2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona

← 2006 November 4, 2008 (2008-11-04) 2010 →
All 8 Arizona seats to the United States House of Representatives
Turnout	77.69%
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 4 4 Seats won 5 3 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,055,305 1,021,798 Percentage 45.5% 44.0% Swing 3.46% 7.62%
Democratic   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Republican   50–60%   60–70%

Elections in Arizona
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Ballot measures List of Arizona ballot propositions 2000 203 2004 200 2006 107 204 207 2008 102 2010 100 203 2020 207 2024 139
Phoenix Mayoral elections 2011 2015 2018–19 (sp) 2020 2024
Tucson Mayoral elections 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Other localities Gilbert 2012 Glendale 2012 2016 Maricopa County 2024 Mesa 2008 2012 2020 2024 Scottsdale 2008 2012
v t e

The 2008 congressional elections in Arizona were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Arizona in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected would serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011.

Arizona had eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of four Republicans and four Democrats. Two of the Democrats had taken Republican seats in 2006, and were at risk during the 2008 election. The delegation elected in 2008 consisted of three Republicans and five Democrats: district 1 changed party (from open Republican to Democratic), although CQ Politics had forecast districts 1, 3, 5 and 8 to be at some risk for the incumbent party.^[1]

The party primary elections were held September 2, 2008.^[2]

Party		Candidates	Votes		Seats
			No.	%	No.	+/–	%
	Democratic	8	1,055,305	45.47	5	1	62.50
	Republican	8	1,021,798	44.03	3	1	37.50
	Libertarian	8	61,100	2.63	0		0.0
	Independent	4	9,411	0.41	0		0.0
	Green	2	8,080	0.35	0		0.0
Valid votes			2,155,694	92.88	—
Invalid or blank votes			165,157	7.12	—
Total		30	2,320,851	100.0	8		100.0

Popular vote Democratic   45.47% Republican   44.03% Libertarian   2.63% Green   0.35% Other   0.41%

House seats Democratic   62.50% Republican   37.50%

Results of the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona by district:

District	Democratic		Republican		Others		Total		Result
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
District 1	155,791	55.88%	109,924	39.43%	13,072	4.69%	278,787	100.0%	Democratic gain
District 2	125,611	37.16%	200,914	59.44%	11,498	3.40%	338,023	100.0%	Republican hold
District 3	115,759	42.07%	148,800	54.08%	10,602	3.85%	275,161	100.0%	Republican hold
District 4	89,721	72.11%	26,435	21.25%	8,271	6.65%	124,427	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 5	149,033	53.16%	122,165	43.57%	9,167	3.27%	280,365	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 6	115,457	34.55%	208,582	62.42%	10,137	3.03%	334,176	100.0%	Republican hold
District 7	124,304	63.26%	64,425	32.79%	7,760	3.95%	196,489	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 8	179,629	54.72%	140,553	42.82%	8,084	2.46%	328,266	100.0%	Democratic hold
Total	1,055,305	45.47%	1,021,798	44.03%	78,591	10.50%	2,155,694	100.0%

2008 Arizona's 1st congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Ann Kirkpatrick Sydney Hay Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 155,791 109,924 Percentage 55.9% 39.4%

County results Kirkpatrick:      50–60%      60–70%     70–80% Hay:      40–50%     50-60%

U.S. Representative before election Rick Renzi Republican Elected U.S. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick Democratic

Incumbent Republican Rick Renzi, who had represented the district since 2003, did not run for re-election. He was re-elected with only 52% of the vote compared to 44% for his Democratic opponent – Sedona civil rights attorney Ellen Simon – in 2006; George W. Bush won 54% of the vote in this northern Arizona district in 2004. The district had a PVI of R+2.^[3]

In August 2007, Renzi announced he would not seek re-election,^[4] four months after the FBI raided Renzi's family business as part of a federal investigation.

