Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

's state elections were held on November 4, 2008. Necessary

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s were held on April 22. All 203 seats of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, 25 seats of the Pennsylvania Senate, as well as the offices of Pennsylvania Treasurer,

Pennsylvania Auditor General The Pennsylvania auditor general is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current auditor general of Pennsylvania is Republican Timothy DeFoor. History The office of the auditor ...

, and

Pennsylvania Attorney General The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current Attorney General is Democrat Josh Shapiro. On August 15, 2016, then-Attorney General Kat ...

were up for election.

Presidential Primary

Democratic primary

Pennsylvania's Democratic Primary to award the state's 158 pledged delegates took place on April 22, 2008. Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

and Senator

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

were the only 2 Democratic candidates on the ballot. According to official results from the primary, Clinton won 54.6% of the vote, and Obama took the remaining 45.4%.

Republican primary

John McCain had already secured the majority of delegates for the Republican Party nomination, and captured 73% of Republican votes in the Pennsylvania primary. Republican turn-out was low during the election, possibly due to party registration switching from Republican to Democrat.

Constitutional officers

Treasurer

Pennsylvania's election for

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

was held in November 4, after incumbent Treasurer Robin Weissmann announced she would not run in 2008. Two major candidates ran for State Treasurer;

Rob McCord Robert Maxwell McCord (born March 5, 1959) is an American former politician and convicted felon. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 2009 to 2015. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic n ...

, the Democratic nominee from

Lower Merion Lower Merion Township is a Township (Pennsylvania), township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Philadelphia Main Line. The township's name originates with the county of Merionethshire, Merionet ...

, and Tom Ellis, a Montgomery County Commissioner, and unopposed nominee for the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

. Rob McCord won the election, with 54.98% of the vote.

Attorney General

The primaries for Attorney General were held on April 22. This election marks the last time a

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 ...

has been elected

Attorney General of Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current Attorney General is Democrat Josh Shapiro. On August 15, 2016, then-Attorney General Kat ...

. Incumbent

Tom Corbett Thomas Wingett Corbett Jr. (born June 17, 1949) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 46th governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1995 t ...

ran as the unopposed Republican candidate. Democratic candidate John Morganelli also ran unopposed. Former 2006 gubernatorial candidate Marakay Rogers as the

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 en ...

candidate. Tom Corbett was announced as the winner of the election on November 4.

Auditor General

Pennsylvania's election for

Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Freq ...

was held on November 8. Incumbent Auditor General Jack Wagner ran unopposed as the Democratic nominee. Manufacturing and construction executive Chet Beiler also ran unopposed as the

nominee after opponent Chris Walsh withdrew due to problems with nomination petitions.

Pennsylvania General Assembly

:''See: Pennsylvania House of Representatives election, 2008 and Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2008.''

Statewide Ballot Referendums

The ballot question asked the voters to authorize the issuance of $400,000,000 in bonds for the "acquisition, repair, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, extension, expansion and improvement" of sewage treatment facilities and water supply systems. The money raised would be dispensed by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority. The measure passed with a healthy statewide margin and had a gained a majority in 64 of 67 counties.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennsylvania Elections, 2008 2008 elections in the United States by state