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2008 United States Senate election in Illinois

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The 2008 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin sought a third term in office and faced minimal opposition from Republican Steve Sauerberg. As expected, Durbin overwhelmingly won re-election. On the same night, fellow Democratic Senator Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, defeating Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona.

2008 United States Senate election in Illinois
← 2002 November 4, 2008 2014 →
Turnout68.42%
 
Nominee Dick Durbin Steve Sauerberg
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 3,615,844 1,520,621
Percentage 67.84% 28.53%
County results
Durbin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Sauerberg:      40–50%      50–60%
U.S. senator before election

Dick Durbin
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Dick Durbin
Democratic

This is the last senate election in Illinois in which a candidate received above 60% of the vote.

Background

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The primaries and general elections coincided with those for other federal elections (United States President and House), as well as those for state offices.

See also: 2008 Illinois elections § Turnout

For the primary elections, turnout was 32.37%, with 2,364,409 votes cast.[1][2] For the general election, turnout was 68.42%, with 5,329,884 votes cast.[1][2]

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dick Durbin (incumbent) 1,653,833 100.00%
Total votes 1,653,833 100.00%

Republican primary

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Candidates

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  • Steve Sauerberg, physician
  • Andy Martin, perennial candidate
  • Mike Psak, trucker and perennial candidate

Results

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Republican primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Sauerberg 395,199 55.62%
Republican Andy Martin 240,548 33.85%
Republican Mike Psak 74,829 10.53%
Total votes 710,576 100.00%

General election

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Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[4] Safe D October 23, 2008
CQ Politics[5] Safe D October 31, 2008
Rothenberg Political Report[6] Safe D November 2, 2008
Real Clear Politics[7] Safe D November 4, 2008

Results

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Durbin's 3,615,844 votes is the highest vote total in a statewide election in Illinois. No one has broken his record since, however then Vice President Joe Biden received the most votes in the presidential election in Illinois in 2020. Durbin comfortably won re-election with the best margin of his career, winning all but four of the state's 102 counties.

2008 United States Senate election in Illinois[1][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Dick Durbin (incumbent) 3,615,844 67.84% +7.51%
Republican Steve Sauerberg 1,520,621 28.53% −9.49%
Green Kathy Cummings 119,135 2.24% 0.00%
Libertarian Larry A. Stafford 50,224 0.94% −0.70%
Constitution Chad N. Koppie 24,059 0.45% 0.00%
Total votes 5,329,884 100.00% N/A
Democratic hold

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Voter Turnout". www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Election Results". www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Ballots Cast". Elections.il.gov. February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Race Ratings Chart: Senate Archived October 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine CQ Politics
  6. ^ "2008 Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  8. ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
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