In the Republican primary, Sydney Ann Hay, mining industry lobbyist, earned a narrower-than-expected victory against Sandra L. B. Livingstone, Tom Hansen and Barry Hall.^[5]

• Sydney Hay, mining industry lobbyist and candidate for this seat in 2002^[6][7]

• Barry Hall, former Baptist minister^[8]
• Sandra Livingstone, former State Department official and lawyer^[9]
• Tom Hansen, engineer^[10]

• Preston Korn, candidate for state representative in 2006

• Ken Bennett, former president of the Arizona Senate^[11]
• Bill Konopnicki, state representative^[11]
• Steve Pierce, rancher^[12]
• Kris Mayes, member of the Arizona Corporation Commission^[13]
• Tom O'Halleran, state senator^[11]
• Rick Renzi, incumbent U.S. Representative^[14]
• Lewis Tenney, former Navajo County Supervisor and candidate for this seat in 2002

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sydney Ann Hay	17,825	39.1
	Republican	Sandra Livingstone	15,621	34.2
	Republican	Tom Hansen	7,847	17.2
	Republican	Barry Hall	2,743	6.0
	Republican	Preston Korn (Withdrew)	1,596	3.5
Total votes			45,632	100.0

• Ann Kirkpatrick, former state representative and prosecutor^[16]

• Jeffrey Brown, mental health advocate
• Mary Kim Titla, publisher and former Phoenix TV newscaster^[11]
• Howard Shanker, attorney^[16]

• Allan Affeldt, Mayor of Winslow^[16]
• Ellen Simon, civil rights attorney and nominee for this seat in 2006^[11][16] (dropped out in May 2007, citing personal reasons)

• George Cordova, businessman and nominee for this seat in 2002^[12]
• Jim Ledbetter, attorney^[16]
• Bob Mitchell, former Mayor of Casa Grande (brother of Democratic Congressman Harry Mitchell)^[11]
• Jim Pederson, real estate developer, former Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2006^[11]
• Carter Olson, Pinal County attorney^[11]
• Steve Owens, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality director and nominee for the 6th district in 1996 & 1998^[11][16][12]

Kirkpatrick earned endorsements from leaders in government, education, tribal communities, first responders, and other groups. Among those endorsing her were: Governor Janet Napolitano, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, U.S. Representative Harry Mitchell, the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Police Association, the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, Navajo County School Superintendent Linda Morrow, county sheriffs in Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, and Pinal Counties, Coconino County School Superintendent Cecilia Owen, Pinal County School Superintendent Orlenda Roberts, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., San Carlos Apache Tribal Chair Wendsler Nosie, White Mountain Apache Tribal Chair Ronnie Lupe, former Navajo Nation President Dr. Peterson Zah, and many other tribal leaders.^[17] The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper, and the White Mountain Independent and the Arizona Daily Sun, two of the most widely read newspapers in the district, also endorsed her candidacy.

Kirkpatrick won by almost 15 points over Kim Titla.

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann Kirkpatrick	26,734	47.2
	Democratic	Mary Kim Titla	18,428	32.6
	Democratic	Howard Shanker	8,056	14.2
	Democratic	Jeffrey Brown	3,376	6.0
Total votes			56,594	100.0

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Thane Eichenauer (write-in)	43	100.0
Total votes			43	100.0

Independent Brent Maupin, a Sedona engineer and businessman.

Kirkpatrick ran on a platform of tax cuts for 86 million middle-class families, making health care affordable and accessible to all, and encouraging renewable energy projects to end America's dependence on foreign energy and create jobs for rural Arizona. She also supported increasing teacher salaries, expanding SCHIP, and adding a division to the army. As a member of the Arizona State Legislature, Kirkpatrick was known for her willingness to work across party lines.

Hay meanwhile ran on increasing offshore drilling and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as tapping oil reserves in Colorado and Wyoming to stimulate the economy. She also recognized the need to reach across party lines to create meaningful change.

The Cook Political Report ranked this race as 'Likely Democratic,' and CQ Politics, the Rothenberg Political Report, and The New York Times all forecast the race as 'Leans Democratic'.

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[18]	Likely D (flip)	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[19]	Likely D (flip)	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[20]	Lean D (flip)	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[21]	Lean D (flip)	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[22]	Lean D (flip)	November 6, 2008

Kirkpatrick's victory resulted in a House gain for Democrats.

