The 2008 congressional elections in Michigan were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Michigan had fifteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the

111th Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with th ...

from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the

2008 U.S. presidential election The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from ...

. The 7th and 9th district seats were considered to be competitive. Both seats were occupied by Republicans who lost to Democratic opponents. The makeup of the Michigan congressional delegation in 2008 consisted of nine Republicans and six Democrats. As a result of the 2008 election, the delegation in 2009/2010 consists of eight Democrats and seven Republicans. The two Democratic Party gains came in the 7th and 9th districts.

Overview

District 1

Popular incumbent

Bart Stupak Bartholomew Thomas Stupak (; born February 29, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Democratic Party, Stupak served as the U.S. representative from from 1993 to 2011. Stupak chose not to seek re-election in 2010. He dep ...

was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Conservative state Representative

Tom Casperson Tom Casperson (July 20, 1959 – November 29, 2020) was an American businessman and politician from the State of Michigan. He formerly served as a Republican member of the Michigan State Senate, representing the 38th district, which includes muc ...

, from

Escanaba Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,616 at the 2010 census, making it the third-largest city i ...

, won the Republican primary election over Linda Goldthorpe and Don Hooper. The

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

nominated Daniel Grow; the

U.S. Taxpayers Party The Constitution Party, formerly the U.S. Taxpayers' Party until 1999, is a political party in the United States that promotes a religious conservative view of the principles and intents of the United States Constitution. The party plat ...

nominated Joshua Warren and the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

nominated

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Jean Treacy. The 1st District is generally socially conservative and strongly pro-union. It covers the entire

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

and the northern part of the

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

, and is the largest congressional district east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.

District 2

Pete Hoekstra Cornelis Piet "Pete" Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously ser ...

, a conservative incumbent and ranking Republican on the

House Intelligence Committee The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Adam Schiff. It is the primary committ ...

, was challenged by Democrat Fred Johnson,2008 Official Michigan Primary Candidate Listing
/ref>

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

Dan Johnson
campaign website
and

candidate Ronald Graeser. The district is centered on Michigan's West Shoreline and includes the cities of

Muskegon Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expan ...

and

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.

District 3

Incumbent

Vern Ehlers Vernon James Ehlers (February 6, 1934 – August 15, 2017) was an American physicist and politician who represented Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 until his retirement in 2011. A Republican, he also served eight years ...

was re-elected. The district trends Republican and is centered on

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. Ehlers was challenged by Democrat Henry Sanchez and

Erwin Haas. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.

District 4

Republican

David Lee Camp David Lee Camp (born July 9, 1953) is a former American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2015. Camp represented since 1993, and previously served one term representing . A member of the ...

was reelected. He was by challenged by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Andrew Concannon,

Allitta Hren, and U.S. Taxpayer Party candidate John Emerick. This large district stretches from

Owosso Owosso may refer to a location in the United States: * Owosso, Michigan, a city in Shiawassee County * Owosso Township, Michigan, adjacent to the city {{Geodis ...

in the east central part of the state to

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

to the extreme northwest part of the Lower Peninsula. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.

District 5

Democrat

Dale Kildee Dale Edward Kildee (September 16, 1929 – October 13, 2021) was an American politician who served as U.S. Representative of Michigan from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Democratic Party. His district included Flint, Saginaw and Bay C ...

ran for re-election in 2008. The Flint area congressman has served for over 30 years. His district (covering

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

, Bay City and part of the western part of

The Thumb The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of the Tri-Cities and north of M ...

) is strongly Democratic. Petitions were circulated for Democratic state senator John Gleason to challenge Kildee, but Gleason decided not to run. Kildee is challenged on by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate by Matt Sawicki of Bay City,

candidate Leonard Schwartz and

candidate Ken Mathenia of

Grand Blanc Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 7,784 as of the 2020 US Census. History The unincorporated village of Grand Blanc, or Grumlaw, was a former Indian campground firs ...

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.

District 6

Republican

Fred Upton Frederick Stephen Upton (born April 23, 1953) is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 1987, representing the state's 6th congressional district since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party. His dist ...

had three opponents, Democrat Don Cooney, Green Edward Pinkney and Libertarian Greg Merle. The sixth district covers the southwest corner of lower Michigan. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.

District 7

The seventh district covers the middle part of southern lower Michigan. Republican incumbent

Tim Walberg Timothy Lee Walberg (born April 12, 1951) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the from 2007 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2023. Early life, educa ...

faced State Senate Minority Leader and Democratic nominee

Mark Schauer Mark Hamilton Schauer (born October 2, 1961) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. Schauer was previously a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1997 to 2002 and a member of the Mic ...

, Libertarian Ken Proctor, Green Lynn Meadows and independent Sharon Reiner. CQ Politics forecast the race as 'No Clear Favorite'. Walberg was elected in 2006 with a surprisingly thin 49.9% of the vote, despite outspending Democratic opponent Sharon Reiner 20:1. This made Walberg a top target for defeat in 2008 by the

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises ...

