2008 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia
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All 3 West Virginia seats to the United States House of Representatives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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The 2008 congressional elections in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
West Virginia has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Its 2007–2008 congressional delegation consisted of two Democrats and one Republican. As of 2024, this is the last time that Democrats won both a majority of congressional districts and the House popular vote in West Virginia.
Overview
[edit]| United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, 2008[1] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Democratic | 432,075 | 66.93% | 2 | — | |
| Republican | 213,339 | 33.05% | 1 | — | |
| Independents | 146 | 0.02% | 0 | — | |
| Totals | 645,560 | 100.00% | 3 | — | |
District 1
[edit]
Democratic incumbent Alan Mollohan ran unopposed. CQ Politics ranked the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan Mollohan (incumbent) | 187,734 | 99.93 | |
| Write-ins | 130 | 0.07 | ||
| Total votes | 187,864 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 2
[edit]
Republican incumbent Shelley Moore Capito (campaign website) won against Democratic nominee Anne Barth (campaign website), a longtime former aide to U.S. Senator Robert Byrd. CQ Politics ranked the race 'Leans Republican'. The Rothenberg Political Report considered it 'Republican Favored'.[2] The Cook Political Report considered it 'Likely Republican'.[3]
In 2006, Capito was reelected with 57%, a solid margin, but not a sign of political security. She faced a potentially difficult challenge from state Sen. John Unger (D), but Unger surprised many when he dropped out of the race.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Shelley Moore Capito (incumbent) | 147,334 | 57.07 | |
| Democratic | Anne Barth | 110,819 | 42.92 | |
| Write-ins | 16 | 0.01 | ||
| Total votes | 258,169 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
District 3
[edit]
Democratic incumbent Nick Rahall was challenged by Republican Marty Gearheart. CQ Politics ranked the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nick Rahall (incumbent) | 133,522 | 66.92 | |
| Republican | Marty Gearheart | 66,005 | 33.08 | |
| Total votes | 199,527 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
- ^ 2008 House Ratings The Rothenberg Political Report, October 14, 2008
- ^ 2008 Competitive House Race Chart Archived 2008-10-19 at the Wayback Machine The Cook Political Report, October 16, 2008
- ^ Mannix Porterfield, State Sen. Unger running for U.S. Congress Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine The Register Herald May 21, 2007 Retrieved June 2, 2007
External links
[edit]- Elections at the West Virginia Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for West Virginia at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions for West Virginia congressional races from OpenSecrets
| Preceded by 2006 elections |
United States House elections in West Virginia 2008 |
Succeeded by 2010 elections |