United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky, 2008

The 2008 congressional elections in Kentucky were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the state of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives. Kentucky has six seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

The deadline to file to run in the election was January 29, 2008. The primary for both parties took place on May 20, 2008. The current delegation consists of 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans.

All incumbents ran for and won reelection.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky, 2008[1]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats Before	Seats After	+/–
	Republican	955,182	54.587%	4	4	±0
	Democratic	761,209	43.502%	2	2	±0
	Independent	33,444	.019%	0	0	0
Valid votes		-	-%
Invalid or blank votes		-	-%
Totals		1,749,835	100.00%	6	6	—
Voter turnout		60.133%

Match-up summary

District	Incumbent	2008 Status	Democratic	Republican	Other Party
1	Ed Whitfield	Re-election	Heather A. Ryan	Ed Whitfield
2	Ron Lewis	Open	David Boswell	Brett Guthrie
3	John Yarmuth	Re-election	John Yarmuth	Anne Northrup
4	Geoff Davis	Re-election	Michael Kelley	Geoff Davis
5	Hal Rogers	Re-election		Hal Rogers	Jim Holbert
6	Ben Chandler	Re-election	Ben Chandler	John Larson

District breakdown

District 1

See also: Kentucky's 1st congressional district

This district is in Western Kentucky. The seat has been held by Republican Ed Whitfield since 1995. Heather A. Ryan of Paducah, a self-described Democratic activist, has no primary opposition and will face Whitfield in the general election.^[2] CQ Politics forecasts the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Ryan, a Navy veteran and former movie theater manager, launched into the news in January 2008. On January 15, she protested a visit by Mitch McConnell to the non-profit theater where she worked. The theater was raising funds for an expansion and some would potentially come from McConnell. Three days later, the theater's board of directors told her to stay quiet about politics while running the theater. After questioning the request, she was fired.^[3]

Whitfield declined to debate Ryan before the election.^[4] Whitfield won the election with 64% of the vote.^[5]

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

District 2

See also: Kentucky's 2nd congressional district

This district is in Western-central Kentucky. Republican State Senator Brett Guthrie won against Democratic State Senator David Boswell. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Republican'.

In a surprise decision on the filing deadline, Republican incumbent Ron Lewis, who had held the seat since 1994, announced he would not run for re-election in 2008.^[6] It was believed that he intended to be succeeded by his Chief of Staff, Daniel London. However, State Senator Brett Guthrie learned of Lewis' retirement just before the deadline, and filed himself. After Guthrie won some key endorsements, London withdrew from the race.^[7] leaving Guthrie unopposed for the Republican nomination. State Senator David Boswell defeated Daviess County judge executive Reid Hare to win the Democratic nomination.^[6][8]

Guthrie won the election with 53% of the vote.^[9]

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
• Guthrie (R) vs Boswell (D-i) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com

Opinion polls

Source	Date	Democrat: David Boswell	Republican: Brett Guthrie
Survey USA	October 27–28, 2008	43%	53%
Survey USA	October 21–22, 2008	42%	51%
Survey USA	October 15–16, 2008	42%	51%
Survey USA	September 24–25, 2008	43%	49%
Garin-Hart-Yang	August 23–25, 2008	41%	33%
Survey USA	June 27–29, 2008	47%	44%

District 3

See also: Kentucky's 3rd congressional district

Democratic incumbent John Yarmuth won against Republican nominee Anne Northup, who had held the seat previously. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Democratic'.

Background & primary

This district consists of Louisville and most of its Jefferson County suburbs. The seat had been held by Northup from 1996 through 2006, when she was defeated by Yarmuth in a year in which Democrats regained control of the house, partially due to the unpopularity of the war in Iraq.

