193,651 118,031 Start date November 4, 2008 | 62% 38% | |
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Winner Kirsten Gillibrand | ||
The New York 20th congressional district election for the 111th Congress was held on November 4, 2008. It was incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand's first run for re-election, and was one of the most expensive House races in the nation, with both campaigns spending a total of more than $9 million. Gillibrand defeated Republican Congressman John Sweeney in an upset in 2006.
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Democratic
Representative Gillibrand faced businessmen Morris Guller in the Democratic primary due, it was said, to her support for a supplemental appropriation for the Iraq conflict. Gilibrand won the primary by a wide margin.
Republican
Those who would have run in the 2008 Republican primary to face Gillibrand had there been one:
Treadwell, with the backing of the State Conservative Party and the GOP, filed Requests for Judicial Intervention to disqualify Wallace and Rocque from the primary. He succeeded, and became the sole opponent of Kirsten Gillibrand.
General election
Gillibrand faced Republican Sandy Treadwell, former Secretary of State for New York. On October 10, 2008, the The Cook Report listed the 20th District as "Likely Democratic". Gillibrand won the November 4, 2008 election with 62% of the vote to Treadwell's 38%.