Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Obama/Biden and red denotes those won by McCain/Palin. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.
Incumbent Republican PresidentGeorge W. Bush was ineligible to pursue a third term due to the term limits established by the 22nd Amendment. McCain secured the Republican nomination by March 2008, defeating former governors Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and other challengers. The Democratic primaries were marked by a sharp contest between Obama and the initial front-runner, former First Lady and Senator Hillary Clinton. Clinton's victory in the New Hampshire primary made her the first woman to win a major party's presidential primary.[nb 1] After a long primary season, Obama secured the Democratic nomination in June 2008. This marked the first election since 1952 where neither the incumbent president nor the incumbent vice president were nominees.
Early campaigning focused heavily on the Iraq War and Bush's unpopularity. McCain supported the war, as well as a troop surge that had begun in 2007, while Obama strongly opposed the war. Bush endorsed McCain, but the two did not campaign together, and Bush did not appear in person at the 2008 Republican National Convention. Obama campaigned on the theme that "Washington must change," while McCain emphasized his experience. The campaign was strongly affected by the onset of a major financial crisis, which peaked in September 2008. McCain's decision to suspend his campaign during the height of the financial crisis backfired as voters viewed his response as erratic.[4]
Obama won a decisive victory over McCain, winning the Electoral College and the popular vote by a sizable margin, including states that had not voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1976 (North Carolina) and 1964 (Indiana, Virginia, and Nebraska's 2nd congressional district). Obama received the largest share of the popular vote won by a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and was the first Democrat to win an outright majority of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Obama's total count of 69.5 million votes stood as the largest tally ever won by a presidential candidate until 2020, when this was surpassed by both major party candidates in a high-turnout election. He was the first Democrat to win without Arkansas and Missouri since those states joined the Union in 1836 and 1821 and the first Democrat to win the presidency without winning West Virginia since 1916.
Obama flipped nine states that had voted Republican in 2004: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia, as well as Nebraska's 2nd congressional district. As of 2022[update], this is the last time Indiana and North Carolina have voted Democratic, the last time that either a Democratic or Republican candidate received fewer than 200 electoral votes, and the last time an incumbent U.S. senator was a major party nominee. This is the only election in American history where both major party nominees were sitting US Senators.
Article Two of the United States Constitution provides that the President and Vice President of the United States must be natural-born citizens of the United States, at least 35 years old, and residents of the United States for a period of at least 14 years. Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the political parties, in which case each party devises a method (such as a primary election) to choose the candidate the party deems best suited to run for the position. Traditionally, the primary elections are indirect elections where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate. The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf. The general election in November is also an indirect election, where voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors in turn directly elect the president and vice president.
Also ineligible to run for an additional term as president was past two-term president Bill Clinton. While neither of them ran, former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush, each having served only one term, were both eligible to run for a second term as president.
Edwards was one of the first to formally announce his candidacy for the presidency, on December 28, 2006. This run would be his second attempt at the presidency.[8] Clinton announced intentions to run in the Democratic primaries on January 20, 2007.[9] Obama announced his candidacy on February 10 in his home state of Illinois.[9]
Early primaries and caucuses
Early in the year, the support for Barack Obama started to increase in the polls and he passed Clinton for the top spot in Iowa; he ended up winning the caucus in that state, with John Edwards coming in second and Clinton in third.[10] Obama's win was fueled mostly by first time caucus-goers and Independents and showed voters viewed him as the "candidate of change."[10] Iowa has since been viewed as the state that jump-started Obama's campaign and set him on track to win both the nomination and the presidency.[11] After the Iowa caucus, Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd withdrew from the nomination contest.[10]
Obama became the new front runner in New Hampshire, when his poll numbers skyrocketed after his Iowa victory[12] The Clinton campaign was struggling after a huge loss in Iowa and no strategy beyond the early primaries and caucuses. According to The Vancouver Sun, campaign strategists had "mapped a victory scenario that envisioned the former first lady wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination by Super Tuesday on Feb. 5."[13] In what is considered a turning point for her campaign, Clinton had a strong performance at the Saint Anselm College, ABC, and Facebook debates several days before the New Hampshire primary as well as an emotional interview in a public broadcast live on TV.[14] Clinton won that primary by 2% of the vote, contrary to the predictions of pollsters who consistently had her trailing Obama for a few days up to the primary date.[12] Clinton's win was the first time a woman had ever won a major American party's presidential primary for the purposes of delegate selection.[15]
On January 30, 2008, after placing in third in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, Edwards announced that he was suspending his campaign for the presidency, but he did not initially endorse any remaining candidates.[16][17]
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday was February 5, 2008, when the largest-ever number of simultaneous state primary elections was held.[18] Super Tuesday ended up leaving the Democrats in a virtual tie, with Obama amassing 847 delegates to Clinton's 834 from the 23 states that held Democratic primaries.[19]
California was one of the Super Tuesday states that could provide a large number of delegates to the candidates. Obama trailed in the California polling by an average of 6.0% before the primary; he ended up losing that state by 8.3% of the vote.[20] Some analysts cited a large Latino turnout that voted for Clinton as the deciding factor.[21]
The Louisiana, Nebraska, Hawaii, Wisconsin, U.S. Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia primaries and the Washington and Maine caucuses all took place after Super Tuesday in February. Obama won all of them, giving him 10 consecutive victories after Super Tuesday.[22][23]
Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania
On March 4, Hillary Clinton carried Ohio and Rhode Island in the Democratic primaries; some considered these wins, especially Ohio, a "surprise upset" by 10%,[24][25] although she did lead in the polling averages in both states.[20][26] She also carried the primary in Texas, but Obama won the Texas caucuses held the same day and netted more delegates from the state than Clinton.[27]
Only one state held a primary in April. This was Pennsylvania, on April 22. Although Obama made a strong effort to win Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton won that primary by nearly 10%, with approximately 55% of the vote.[28] Obama had outspent Clinton three to one in Pennsylvania, but his comment at a San Francisco fundraiser that small-town Americans "cling" to guns and religion drew sharp criticism from the Clinton campaign and may have hurt his chances in the Keystone State.[29] In addition, Clinton had several advantages in Pennsylvania. Throughout the primary process, she relied on the support of older, white, working class voters. Pennsylvania held a closed primary, which means that only registered Democrats could vote, and, according to Ron Elving of NPR, the established Democratic electorate "was older, whiter, more Catholic and more working-class than in most of the primaries to date."[30] After Pennsylvania, Obama had a higher number of delegates and popular votes than Clinton did and was still in a stronger position to win the nomination. Clinton, however, had received the endorsement of more superdelegates than Obama.[28]
Indiana and North Carolina
On May 6, North Carolina and Indiana held their Democratic presidential primaries. Clinton and Obama campaigned aggressively there before the voting took place. Polling had shown Obama a few points ahead in North Carolina and Clinton similarly leading in Indiana.[31][32] In the actual results, Obama outperformed the polls by several points in both states, winning by a significant margin in North Carolina[33] and losing by only 1.1% in Indiana (50.56% to 49.44%).[34] After these primaries, most pundits declared that it had become "increasingly improbable," if not impossible, for Clinton to win the nomination.[35] The small win in Indiana barely kept her campaign alive for the next month.[36] Although she did manage to win the majority of the remaining primaries and delegates, it was not enough to overcome Obama's substantial delegate lead.