On January 28, 2008, Northup announced she would run for her old congressional seat in the 2008 election. She had previously endorsed Louisville lawyer Erwin Roberts, who had planned to run, and helped raised money for him. However, Roberts withdrew from the race after learning he would likely be called to active duty in the U.S. Army Reserve. Bob DeVore Jr., activist Corley C. Everett and developer Chris Thieneman filed to run in the Republican Primary.^[10][11]

Thieneman, who spearheaded a successful campaign to defeat a Jefferson County library tax referendum in 2007 and ran unsuccessfully for Jefferson County Clerk in 2002,^[12] dropped out of the race on January 31, declared a return to the Democratic Party, and endorsed John Yarmuth in the election. Theineman said he had been pressured to drop out by people associated with Northup and Kentucky's senior senator Mitch McConnell, but McConnell and Northup denied they had tried to influence Thieneman.^[13] Thieneman subsequently reaffirmed he was a Republican, revoked his endorsement of Yarmuth, and unsuspended his campaign. Everett dropped out less than a week before the primary and endorsed Theineman.^[14]

Northup won the Republican Primary on May 20.^[8] Yarmuth was not opposed in the Democratic primary.^[10]

General election

At a press conference held in front of a gas station on June 17, 2008, Northup claimed that the 2008 elections were about the rising price of energy.^{[citation needed]} Over a five-day period in September, Yarmuth's campaign headquarters was broken into twice. The thieves took only computers and storage supplies, leaving behind cash and other valuables.^[15]

Northup reminded voters of her accomplishments during her years in office, claimed that she was better suited to get results in the long-delayed effort to build an east end bridge and, as she had often done, argued her opponent was too liberal for voters. A key issue in the election was funding for a Veterans Administration hospital to replace the aging one in Louisville; Yarmuth touted a commitment he and Mitch McConnell secured from the Department of Veterans Affairs to spend at least $60 million on the project, while Northup attempted to downplay the merits of the commitment. Northup also attacked Yarmuth for his eventual vote in favor of the bailout. Yarmuth did not run any attack ads, and generally focused his campaign on informing voters of his accomplishments during his term in the House.^[16]

The district's daily newspaper, the Courier-Journal, endorsed Yarmuth on October 25, saying the Democrat had done "an exceptionally good job as a freshman representative, winning widespread recognition as one of the brightest new stars in Congress."^[17]

Yarmuth won the election with 59% of the vote.^[18]

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
• Northup (R) vs Yarmuth (D-i) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com

Opinion polls

Source	Date	Democrat: John Yarmuth	Republican: Anne Northup
Survey USA	October 21–22, 2008	57%	41%
Survey USA	October 14–15, 2008	57%	41%
Survey USA	September 5–7, 2008	53%	45%
Survey USA	July 18–20, 2008	53%	43%
Survey USA	June 6–8, 2008	57%	40%
Voter/Consumer Research	June 4–8, 2008	51%	43%

District 4

See also: Kentucky's 4th congressional district

This district is a long district in Northern Kentucky that follows the Ohio River. The majority of the voters live in the booming largely white and suburban Cincinnati counties of Boone, Kenton and Campbell. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Republican Geoff Davis has held the seat since 2005 and won the primary over Warren Stone and Gerald Edward Puckett, who was indicted in early 2008 on charges of improperly using charitable gaming money. Democrat Michael Kelley (campaign website), a doctor from LaGrange was unopposed in the Democrat primary.^[8][19]

Davis won the election with 63% of the vote.^[20]

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
• Michael Kelley at the Open Directory Project

Opinion polls

Source	Date	Democrat: Michael Kelley	Republican: Geoff Davis
Survey USA	October 26- October 27, 2008	37%	58%
Survey USA	September 30- October 1, 2008	36%	58%
Survey USA	June 28–30, 2008	41%	54%

District 5

See also: Kentucky's 5th congressional district

This district is in Eastern Kentucky. It has been held by Republican Hal Rogers since 1981. He has filed to run for re-election in 2008.^[21] He was opposed by Independent Jim Holbert.^[22] CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Rogers won the election with 84% of the vote.^[23]

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

District 6

See also: Kentucky's 6th congressional district

This district is located in central Kentucky. It contains the cities of Lexington (including its suburbs), Danville, and Frankfort, the state capital. Democrat Ben Chandler has held the seat since 2004.^[24] He faced Republican Lexington attorney Jon Larson in the general election.^[8] CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Chandler won the election with 65% of the vote.^[25]