Arizona's 1st congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann Kirkpatrick	155,791	55.9
	Republican	Sydney Hay	109,924	39.4
	Independent	Brent Maupin	9,394	3.4
	Libertarian	Thane Eichenauer	3,678	1.3
Total votes			278,787	100.0
	Democratic gain from Republican

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2008 Arizona's 2nd congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Trent Franks John Thrasher Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 200,914 125,611 Percentage 59.4% 37.2%

County results Thrasher:      60-70%     70-80% Franks:      50–60%     60-70%

U.S. Representative before election Trent Franks Republican Elected U.S. Representative Trent Franks Republican

Incumbent Republican Trent Franks, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 58.6% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of R+9.^[3]

• Trent Franks, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Trent Franks (incumbent)	58,707	100.0
Total votes			58,707	100.0

In what was essentially a rematch of the previous election, Franks was challenged by Democrat John Thrasher(campaign website)

• John Thrasher, educator and nominee for this seat in 2006

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Thrasher	27,711	100.0
Total votes			27,711	100.0

• Powell Gammill, molecular biologist and nominee for this seat in 2004 and 2006

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Powell Gammill	199	100.0
Total votes			199	100.0

• William Crum

Green primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Green	William Crum	118	100.0
Total votes			118	100.0

CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Arizona's 2nd congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Trent Franks (incumbent)	200,914	59.4
	Democratic	John Thrasher	125,611	37.2
	Libertarian	Powell Gammill	7,882	2.3
	Green	William Crum	3,616	1.1
Total votes			338,023	100.0
	Republican hold

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2008 Arizona's 3rd congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee John Shadegg Bob Lord Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 148,800 115,759 Percentage 54.1% 42.1%

County results Shadegg:      50–60%

U.S. Representative before election John Shadegg Republican Elected U.S. Representative John Shadegg Republican

Incumbent Republican John Shadegg, who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 59.3% of the vote in 2006. This district was previously held by Arizona's junior United States senator, Republican Jon Kyl. The district had a PVI of R+6.^[3]

An outspoken conservative, Shadegg has consistently been re-elected in this Republican-leaning district (Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+6) in the northern Phoenix suburbs which gave George W. Bush 57.9 percent of the vote in 2004. However, Lord outraised Shadegg in the first quarter of 2007 and even had more cash on hand compared to Shadegg, which resulted in an unusually competitive race. However, Shadegg's campaign team noted that Shadegg's funds are smaller than expected due to Shadegg donating most of the money in 2006 to fellow Republicans in a last-ditch, albeit lackluster attempt to retain control of Congress.^[24]

On February 11, 2008, incumbent Shadegg announced he would not run for an eighth term, saying that he wanted to "seek a new challenge in a different venue to advance the cause of freedom." However, on February 21, Shadegg retracted the statement and announced he would seek re-election.^[25] Over 140 Republicans in Congress had signed a letter asking Shadegg to keep his seat.^[26] Although it was speculated that he would run for the United States Senate if John McCain were to become president,^[27] Shadegg had expressed his intention to leave public life and return to the private sector^[26] before changing his mind.

Steve May a former state representative had announced a run for the seat^[28] but withdrew from the race when Shadegg announced he would seek another term after all.^[29]

• John Shadegg, incumbent U.S. Representative

• Steve May, former state representative

• Pamela Gorman, state senator^[30]
• Dean Martin, State Treasurer^[30]
• Sean Noble, Shadegg's Chief of Staff^[30]
• Jim Waring, state senator^[30]
• James Weiers, Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives^[30]
• Ed Winkler, Mayor of Paradise Valley^[30]

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Shadegg (incumbent)	43,538	100.0
Total votes			43,538	100.0

• Bob Lord, tax attorney (campaign website)

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bob Lord	22,554	100.0
Total votes			22,554	100.0

• Michael Shoen

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Michael Shoen	228	100.0
Total votes			228	100.0

Running as independents were Mark Yannone (campaign website), Annie Loyd and Edwin Winkler.