Florida and Michigan
During late 2007, the two parties adopted rules against states' moving their primaries to an earlier date in the year. For the Republicans, the penalty for this violation was supposed to be the loss of half the state party's delegates to the convention. The Democratic penalty was the complete exclusion from the national convention of delegates from states that broke these rules. The Democratic Party allowed only four states to hold elections before February 5, 2008. Clinton won a majority of delegates and popular votes from both states (though 40% voted uncommitted in Michigan) and subsequently led a fight to seat all the Florida and Michigan delegates.[37]
There was some speculation that the fight over the delegates could last until the convention in August. On May 31, 2008, the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic Party reached a compromise on the Florida and Michigan delegate situation. The committee decided to seat delegates from Michigan and Florida at the convention in August, but to only award each a half-vote.[38]
Clinching the nomination
2008 DNC during Stevie Wonder's performance
The major political party nomination process (technically) continues through June of an election year. In previous cycles, the candidates were effectively chosen by the end of the primaries held in March, but, in this cycle, Barack Obama did not win enough delegates to secure the nomination until June 3, after a 17-month campaign against Hillary Clinton. He had a wide lead in states won, while Clinton had won majorities in several of the larger states. Now, because a form of proportional representation and popular vote decided Democratic state delegate contests, numbers were close between Clinton and Obama.[39] By May, Clinton claimed to hold a lead in the popular vote, but the Associated Press found that her numbers were "accurate only" in one close scenario.[40]
In June, after the last of the primaries had taken place, Obama secured the Democratic nomination for president, with the help of multiple super delegate endorsements (most of the super delegates had refused to declare their support for either candidate until the primaries were completed).[41] He was the first African American to win the nomination of a major political party in the United States.[42] For several days, Clinton refused to concede the race, although she signaled her presidential campaign was ending in a post-primary speech on June 3 in her home state of New York.[43] She finally conceded the nomination to Obama on June 7. She pledged her full support to the presumptive nominee and vowed to do everything she could to help him get elected.[44]
Not only was the 2008 election the first time since 1952 that neither the incumbent president nor the incumbent vice president was a candidate in the general election, but it was also the first time since the 1928 election that neither sought his party's nomination for president; as Bush was term-limited from seeking another nomination, the unique aspect was Vice President Cheney's decision not to seek the Republican nomination.[45][46] The 2008 election was also the third presidential election since 1896 in which neither the incumbent president, the incumbent vice president, nor a current or former member of the incumbent president's Cabinet won the nomination of either major party the others being 1920 and 1952.[47] With no members of the Bush administration emerging as major contenders for the Republican nomination, the Republican race was as open as the Democratic race.
Immediately after the 2006 midterm elections, media pundits began speculating, as they did about the Democrats, about potential Republican candidates for president in 2008.[6] In November 2006, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led in the polls, followed closely by Arizona Senator John McCain.[48] The media speculated that Giuliani's pro-choice stance on abortion and McCain's age and support of the unpopular Iraq War would be detriments to their candidacies.[6] Giuliani remained the frontrunner in the polls throughout most of 2007, with McCain and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson fighting for second place.[49]Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and Texas Representative Ron Paul announced their candidacies on January 28, February 5, February 13, and March 12, respectively.[50][51][52][53] McCain officially announced his candidacy on March 1, 2007, after several informal announcements.[54] In the third quarter of 2007, the top four GOP (Republican) fundraisers were Romney, Giuliani, Thompson, and Ron Paul.[55] MSNBC's Chuck Todd christened Giuliani and John McCain the front runners after the second Republican presidential debate in early 2007.[56]
Early primaries/caucuses
Huckabee, winner of Iowa, had little to no money and hoped for at least a third-place finish in New Hampshire. McCain eventually displaced Rudy Giuliani and Romney as the front runner in New Hampshire. McCain staged a turnaround victory,[57] having been written off by the pundits and polling in single digits less than a month before the race.[58]
With the Republicans stripping Michigan and Florida of half their delegates for moving their primaries into January 2008 against party rules, the race for the nomination was based there. McCain meanwhile managed a small victory over Huckabee in South Carolina,[59] setting him up for a larger and more important victory over Romney in Florida, which held a closed primary on January 29.[60] By this time, after several scandals, no success in the early primaries, and a third-place finish in Florida, Giuliani conceded the nomination and endorsed John McCain the next day.[61]
Super Tuesday
McCain was also endorsed in February by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger before the California primary took place on Super Tuesday. This gave him a significant boost in the polls for the state's primary,[62] which awarded the greatest number of delegates of all the states. On Super Tuesday, McCain won his home state of Arizona, taking all 53 delegates. He also won nearly all of California's 173 delegates, the largest of the Super Tuesday prizes. McCain also scored wins in seven other states, picking up 574 delegates.[63] Huckabee was the "surprise performer", winning 5 states and 218 delegates.[63] Romney won 7 states and 231 delegates.[63] Two days later, Romney suspended his presidential campaign, saying that if he stayed in the race, he would "forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win".[64] His departure left Huckabee and Paul as McCain's only major challengers in the remaining primaries and caucuses. Romney endorsed McCain on February 14.[65]
Louisiana, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Washington held primaries in February after Super Tuesday. Despite McCain picking up big victories, Huckabee won Louisiana and Kansas. McCain narrowly carried the Washington caucuses over Huckabee and Paul, who amassed a large showing.[23] The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico closed February for the Republicans. After Super Tuesday, John McCain had become the clear front runner, but by the end of February, he still had not acquired enough delegates to secure the nomination. In March, John McCain clinched the Republican nomination after sweeping all four primaries, Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island, putting him over the top of the 1,191 delegates required to win the GOP nomination.[26] Mike Huckabee then conceded the race to McCain, leaving Ron Paul, who had just 16 delegates, as his only remaining opponent.[66] Romney would eventually become the Republican presidential nominee 4 years later, which he then lost to Barack Obama.
