The 2008 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 4, 2008, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Alabama. Republican incumbent Jeff Sessions won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic state senator Vivian Davis Figures.
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November 4, 2008
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   Sessions: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90% Figures: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90% Tie: 50% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
editOn January 10, 2007, Rep. Artur Davis announced that he would not run for the seat.[1] Despite voting heavily for George W. Bush in 2004, Alabama still had a strong Democratic presence in 2008, and Democrats controlled majorities in both chambers in the Alabama Legislature. Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks appeared to be preparing for a run, but on June 12, 2007, he announced that he would not seek the Senate seat, in order to avoid a primary battle with State Senator Vivian Davis Figures.[2]
Primary elections were held on June 3.[3]
Republican primary
editSessions' approval rating was 56% in December 2007.[4]
Candidates
edit- Earl Mack Gavin, perennial candidate
- Jeff Sessions, incumbent U.S. senator (1997–2017)
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Sessions (incumbent) | 199,690 | 92.27% | |
| Republican | Earl Mack Gavin | 16,718 | 7.73% | |
| Total votes | 216,408 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Vivian Davis Figures, state senator from SD-33 (1997–present)
- Johnny Swanson, army veteran
- Mark Townsend, candidate for governor in 2002
Results
edit
Figures
- ≥90%
- 80–90%
- 70–80%
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
- 40–50%
- 30–40%
Townsend
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Vivian Davis Figures | 112,074 | 63.72% | |
| Democratic | Johnny Swanson | 38,757 | 22.03% | |
| Democratic | Mark Townsend | 25,058 | 14.25% | |
| Total votes | 175,889 | 100.00% | ||
Independents
editCandidates
edit- Darryl W. Perry (write-in), perennial candidate[7][8]
General election
editPredictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[9] | Safe R | October 23, 2008 |
| CQ Politics[10] | Safe R | October 31, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[11] | Safe R | November 2, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[12] | Safe R | November 4, 2008 |
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jeff Session (R) |
Vivian Figures (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[13][A] | October 27–28, 2008 | 650 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 65% | 32% | – | 3% |
| SurveyUSA[14][A] | October 9–10, 2008 | 697 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 64% | 33% | – | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports[15] | September 22, 2008 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 59% | 30% | 4% | 8% |
| SurveyUSA[16][A] | September 16–17, 2008 | 655 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 66% | 31% | – | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports[17] | July 31, 2008 | 500 (LV) | – | 58% | 31% | – | 11% |
| Rasmussen Reports[17] | June 26, 2008 | 500 (LV) | – | 58% | 34% | – | 8% |
| Rasmussen Reports[18] | May 27, 2008 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 62% | 29% | 1% | 8% |
| Rasmussen Reports[19] | April 2, 2008 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 57% | 36% | 3% | 4% |
| SurveyUSA[20][A] | August 25–27, 2007 | 530 RV) | ± 4.3% | 59% | 37% | – | 4% |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Sessions (incumbent) | 1,305,383 | 63.36% | |
| Democratic | Vivian Davis Figures | 752,391 | 36.52% | |
| Write-in | 2,417 | 0.12% | ||
| Total votes | 2,060,191 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
edit- Marengo (largest municipality: Linden)
- Pickens (Largest city: Aliceville)
- Colbert (Largest city: Muscle Shoals)
- Lawrence (Largest city: Moulton)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
edit- Montgomery (largest municipality: Montgomery)
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Davis Won't Challenge Stevens". WTOK-TV. Associated Press. January 9, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ↑ "Sparks says he won't seek U.S. Senate seat". The Birmingham News. June 12, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
- ↑ Election Dates Archived December 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine from the Alabama Secretary of State]
- ↑ December 2007 SurveyUSA poll
- ↑ "Certified Primary Election Results: Republican Party" (PDF). Alabama Republican Party. June 13, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ↑ "Certified Primary Election Results: Democratic Party" (PDF). Alabama Democratic Party. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ↑ senate.dwp2016.org Archived July 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "al.com". Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
- ↑ "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ↑ Race Ratings Chart: Senate Archived October 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
- ↑ "2008 Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ↑ "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #14701". SurveyUSA. October 29, 2008. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #14547". SurveyUSA. October 10, 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Toplines - Alabama Senate - September 28, 2008". Rasmussen Reports. September 22, 2008. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #14378". SurveyUSA. September 18, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- 1 2 "2008 Alabama Senate". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Toplines - Alabama Senate - May 27, 2008". Rasmussen Reports. May 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Alabama Senate Election Toplines - April 2, 2008". Rasmussen Reports. April 2, 2008. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #12532". SurveyUSA. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2026. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Certified General Election Results without write-in appendix" (PDF). Secretary of State of Alabama. November 25, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
External links
edit- 2008 Election Information from the Secretary of State of Alabama
- U.S. Congress candidates for Alabama Archived October 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine at Project Vote Smart
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from Congress.org
- Alabama, U.S. Senate from CQ Politics
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from The Green Papers
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from OurCampaigns.com
- Alabama U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
- Sessions (R-i) vs Figures (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election News from Alabama Live news media
- Vivian Davis Figures, Democratic candidate
- Darryl W. Perry, Write-in candidate (Alabama Statesmen/Boston Tea Party)
- Jeff Sessions Archived December 10, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Republican incumbent
- Johnny Swanson, Democratic candidate