. Schauer defeated Renier in the August 5 primary, after which Renier ran in the general election as a

write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

candidate with no party affiliation.

District 8

Incumbent Republican Mike Rogers was re-elected in 2006 with 55.3% of the vote compared to 42.9% for his Democratic opponent.

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

Democratic activist Bob Alexander (who lost in 2004 to Rogers) announced that he is running again. Aaron Stuttman is running for the

, Will Tyler White for the Libertarian Party. and George Zimmer for the U.S. Taxpayer Party. This district stretches from the western

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

suburbs to the

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

area. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.

District 9

This district covers parts of

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

. Republican incumbent

Joe Knollenberg Joseph Kastl Knollenberg (November 28, 1933 – February 6, 2018) was an American politician from Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing and . In his congressional term, Knol ...

was challenged by former Michigan Lottery commissioner and military veteran, Democratic nominee

Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representativ ...

. Libertarian Adam Goodman, Green Party Douglas Campbell and Independent Dr.

Jack Kevorkian Murad Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian (May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011) was an American pathologist and euthanasia proponent. He publicly championed a terminal patient's right to die by physician-assisted suicide, embodied in his quote, "Dying is not ...

were also running. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'No Clear Favorite'. Knollenberg was targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after his surprisingly narrow margin of victory in the 2006 election, receiving 51.5% of the vote compared with 46.2% for his Democratic opponent.

District 10

Republican incumbent

Candice Miller Candice Sue Miller (née McDonald; born May 7, 1954) is an American politician serving as the Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County, Michigan since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Miller previously served as the U.S. representative ...

was challenged by Democratic nominee Robert Denison, Libertarian Neil Kiernan Stephenson, and Green Candace Caveny. This district stretches from the northeast

suburbs up to most of

. CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.

District 11

Incumbent Republican

Thad McCotter Thad is a masculine given name, often a short form ( hypocorism) of Thaddeus. It may refer to: *Thad Allen (born 1949), United States Coast Guard admiral * Thad Altman (born 1955), American politician * Thad Balkman (born 1971), American politician ...

was challenged by Democrat Joseph Larkin who defeated Edward Kriewall in the August 5 party primary. Also running were Libertarian John Tatar and Green Erik Shelley. This district covers part of

's western suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Lean Republican.

District 12

12-term Democrat

Sander M. Levin Sander Martin Levin (born September 6, 1931) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019, representing (numbered as the from 1983 to 1993 and as the from 1993 to 2013). Levin, a member o ...

was challenged by Republican Bert Copple, Libertarian John Vico, Green William J. O'Palicky and U.S. Taxpayers' Lester Townsend. This district covers part of Detroit's northern suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.

District 13

Incumbent Democrat

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick Carolyn Jean Cheeks Kilpatrick (born June 25, 1945) is a former American politician who was U.S. Representative for from 1997 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In August 2010 she lost the Democratic primary election to Hansen Cl ...

narrowly survived the August 5 party primary. She faced complications due to the legal troubles facing her son

mayor

Kwame Kilpatrick Kwame Malik Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Represen ...

. Cheeks Kilpatrick won with 39.1% of the vote over former state representative Mary Waters with 36% of the vote and state senator Martha Scott with 24.9% of the vote. A televised debate between the three candidates developed into a shouting match. Cheeks Kilpatrick faced Republican candidate Edward Gubics, Libertarian candidate Greg Creswell and Green Party candidate George Cosetti in the general election. This district covers the east side of Detroit and its eastern and

Downriver Downriver is the unofficial name for a collection of 18 cities and townships in Wayne County, Michigan, south of Detroit, along the western shore of the Detroit River. The place is sometimes referred to as South Detroit. Etymology The name ...

suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.

District 14

Powerful incumbent Democrat

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. The districts he represented always included part of western Detroit. ...

, chairman of the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

, had one Democratic opponent in the primary, Detroit pastor Rev. Horace Sheffield, but Sheffield's campaign was short lived because he withdrew his name and announced his support for Conyers. Conyers faced Libertarian Rick Secula and Green Party Clyde Shabazz in the general election. This district covers the west side of Detroit and some inner western and downriver suburbs. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.

District 15

55-year Congressional veteran Democrat

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. (July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he holds the record for longest ...

is the Dean of the HouseLocally, he is also referred to as the Dean of Downriver and chairman of the

House Energy and Commerce Committee The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than ...

. He was challenged by Republican Jack Lynch, Libertarian Gregory Scott Stempfle, Green Aimee Smith and U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate James Wagner. The 15th district includes

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

, Ypsilanti, Monroe, the downriver suburbs of Detroit and the semi-rural southeastern corner of Michigan. CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.

References

External links

Elections in Michigan
from the ''Michigan Secretary of State''
U.S. Congress candidates for Michigan
at

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

Michigan U.S. House Races
from ''2008 Race Tracker''
Campaign contributions for Michigan congressional races
from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

{{2008 United States elections

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...