Along with the Democratic and Republican parties, three other parties nominated candidates with ballot access in enough states to win the minimum 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. These were the Constitution Party, the Green Party, and the Libertarian Party. In addition, independent candidate Ralph Nader ran his own campaign.
The Green Party nominated former Democratic representative Cynthia McKinney from Georgia for president, and political activist Rosa Clemente from New York for vice president. McKinney campaigned on a platform that supported single-payer universal health care, the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, reparations for African Americans, and the creation of a Department of Peace.[70]
The Libertarian Party nominated former Republican representative Bob Barr from Georgia for president, and his former rival for the Libertarian nomination Wayne Allyn Root from Nevada, for vice president. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barr advocated a reworking or abolition of the income tax[71] and opposed the war in Iraq[72] and the Patriot Act.[73]
The unpopular war in Iraq was a key issue during the campaign before the economic crisis. John McCain supported the war while Barack Obama opposed it (Obama's early and strong opposition to the war helped him stand out against the other Democratic candidates during the primaries, as well as stand out to a war-weary electorate during the general campaign). Though McCain meant it as a peacetime presence like the United States maintained in Germany and Japan after World War II,[74] his statement that the United States could be in Iraq for as much as the next 50 to 100 years would prove costly. Obama used it against him as part of his strategy to tie him to the unpopular President Bush.
John McCain's support for the troop 'surge' employed by General David Petraeus, which was one of several factors credited with improving the security situation in Iraq, may have boosted McCain's stance on the issue in voters' minds. McCain (who supported the invasion) argued that his support for the successful surge showed his superior judgment. However, Obama was quick to remind voters that there would have been no need for a "surge" had there been no war at all, thus questioning McCain's judgment.
Bush's unpopularity
George W. Bush had become increasingly unpopular among Americans by late 2005 due in part by the growing unpopularity of the Iraq War domestically and internationally, as well as Bush's handling of the financial crisis of 2007–08 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. By the time Obama was elected as President of the United States on November 4, 2008, Bush's approval rating was in the low to mid 20s and his disapproval grew increasingly significant, being in the high 60s, and even low 70s in some polls.[75] Polls consistently showed that his approval ratings among American voters had averaged around 30 percent.[76][77][78] In March 2008, Bush endorsed McCain at the White House,[79] but did not make a single appearance for McCain during the campaign. Bush appeared at the 2008 GOP convention only through a live video broadcast. He chose not to appear in person due to disaster events in the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. Although he supported the war in Iraq, McCain made an effort to show that he had disagreed with Bush on many other key issues such as climate change. During the entire general election campaign, Obama countered by pointing out in ads and at numerous campaign rallies that McCain had claimed in an interview that he voted with Bush 90% of the time, and congressional voting records supported this for the years Bush was in office.[80]
Similar to Senator Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, one of the more widely leveled charges against McCain was the issue of his age—he turned 72 in August and there was widespread concern about the idea of electing a man who would be 80 years old if he completed two full terms in office (the oldest president, Ronald Reagan, had been a month shy of 78 when he left office in January 1989).[81][82] In addition, McCain suffered from the ill effects of his captivity in North Vietnam and reportedly had difficulty lifting his arms above his head. His age in particular was considered a liability against the youthful Senator Obama, who was the first Generation Xer to run for president on a major party ticket.[83] McCain for comparison was born before World War II and belonged to the Silent Generation.[84] Much like Bob Dole, McCain attempted to counter these charges by releasing all of his medical records, something Obama did not do. McCain's wife Cindy dismissed concerns about his health by arguing that "We went hiking the Grand Canyon last summer and [John] did great and had no trouble keeping up with us." McCain also appeared at several campaign stops with his still-active 95-year-old mother. In a speech on the House floor, Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha criticized McCain's age by saying "Seven presidents have come and gone since I've been in Congress, and I saw the toll the job took on each one of them." If elected, McCain would have been the first president born in the 1930s. McCain ultimately died in 2018,[85] just one year after the completion of Obama's second term.
Like the Clinton campaign in 1996, Obama avoided discussing McCain's age directly, instead preferring to simply call his ideas and message "old" and "old hat". He also made a strong appeal to youth voters and back during his primary contest with Hillary Clinton, had stated "When I watched the feud between the Clintons and [Newt Gingrich] unfold during the 1990s, I was reminded of old quarrels started on college campuses long ago. It's time for a new generation to take over." Obama's active use of a Blackberry and other modern technology also stood in contrast to the Arizona Senator's admission that he did not use a computer or a cell phone. McCain's service in Vietnam, while marketable to baby boomers, was referred to as "unimportant" to younger voters.
Obama campaigning as a symbol of change in Cleveland, Ohio with a "Change We Need" sign
Obama promised "universal health care, full employment, a green America, and an America respected instead of feared by its enemies".[86]
Polls regularly found the general electorate as a whole divided more evenly between 'change' and 'experience' as candidate qualities than the Democratic primary electorate, which split in favor of 'change' by a nearly 2–1 margin.[87] Advantages for McCain and Obama on experience and the ability to bring change, respectively, remained steady through the November 4 election. However, final pre-election polling found that voters considered Obama's inexperience less of an impediment than McCain's association with sitting president George W. Bush,[88] an association which was rhetorically framed by the Obama campaign throughout the election season as "more of the same".
