The 2008 United States Senate election in Massachusetts took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry, who remained in the Senate after losing the presidency to incumbent President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, won re-election to a fifth term in office. Kerry later resigned his seat in 2013 to become Secretary of State under the Obama administration.
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- John Kerry, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Edward O'Reilly, Gloucester city councilor
Campaign
editAt the state convention on June 7, 2008, Edward O'Reilly received 22.5% of the vote, thereby granting him a spot on the September primary ballot. Kerry, received the vast majority of votes, however, granting him the convention's endorsement.[1] On July 25, O'Reilly challenged Kerry to a series of debates,[2] and the two eventually met for one debate in early September. On September 16, Kerry defeated O'Reilly in the Democratic primary.[3]
Results
edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Kerry (incumbent) | 335,923 | 68.92% | ||
| Democratic | Edward O'Reilly | 151,473 | 31.08% | ||
| Turnout | 487,396 | ||||
General election
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Candidates
edit- Jeff Beatty (R), military officer, businessman and nominee for MA-10 in 2006[4]
- John Kerry (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Robert Underwood (L)
Campaign
editDemocrat John F. Kerry, the incumbent since 1985, was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the 2004 election. He had historically attracted strong Republican challengers, including two former Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman, Ray Shamie in 1984, Jim Rappaport in 1990, and former state Governor William Weld in 1996.
Kerry had explored the possibility of seeking the Democratic nomination for president once again in 2008, a circumstance which prompted many of Massachusetts's all-Democratic House delegation, including Marty Meehan, Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch, to declare that they would run in the Democratic primary for Senate should Kerry not seek re-election.[5] However, on January 24, 2007, Kerry announced that he would run for re-election to the United States Senate and not for the Presidency. A December 23, 2007, poll indicated his approval rating at 52%, with 43% disapproving.[6]
Massachusetts held primary elections on September 16, 2008.[7] Unlike in 2002, when Kerry was re-elected against only third-party opposition, the Democratic nominee faced a Republican opponent in 2008. The Republican candidate, former U.S. Army Delta Force officer and FBI special agent Jeff Beatty who had lost a congressional race two years earlier, was not considered a serious contender in this overwhelmingly Democratic state. Massachusetts had not elected a Republican Senator since Edward Brooke in 1972, although Republican Scott Brown would go on to win a special Senate election in 2010.
On September 16, 2008, Kerry defeated Edward O'Reilly in the Democratic primary and faced Republican Beatty in the November general election.[8]
Predictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[9] | Safe D | October 23, 2008 |
| CQ Politics[10] | Safe D | October 31, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[11] | Safe D | November 2, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[12] | Safe D | November 4, 2008 |
Polling
edit| Source | Date | Jeff Beatty (R) |
John Kerry (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports[13] | April 25, 2008 | 30% | 55% |
| June 1, 2008 | 25% | 63% | |
| August 5, 2008 | 32% | 59% | |
| September 23, 2008 | 30% | 65% |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Kerry (incumbent) | 1,971,974 | 65.86% | −14.2% | |
| Republican | Jeff Beatty | 926,044 | 30.93% | 30.93% | |
| Libertarian | Robert J. Underwood | 93,713 | 3.13% | −15.1% | |
| Majority | 1,037,116 | ||||
| Turnout | 2,994,247 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
editGeneral
- ^ Viser, Matt (June 8, 2008). "Gloucester lawyer to challenge Kerry". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Kerry's primary challenger proposes debates, Associated Press
- ^ "cbsnews.com". CBS News.[dead link]
- ^ "CQPolitics Rates Safe Democratic Senate Races in '08". New York Times.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (January 25, 2007). "In '08, Kerry to run for Senate not White House". The Hill. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Survey USA".
- ^ "Candidates guide from Secretary of the Commonwealth Elections Division" (PDF).
- ^ "John Kerry bests 1st primary opponent in 24 years". ap.google.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 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.
- ^ Rasmussen Reports
Specific
External links
edit- Elections Division from the Massachusetts Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Massachusetts at Project Vote Smart
- Massachusetts U.S. Senate from CQ Politics
- Massachusetts U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Massachusetts U.S. Senate race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
- Beatty (R) vs Kerry (D-i) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- County Results - Election Center 2008 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com
Democrats
Republicans