United States Senate elections, 2008

Infobox Election
election_name = United States Senate elections, 2008
country = United States
type = legislative
ongoing = yes
previous_election = United States Senate elections, 2006
previous_year = 2006
next_election = United States Senate elections, 2010
next_year = 2010
seats_for_election = Class II (33 of the 100) seats to the United States Senate and two mid-term vacancies from Class I
election_date = November 4, 2008


leader1 = Harry Reid
party1 = Democratic Party (United States)
leaders_seat1 = Nevada
last_election1 = 49 seats (+ 2 Independents)
seats1 =
seat_change1 =
popular_vote1 =
percentage1 =
swing1 =


leader2 = Mitch McConnell
party2 = Republican Party (United States)
leaders_seat2 = Kentucky
last_election2 = 49 seats
seats2 =
seat_change2 =
popular_vote2 =
percentage2 =
swing2 =
map_

leader1 = Harry Reid
party1 = Democratic Party (United States)
leaders_seat1 = Nevada
last_election1 = 49 seats (+ 2 Independents)
seats1 =
seat_change1 =
popular_vote1 =
percentage1 =
swing1 =


leader2 = Mitch McConnell
party2 = Republican Party (United States)
leaders_seat2 = Kentucky
last_election2 = 49 seats
seats2 =
seat_change2 =
popular_vote2 =
percentage2 =
swing2 =
map_

---

map_size = 320px
map_caption = Senate Seats up for election:
legend|#a20500|Two Republican incumbentslegend|#d53034|Republican incumbentlegend|#f99|Retiring Republicanlegend|#3072af|Democratic incumbent legend|#d5d3d5|No election
title = Majority Leader
before_election = Harry Reid
before_party = Democratic Party (United States)
after_election =
after_party =

Elections for the United States Senate will be held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-three seats are regular elections; the winners will be eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2015 as members of Senate Class II. There are also two special elections: one in Wyoming and another in Mississippi; the winners will serve the remainder of terms that expire on January 3, 2013, as members of Senate Class I.

The 2008 presidential election, many gubernatorial elections, and elections for all House of Representatives seats will occur on the same date, as well as many state and local elections.

The current composition of the Senate, going into the 2008 election, consists of 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats, and two independents (Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who both caucus with Democrats). Of the seats up for election in 2008, 23 are held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats.

Hill committees’ role

Each major party has Hill committees that work to support its candidates for the House and Senate, chiefly by providing funds. On the Senate side, the committees are the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

In this cycle the DSCC has been more successful at fundraising. As of June 30, 2008, data from the Federal Election Commission showed the NRSC with $24.6 million on hand, as compared with the DSCC's $43 million.cite web| last = Jansen| first = Bart| title = Ensign Fumes Over Failed GOP Fundraising Effort| publisher = "Congressional Quarterly"| date = August 22, 2008| url =http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002940207 | accessdate = 2008-08-22] The NRSC chair, Senator John Ensign, took the unusual step of chastising the Republican Senators who, like him, are not facing re-election, and who he thought should have done more to help raise money for their colleagues.

Predictions

Democrats possess a field advantage in 2008, needing to defend only 12 seats, while Republicans must defend 23. In addition, five Republicans, but no Democrats, have announced that they are retiring. The open seat gap between the parties is the biggest in 50 years. [ [http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=weeklyreport-000002632539 Election 2008: Senate: Republicans Face a Daunting Year] CQ Staff, "CQ Politics", November 30.2007] [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/us/politics/07senate.html Senate Democrats Hope for a Majority Not Seen in 30 Years: 60 Seats] David M. Herszenhorn, "The New York Times", March 7, 2008]

Political pundits often use statewide results of recent presidential elections for comparison with subsequent Senate elections. Six of the 12 Democrats are from states won by George W. Bush in the 2004 election (Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia) while four of the 23 Republicans are from states won by John Kerry (Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Oregon).

Below is a table summarizing various non-partisan election analyses. Although the nomenclature varies slightly, the categories can be understood as follows:
"Safe" – This race is not expected to become competitive.
"Likely" – This race is currently not competitive, but it may become competitive if new political factors intervene.
"Leans" – This race is competitive, but one candidate has a clear advantage.
"Tossup" – Neither candidate has a clear advantage.

Races where one party is considered "Safe" by all sources are not included in the table. Currently these include:
SAFE DEMOCRATIC:
Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Rhode Island, and West Virginia
SAFE REPUBLICAN:
Alabama, Idaho, Mississippi, South Carolina, Wyoming, and Wyoming*

Also not included in the table are the 39 Democratic and 26 Republican seats not up for election this year.

Blue seats are currently held by Democrats.
Red seats are currently held by Republicans.
An asterisk (*) denotes a special election.

Beneath each source is the date of the most recent ratings change.

"*Both independents caucus with the Democrats."

ee also

*United States House elections, 2008
*United States presidential election, 2008
*United States gubernatorial elections, 2008
*United States Senate elections, 2006
*United States Senate elections, 2010

References

External links

* [http://cookpolitical.com/races/senate/ratings.php Cook Political Report 2008 Senate Race Ratings]
* [http://www.cqpolitics.com/ CQ Politics Senate Analysis]
* [http://www.270towin.com/2008_senate_election/ Interactive Map of 2008 Senate Races]