McCain appeared to undercut his line of attack by picking first-term Alaska governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate.[89] Palin had been governor only since 2006, and before that had been a council member and mayor of Wasilla. The choice of Palin was controversial; however, it appeared to solve two pressing concerns—McCain's age and health (since a youthful vice president would succeed him to office if he died or became incapacitated) and appealing to right-wing conservatives, a group that had been comparatively unmoved by McCain. Palin also came off as more down-to-earth and relatable to average Americans than McCain, widely criticized as a "Beltway insider".[90] However, media interviews suggested that Palin lacked knowledge on certain key issues, and they cast doubt among many voters about her qualifications to be vice president or president. In this regard, her inexperience was also a liability when McCain's age and health were factored in—there was a higher-than-normal probability of Palin succeeding to the presidency and many moderates and independents chafed at this idea. "One 72 year old heartbeat away from the presidency" became a popular anti-GOP slogan. Late night TV host David Letterman jokingly referred to Palin as resembling "a slutty flight attendant" and even Obama himself on a September 9 speech referred to the Alaska governor's policies as "the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig". She also came under attack on everything from her 17-year-old daughter giving birth to a child out of wedlock to actively participating in hunting moose and other animals.[91] Because of Palin's conservative views, there was also concern that she would alienate independents and moderates, two groups that pundits observed McCain would need to win the election.[92]
Economy
Polls taken in the last few months of the presidential campaign and exit polls conducted on Election Day showed the economy as the top concern for voters.[93][94] In the fall of 2008, many news sources were reporting that the economy was suffering its most serious downturn since the Great Depression.[95] During this period, John McCain's election prospects fell with several politically costly comments about the economy.
On August 20, John McCain said in an interview with Politico that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, owned; "I think—I'll have my staff get to you," he told the media outlet.[96] Both on the stump and in Obama's political ad, "Seven", the gaffe was used to portray McCain as somebody unable to relate to the concerns of ordinary Americans. This out-of-touch image was further cultivated when, on September 15, the day of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, at a morning rally in Jacksonville, Florida, McCain declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong," despite what he described as "tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street."[97] With the perception among voters to the contrary, the comment appeared to cost McCain politically.
On September 24, 2008, after the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis, McCain announced that he was suspending his campaign to return to Washington so he could help craft a $700 billion bailout package for the troubled financial industry, and he stated that he would not debate Obama until Congress passed the bailout bill.[98] Despite this decision, McCain was portrayed as somebody not playing a significant role in the negotiations for the first version of the bill, which fell short of passage in the House. He eventually decided to attend the first presidential debate on September 26, despite Congress' lack of immediate action on the bill. His ineffectiveness in the negotiations and his reversal in decision to attend the debates were seized upon to portray McCain as erratic in his response to the economy. Days later, a second version of the original bailout bill was passed by both the House and Senate, with Obama, his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden, and McCain all voting for the measure (Hillary Clinton would as well).[99]
All the aforementioned remarks and campaign issues hurt McCain's standing with voters. All these also occurred after the onset of the economic crisis and after McCain's poll numbers had started to fall. Although sound bites of all of these "missteps" were played repeatedly on national television, many pundits and analysts say that the actual financial crisis and economic conditions caused McCain's large drop in support in mid-September and severely damaged his campaign.[100][101]
Health care
John McCain's proposals focused on open-market competition rather than government funding or control. At the heart of his plan were tax credits – $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families who do not subscribe to or do not have access to health care through their employer. To help people who are denied coverage by insurance companies due to pre-existing conditions, McCain proposed working with states to create what he calls a "Guaranteed Access Plan".[102]
Barack Obama called for universal health care. His health care plan proposed creating a National Health Insurance Exchange that would include both private insurance plans and a Medicare-like government run option. Coverage would be guaranteed regardless of health status, and premiums would not vary based on health status either. It would have required parents to cover their children, but did not require adults to buy insurance.
Critics of McCain's plan argued that it would not significantly reduce the number of uninsured Americans, would increase costs, reduce consumer protections and lead to less generous benefit packages.[103] Critics of Obama's plan argued that it would increase federal regulation of private health insurance without addressing the underlying incentives behind rising health care spending.[104][105]Mark Pauly suggested that a combination of the two approaches would work better than either one alone.[106]
A poll released in early November 2008 found that voters supporting Obama listed health care as their second priority; voters supporting McCain listed it as fourth, tied with the war in Iraq. Affordability was the primary health care priority among both sets of voters. Obama voters were more likely than McCain voters to believe government can do much about health care costs.[107]
The United States presidential election of 2008 was sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a bipartisan organization that sponsored four debates that occurred at various locations around the United States (U.S.) in September and October 2008. Three of the debates involved the presidential nominees, and one involved the vice-presidential nominees.
Debates among candidates for the 2008 U.S. presidential election
Another debate was sponsored by the Columbia University political union and took place there on October 19. All candidates who could theoretically win the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election were invited, and Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, and Chuck Baldwin agreed to attend. Amy Goodman, principal host of Democracy Now!, moderated. It was broadcast on cable by C-SPAN and on the Internet by Break-the-Matrix.[111]
The reported cost of campaigning for president has increased significantly in recent years. One source reported that if the costs for both Democratic and Republican campaigns were added together (for the presidential primary election, general election, and the political conventions), the costs have more than doubled in only eight years ($448.9 million in 1996, $649.5 million in 2000, and $1.01 billion in 2004).[112] In January 2007, Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael E. Toner estimated that the 2008 race would be a $1 billion election, and that to be taken seriously, a candidate would have needed to raise at least $100 million by the end of 2007.[113]
Expense summary
According to required campaign filings as reported by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), 148 candidates for all parties collectively raised $1,644,712,232 and spent $1,601,104,696 for the primary and general campaigns combined through November 24, 2008. The amounts raised and spent by the major candidates, according to the same source, were as follows:
That one: McCain's reference to Obama during the 2nd debate.
