2008 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware
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The2008 United States House election in Delawarewas held on November 4, 2008, to determine who will represent thestateofDelawarein theUnited States House of Representativesfor the111th Congress,coinciding with thepresidential election.Theprimary electionwas held on September 9, 2008.[1]
Delaware has a singleat-large representativein the House of Representatives.RepublicanincumbentMike Castlewas reelected for an eighth term. As of 2024, this is the last time where a Republican won a congressional race in Delaware, and the last statewide race where the Republican wonNew Castle County.It was an impressive display of ticket-splitting by Delaware voters, as Castle, a Republican, obtained over 60% of the vote, while theDemocraticcandidates in the concurrentpresidential,Senate,andgubernatorial electionsall received over 60% of the vote as well.
Background[edit]
The state of Delaware is completely contained in a single at-large district. The district had aCook Partisan Voting Indexof D+7 in 2008.[2]Since 1993, the district had been represented byRepublicanMike Castle.
Primary election[edit]
Primary elections in Delaware areclosed primaries;that is, only voters who have declared a party affiliation may vote in that party's primary.[3]Three Democrats were on the primary ballot: children's rights advocate and 2006independentcandidate Karen Hartley-Nagle,veterinarianandVietnam WarveteranJerry Northington,and Michael Miller.[4][5]Hartley-Nagle was nominated with 55.4 percent of the vote, withturnoutat 28 percent.[6]Castle did not face any Republican primary challengers.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Karen Hartley-Nagle | 35,995 | 55.4 | |
| Democratic | Jerry Northington | 22,393 | 34.5 | |
| Democratic | Michael Miller | 6,609 | 10.1 | |
| Total votes | 64,997 | 100 | ||
General election[edit]
In the general election, Republican incumbentMike Castlewas challenged by Democratic nominee Karen Hartley-Nagle and Libertarian Party candidate Mark Anthony Parks. CQ Politics forecasted the race inDelaware's At-large congressional districtas 'Safe Republican'. Castle enjoyed a lead throughout the campaign, and ultimately won the election with slightly over 61 percent of the votes cast. Statewide turnout for the election was at 68 percent.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Republican Party | Mike Castle(incumbent) | 235,437 | 61.08 | |
| Democratic | Karen Hartley-Nagle | 146,434 | 37.99 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Parks | 3,586 | 0.93 | |
| Total votes | 385,457 | 100.00 | ||
| Delaware Republican Partyhold | ||||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Calendar of Election EventsArchived2008-08-06 at theWayback MachineState of Delaware
- ^"Cook Political Report, PVI for the 110th Congress"(PDF).Cook Political Report.30 June 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 November 2008.Retrieved15 February2009.
- ^"15 Del.C. § 3110. Qualifications of voters".Delaware Code.State of Delaware.RetrievedFebruary 10,2009.
- ^"Getting to Know Karen Hartley-Nagle".Karen Hartley-Nagle for Congress. Archived fromthe originalon November 12, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 8,2009.
- ^"About Jerry Northington".Northington for Congress. Archived fromthe originalon July 25, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 8,2009.
- ^ab"State of Delaware Primary Election (Official Results)".Commissioner of Elections for the State of Delaware. October 2, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 10,2009.
- ^ab"State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)".Commissioner of Elections for the State of Delaware. December 15, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 9,2019.