Annie Loyd, running on a platform of "transpartisan politics", has been described by The Arizona Republic as a moderate. Born in South Dakota and a community activist in Los Angeles, Loyd is a 15-year resident of Phoenix. She has also appeared at Columbia University.^[31] Shadegg's 2006 Democratic opponent, consultant Herb Paine, announced his support for Loyd.

However, none of the independents made the ballot.

The race was covered in the East Valley Tribune and showed a 27% independent voter population and noted increased registration of independents, in a district of 600,000 people cutting across urban Phoenix into rural parts of northern Maricopa county. The Federal Elections Commission reports that as of December 31, 2007, Shadegg had raised over $1,000,000, Lord over $600,000, and Loyd $26,000. May and Winkler had not reported any fundraising.^[32][33]

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	John Shadegg (R)	Bob Lord (D)	Michael Shoen (L)	Undecided
Research 2000 (Daily Kos)[34]	October 20–22, 2008	400 (LV)	±5.0%	50%	40%	2%	8%
Research 2000 (Daily Kos)[35]	October 6–8, 2008	400 (LV)	±5.0%	48%	39%	2%	11%
Anzalone Liszt Research (D-DCCC)[36]	October 6–8, 2008	400 (LV)	±4.9%	44%	45%	5%	6%

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[18]	Lean R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[19]	Likely R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[20]	Lean R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[21]	Lean R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[22]	Lean R	November 6, 2008

Despite having his campaign privately criticized by Republican operatives, Shadegg was re-elected by 12 points in strong Democratic year.^[37]

Arizona's 3rd congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Shadegg (incumbent)	148,800	54.1
	Democratic	Bob Lord	115,759	42.1
	Libertarian	Michael Shoen	10,602	3.9
Total votes			275,161	100.0
	Republican hold

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2008 Arizona's 4th congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Ed Pastor Don Karg Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 89,721 26,435 Percentage 72.1% 21.3%

County results Pastor:      70-80%

U.S. Representative before election Ed Pastor Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Ed Pastor Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Ed Pastor, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 72.5% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of D+14.^[3]

• Ed Pastor, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ed Pastor (incumbent)	18,660	100.0
Total votes			18,660	100.0

• Don Karg

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Don Karg	8,073	99.9
	Republican	Richard Grayson (write-in)	8	0.1
Total votes			8,081	100.0

• Joe Cobb, retired economist and nominee for the 7th District in 2006

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Joe Cobb	156	100.0
Total votes			156	100.0

• Rebecca DeWitt, accountant

Green primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Green	Rebecca DeWitt	71	100.0
Total votes			71	100.0

CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Arizona's 4th congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ed Pastor (incumbent)	89,721	72.1
	Republican	Don Karg	26,435	21.3
	Green	Rebecca DeWitt	4,464	3.6
	Libertarian	Joe Cobb	3,807	3.1
Total votes			124,427	100.00
	Democratic hold

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2008 Arizona's 5th congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Harry Mitchell David Schweikert Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 149,033 122,165 Percentage 53.2% 43.6%

County results Mitchell:      50–60%

U.S. Representative before election Harry Mitchell Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Harry Mitchell Democratic

This district has been represented by Democrat Harry Mitchell since 2007. Mitchell unseated conservative Republican J.D. Hayworth by 50% to 47% in this Republican-leaning district in the northeastern Phoenix suburbs that gave George W. Bush 54% of the vote in 2004. The largely Republican nature of this district made a tough 2008 race certain, though Mitchell, who has a government complex in Tempe named after him, had won a lot of tough elections in the past. The district had a PVI of R+4.^[3]

• Harry Mitchell, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harry Mitchell (incumbent)	25,174	100.0
Total votes			25,174	100.0

• David Schweikert, former Maricopa County Treasurer, former state representative and candidate for this seat in 1994^[38][39]

• Mark Anderson, former state representative^[39]
• Susan Bitter Smith, executive director of the Arizona-New Mexico Cable Communications Association and candidate for the 1st District in 1994 and 2000^[38]
• Lee Gentry, business owner, attorney and certified public accountant
• Laura Knaperek, former state representative^[40][38]
• Jim Ogsbury, lobbyist and former congressional aide^[41][38][39]