Lipstick on a pig: Obama used this phrase to insinuate that any changes that McCain was advocating from the policies of George W. Bush would only be slight modifications of Bush's policies but the underlying policies would be the same, and in Obama's opinion, bad. Some called it sexist, claiming it was a reference to Sarah Palin, who cracked a joke during the Republican convention that the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick.[115]
On December 16, 2007, Ron Paul collected $6 million, more money on a single day through Internet donations than any presidential candidate in US history.[118][119][120]
Promotion
Not only did the Internet allow candidates to raise money, but also it gave them a tool to appeal to newer and younger demographics. Political pundits were now evaluating candidates based on their social media following. Senator Barack Obama's victory is credited to his competitive edge in social media and Internet following. Obama had over 2 million American supporters on Facebook and 100,000 followers on Twitter, while McCain attracted only 600,000 Facebook supporters (likes) and 4,600 followers on Twitter. Obama's YouTube channel held 115,000 subscribers and more than 97 million video views. Obama had maintained a similar advantage over Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary.[121]
Obama's edge in social media was crucial to the election outcome. According to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life project, 35 percent of Americans relied on online video for election news. Ten percent of Americans used social networking sites to learn about the election.[122] The 2008 election showed huge increases in Internet use.
Another study done after the election gave a lot of insight on young voters. Thirty-seven percent of Americans ages 18–24 got election news from social networking sites. Almost a quarter of Americans saw something about the election in an online video.[123] YouTube and other online video outlets allowed candidates to advertise in ways like never before. The Republican Party in particular was criticized for not adequately using social media and other means to reach young voters.
Anonymous and semi-anonymous smear campaigns, traditionally done with fliers and push calling, also spread to the Internet.[124] Organizations specializing in the production and distribution of viral material, such as Brave New Films, emerged; such organizations have been said to be having a growing influence on American politics.[125]
Controversies
Voter suppression allegations
Allegations of voter list purges using unlawful criteria caused controversy in at least six swing states: Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.[126] On October 5, 2008, the Republican Lt. Governor of Montana, John Bohlinger, accused the Montana Republican Party of vote caging to purge 6,000 voters from three counties which trend Democratic.[127] Allegations arose in Michigan that the Republican Party planned to challenge the eligibility of voters based on lists of foreclosed homes.[128] The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama filed a lawsuit challenging this. The House Judiciary Committee wrote to the Department of Justice requesting an investigation.[129]
Libertarian candidate Bob Barr filed a lawsuit in Texas to have Obama and McCain removed from the ballot in that state.[130] His campaign alleged that both of the candidates had missed the August 26 deadline to file and had been included on the ballot in violation of Texas election law. Neither Obama nor McCain had been confirmed as the candidate of their respective parties at the time of the deadline. The Texas Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit without explanation.[131]
In Ohio, identified by both parties as a key state, allegations surfaced from both Republicans and Democrats that individuals from out of state were moving to the state temporarily and attempting to vote despite not meeting the state's requirement of permanent residency for more than 29 days. The Franklin County Board of Elections referred 55 cases of possible voting irregularities to the local prosecutor.[132] Three groups attracted particular notice: 'Vote from Home,' 'Vote Today Ohio,' and 'Drop Everything and Come to Ohio.' Vote from Home attracted the most attention when thirteen of the group's members moved to the same location in eastern Columbus. Members of the group organized by Marc Gustafson, including several Marshall and Rhodes scholars studying at Oxford University, settled with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien to have their challenged ballots withdrawn.[133][134] The Obama campaign and others alleged that members of the McCain campaign had also voted without properly establishing residency.[132] Since 1953, only six people in Ohio have gone to prison for illegal voting.[135]
Media bias
Republicans and independents leveled significant criticism at media outlets' coverage of the presidential election season. An October 22, 2008 Pew Research Center poll estimated 70% of registered voters believed journalists wanted Barack Obama to win the election, as opposed to 9% for John McCain.[136] Another Pew survey, conducted after the election, found that 67% of voters thought that the press fairly covered Obama, versus 30% who viewed the coverage as unfair. Regarding McCain, 53% of voters viewed his press coverage as fair versus 44% who characterized it as unfair. Among affiliated Democrats, 83% believed the press fairly covered Obama; just 22% of Republicans thought the press was fair to McCain.[137]
At the February debate, Tim Russert of NBC News was criticized for what some perceived as disproportionately tough questioning of Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton.[138] Among the questions, Russert had asked Clinton, but not Obama, to provide the name of the new Russian President (Dmitry Medvedev).[138] This was later parodied on Saturday Night Live. In October 2007, liberal commentators accused Russert of harassing Clinton over the issue of supporting drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants.[139]
On April 16, ABC News hosted a debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos were criticized by viewers, bloggers and media critics for the poor quality of their questions.[138][139] Many viewers said they considered some of the questions irrelevant when measured against the importance of the faltering economy or the Iraq War. Included in that category were continued questions about Obama's former pastor, Senator Hillary Clinton's assertion that she had to duck sniper fire in Bosnia more than a decade ago, and Senator Obama's not wearing an American flag pin.[138] The moderators focused on campaign gaffes and some believed they focused too much on Obama.[139] Stephanopoulos defended their performance, saying "Senator Obama was the front-runner" and the questions were "not inappropriate or irrelevant at all."[138][139]
In an op-ed published on April 27, 2008, in The New York Times, Elizabeth Edwards wrote that the media covered much more of "the rancor of the campaign" and "amount of money spent" than "the candidates' priorities, policies and principles."[140] Author Erica Jong commented that "our press has become a sea of triviality, meanness and irrelevant chatter."[141] A Gallup poll released on May 29, 2008, also estimated that more Americans felt the media was being harder on Hillary Clinton than they were towards Barack Obama. Time magazine columnist Mark Halperin stated that the media during the 2008 election had a "blind, almost slavish" worship of Obama.[142]
Election Day was on November 4, 2008. The majority of states allowed early voting, with all states allowing some form of absentee voting.[146] Voters cast votes for listed presidential candidates but were actually selecting representatives for their state's Electoral College slate.
