2008 Delaware Senate election should not be confused with 2008 United States Senate election in Delaware.
| Election Name: | 2008 Delaware Senate election |
| Country: | Delaware |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2006 Delaware Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Delaware Senate election |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | 10 of the 21 seats in the Delaware Senate |
| Majority Seats: | 11 |
| Image1: | 3x4.svg |
| Leader1: | Thurman Adams Jr. |
| Party1: | Democratic |
| Colour1: | 3333ff |
| Leader Since1: | January 2003 |
| Leaders Seat1: | 19th - Bridgeville |
| Last Election1: | 13 |
| Seats Before1: | 13 |
| Seats1: | 7 |
| Seats After1: | 16 |
| Seat Change1: | 3 |
| Popular Vote1: | 110,909 |
| Percentage1: | 65.11% |
| Leader2: | Charlie Copeland (retired) |
| Party2: | Republican |
| Colour2: | ff3333 |
| Leader Since2: | January 2007 |
| Leaders Seat2: | 4th - Brandywine |
| Last Election2: | 8 |
| Seats Before2: | 8 |
| Seats2: | 3 |
| Seats After2: | 5 |
| Seat Change2: | 3 |
| Popular Vote2: | 59,428 |
| Percentage2: | 34.89% |
| Map Size: | 130px |
| President pro tempore | |
| Before Election: | Thurman Adams Jr. |
| Before Party: | Delaware Democratic Party |
| After Election: | Tony DeLuca |
| After Party: | Delaware Democratic Party |
The 2008 Delaware Senate election was held on November 4, 2008, to elect 10 of the 21 members to Delaware's Senate. The election coincided with elections for other offices, including for U.S. President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and state house. The primary election was held on September 9, 2008.[1]
| District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Margaret Rose Henry | Dem | Margaret Rose Henry | Dem | |||
| 3 | Robert Marshall | Dem | Robert Marshall | Dem | |||
| 4 | Charlie Copeland | Rep | Michael Katz | Dem | |||
| 6 | Liane Sorenson | Rep | Liane Sorenson | Rep | |||
| 10 | Rep | Bethany Hall-Long | Dem | ||||
| 11 | Tony DeLuca | Dem | Tony DeLuca | Dem | |||
| 16 | Colin Bonini | Rep | Colin Bonini | Rep | |||
| 17 | John Still III | Rep | Brian Bushweller | Dem | |||
| 18 | Gary Simpson | Rep | Gary Simpson | Rep | |||
| 21 | Robert Venables Sr. | Dem | Robert Venables Sr. | Dem | |||
| Party | Candi- dates | Votes | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | +/– ! | % | ||||
| Democratic | 10 | 110,909 | 65.11% | 16 | 3 | 76.19% | ||
| 6 | 59,428 | 34.89% | 5 | 3 | 23.81% | |||
| Total | 16 | 170,337 | 100% | 21 | 100% | |||
Incumbent Democrat Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry has represented the 2nd district since 1994.
Incumbent Democrat Robert Marshall has represented the 3rd district since 1979.
Incumbent Republican Minority Leader Charlie Copeland has represented the 4th district since 2003. Copeland retired to run for Lieutenant Governor. Democrat Michael Katz won the open seat.
Incumbent Republican Liane Sorenson has represented the 6th district since 1995.
Incumbent Republican Steven Amick has represented the 10th district since 1995. Amick didn't seek re-election and Democrat Bethany Hall-Long won the open seat.
Incumbent Democrat Tony DeLuca has represented the 11th district since 1999.
Incumbent Republican Colin Bonini has represented the 16th district since 1995.
Incumbent Republican John Still III has represented the 17th district since 1988. Still didn't seek re-election and Democrat Brian Bushweller won the open seat.
Incumbent Republican Gary Simpson has represented the 18th district since 1999.
Incumbent Democrat Robert Venables Sr. has represented the 21st district since 1989.