2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland
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All 8 Maryland seats to the United States House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Maryland |
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Government |
The 2008 congressional elections in Maryland were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011.
Maryland has eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Its 2007–2008 congressional delegation consisted of six Democrats and two Republicans. Following the election, the delegation became seven Democrats and one Republican. District 1 was the only seat which changed party (from Republican to Democratic), and was the only district CQ Politics had forecast to be at some risk for the incumbent party.
Overview
United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland, 2008[1] | ||||||
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Party | Votes | Percentage | +/− | Seats | +/− | |
Democratic
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1,677,490 | 67.15% | +2.52% | 7 | +1 | |
Republican | 762,587 | 30.53% | −1.62% | 1 | −1 | |
Libertarian | 47,708 | 1.91% | +1.62% | 0 | — | |
Green
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6,828 | 0.27% | −2.25% | 0 | — | |
Others | 3,339 | 0.13% | −0.25% | 0 | — | |
Totals | 2,497,952 | 100.00% | — | 8 | — |
District 1
The district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, as well as parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford Counties, and was represented by Republican Wayne Gilchrest since 1991.
Incumbent
While Harris had stated his belief that "the 1st Congressional District was drawn by Democrats to elect Republicans" and Gilchrest had carried the district for nine terms, Democratic leaders believed the district had "a moderate character" and was ready to support Kratovil competitively.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
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Democratic
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Frank Kratovil | 177,065 | 49.12% | +18.01 | ||
Republican
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Andy Harris | 174,213 | 48.33% | −20.47 | ||
Libertarian
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Richard J. Davis | 8,873 | 2.46% | +2.46 | ||
No party | Write-ins | 329 | 0.09 | |||
Total votes | 360,480 | 100.00 | ||||
Democratic gain from Republican |
District 2
The district comprises parts of
The Republican candidate is Richard Matthews, a 28-year-old computer systems engineer from Orchard Beach, who is also the
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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Democratic
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Dutch Ruppersberger (incumbent) | 198,578 | 71.86% | +2.65 | |
Republican
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Richard Matthews | 68,561 | 24.81% | −5.87 | |
Libertarian
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Lorenzo Gaztanaga | 8,786 | 3.18% | +3.18 | |
No party | Write-ins | 408 | 0.15 | ||
Total votes | 276,333 | 100.00 | |||
Democratic hold
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Swing |
District 3
The district comprises portions of
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
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John Sarbanes (incumbent) | 203,711 | 69.66% | +5.63 | |
Republican
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Thomas E. Harris | 87,971 | 30.08% | −3.68 | |
No party | Write-ins | 766 | 0.26 | ||
Total votes | 292,448 | 100.00 | |||
Democratic hold
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Swing |
District 4
The district comprises portions of
Coming off a close primary against progressive advocate
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
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Donna Edwards | 258,704 | 85.83% | +5.16 | |
Republican
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Peter James | 38,739 | 12.85% | −5.79 | |
Libertarian
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Thibeaux Lincecum | 3,384 | 1.12% | +1.12 | |
No party | Write-ins | 604 | 0.20 | ||
Total votes | 301,431 | 100.00 | |||
Democratic hold
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Swing |
District 5
The district comprises all of
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
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Steny Hoyer (incumbent) | 253,854 | 73.65% | −9.03 | |
Republican
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Collins Bailey | 82,631 | 23.97% | +23.97 | |
Libertarian
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Darlene H. Nicolas | 7,829 | 2.27% | +2.27 | |
No party | Write-ins | 377 | 0.11 | ||
Total votes | 344,691 | 100.00 | |||
Democratic hold
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Swing |
District 6
The district comprises all of Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick and Carroll Counties, as well as portions of Montgomery, Baltimore, and Harford Counties, and has been represented by Republican Roscoe Bartlett since 1993.
Bartlett's district is one of the more Republican seats in heavily Democratic Maryland, and includes several western cities such as
While
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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Republican
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Roscoe Bartlett (incumbent) | 190,926 | 57.76% | −1.21 | |
Democratic
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Jennifer Dougherty | 128,207 | 38.79% | +0.36 | |
Libertarian
|
Gary W. Hoover, Sr. | 11,060 | 3.35% | +3.35 | |
No party | Write-ins | 342 | 0.10 | ||
Total votes | 330,535 | 100.00 | |||
Republican hold
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Swing |
District 7
The district encompasses parts of
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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Democratic
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Elijah Cummings (incumbent) | 227,379 | 79.50% | −18.56 | |
Republican
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Michael T. Hargadon | 53,147 | 18.58% | +18.58 | |
Libertarian
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Ronald M. Owens-Bey | 5,214 | 1.82% | +1.82 | |
No party | Write-ins | 280 | 0.10 | ||
Total votes | 286,020 | 100.00 | |||
Democratic hold
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Swing |
District 8
The district mostly consists of the larger part of Montgomery County, but also includes a small portion of Prince George's County, and has been represented by Democrat Chris Van Hollen since 2003. Van Hollen has achieved national prominence as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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Democratic
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Chris Van Hollen (incumbent) | 229,740 | 75.08% | −1.44 | |
Republican
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Steve Hudson | 66,351 | 21.68% | −0.22 | |
Green
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Gordon Clark | 6,828 | 2.23% | +0.74 | |
Libertarian
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Ian Thomas | 2,562 | 0.84% | +0.84 | |
Write-in | All write-ins | 533 | 0.17% | ||
Total votes | 306,014 | 100.00 | |||
Democratic hold
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Swing |
References
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
- ^ "1998 Gubernatorial General Election Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. October 24, 2000. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- Andy Harris for Congress. August 13, 2007. Archived from the originalon September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ "Ehrlich supports Harris for seat". Associated Press. October 19, 2007. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
- ^ CQ Staff (October 2, 2007). "Eleven Republican Incumbents Have to Watch Their Backs in House Primaries". Retrieved October 19, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ a b "Sun endorsements: Experience counts". The Baltimore Sun. February 7, 2008. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- ^ "Representative in Congress Results". Maryland State Board Of Elections. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
- ^ a b Olson, Bradley (February 2, 2008). "GOP brawling in the 1st: Democrats hope for Gilchrest loss". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 8, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ Brody, Alan (February 22, 2008). "Dems ready to spend big on Kratovil: Van Hollen, Hoyer say District 1 seat is in play". Gaithersburg Gazette. Maryland Community Newspapers. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- ^ "2008 Races Map: South Region". Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- ^ LoBianco, Tom (March 14, 2008). "Gilchrest staffers support Democrat". The Washington Times. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- ^ Edge, Wally (February 29, 2008). "Top Gilchrest staffer kicks-off 'Republicans for Kratovil'". Politicker MD. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- ^ The Crypt's Blog – Politico.com
- ^ Gilchrest crosses party lines, endorses Democrat Kratovil, even cutting an ad for him (baltimoresun.com)[permanent dead link]
- ^ Bourg, Allison (February 9, 2008). "Local challengers have difficult task". The Capital. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
- ^ O'Malley To Push For One Special Election To Replace Wynn Archived October 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Michael Teitelbaum, CQ Politics, April 3, 2008
External links
- Maryland State Board of Elections
- U.S. Congress candidates for Maryland at Project Vote Smart
- Maryland U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions for Maryland congressional races from OpenSecrets