A McCain victory quickly became improbable as Obama amassed early wins in his home state of Illinois, the Northeast, and the critical battleground states of Ohio (which no Republican has ever been elected president without winning) and Pennsylvania by 9:30 PM Eastern Standard Time.[147] Obama won the entire Northeast by comfortable margins and the Great Lakes states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota by double digits. McCain held on to traditionally Republican states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska (though notably, Obama did win an electoral vote from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district), Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and his home state of Arizona. Out of the southern states, Obama won Florida, North Carolina, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Obama also won the hotly contested states of Iowa and New Mexico, which Al Gore had won in 2000 and George W. Bush in 2004. Also, for only the second time since 1936 (1964 being the other), Indiana went Democratic, giving Obama all eight Great Lakes states, the first time a presidential candidate had won all of them since Richard Nixon in 1972.
CNN and Fox News called Virginia for Obama shortly before 11:00 PM, leaving him only 50 electoral votes shy of victory with only six West Coast states (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii) still voting. All American networks called the election in favor of Obama at 11:00 PM as the polls closed on the West Coast. Obama was immediately declared the winner in California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, McCain won Idaho, and the Electoral College totals were updated to 297 for Obama and 146 for McCain (270 are needed to win). McCain gave a concession speech half an hour later in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.[148] Obama appeared just before midnight Eastern Time in Grant Park, Chicago, in front of a crowd of 250,000 people to deliver his victory speech.[149]
Cartogram of the Electoral Votes for 2008 United States presidential election, each square representing one electoral vote. The map shows the impact of winning swing states. Nebraska, being one of two states that are not winner-take-all, for the first time had its votes split, with its second congressional district voting for Obama.
Later on election night, after Obama was named the winner, he picked up several more wins in swing states in which the polls had shown a close race. These included Florida, Indiana, Virginia, and the western states of Colorado and Nevada. All of these states had been carried by Bush in 2004. North Carolina and the bellwether state of Missouri remained undecided for several days. Eventually Obama was declared the winner in North Carolina and McCain in Missouri, with Obama pulling out a rare win in Nebraska's 2nd congressional district. This put the projected electoral vote count at 365 for Obama and 173 for McCain. Obama's victories in the populous swing states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia contributed to his decisive win. The presidential electors cast their ballots for president and vice president, and Congress tallied these votes on January 8, 2009.[152]
Turnout
The voter turnout for this election was broadly predicted to be high by American standards,[153][154] and a record number of votes were cast.[155] The final tally of total votes counted was 131.3 million, compared to 122.3 million in 2004 (which also boasted the highest record since 1968, the last presidential election before the voting age was lowered to 18). Expressed as a percentage of eligible voters, 131.2 million votes could reflect a turnout as high as 63.0% of eligible voters, which would be the highest since 1960.[156][157] This 63.0% turnout rate is based on an estimated eligible voter population of 208,323,000.[157] Another estimate puts the eligible voter population at 213,313,508, resulting in a turnout rate of 61.6%, which would be the highest turnout rate since 1968.[158][159]
Broken down by age group, voters under 35 voted for Obama by a large majority with McCain most popular among voters over 60. Voters between 35 and 59 were nearly split 50/50 between the two candidates.
American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate released a report on November 6, 2008, two days after the election, which concluded that the anticipated increase in turnout had failed to materialize.[156] That report was the basis for some news articles that indicated voter turnout failed to meet expectations.[160][161] When the remaining votes were counted after the release of the report, the total number of votes cast in the presidential election was raised to 131.2 million, which surpassed the American University report's preliminary estimate of 126.5 to 128.5 million voters by a factor of between 2% and 4%.
The election saw increased participation from African Americans, who made up 13.0% of the electorate, versus 11.1% in 2004.[162] According to exit polls, over 95% of African Americans voted for Obama. This played a critical role in Southern states such as North Carolina. 74% of North Carolina's registered African American voters turned out, as opposed to 69% of North Carolinians in general, with Obama carrying 100% (with rounding) of African-American females and African Americans age 18 to 29, according to exit polling.[163] This was also the case in Virginia, where much higher turnout among African Americans propelled Obama to victory in the former Republican stronghold.[164] Even in southern states in which Obama was unsuccessful, such as Georgia and Mississippi, due to large African American turnout he was much more competitive than John Kerry in 2004.[165][166]
No other candidate had ballot access in enough states to win 270 electoral votes. All six candidates appeared on the ballot for a majority of the voters, while the 17 other listed candidates were available to no more than 30% of the voters.[168]
The following candidates and parties had ballot listing or write-in status in more than one state:[169]
Alan Keyes (America's Independent Party) received 47,746 votes; listed in three states: Colorado and Florida, plus California (listed as American Independent), and also had write-in status in Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.
Ron Paul received 42,426 votes; listed in Louisiana (Louisiana Taxpayers) and in Montana (Constitution), with write-in status in California.
Gloria La Riva (Party for Socialism and Liberation) received 6,808 votes[170] nationally; listed in 12 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Brian Moore (Socialist Party, see Brian Moore presidential campaign, 2008) received 6,538 votes; listed in eight states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and Tennessee (independent) and Vermont (Liberty Union). He also filed for write-in status in 17 other states: Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
Róger Calero (Socialist Workers Party) received 5,151 votes; listed in ten states. He was listed by name in Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont. James Harris was listed as his stand-in in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, and Washington, and also had write-in status in California.
Charles Jay (Boston Tea Party) received 2,422 votes; listed in Colorado and Florida, and in Tennessee (as independent), with write-in status in Arizona, Montana, and Utah.
