The2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was held on November 4, 2008. The statewide primary election was held July 29, with the run-off on August 26. IncumbentRepublican U.S. SenatorJim Inhofe won re-election to a third term overDemocratAndrew Rice.
This was the last time a Democrat carried any counties in an Oklahoma U.S. Senate election until2022 and the last time any Democrat did so in a regular Senate election.
Rice officially filed as a candidate for the United States Senate from Oklahoma on Monday, June 2, 2008.[2][3] He won the Democratic primary against Jim Rogers, a retired schoolteacher who stressedcampaign finance reform. As in earlier campaigns, Rogers refused to accept money to avoid any question of his allegiances. State SenatorKenneth Corn had earlier expressed interest in the race.
Inhofe, who in August 2008 had a 61% approval rating,[5] emphasized his conservative record and tried to label Rice as a "committedliberal." In the debates, Rice tried to connect Inhofe toGeorge W. Bush saying "An era allowed this to happen. George Bush came into office eight years ago with a Republican majority and ... an agenda of radicalderegulation."[6] Rice also believed inclimate change, something Inhofe is known for denying.[7] In the election, Inhofe had over $5 million in the bank. Rice had $3.8 million.[8]
^"Patty Wetterling (MN-6) | WesPAC". November 4, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. RetrievedApril 8, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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