• Hugh Hallman, Mayor of Tempe^[38][39]
• Jeff Hatch-Miller, member of Arizona Corporation Commission and former state representative^[38][39]
• Tom Liddy, lawyer, son of G. Gordon Liddy and candidate for the 1st District in 2000^[38]
• Sean Noble, chief of staff to Rep. John Shadegg^[38]
• Michele Reagan, state representative^[39]
• Matt Salmon, former U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor in 2002^[38][39]

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David Schweikert	14,233	29.5
	Republican	Susan Bitter Smith	13,212	27.4
	Republican	Laura Knaperek	7,523	15.6
	Republican	Mark Anderson	6,539	13.6
	Republican	Jim Ogsbury	6,042	12.5
	Republican	Lee Gentry	706	1.5
Total votes			48,255	100.0

• Warren Severin, businessman and nominee for this seat in 2006

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Warren Severin	207	100.0
Total votes			207	100.0

• Complete video of debate, October 20, 2008

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Harry Mitchell (D)	David Schweikert (R)	Undecided
Bennett, Petts and Normington (D)[42]	March 9–11, 2008	400 (LV)	±4.9%	50%	24%	26%

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[18]	Likely D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[19]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[20]	Lean D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[21]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[22]	Lean D	November 6, 2008

Arizona's 5th congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harry Mitchell (incumbent)	149,033	53.2
	Republican	David Schweikert	122,165	43.6
	Libertarian	Warren Severin	9,158	3.3
	Write-In	Ralph Hughes	9	0.0
Total votes			280,365	100.0
	Democratic hold

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2008 Arizona's 6th congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Jeff Flake Rebecca Schneider Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 208,582 115,457 Percentage 62.4% 34.6%

County results Flake:      50–60%     60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Jeff Flake Republican Elected U.S. Representative Jeff Flake Republican

Incumbent Republican Jeff Flake, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 74.8% of the vote in 2006. There was no Democratic candidate in this heavily Republican district in 2004 or 2006. George W. Bush won with 64% here in 2004. The district had a PVI of R+12.^[3]

Flake, who was perhaps best known for his opposition to pork barrel projects and advocacy for earmark reform ran unopposed.

• Jeff Flake, incumbent U.S. Representative(campaign website),

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeff Flake (incumbent)	51,562	100.0
Total votes			51,562	100.0

Richard Grayson, an Apache Junction resident who ran as a write-in candidate in Florida's 4th congressional district in 2004, filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for this seat as a Democrat, as did trucking-firm account manager Chris Gramazio. Rebecca Schneider (campaign website), a library supervisor from Mesa, also filed and ended up defeating Gramazio in the Democratic primary.

• Rebecca Schneider, library supervisor (D-Mesa)

• Chris Gramazio, trucking-firm account manager

• Richard Grayson, perennial candidate

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rebecca Schneider	15,644	73.8
	Democratic	Chris Gramazio	5,568	26.2
Total votes			21,212	100.0

• Rick Biondi

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Rick Biondi	175	100.0
Total votes			175	100.0

CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.

Arizona's 6th congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeff Flake (incumbent)	208,582	62.4
	Democratic	Rebecca Schneider	115,457	34.6
	Libertarian	Rick Biondi	10,137	3.0
Total votes			334,176	100.0
	Republican hold

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2008 Arizona's 7th congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Raúl Grijalva Joseph Sweeney Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 124,304 64,425 Percentage 63.3% 32.8%

County results Grijalva:      40-50%      50–60%     70-80% Sweeney:      50–60%

U.S. Representative before election Raúl Grijalva Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Raúl Grijalva, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 61.1% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of D+10.^[3]

• Raúl Grijalva, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raúl Grijalva (incumbent)	30,630	100.0
Total votes			30,630	100.0

• Joseph Sweeney, educator, nominee for this seat in 2004 and candidate in 2000, 2002 & 2006

• Milton Chewning (campaign website)

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joseph Sweeney	11,011	66.8
	Republican	Milton Chewning	5,464	33.2
Total votes			16,475	100.0

