2008 United States Senate election in Kansas

← 2002 November 4, 2008 2014 →

Nominee Pat Roberts Jim Slattery Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 712,396 429,691 Percentage 60.06% 36.46%

County results Roberts:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Slattery:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Pat Roberts Republican Elected U.S. Senator Pat Roberts Republican

Elections in Kansas
Federal government Presidential elections 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1861 1865 1867 1867 sp 1871 1873 1874 sp 1877 1879 1883 1885 1888 1891 1893 sp 1897 1901 1903 1907 1907 sp 1909 1913 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1930 1930 sp 1932 1936 1938 1942 1944 1948 1950 1950 sp 1954 1956 1960 1962 1962 sp 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1996 sp 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1859 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 2nd sp 1886 1888 1889 4th sp 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1903 7th sp 1904 1906 1907 1st sp 1908 1910 1911 2nd sp 1912 7th sp 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 2nd sp 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1943 2nd sp 1944 1946 1948 1950 3rd sp 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 2nd sp 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2017 4th sp 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government State elections 2012 2014 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 2022 Attorney General elections 2022 Treasurer elections 2022 Senate elections 2020 House of Representatives elections 2020 2022
Ballot measures 1867 Suffrage referendum 2005 Amendment 1 2022 Abortion referendum
Kansas City Mayoral elections 2013 2017 2021
Overland Park Mayoral elections 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
Wichita Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
v t e

The 2008 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts won re-election to a third term.

Background

The state of Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Kansas's other Republican Senator Sam Brownback announced that he is retiring due to "self-imposed term limits," which meant Roberts became the senior senator from Kansas in 2011. It is considered one of the most Republican states in the U.S. The last time its electors went to a Democrat was the Presidential Election of 1964, when Lyndon Johnson carried the state over Barry Goldwater.

Roberts had announced ahead of the 1996 election that "I plan only to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate",^[1] but he broke that pledge in this election.

Republican primary

Candidates

• Pat Roberts, incumbent U.S. Senator

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Jim Slattery, former U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor in 1994
• Lee Jones, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2004

Results

General election

Candidates

• Pat Roberts (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
• Jim Slattery (D), former U.S. Representative
• Randall Hodgkinson (L), attorney
• Joseph L. Martin (Re), nominee for Secretary of State in 2006

Predictions

Polling

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Douglas (Largest city: Lawrence)
• Wyandotte (Largest city: Kansas City)
• Atchison (Largest city: Atchison)