# 2008 United States Senate election in Texas

Elections in Texas :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1848
1852
1856
1860
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate
1846
1847
1851
1853
1857
1859
1859 sp
1870
1871
1875
1876
1881
1882
1887
1888
1892 sp
1893
1894
1899
1901
1905
1907
1911
1913
1913 sp
1916
1918
1922
1924
1928
1930
1934
1936
1940
1941 sp
1942
1946
1948
1952
1954
1957 sp
1958
1960
1961 sp
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1993 sp
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House of Representatives
1846
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1866
1869
1870
1871
1872
1874
1876
1878
1879
6th sp
1880
1882
1884
1886
1887
2nd sp
1888
1890
1892
9th sp
1894
1896
11th sp
1898
1900
1901
6th sp
1902
4th sp
1903
8th sp
1904
1905
8th sp
1906
1908
1910
1912
1913
10th sp
1914
1916
1918
1919
12th sp
1920
1922
13th sp
1924
1926
1928
1930
17th sp
1931
14th sp
1932
1933
7th sp
8th sp
15th sp
1934
1936
1937
10th sp
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
6th sp
1947
9th sp
16th sp
1948
15th sp
1950
18th sp
1951
13th sp
1952
7th sp
1954
1956
1958
1960
1961
20th sp
1962
4th sp
13th sp
1963
10th sp
1964
1966
8th sp
1968
3rd sp
1970
1972
1974
1976
1st sp
22nd sp
1978
1980
1982
1983
6th sp
1984
1985
1st sp
1986
1988
1989
12th sp
18th sp
1990
1991
3rd sp
1992
1994
1996
1997
28th sp
1998
2000
2002
2003
19th sp
2004
2006
22nd
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
27th sp
2020
2021
6th sp
2022
34th sp
2024
18th sp :
State government
General elections
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1861
1863
1866
1866
1869
1873
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
Attorney General elections
2010
2014
2018
2022
Comptroller elections
2022
Senate elections
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Constitutional amendments
1972
2005
2007
2021
2023 :
Austin
Mayoral elections
2003
2006
2009
2012
2014
2018
2022
2024
Austin municipal elections
2022
2024 :
Corpus Christi
Mayoral elections
2012
2014
2016
2017 sp
2018
2020 :
Dallas–Fort Worth
Arlington mayoral elections
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
Dallas mayoral elections
1856
1857
1875
1904
1925
1961
1963
1965
1995
1999
2002 sp
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
Dallas municipal elections
2015
2019
2021
Fort Worth mayoral elections
2003
2007
2009
2011
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
Denton mayoral elections
2020
2022
Plano municipal elections
2017
2019
2021 :
El Paso
Mayoral elections
2001
2003
2005
2009
2013
2017
2020
Municipal elections
2017
2020 :
Houston
Mayoral elections
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2019
2023
Municipal elections
2005
2007
2009 :
Laredo
Mayoral elections
2018
2022 :
Lubbock
Mayoral elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
San Antonio
Mayoral elections
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025 :
Government :
vte :
The 2008 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican John Cornyn defeated Democratic nominee Rick Noriega, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, to win re-election to a second term in office.

## 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

Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Rick Noriega | 1,110,579 | 51.01% |
| | Democratic | Gene Kelly | 584,966 | 26.87% |
| | Democratic | Ray McMurrey | 269,402 | 12.37% |
| | Democratic | Rhett Smith | 213,305 | 9.75% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,178,252 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

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

### Results

Republican Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | John Cornyn (incumbent) | 997,216 | 81.48% | +4.17% |
| | Republican | Larry Kilgore | 226,649 | 18.52% | +0.00% |

## 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

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Safe R | October 23, 2008 |
| CQ Politics | Likely R | October 31, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Safe R | November 2, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics | Safe R | November 4, 2008 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Dates administered | Rick Noriega (D) | John Cornyn (R) |
| Rasmussen | September 18, 2007 | 30% | 53% |
| Research 2000 | September 24–26, 2007 | 35% | 51% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 1, 2008 | 43% | 47% |
| Research 2000/Daily Kos | May 5–7, 2008 | 44% | 48% |
| Baselice & Associates | May 20–25, 2008 | 33% | 49% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 2, 2008 | 35% | 52% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 25, 2008 | 35% | 48% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 30, 2008 | 39% | 50% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 29, 2008 | 43% | 50% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 21, 2008 | 40% | 55% |

### Results

2008 Texas U.S. Senate general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | John Cornyn (incumbent) | 4,337,469 | 54.82% | −0.48% |
| | Democratic | Rick Noriega | 3,389,365 | 42.84% | −0.50% |
| | Libertarian | Yvonne Adams Schick | 185,241 | 2.34% | +1.55% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 948,104 | 11.98% | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,912,075 | 58.28% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | | |

#### 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)