2008 California's 12th congressional district special election

California's 12th congressional district special election, 2008 occurred on April 8, 2008. California's 12th congressional district was vacated following the death of Democrat Tom Lantos on February 11, 2008.[1] The special election was called by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the vacancy for the remainder of Lantos's term ending on January 3, 2009.[2] The special election took the form of an open primary. Another election would have taken place on June 3 had no candidate received a majority.[3]

2008 California's 12th congressional district special election

April 8, 2008

Candidate Jackie Speier Greg Conlon Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 66,279 7,990 Percentage 77.72% 9.37%   Candidate Michelle McMurry Mike Moloney Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 4,546 4,517 Percentage 5.33% 5.30%

Representative before election Tom Lantos Democratic Elected Representative Jackie Speier Democratic

Democrat Jackie Speier won a majority of the votes in the open primary and therefore won the election.

Candidates

The following individuals appeared in the certified list of candidates and the certified list of write-in candidates published by the California Secretary of State, and were thus eligible to receive votes in the special primary election.[4][5]

Green

• Barry Hermanson, an equity lawyer

Democratic

• Michelle T. McMurry, a health policy director
• Jackie Speier, a former State Senator who was endorsed by Lantos as his successor[6]

Libertarian

• Kevin Peterson, a write-in candidate

Republican

• Robert "Rock" Brickell-Viagra, a write-in candidate
• Greg Conlon, a businessman and former member of the California Public Utilities Commission, who favored deregulation.
• Mike Moloney, a retired businessman who ran for the seat in 2002 and 2006

Results

California's 12th congressional district special election, 2008[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jackie Speier	66,279	77.72
	Republican	Greg Conlon	7,990	9.37
	Democratic	Michelle McMurry	4,546	5.33
	Republican	Mike Moloney	4,517	5.30
	Green	Barry Hermanson	1,947	2.28
	Libertarian	Kevin Peterson (write-in)	2	0.00
Valid ballots			85,281	98.95
Invalid or blank votes			903	1.05
Total votes			86,184	100.00
Turnout				25.69
	Democratic hold

References

1. Kucinich, Jackie (2008-02-11). "Lantos dies of cancer". The Hill. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
2. "Governor Schwarzenegger Orders Proclamation for Special Election to Fill Vacancy in 12th Congressional District". California Secretary of State. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
3. "Election Information for San Mateo County: Special Congressional Open Primary Election". San Mateo County Elections Office. Archived from the original on 2008-04-06. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
4. "Certified List of Candidates for the Special Primary Election, Twelfth Congressional District, April 8, 2008" (PDF). California Secretary of State. 2008-03-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
5. "Certified List of Write-In Candidates for the Special Primary Election, Twelfth Congressional District, April 8, 2008" (PDF). California Secretary of State. 2008-03-25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
6. Wildermuth, John; Carolyn Lochhead (2008-02-12). "Speier looks to be shoo-in to replace Lantos". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
7. "Special Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. 2008-04-22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-04-24.

External links

• Greg Conlon's campaign
• Barry Hermanson's campaign
• Michelle McMurry's campaign
• Mike Moloney's campaign
• Jackie Speier's campaign