In Nevada, 6,267 votes were cast for "None of These Candidates".[171] In the three states that officially keep track of "blank" votes for president, 103,193 votes were recorded as "blank".[172] More than 100,000 write-in votes were cast and recorded for a scattering of other candidates, including 62 votes for "Santa Claus" (in ten states) and 11 votes for "Mickey Mouse" (in five states).[173]
According to the Federal Election Commission, an unusually high number of "miscellaneous" write-ins were cast for president in 2008, including 112,597 tallied in the 17 states that record votes for non-listed candidates.[174] There were more presidential candidates on the ballot than at any other time in U. S. history, except for the 1992 election, which also had 23 candidates listed in at least one state.
Results
Popular vote totals are from the official Federal Election Commission report. The results of the electoral vote were certified by Congress on January 8, 2009.[152]
The following table records the official vote tallies for each state for those presidential candidates who were listed on ballots in enough states to have a theoretical chance for a majority in the Electoral College. State popular vote results are from the official Federal Election Commission report. The column labeled "Margin" shows Obama's margin of victory over McCain (the margin is negative for states and districts won by McCain).
Note: Maine and Nebraska each allow for their electoral votes to be split between candidates. In both states, two electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the statewide race and one electoral vote is awarded to the winner of each congressional district.[175][176]
Cartographic gallery
Popular vote by county. Red represents counties that went for McCain; blue represents counties that went for Obama. Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont had all counties go to Obama. Oklahoma had all counties go to McCain.
Presidential popular votes by county as a scale from red/Republican to blue/Democratic.
Cartogram of popular vote with each county rescaled in proportion to its population. Deeper blue represents a Democratic majority; brighter red represents a Republican majority.[177]
Results by county, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote.
Change in vote margins at the county level from the 2004 election to the 2008 election. Obama made dramatic gains in every region of the country except for Arizona (McCain's home state), Alaska (Palin's home state), Appalachia, and the inner South, where McCain improved over Bush.
Results by Congressional Districts, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote.
Close states
States/districts in the 2008 United States Presidential election in which the margin of victory was less than 5%. Blue states/districts went for Obama, red for McCain. Yellow states were won by either candidate by 5% or more. Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia and Iowa were won by Bush in 2004 but were won by Obama by a margin of more than 5% in 2008.
States where the margin of victory was under 1% (26 electoral votes; 15 won by Obama, 11 by McCain):
Source: Exit polls conducted by Edison Research of Somerville, New Jersey, for the National Election Pool, a consortium of ABC News, Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News.[179]
Analysis
Obama, having a white mother and Kenyan father of the Luo ethnic group,[180] became the first African American as well as the first biracial president.[181] Several black people had previously run for president, including Shirley Chisolm, Jesse Jackson, Lenora Fulani, Carol Moseley Braun, Alan Keyes, and Al Sharpton, though Obama was the first one even to win the nomination of a major party, let alone the general election.[182] The Obama-Biden ticket was also the first winning ticket in American history in which neither candidate was a white Protestant, as Biden is Roman Catholic and the first Roman Catholic to be elected vice president; all previous tickets with Catholic vice presidential candidates had been defeated (1964, 1972, 1984).[183] The Obama-Biden ticket was the first winning ticket consisting of two sitting Senators since 1960 (John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson) (in the previous election cycle (2004) Democrats also nominated two sitting senators, John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina, but they lost to incumbents Bush and Cheney), and Obama became the first Northern Democratic president since Kennedy. Also, Obama became the first Democratic candidate to win a majority of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976, the first to win a majority of both votes and states since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and the first Northern Democrat to win a majority of both votes and states since Franklin Roosevelt in 1944. Obama became the first Northern Democrat to win any state in the former Confederacy since Hubert Humphrey won Texas in 1968. This was the first presidential election since 1952 in which neither of the major-party nominees was the incumbent president or vice-president.
Swing by state. States are listed by (increasing) percentage of Democratic votes, showing how the share of the vote changed between 2004 and 2008. Excluding the candidates' home states, only five states trended more Republican: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Prior to the election, commentators discussed whether Senator Obama would be able to redraw the electoral map by winning states that had been voting for Republican candidates in recent decades.[184] In many ways, he was successful. He won every region of the country by double digits except the South, which John McCain won by nine percent. Obama won Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia in the South (as defined by the US Census Bureau). McCain won most of the Deep South, where white voters had generally supported Republican candidates by increasingly large margins in the previous few decades.[185] Obama won all of the 2004 swing states (states that either Kerry or Bush won by less than 5%) by a margin of 8.5 percent or more except for Ohio, which the Democrat carried by 4.5 percent. Obama also defied political bellwethers, becoming the first person to win the presidency while losing Missouri since 1956 (as well as the first Democrat ever to do so) and while losing Kentucky and Tennessee since 1960. He was the first Democrat to win without Arkansas since that state joined the Union in 1836 and the first Democrat to win the presidency without winning West Virginia since 1916. Because one West Virginia elector voted for the Democrat in 1916, Obama was the first Democrat to win without any electors from the state since its founding in 1863. Indiana and Virginia voted for the Democratic nominee for the first time since 1964. Indiana returned to being a reliably red state in subsequent elections; Virginia, however, has been won by Democrats in every presidential election since and would grow increasingly Democratic at the state level. North Carolina, which Obama was the first Democrat to carry since 1976, would return to the Republican column in the following elections, though only by narrow margins each time.
Obama was also relatively competitive in some traditionally Republican states he lost, notably Montana, which he lost by under 3%, and Georgia, which he lost by just 5%. He is also the only 21st-century Democrat to lose North Dakota and South Dakota by just single digits.
This was the first presidential election in which Nebraska split its electoral votes between two candidates. Together with Maine, which would not split its votes until 2016, Nebraska is one of two states that allow a split in electoral votes without faithless electors: a candidate receives one electoral vote for each congressional district won (Nebraska has three, Maine two), while the statewide winner receives an additional two electoral votes. Obama won the electoral vote from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, largely comprising the city of Omaha. Nebraska's other four electoral votes went to John McCain. This would not happen again until 2020.
As of 2020[update], this election is the last time that Indiana and North Carolina voted Democratic, and is also the most recent election where one of the nominees has since died.