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Raymond Petrulsky (write-in)	33	100.0
Total votes			33	100.0

CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

Arizona's 7th congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raúl Grijalva (incumbent)	124,304	63.3
	Republican	Joseph Sweeney	64,425	32.8
	Libertarian	Raymond Petrulsky	7,755	4.0
	Write-In	Harley Meyer	5	0.0
Total votes			196,489	100.0
	Democratic hold

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

2008 Arizona's 8th congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Gabby Giffords Tim Bee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 179,629 140,553 Percentage 54.7% 42.8%

County results Giffords:      40–50%     50–60% Bee:     50-60%

U.S. Representative before election Gabby Giffords Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Gabby Giffords, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. She was elected with 54.3% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of R+1.^[3]

Bush narrowly won here with 52% to 47% for John Kerry in 2004.

• Gabby Giffords, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gabby Giffords (incumbent)	46,223	100.0
Total votes			46,223	100.0

• Tim Bee, President of the Arizona Senate^[43]

Republican primary results^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tim Bee	52,671	100.0
Total votes			52,671	100.0

Libertarian primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Paul Davis (write-in)	40	100.0
Total votes			40	100.0

Derek Tidball (campaign website) also ran.

Early on in the campaign, Bee was assessed by the Rothenberg Political Report to be the number one challenger race in the nation saying "In 2008, Giffords will face state Senate President Tim Bee (R), whose candidacy represents a slice of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy election cycle for national Republicans... the 8th District should feature one of the most competitive races for the House in the country."^[44] Roll Call stated said that Bee's candidacy "erases some key advantages the freshman incumbent carried into her successful 2006 Congressional campaign."^[45]

Giffords attracted a lot of attention in late May and June due to the shuttle flight of her husband Mark E. Kelly, who served as commander of the space shuttle's STS-124 mission.^[46]

Bee's campaign generated state and national press coverage when his campaign co-chair, former Congressman Jim Kolbe, resigned and withdrew his support in early July.^[47][48][49] Kolbe had held the seat for 22 years until Giffords took office in 2007.

On July 13, the Arizona Republic summarized the race: "Giffords has proved adept at fundraising and is considered a rising star in Democratic circles. But Bee is one of the state's highest-profile political figures and has enlisted the support of some heavy-hitters, including President Bush, the headliner of a Tucson fundraiser planned for later this month." Giffords has the "advantages of incumbency. Plus, Bee is just off a tough legislative term in which he drew heavy criticism for his role in a state budget deal and the referral of an anti-gay-marriage proposal to the November ballot. Bee remains a popular political figure, and registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 14,000 in the district."^[1] On July 16, the Arizona Republic reported that freshman Congresswoman Giffords "has proved to be the most successful fundraiser among the state's House delegation and now has more than $2 million in her campaign coffers."^[50]

Bee (R) vs Giffords (D-i) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Gabby Giffords (D)	Tim Bee (R)	Undecided
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (D)[51]	June 18–22, 2008	502 (LV)	±?%	58%	32%	10%
Kenski (R-Bee)[52]	May 15–23, 2008	500 (LV)	±?%	47%	40%	13%

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[18]	Likely D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[19]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[20]	Lean D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[21]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[22]	Lean D	November 6, 2008

Arizona's 8th congressional district election, 2008^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gabby Giffords (incumbent)	179,629	54.7
	Republican	Tim Bee	140,553	42.8
	Libertarian	Paul Davis	8,081	2.5
	Write-In	Paul Price	3	0.0
Total votes			328,266	100.0
	Democratic hold

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

Specific

General

• 2008 Competitive House Race Chart The Cook Political Report, November 4, 2008.
• 2008 House Ratings The Rothenberg Political Report, November 2, 2008.

• Elections from the Arizona Secretary of State
• U.S. Congress candidates for Arizona at Project Vote Smart
• Arizona U.S. House Races from 2008 Race Tracker
• Campaign contributions for Arizona congressional races from OpenSecrets

Preceded by 2006 elections

United States House elections in Arizona 2008

Succeeded by 2010 elections