2008 Delaware gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2008 United States gubernatorial elections.

The 2008 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the United States presidential election. Democratic state Treasurer Jack Markell defeated Republican Bill Lee in a landslide, succeeding incumbent Ruth Ann Minner, also a Democrat, who was prevented from running for a third term.

2008 Delaware gubernatorial election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →

Nominee Jack Markell Bill Lee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 266,861 126,662 Percentage 67.5% 32.0%

County results House district results Markell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Lee:      50–60%

Governor before election Ruth Ann Minner Democratic Elected Governor Jack Markell Democratic

As of 2008, Democrats had controlled the Delaware governorship for 16 years. In an upset, state Treasurer Jack Markell defeated Lieutenant Governor John Carney by 51% to 49% for the Democratic nomination on September 9. Carney was considered the favorite. The Republican nominee was former state Superior Court Judge Bill Lee, defeating airline pilot Michael Protrack. Lee was the Republican nominee for governor in 2004, and lost to Minner by a narrow margin.

The race received more attention with the potential elevation of U.S. Senator Joe Biden as Barack Obama's choice as his Vice President of the United States. Election of a Republican governor would assist the party by proxy gaining an additional seat in the US Senate. Biden resigned his seat in the United States Senate on January 15, 2009, and Ted Kaufman was appointed by Governor Minner to the vacant seat. Kaufman had previously served as Senator Biden's Chief of Staff during his tenure in the United States Senate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John Carney, Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
• Jack Markell, Delaware State Treasurer

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jack Markell	37,849	51.17%
	Democratic	John Carney	36,112	48.83%
Total votes			73,961	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bill Lee, former Delaware Superior Court justice and nominee for governor in 2004
• Michael Protack, airline pilot

Results

Republican primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Lee	20,826	71.88%
	Republican	Michael Protack	8,146	28.12%
Total votes			28,972	100.00%

Blue Enigma Party

• Jeffrey Brown, bartender and party founder

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[2]	Safe D	October 16, 2008
Rothenberg Political Report[3]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[4]	Safe D	November 3, 2008
Real Clear Politics[5]	Safe D	November 4, 2008

Polling

Source	Date	Jack Markell (D)	Bill Lee (R)
Survey USA[6]	October 28, 2008	62%	27%
Rasmussen Reports[7]	October 10, 2008	62%	34%
West Chester University/WHYY[8]	October 9, 2008	61%	30%
Fairleigh Dickinson[9]	September 23, 2008	61%	27%
Survey USA[10]	September 23, 2008	64%	29%

Results

2008 Delaware gubernatorial election^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jack Markell	266,861	67.52%	+16.65%
	Republican	Bill Lee	126,662	32.05%	−13.74%
	Blue Enigma	Jeffrey Brown	1,681	0.43%
Majority			140,199	35.48%	+30.40%
Total votes			395,204	100.00
	Democratic hold		Swing

By county

By county
County Jack Markell Democratic William Lee Republican All Others # % # % # % Kent 41,076 63.25 23,646 36.41 218 0.34 New Castle 180,240 73.9 62,432 25.6 1,212 0.5 Sussex 45,545 52.73 40,584 46.98 251 0.29 Totals 266,861 67.52 126,662 32.05 1,681 0.43 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Kent (largest city: Dover) Sussex (largest city: Seaford)

See also

• 2004 Delaware gubernatorial election
• Sarah McBride, a Markell staffer