2008 United States Senate election in Iowa

The 2008 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Harkin sought re-election to a fifth term in office. Unlike all of Harkin's previous bids for re-election, he was not challenged by a sitting United States Congressman but instead faced small businessman Christopher Reed, who won the Republican primary by just a few hundred votes. Harkin defeated Reed in a landslide, winning 94 of Iowa’s 99 counties. As of 2020, this is the most recent election in which a Democrat won a Senate election in Iowa.

2008 United States Senate election in Iowa
November 4, 2008
 
Nominee Tom Harkin Christopher Reed
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 941,665 560,006
Percentage 62.7% 37.3%
County results
Harkin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Reed:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
U.S. senator before election

Tom Harkin
Democratic

 Elected U.S. Senator

Tom Harkin
Democratic

Elections in Iowa

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results
Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Harkin (incumbent) 90,785 98.83%
Democratic Write-ins 1,074 1.17%
Total votes 91,859 100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates
  • George Eichhorn, former Iowa State Representative
  • Steve Rathje, construction company executive
  • Christopher Reed, small businessman

Results
Republican primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Christopher Reed 24,964 35.32%
Republican George Eichhorn 24,390 34.52%
Republican Steve Rathje 21,062 29.80%
Republican Write-ins 256 0.36%
Total votes 70,672 100.00%

General election

Polling
Governor Chet Culver campaigning for Senator Harkin
Poll source Dates administered Christopher
Reed (R)		 Tom
Harkin (D)
Survey USA April 21–23, 2008 20% 59%
Research 2000 June 10, 2008 37% 53%
Rasmussen Reports July 10, 2008 37% 55%
Rasmussen Reports August 7, 2008 36% 60%
Rasmussen Reports September 17–18, 2008 37% 60%
Survey USA October 23, 2008 41% 57%
Rasmussen Reports October 29, 2008 35% 61%

Results
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2008[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Tom Harkin (incumbent) 941,665 62.66% +8.48%
Republican Christopher Reed 560,006 37.26% -6.52%
Write-ins 1,247 0.08%
Majority 381,659 25.39% +15.00%
Turnout 1,502,918
Democratic hold Swing

References
  1. "Official Results Report 2008 Primary Election" (PDF). Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  2. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008" (PDF). Retrieved January 17, 2020.
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