United States Senate election in Delaware, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Biden
won re-election to a seventh term and won the Vice Presidency of the United States
on the same day.
in January 2008, Biden focused instead on running for a seventh Senate term. He was unopposed within his party.
O'Donnell faced businessman Tim Smith at the Republican state party convention and won with more than 60 percent of the delegate vote.
On August 23, 2008, Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama
announced that he had selected Joe Biden
to serve as his vice presidential candidate. Under Delaware law, Biden could run simultaneously for both his Senate seat and for Vice President, which Biden indeed decided to do.
The statewide party primary elections were held September 9, 2008.
O'Donnell was uncontested in the Republican half, as was Biden in the Democratic.
O'Donnell tried to make an issue of Biden's dual campaigns, claiming that serving his constituents was not important to him, and criticized his unwillingness to participate in debates and candidate forums. Nevertheless, she was heavily outspent by Biden and her campaign failed to gain traction. Her campaign ended with $23,000 in debt.
Minutes after the polls closed on November 4, NBC
called the race for Biden, with other news organizations soon following.
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
won re-election to a seventh term and won the Vice Presidency of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
on the same day.
Campaign
After ending his 2008 presidential bidJoe Biden presidential campaign, 2008
The Joe Biden presidential campaign, 2008 began when Senator Biden announced his candidacy for President of the United States on the January 7, 2007 edition of Meet the Press. He officially became a candidate on January 31, 2007 after filing papers with the Federal Elections Commission...
in January 2008, Biden focused instead on running for a seventh Senate term. He was unopposed within his party.
O'Donnell faced businessman Tim Smith at the Republican state party convention and won with more than 60 percent of the delegate vote.
On August 23, 2008, Democratic Party presidential nominee 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...
announced that he had selected Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
to serve as his vice presidential candidate. Under Delaware law, Biden could run simultaneously for both his Senate seat and for Vice President, which Biden indeed decided to do.
The statewide party primary elections were held September 9, 2008.
O'Donnell was uncontested in the Republican half, as was Biden in the Democratic.
O'Donnell tried to make an issue of Biden's dual campaigns, claiming that serving his constituents was not important to him, and criticized his unwillingness to participate in debates and candidate forums. Nevertheless, she was heavily outspent by Biden and her campaign failed to gain traction. Her campaign ended with $23,000 in debt.
Minutes after the polls closed on November 4, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
called the race for Biden, with other news organizations soon following.
Polling
| Poll Source | Date | Joe Biden (D) | Christine O'Donnell (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | October 27 - 28, 2008 | 66% | 32% |
| West Chester University/WHYY | October 6 - 8, 2008 | 65% | 29% |
| Survey USA | September 22 - 23, 2008 | 64% | 32% |
Results
External links
- Delaware Commissioner of Elections
- U.S. Congress candidates for Delaware 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...
- Delaware, 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...
- Delaware U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Delaware U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions for Delaware congressional races 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...
- Official campaign websites:
- Joe Biden, Democratic incumbent
- Christine O'Donnell, Republican candidate