United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, 2008

United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, 2008

November 4, 2008

All 3 West Virginia seats to the United States House of Representatives   Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 2 1 Seats won 2 1 Seat change Popular vote 432,075 213,339 Percentage 66.93% 33.05% Swing 8.92% 8.92%

The 2008 congressional elections in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2008 to determine who would represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

West Virginia has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of two Democrats and one Republican. That remains unchanged although CQ Politics had forecasted district 2 to be at some risk for the incumbent party.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, 2008[1]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Democratic	432,075	66.93%	2	—
	Republican	213,339	33.05%	1	—
	Independents	146	0.02%	0	—
Totals		645,560	100.00%	3	—

District 1

Democratic incumbent Alan Mollohan ran unopposed. CQ Politics ranked the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

West Virginia’s 1st congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Mollohan (inc.)	187,734	99.93
	Write-ins		130	0.07
Total votes			187,864	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 2

Republican incumbent Shelley Moore Capito (campaign website) won against Democratic nominee Anne Barth (campaign website), a longtime former aide to U.S. Senator Robert Byrd. CQ Politics ranked the race 'Leans Republican'. The Rothenberg Political Report considered it 'Republican Favored'.^[2] The Cook Political Report considered it 'Likely Republican'.^[3]

In 2006, Capito was reelected with 57%, a solid margin, but not a sign of political security. She faced a potentially difficult challenge from state Sen. John Unger (D), but Unger surprised many when he dropped out of the race.^[4]

West Virginia’s 2nd congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Shelley Capito (inc.)	147,334	57.07
	Democratic	Anne Barth	110,819	42.92
	Write-ins		16	0.01
Total votes			258,169	100.00
	Republican hold

District 3

Democratic incumbent Nick Rahall was challenged by Republican Marty Gearheart. CQ Politics ranked the race as 'Safe Democrat'.

West Virginia’s 3rd congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Nick Rahall (inc.)	133,522	66.92
	Republican	Marty Gearheart	66,005	33.08
Total votes			199,527	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electioninfo/index.aspx
2. 2008 House Ratings The Rothenberg Political Report, October 14, 2008
3. 2008 Competitive House Race Chart The Cook Political Report, October 16, 2008
4. Mannix Porterfield, State Sen. Unger running for U.S. Congress The Register Herald May 21, 2007 Retrieved June 2, 2007

External links

• Elections at the West Virginia Secretary of State
• U.S. Congress candidates for West Virginia at Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions for West Virginia congressional races from OpenSecrets.org