2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma
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![]() County results Inhofe: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Rice: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was held on November 4, 2008. The statewide primary election was held July 29, with the run-off on August 26. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe won re-election to a third term over Democrat Andrew Rice.
This was the last time a Democrat carried any counties in an Oklahoma U.S. Senate election until 2022 and the last time any Democrat did so in a regular Senate election.
Discover more about 2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma related topics
Democratic primary
Background
Rice officially filed as a candidate for the United States Senate from Oklahoma on Monday, June 2, 2008.[1][2] He won the Democratic primary against Jim Rogers, a retired schoolteacher who stressed campaign finance reform. As in earlier campaigns, Rogers refused to accept money to avoid any question of his allegiances. State Senator Kenneth Corn had earlier expressed interest in the race.
Candidates
- Andrew Rice, State Senator
- Jim Rogers
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Andrew Rice | 113,795 | 59.65% | |
Democratic | Jim Rogers | 76,981 | 40.35% | |
Total votes | 190,776 | 100.00% |
Discover more about Democratic primary related topics
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jim Inhofe, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Dennis Lopez
- Evelyn Rogers
- Ted Ryals
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Inhofe (Incumbent) | 116,371 | 84.18% | |
Republican | Evelyn R. Rogers | 10,770 | 7.79% | |
Republican | Ted Ryals | 7,306 | 5.28% | |
Republican | Dennis Lopez | 3,800 | 2.75% | |
Total votes | 138,247 | 100.00% |
General election
Candidates
- Jim Inhofe (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Andrew Rice (D), State Senator
- Stephen Wallace (I), businessman[4]
Campaign
Inhofe, who in August 2008 had a 61% approval rating,[5] emphasized his conservative record and tried to label Rice as a "committed liberal." In the debates, Rice tried to connect Inhofe to George W. Bush saying "An era allowed this to happen. George Bush came into office eight years ago with a Republican majority and … an agenda of radical deregulation."[6] Rice also believed in global warming, something Inhofe is famous for denying.[7] In the election, Inhofe had over $5 million in the bank. Rice had $3.8 million.[8]
Predictions
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[9] | Likely R | October 23, 2008 |
CQ Politics[10] | Likely R | October 31, 2008 |
Rothenberg Political Report[11] | Safe R | November 2, 2008 |
Real Clear Politics[12] | Safe R | November 4, 2008 |
Polling
Poll Source | Dates administered | Rice | Inhofe |
---|---|---|---|
Benenson Strategy Group | December 8–12, 2007 | 35% | 49% |
Tulsa World/KOTV/SoonerPoll | December 16–19, 2007 | 19% | 60% |
Research 2000/Daily Kos | June 9–11, 2008 | 31% | 53% |
KSWO | August 12–14, 2008 | 41% | 50% |
Survey USA | September 5–7, 2008 | 34% | 56% |
Rasmussen Reports | September 11, 2008 | 39% | 55% |
Survey USA | September 29, 2008 | 37% | 53% |
Survey USA | October 19, 2008 | 39% | 51% |
Survey USA | October 29, 2008 | 36% | 56% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Inhofe (Incumbent) | 763,375 | 56.68% | -0.62% | |
Democratic | Andrew Rice | 527,736 | 39.18% | +2.87% | |
Independent | Stephen Wallace | 55,708 | 4.14% | ||
Majority | 235,639 | 17.50% | -3.50% | ||
Turnout | 1,346,819 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing |
Discover more about General election related topics
Source: "2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 2nd), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_United_States_Senate_election_in_Oklahoma.
Further Reading

Jim Inhofe

2008 United States Senate elections

2008 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

2008 United States Senate election in Colorado

2008 United States Senate election in Kansas

Andrew Rice

2008 United States Senate election in Georgia

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan

2004 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

2010 United States Senate election in Kansas

2008 United States presidential election in Oklahoma

2010 Oklahoma gubernatorial election

2010 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

2010 United States Senate election in Maryland

2014 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

2014 Oklahoma elections

2020 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

2022 United States Senate elections
See also
References
- ^ Candidates for Federal, State and Legislative Offices Oklahoma State Election Board, June 2–4, 2008
- ^ "State Lawmaker To Run For U.S. Senate" Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, August 3, 2007
- ^ a b "Oklahoma State Election Board - Primary Election 2008". Ok.gov. July 29, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
- ^ "Wallace". Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ RealClearPolitics - Politics Nation - OK: Inhofe +22
- ^ Rice, Inhofe spar over economy | Tulsa World
- ^ An interview with Andrew Rice, the Democrat challenging GOP Sen. James Inhofe | Grist
- ^ "Politics Home Page : Roll Call". Archived from the original on September 29, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
- ^ "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Race Ratings Chart: Senate Archived October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
- ^ "2008 Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "2008 Election Statistics". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
External links
- U.S. Congress candidates for Oklahoma at Project Vote Smart
- Oklahoma, U.S. Senate from CQ Politics
- Oklahoma U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Oklahoma U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
- Inhofe (R-i) vs Rice (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Official campaign websites (Archived)
- James Inhofe, (R)
- Andrew Rice (D)
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