- Source: 2008 United States Senate election in Montana
The 2008 United States Senate election in Montana was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Senator Max Baucus won re-election to a sixth term in a landslide, winning more than 70% of the vote and carrying every county in the state, despite Republican John McCain's narrow victory in the state in the concurrent presidential election. Baucus later resigned his seat on February 6, 2014, after the Senate confirmed him to be U.S. Ambassador to China, having already announced his intention to retire at the end of term on April 23, 2013. As of 2024, this is the last time Democrats won the Class 2 Senate seat in Montana.
Background
Montana generally gives its presidential electors to Republican candidates, but historically has elected several prominent Democrats to the United States Senate, including Thomas Walsh, Burton K. Wheeler, Mike Mansfield, and Lee Metcalf. Between 1913 and 2015, only two Republicans served as U.S. Senator from Montana, Zales Ecton and Conrad Burns. In 2004, the state elected Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer, reversing a 16-year trend of electing Republicans to the Governorship. In the 2006 elections, the Republican Party took over the state House of Representatives in Montana, the only pick-up of a state legislature for the Republicans.
Democratic primary
= Candidates
=Max Baucus, incumbent U.S. Senator
= Results
=Republican primary
= Candidates
=Kirk Bushman, businessman
Bob Kelleher, attorney and perennial candidate
Michael Lange, State Representative
Patty Lovaas, accountant
Anton Pearson, rancher
Garnett Shay, engineer
= Campaign
=All Republican candidates trailed Baucus badly in polls. It was revealed that Garnett Shay had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, preventing him from running an effective campaign.
= Results
=General election
= Candidates
=Max Baucus (D), incumbent U.S. Senator.
Bob Kelleher (R), attorney and perennial candidate
= Campaign
=Senator Baucus defeated Kelleher as a Democratic incumbent running in a year that was very successful for his party in general. The U.S. Senate race in Montana was somewhat unusual, in that it was perhaps the only race that year in which the Republican candidate was more liberal than the Democratic one. Kelleher, a perennial candidate and eccentric figure in Montana politics, took many positions that were highly unorthodox by GOP standards, such as favoring more liberal drug control policies, supporting universal healthcare and affirmative action, and favoring fair trade restrictions. He was, at the time, an 85-year-old attorney and perennial candidate who has run for office on several different party tickets. Kelleher was pro-life, advocated a parliamentary system of government for the United States, and supported nationalization of the American oil and gas industry and a single-payer health care system. He received no support from the Montana Republican Party.
= Predictions
== Polling
== Results
=Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Carter (largest city: Ekalaka)
Sweet Grass (largest city: Big Timber)
See also
2008 United States Senate elections
2008 Montana gubernatorial election
References
External links
2008 Election Information from the Montana Secretary of State
U.S. Congress candidates for Montana at Project Vote Smart
Montana, U.S. Senate from CQ Politics
Montana U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
Montana U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
Kelleher (R) vs Baucus (D-i) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
Election 2008 full National coverage from The Missoulian
Official campaign websites (Archived)
Max Baucus
Bob Kelleher for U.S. Senate
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Pemilihan umum Presiden Amerika Serikat 2016
- John Walsh
- Daftar dukungan kampanye presiden Donald Trump 2024
- Politik Amerika Serikat
- Daftar dukungan kampanye presiden Kamala Harris 2024
- Elizabeth Warren
- 2008 United States Senate election in Montana
- 2024 United States Senate election in Montana
- 2006 United States Senate election in Montana
- 2018 United States Senate election in Montana
- 2008 United States Senate elections
- 2012 United States Senate election in Montana
- 2000 United States Senate election in Montana
- 2020 United States Senate election in Montana
- 1994 United States Senate election in Montana
- 2014 United States Senate election in Montana
