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 County results Thrasher: 60-70% 70-80% Franks: 50–60% 60-70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Trent Franks, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 58.6% of the vote in 2006.
Republican primary
Franks ran unopposed.
Democratic primary
In what was essentially a rematch of the previous election, Franks was challenged by Democrat John Thrasher(campaign website)
Libertarian primary
Powell Gammill ran unopposed.
Green primary
William Crum ran unopposed.
Predictions
CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Trent Franks (incumbent) | 200,914 | 59.4 | |
| Democratic | John Thrasher | 125,611 | 37.2 | |
| Libertarian | Powell Gammill | 7,882 | 2.3 | |
| Green | William Crum | 3,616 | 1.1 | |
| Total votes | 338,023 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 3
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 County results Shadegg: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican John Shadegg, who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 59.3% of the vote in 2006. This district was previously held by Arizona's junior United States senator, Republican Jon Kyl.
Republican primary
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.[8]
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.[9] Over 140 Republicans in Congress had signed a letter asking Shadegg to keep his seat.[10] Although it was speculated that he would run for the United States Senate if John McCain were to become president,[11] Shadegg had expressed his intention to leave public life and return to the private sector[10] before changing his mind.
Steve May a former state representative announced a run for the seat[12] but withdrew from the race when Shadegg announced he would seek another term after all.[13]
Democratic primary
Tax attorney Bob Lord (campaign website) ran for the Democrats
Libertarian primary
Michael Shoen ran for the Libertarians.
Independents
Running as Independents were Mark Yannone (campaign website), Annie Loyd and Edwin Winkler.
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.[14] Shadegg's 2006 Democratic opponent, consultant Herb Paine, announced his support for Loyd.
However none of the Independents made the ballot.
Campaign
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.[15][16]
Predictions
CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Republican'.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Shadegg (incumbent) | 148,800 | 54.1 | |
| Democratic | Bob Lord | 115,759 | 42.1 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Shoen | 10,602 | 3.9 | |
| Total votes | 275,161 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 4
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 County results Pastor: 70-80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democrat Ed Pastor, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 72.5% of the vote in 2006.
Democratic primary
Pastor ran unopposed.
Republican primary
Don Karg ran unopposed.
Libertarian primary
Joe Cobb ran unopposed.
Green primary
Rebecca DeWitt ran unopposed.
Predictions
CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ed Pastor (incumbent) | 89,721 | 72.1 | |
| Republican | Don Karg | 26,435 | 21.3 | |
| Green | Rebecca DeWitt | 4,464 | 3.6 | |
| Libertarian | Joe Cobb | 3,807 | 3.1 | |
| Total votes | 124,427 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 5
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 County results Mitchell: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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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.
Republican primary
Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert won the Republican primary against Susan Bitter Smith, former State Representative Laura Knaperek,[17] State Representative Mark Anderson, Jim Ogsbury and Lee Gentry.
Libertarian primary
Warren Severin also ran.
Predictions
CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Mitchell (incumbent) | 149,033 | 53.2 | |
| Republican | David Schweikert | 122,165 | 43.6 | |
| Libertarian | Warren Severin | 9,158 | 3.3 | |
| Independent | Ralph Hughes (write-in) | 9 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 280,365 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 6
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 County results Flake: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Jeff Flake, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 74.8% of the vote in 2006. There was no Democratic candidate in this heavily Republican district in 2004 or 2006. George W. Bush won with 64% here in 2004.
Republican primary
Jeff Flake (campaign website), who was perhaps best known for his opposition to pork barrel projects and advocacy for earmark reform ran unopposed.
Democratic primary
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. Rebecca Schneider (campaign website), a library supervisor from Mesa, also filed and ended up defeating Gramazio in the Democratic primary.
Libertarian primary
Rick Biondi ran as a Libertarian.
Predictions
CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Flake (incumbent) | 208,582 | 62.4 | |
| Democratic | Rebecca Schneider | 115,457 | 34.6 | |
| Libertarian | Rick Biondi | 10,137 | 3.0 | |
| Total votes | 334,176 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 7
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 County results Grijalva: 40-50% 50–60% 70-80% Sweeney: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democrat Raúl Grijalva, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 61.1% of the vote in 2006.
