2008 Delaware gubernatorial election

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2008

November 4, 2008

Nominee Jack Markell William Swain Lee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 266,861 126,662 Percentage 67.52% 32.05%

County Results

Governor before election Ruth Ann Minner Democratic Elected Governor Jack Markell Democratic

The election for Governor of Delaware took place on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the United States presidential election. Democrat Jack Markell was elected governor, succeeding incumbent Ruth Ann Minner, also a Democrat, who was prevented from running for a third term.

As of 2008, Democrats had controlled the Delaware governorship for 16 years. In an upset, state Treasurer Jack Markell defeated Lieutenant Governor John Carney by 51 to 49% for the Democratic nomination on September 9. The Republican nominee was former state Superior Court Judge William Swain "Bill" Lee, defeating airline pilot Michael Protrack. Lee was the Republican nominee for Governor in 2004, and lost to Minner by a narrow margin.

The race received more attention with the potential elevation of U.S. Senator Joe Biden as Barack Obama's choice as his Vice President of the United States. Election of a Republican governor would assist the party by proxy gaining an additional seat in the US Senate but Lee was defeated by a wide margin by Markell. Senator Biden resigned his seat in the United States Senate on January 15, 2009, and Ted Kaufman was appointed by Governor Minner to the vacant seat. Kaufman had previously served as Senator Biden's Chief of Staff during his tenure in the United States Senate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Jack Markell, Delaware State Treasurer
• John Carney, Lieutenant Governor of Delaware

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jack Markell	37,849	51%
	Democratic	John Carney	36,112	49%
Total votes			73,961	100%

Republican primary

Candidates

• William Swain Lee, former Delaware Superior Court justice and nominee for Governor in 2004
• Michael Protack, airline pilot

Results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Swain Lee	20,826	72%
	Republican	Michael Protack	8,146	28%
Total votes			28,972	100%

Blue Enigma Party

• Jeffrey Brown, bartender and party founder

Polling

Governor

Source	Date	Jack Markell (D)	Bill Lee (R)
Survey USA	October 28, 2008	62%	27%
Rasmussen Reports	October 10, 2008	62%	34%
West Chester University/WHYY	October 9, 2008	61%	30%
Fairleigh Dickinson	September 23, 2008	61%	27%
Survey USA	September 23, 2008	64%	29%

General election

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jack Markell	266,861	67.52%	+16.65%
	Republican	William Swain Lee	126,662	32.05%	−13.74%
	Blue Enigma	Jeffrey Brown	1,681	0.43%
Majority			140,199	35.48%	+30.40%
Total votes			395,204	100.00
	Democratic hold		Swing

See also

• Delaware gubernatorial election, 2004

External links

• Delaware Commissioner of Elections
• Delaware Governor candidates at Project Vote Smart
• Delaware Governor race from OurCampaigns.com
• Delaware Governor race from 2008 Race Tracker
• Campaign contributions from Follow the Money
• Official campaign websites
  • John Carney, Democratic candidate
  • Bill Lee, Republican candidate
  • Jack Markell, Democratic candidate