2008 United States Senate election in Illinois Turnout 68.42%
Nominee
Dick Durbin
Steve Sauerberg
Party
Democratic
Republican
Popular vote
3,615,844
1,520,621
Percentage
67.8%
28.5%
County resultsDurbin : 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
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.
Election information [ ]
The primaries and general elections coincided with those for other federal elections (United States President and House ), as well as those for state offices .
Turnout [ ]
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 [ ]
Candidates [ ]
Dick Durbin , incumbent U.S. Senator
Results [ ]
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 [ ]
Candidates [ ]
Steve Sauerberg, physician
Andy Martin , perennial candidate
Mike Psak, trucker and perennial candidate
Results [ ]
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 [ ]
Predictions [ ]
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 [ ]
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
See also [ ]
2008 United States Senate elections
References [ ]
^ Jump up to: a b c "Voter Turnout" . www.elections.il.gov . Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved March 22, 2020 .
^ Jump up to: a b "Election Results" . www.elections.il.gov . Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved March 23, 2020 .
^ Jump up to: a b "Ballots Cast" . Elections.il.gov. February 5, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2015 .
^ "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 .
^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008" (PDF) . Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved April 4, 2015 .
External links [ ]
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