2008 United States Senate election in Texas

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Gene Kelly, U.S. Air Force veteran and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2000
• Ray McMurrey, teacher at Mary Carroll High School
• Rick Noriega, State Representative
• Rhett Smith, U.S. Navy veteran and auditor at the Texas Department of Human Services

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

• John Cornyn, incumbent U.S. Senator
• Larry Kilgore, conservative/Secessionist activist

Results

General election

Candidates

• John Cornyn (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
• Rick Noriega (D), State Representative
• Yvonne Adams Schick (L), real estate entrepreneur

Campaign

Cornyn, running as an incumbent, had a 42% approval rating with a 43% disapproval rating in June 2007. Texas is a red state, that Republican presidential nominee John McCain won with over 55% of the vote. Cornyn slightly underperformed McCain. However, Noriega underperformed both 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in Texas and Cornyn's 2002 opponent, Ron Kirk, with Noriega receiving just 42.8% of the vote.

Predictions

Polling

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Bexar (largest municipality: San Antonio)
• Harris (largest municipality: Houston)
• Brewster (largest city: Alpine)
• Uvalde (largest city: Uvalde)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Bee (Largest city: Beeville)
• Caldwell (Largest city: Lockhart)
• Fisher (Largest city: Rotan)
• Foard (Largest city: Crowell)
• Haskell (Largest city: Haskell)
• Marion (Largest city: Jefferson)
• Pecos (Largest city: Fort Stockton)
• Refugio (Largest city: Refugio)
• San Augustine (Largest city: San Augustine)
• San Patricio (Largest city: Portland)
• Terrell (Largest city: Sanderson)
• Morris (Largest city: Daingerfield)
• Newton (Largest city: Newton)
• Calhoun (Largest city: Port Lavaca)
• Robertson (Largest city: Hearne)

References

References

1. "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate - D Primary Race - Mar 04, 2008".
2. "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate - R Primary Race - Mar 04, 2008".
3. "NewsBank".
4. "SurveyUSA News Poll #12245".
5. "2008 Senate Race ratings for October 23, 2008".
6. link. (October 28, 2010 ''CQ Politics'')
7. "2008 Senate ratings".
8. "2008 RCP Averages & Senate Results". Real Clear Politics.
9. [http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/2007/09/rasmussen-hillary-trailing-in-texas.php Rasmussen]
10. [http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/27/14642/2928 Research 2000]
11. [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/8/163458/6653/565/512005 Research 2000/Daily Kos]
12. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080910020225/http://www.pollster.com/blogs/May29%202008%20Texas%20Survey%20Release%20on%20US%20Senate%20Race.pdf Baselice & Associates]