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 2008

References

1. ^ http://elect.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/1283C01A-3F26-4821-8336-5878446F15E4/173402/STATE.TXT
2. ^ Bartleman, Bill (2008-01-29). "Ex-cinema director to challenge Whitfield". Paducah Sun. http://voip-phone-systems.tmcnet.com/news/2008/01/29/3235690.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-10. 
3. ^ George, Stephen (2008-01-30). "Now Showing...". Louisville Eccentric Observer. http://leoweekly.com/news-features/news-xtras/now-showing-%E2%80%A6. 
4. ^ Gerth, Joseph (2008-10-14). "Whitfield rejects debate; KET airs statement". Courier-Journal. pp. 2B. 
5. ^ "2008 General Election Results". CNN. 2008-11-05. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapHKY/H/01. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Gerth, Joseph (2008-01-29). "Lewis drops re-election bid". Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS01/80129042. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ newsenterpriseonline.com^{[dead link]}
8. ^ ^{a b c d} "Kentucky - Summary Vote Results". Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. http://www.webcitation.org/5fk8YKa0Y. Retrieved 2008-05-20. 
9. ^ "2008 General Election Results". CNN. 2008-11-05. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapHKY/H/02. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Schreiner, Bruce (2008-01-28). "Northup to run to regain former congressional seat, adviser says". Associated Press. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KY_NORTHUP_CAMPAIGN_KYOL-. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ Giroux, Greg (2007-01-17). "http://cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002657075". CQ Politics. http://cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002657075. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ Gerth, Joe (2008-01-24). "Thieneman to seek Yarmuth's seat". Courier-Journal. 
13. ^ Gerth, Joseph (2008-01-31). "Thieneman quits race, becomes Democrat, endorses Yarmuth". Courier-Journal. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1714058311.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+1%2C+2008&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=Thieneman+quits+race%2C+leaves+GOP+in+anger%2C+will+back+Yarmuth. 
14. ^ "GOP's Everett withdraws from 3rd District primary". Courier-Journal. 2008-05-18. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1705143841.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+19%2C+2008&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=B.6&desc=Everett+to+exit+GOP+race+for+Congress. 
15. ^ Gerth, Joseph (2008-09-15). "2nd break-in at Yarmuth campaign office". Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/NEWS01/80915021/1008/NEWS01. ^{[dead link]}
16. ^ Yetter, Deborah (2008-10-28). "Northup battling economy, Iraq war". Courier-Journal. pp. 4A. 
17. ^ Editorial board (2008-10-25). "EDITORIAL ENDORSEMENTS 2008; Re-elect Yarmuth". Courier-Journal. pp. 8A. 
18. ^ "2008 General Election Results". CNN. 2008-11-05. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapHKY/H/03. 
19. ^ "DAVIS, CHALLENGER FILE FOR PRIMARY". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2008-01-25. http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/297137.html. ^{[dead link]}
20. ^ "2008 General Election Results". CNN. 2008-11-05. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapHKY/H/04. 
21. ^ "McConnell, two other incumbents file for re-election". WAVE 3 News. 2008-01-21. http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=7590151. ^{[dead link]}
22. ^ Staff writer (2008-01-29). "McConnell's opposition lining up as filing deadline for 2008 races draws near". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on 2008-01-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20080130050639/http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/300667.html. 
23. ^ Unofficial 2008 General Election Results Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved on November 15, 2008.
24. ^ Kowowski, David (2008-01-28). "KY Deadline". Swing State Project. http://www.swingstateproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1367. Retrieved 2009-03-10. 
25. ^ "2008 General Election Results". CNN. 2008-11-05. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapHKY/H/06. 

External links

• Kentucky State Board of Elections
• U.S. Congress candidates for Kentucky at Project Vote Smart
• "Kentucky U.S. House Races". Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20080119032226/http://www.2008racetracker.com/page/Kentucky.  from 2008 Race Tracker
• Campaign contributions for Kentucky congressional races from OpenSecrets.org

Preceded by 2006 elections

United States House elections in Kentucky 2008

Succeeded by 2010 elections