2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah

The 2008 congressional elections in Utah were held on November 4, 2008 to determine the representatives of the state of Utah in the United States House of Representatives for the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until their terms of office expire on January 3, 2011. Incumbent Rob Bishop (R) was reelected in Utah's 1st congressional district. Incumbent Jim Matheson (D) was reelected in Utah's 2nd congressional district. Jason Chaffetz (R) was elected to succeed Chris Cannon (R) in Utah's 3rd congressional district.

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah

← 2006 November 4, 2008 2010 →
All 3 Utah seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 2 1 Seats won 2 1 Seat change Popular vote 503,917 393,761 Percentage 53.79% 42.03% Swing 2.49% 0.89%
District results County results Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Democratic   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%

Utah has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Utah, 2008[1]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Republican	503,917	53.79%	2	—
	Democratic	393,761	42.03%	1	—
	Constitution	27,805	2.97%	0	—
	Libertarian	11,356	1.21%	0	—
Totals		936,839	100.00%	3	—

District 1

2008 Utah's 1st congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Rob Bishop Morgan Bowen Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 196,799 92,469 Percentage 64.9% 30.5%

County results Bishop:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Bowen:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Rob Bishop Republican Elected U.S. Representative Rob Bishop Republican

See also: Utah's 1st congressional district

This district covers the northwest area of Utah including Ogden, Logan, Tooele, the northwest portion of Salt Lake City, and the entirety of the Great Salt Lake. It has been represented by Republican Rob Bishop since January 2003. His challengers were Democrat Morgan Bowen, Libertarian Joseph Geddes Buchman, and Constitution candidate Kirk D. Pearson.

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[2]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[3]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[4]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[5]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[6]	Safe R	November 6, 2008

Utah's 1st congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rob Bishop (inc.)	196,799	64.85%
	Democratic	Morgan Bowen	92,469	30.47%
	Constitution	Kirk D. Pearson	7,397	2.44%
	Libertarian	Joseph G. Buchman	6,780	2.24%
Total votes			303,445	100.00%
	Republican hold

District 2

2008 Utah's 2nd congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Jim Matheson Bill Dew Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 220,666 120,083 Percentage 63.0% 34.5%

County results Matheson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Dew:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. Representative before election Jim Matheson Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Jim Matheson Democratic

See also: Utah's 2nd congressional district

This district covers the largely rural southern and eastern portions of Utah (including Saint George and Moab in the south and Vernal in the east), as well as the east side of urban Salt Lake County, the northern portion of Utah County, and Wasatch County. It has been represented by Democrat Jim Matheson since 2001. His challengers were Republican Bill Dew, Libertarian Mathew Arndt and Independent Dennis Ray Emery.

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[2]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[3]	Safe D	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[4]	Safe D	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[5]	Safe D	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[6]	Safe D	November 6, 2008

Utah's 2nd congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Matheson (inc.)	220,666	63.35%
	Republican	Bill Dew	120,083	34.47%
	Libertarian	Matthew Arndt	4,576	1.32%
	Constitution	Dennis Ray Emery	3,000	0.86%
Total votes			348,325	100.00%
	Democratic hold

District 3

2008 Utah's 3rd congressional district election

← 2006 2010 →

Nominee Jason Chaffetz Bennion Spencer Jim Noorlander Party Republican Democratic Constitution Popular vote 187,035 80,626 17,408 Percentage 65.6% 28.3% 6.1%

County results Chaffetz:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. Representative before election Chris Cannon Republican Elected U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz Republican

See also: Utah's 3rd congressional district

This district covers central and west central Utah, including nearly all of Utah County and the west side of Salt Lake County. It has been represented by Republican Chris Cannon since 1997, who lost to Jason Chaffetz in the primary. His challengers were Democrat Bennion Spencer and Constitution Party Candidate Jim Noorlander.

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[2]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Rothenberg[3]	Safe R	November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[4]	Safe R	November 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics[5]	Safe R	November 7, 2008
CQ Politics[6]	Safe R	November 6, 2008

Utah's 3rd congressional district election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jason Chaffetz	187,035	65.61%
	Democratic	Bennion L. Spencer	80,626	28.28%
	Constitution	Jim Noorlander	17,408	6.11%
Total votes			285,069	100.00%
	Republican hold

See also

United States House of Representatives elections, 2008