2008 Pennsylvania elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elections were held in Pennsylvania on November 4, 2008. Necessary primary elections were held on April 22.
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November 4, 2008
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| Registered | 8,755,588 |
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| Turnout | 68.7%[1] |
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All 203 seats of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 25 seats of the Pennsylvania Senate, as well as the offices of Pennsylvania Treasurer, Pennsylvania Auditor General, and Pennsylvania Attorney General were up for election.
Presidential Primary
Democratic primary
Pennsylvania's Democratic Primary to award the state's 158 pledged delegates took place on April 22, 2008. Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton were the only 2 Democratic candidates on the ballot.[2]
According to official results from the primary, Clinton won 54.6% of the vote, and Obama took the remaining 45.4%.[3]
Republican primary
John McCain had already secured the majority of delegates for the Republican Party nomination, and captured 73% of Republican votes in the Pennsylvania primary. Republican turn-out was low during the election, possibly due to party registration switching from Republican to Democrat.
Constitutional officers
Treasurer
Pennsylvania's election for State Treasurer was held in November 4, after incumbent Treasurer Robin Weissmann announced she would not run in 2008. Two major candidates ran for State Treasurer; Rob McCord, the Democratic nominee from Lower Merion, and Tom Ellis, a Montgomery County Commissioner, and unopposed nominee for the Republican Party. Rob McCord won the election, with 54.98% of the vote.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob McCord | 3,104,242 | 54.98% | −6.28% | |
| Republican | Tom Ellis | 2,422,628 | 42.90% | +6.40% | |
| Libertarian | Berlie Etzel | 119,748 | 2.12% | +1.0% | |
| Majority | 681,614 | 12.08% | |||
| Turnout | 5,646,618 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Attorney General
The primaries for Attorney General were held on April 22. This election marked the last time a Republican was elected Attorney General of Pennsylvania until 2024. Incumbent Tom Corbett ran as the unopposed Republican candidate. Democratic candidate John Morganelli also ran unopposed. Former 2006 gubernatorial candidate Marakay Rogers as the Libertarian candidate. Tom Corbett was announced as the winner of the election on November 4.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Corbett (incumbent) | 3,002,927 | 52.36 | ||
| Democratic | John Morganelli | 2,619,791 | 45.84 | ||
| Libertarian | Marakay Rogers | 109,856 | 1.89 | ||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Auditor General
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Pennsylvania's election for Auditor General was held on November 8. Incumbent Auditor General Jack Wagner ran unopposed as the Democratic nominee. Manufacturing and construction executive Chet Beiler also ran unopposed as the Republican nominee after opponent Chris Walsh withdrew due to problems with nomination petitions.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jack Wagner (incumbent) | 3,336,219 | 59.00 |  6.94 | |
| Republican | Chet Beiler | 2,134,543 | 37.75 |  7.66 | |
| Libertarian | Betsy Summers | 184,029 | 3.25 | 2.26 | |
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | 5,654,791 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Statewide Ballot Referendums
The ballot question asked the voters to authorize the issuance of $400,000,000 in bonds for the "acquisition, repair, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, extension, expansion and improvement" of sewage treatment facilities and water supply systems. The money raised would be dispensed by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority.[4][5] The measure passed with a healthy statewide margin and had a gained a majority in 64 of 67 counties.[6]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 2,804,998 | 61.6 | |
| No | 1,748,362 | 38.4 | |
- 70–80%
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
- 50–60%