Democratic primary
Raúl Grijalva ran unopposed.
Republican primary
Milton Chewning (campaign website), who previously ran for this seat in 2006, lost to Joseph Sweeney in the primary.
Libertarian primary
Raymond Patrick Petrulsky ran unopposed.
Predictions
CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Raúl Grijalva (incumbent) | 124,304 | 63.3 | |
| Republican | Joseph Sweeney | 64,425 | 32.8 | |
| Libertarian | Raymond Petrulsky | 7,755 | 4.0 | |
| Independent | Harley Meyer (write-in) | 5 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 196,489 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 8
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 County results Giffords: 40–50% 50–60% Bee: 50-60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democrat Gabby Giffords, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. She was elected with 54.3% of the vote in 2006.
Bush narrowly won here with 52% to 47% for John Kerry in 2004.
Democratic primary
Giffords ran unopposed.
Republican primary
State Senate President Tim Bee ran unopposed.
Libertarian primary
Libertarian Paul Davis ran unopposed.
Independents
Derek Tidball (campaign website) also ran.
Campaign
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.[18]
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.[19][20][21] 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."[1] 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."[22]
Polling
Bee (R) vs Giffords (D-i) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com
Predictions
CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Democratic'.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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| Democratic | Gabby Giffords (incumbent) | 179,629 | 54.7 | |
| Republican | Tim Bee | 140,553 | 42.8 | |
| Libertarian | Paul Davis | 8,081 | 2.5 | |
| Independent | Paul Price (write-in) | 3 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 328,266 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- Specific
- Arizona's most competitive congressional races The Arizona Republic, July 13, 2008.
- 2008 Election Information Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine Arizona Secretary of State.
- Arizona's Rep. Rick Renzi to retire Associated Press August 23, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
- Hay seeks GOP nomination for Renzi seat Associated Press August 30, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
- "STATE OF ARIZONA OFFICIAL CANVASS" (PDF). azsos.gov. Arizona Secretary of State. September 15, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- Ann Kirkpatrick for Arizona Archived October 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- "STATE OF ARIZONA OFFICIAL CANVASS: 2008 General Election - November 4, 2008" (PDF). Secretary of State of Arizona. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- Kraushaar, Josh (February 21, 2008). "Shadegg Un-retires, Will Run For Re-election". The Politico. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- Hensley, J.J (February 14, 2008). "Shadegg is asked to stay". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- Pershing, Ben (February 19, 2008). "Will McCain Quit the Senate?". The Washington Post.
- Newton, Casey (February 13, 2008). "Ex-lawmaker Steve May to seek Shadegg seat". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
- Associated Press (March 20, 2008). "May drops out of GOP primary race against Shadegg". azcentral.com. The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- Astor, Maggie (February 4, 2006). "Independent Calls for End to Bipartisan Politics". Columbia Spectator.
- "Federal Elections Commission Disclosure Page for Annie Loyd". Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
- "OpenSecrets.org". Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
- Archived October 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Mary Ann Akers, Rep. Giffords's Spacey Party Archived May 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post, July 16, 2008.
- Evan Brown, Kolbe, Bush put AZ-8 back in national spotlight Archived September 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine PolitickerAZ.com, July 7, 2008.
- Bill Hess, Kolbe out of Bee’s hive; Bush set for fundraiser The Sierra Vista Herald, July 4, 2008.
- Alexander Burns, Bee Gets Stung By Leading Campaign Backer CBS News, July 7, 2008.
- Matthew Benson, Incumbents lead money race The Arizona Republic, July 16, 2008.
- General
- 2008 Competitive House Race Chart The Cook Political Report, November 4, 2008.
- 2008 House Ratings The Rothenberg Political Report, November 2, 2008.
External links
- Elections from the Arizona Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Arizona at Project Vote Smart
- Arizona U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions for Arizona congressional races from OpenSecrets
| Preceded by 2006 elections |
United States House elections in Arizona 2008 |
Succeeded by 2010 elections |