2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia
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The 2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2008, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of West Virginia. Democratic incumbent Jay Rockefeller won re-election to a fifth term in a landslide, defeating Republican former nominee Jay Wolfe. As of 2026, this election is the last time a Democrat won West Virginia's Class II U.S. Senate seat.
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November 4, 2008
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 County results Rockefeller: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Wolfe: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jay Rockefeller, incumbent U.S. senator (1985–2015)
Eliminated in primary
- Sheirl Fletcher
- Billy Hendricks
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller (incumbent) | 271,370 | 77.1% | |
| Democratic | Sheirl Fletcher | 51,073 | 14.5% | |
| Democratic | Billy Hendricks | 29,707 | 8.4% | |
| Total votes | 352,150 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[1] | Safe D | October 23, 2008 |
| CQ Politics[2] | Safe D | October 31, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[3] | Safe D | November 2, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[4] | Safe D | November 4, 2008 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jay Rockefeller (D) |
Jay Wolfe (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D)[5] | October 29–30, 2008 | 2,128 (LV) | ± 2.1% | 58% | 40% | – | 2% |
| Rasmussen Reports[6] | September 24, 2008 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 61% | 33% | 1% | 5% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller (incumbent) | 447,560 | 63.74% | +0.63% | |
| Republican | Jay Wolfe | 254,629 | 36.26% | −0.63% | |
| Total votes | 702,189 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Morgan (largest municipality: Berkeley Springs)
See also
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear