2008 Election
Dew announced his candidacy for Congress on March 10, 2008. His campaign advocated balanced federal budget, giving states and local communities control over public education, securing the borders and ending illegal immigration, making America energy independent, and winning the war in Iraq.
Dew secured the Republican nomination by winning 69% of the vote at the party's state convention on May 10, 2008. He defeated five other Republican contenders, including the early favorite, Merrill Cook.
Dew pledged to spend $500,000 of his own money on his campaign. Because Dew's campaign raised less than $100,000 from other sources, he still was outspent heavily by Matheson.
In the general election on November 4, 2008, Dew received 113,432 votes, or 34.7%. Matheson won with 206,007 votes, or 63.1%. Dew, a political newcomer, received only 2% fewer votes than the previous 2006 Republican challenger LaVar Christensen (a popular former state representative). This came despite polling in September at 27%; some attribute this jump to Dew's hard fought and comprehensive campaign even in the face of a strong showing by Democrats in the Obama presidential race.
Read more about this topic: Bill Dew
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“Do you know I believe that [William Jennings] Bryan will force his nomination on the Democrats again. I believe he will either do this by advocating Prohibition, or else he will run on a Prohibition platform independent of the Democrats. But you will see that the year before the election he will organize a mammoth lecture tour and will make Prohibition the leading note of every address.”
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