This election exhibited the continuation of some of the polarization trends evident in the 2000 and 2004 elections.[186] McCain won whites 55–43 percent, while Obama won blacks 95–4 percent,[187] Hispanics 67–31 percent, and Asians 62–35 percent. Voters aged 18–29 voted for Obama by 66–32 percent while elderly voters backed McCain 53–45 percent.[188] The 25-year age gap between McCain and Obama was the widest in U.S. presidential election history among the top two candidates.[189]
^Shirley Chisholm had previously won a contest in New Jersey in 1972 that was a no-delegate-awarding, presidential preference ballot in which the major candidates were not listed; the actual delegate selection vote went to George McGovern.[2][3]
References
^"Official 2008 Presidential General Election Results" (PDF). fec.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^Sullivan, Ronald (June 7, 1972). "Dakotan Beats Humphrey By a Big Margin in Jersey" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 1.
^"Sanford Is Withdrawing From N.J." The Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. Associated Press. May 13, 1972. p. 12.
^Halloran, Liz (September 24, 2008). "McCain Suspends Campaign, Shocks Republicans". USNews. from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
^Kuhnhenn, Jim (November 9, 2006). "Democrats win control of Congress". The Washington Post. AP. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
^ abcBorger, Julian (November 11, 2006). "Now the real race begins..." The Guardian. London. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
^Hughes, John (November 15, 2006). "With midterms over, all eyes turn to the 2008 presidential race". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
^Balz, Dan (December 29, 2006). "Edwards Formally Joins 2008 Presidential Race". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2009.[permanent dead link]
^ abTaggert, Carlee (February 15, 2007). "Tough choice for 2008 Democratic nominee". The Stentor. Retrieved June 7, 2009.[permanent dead link]
^ abcCrowley, Candy; Malveaux, Suzanne; Yellin, Jessica (January 4, 2008). "Obama wins Iowa as candidate for change". CNN. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^Steinhauser, Paul (April 22, 2009). "Back to where it began: Obama visits Iowa". CNN. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^ ab. Pollster.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^Alberts, Sheldon (June 7, 2008). . The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^Hannah Strange & Philippe Naughton (January 9, 2008). "Hillary Clinton: my teary moment won me New Hampshire". The Times. London. Retrieved March 14, 2008. See also: "Hillary tears up in New Hampshire Primary 2008" (Video). YouTube. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021.
^. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
^. CBS News. January 30, 2008. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
^Holland, Steve (January 30, 2008). "Giuliani, Edwards quit White House Race". Reuters. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
^ Greene, Richard Allen (May 30, 2007). "States jostle for primary power". BBC News. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
^(PDF). Stateline.org. Pew Research Center. August 30, 2007. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
^ abNate Silver (August 11, 2008). . Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
^Frank D. Russo (February 6, 2008). . Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
^"Election Center 2008: Primary Results from Maine". CNN. February 10, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
^ ab"2008 Primary Results". NBC News. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
^"Clinton comeback: Fight goes on". The Seattle Times. March 5, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
^. Archived from the original on July 26, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
^ ab"Clinton wins key primaries, CNN projects; McCain clinches nod". CNN. March 5, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
^"Election Center 2008 Primaries and Caucuses: Results: Democratic Scorecard". CNN. August 20, 2008.
^"NC—Election Results". North Carolina State Board of Elections. May 7, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^"Indiana Primary Election, May 6, 2008". Indiana Secretary of State. August 22, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^Rutenberg, Jim (May 8, 2008). "Pundits Declare the Race Over". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^"NBC: Obama takes N.C. - Decision '08- NBC News". NBC News. May 7, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^Hertzberg, Hendrik (June 2, 2008). "Memory Lapse". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^. CNN.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
^Jackson, John S.; Barbara Leavitt Brown (October 12, 1991). "The 1992 primary: proportional representation for Illinois Democrats". Illinois Issues. University of Illinois at Springfield. Retrieved May 18, 2008.
^"Fact check: Clinton vote claims under scrutiny". USA Today. Associated Press. May 15, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
^"Obama claims Democratic nomination—Decision '08- NBC News". NBC News. June 4, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^Zeleny, Jeff (June 4, 2008). "Obama Clinches Nomination; First Black Candidate to Lead a Major Party Ticket". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^"Historic night: Obama clinches nomination—Bill Nichols and Ben Smith". Politico.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^"ABC News: Clinton Concedes Democratic Nomination; Obama Leads Party in Fall". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^Harnden, Toby (November 13, 2007). "The top US conservatives and liberals". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
^Charles G. Dawes, 30th Vice President (1925–1929) November 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. Senate.
^Jones, Charles O. (September 2008). "Vice Presidents and Other Heirs Apparent: The Historical Experience of Experience". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 38 (3): 422–432. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5705.2008.02653.x. JSTOR 41219688.
^Todd, Chuck (May 15, 2007). . MSNBC. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
^"Clinton and McCain the comeback kids". CNN. January 8, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
^Robin Toner & Marjorie Connelly (January 14, 2008). "New poll finds McCain reshaping GOP race". NBC News. New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2008. See also: . The Star (South Africa). March 6, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
^"Election Center 2008: Primary Results for South Carolina". CNN. January 19, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
^"McCain wins Florida, CNN projects". CNN. January 29, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
^Montopoli, Brian (January 29, 2008). . CBS News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
^"Schwarzenegger backs McCain for president". CNN. January 31, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
^ abcJohnson, Wesley (February 6, 2008). "Super Tuesday results state by state". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
^King, John (February 7, 2008). "Romney suspends presidential campaign". CNN.
^"Romney endorses McCain for GOP nomination". CNN. February 14, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
^"Huckabee bows to 'inevitable,' ends GOP run". CNN. March 5, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
^Mannies, Jo (April 26, 2008). "At KC convention, Constitution Party picks pastor for president". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^Montana News Association (May 22, 2008). . Montana News Association. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^Simon, Scott (October 18, 2008). "Chuck Baldwin On His Run For President". NPR. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^"Bob Barr: 'We must both reduce and simplify taxes'". Independent Political Report. June 5, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^Galloway, Jim (March 26, 2008). "Bob Barr thinking 'very serious' thoughts about a presidential race, Iraq, and torture". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^Walker, Jesse (December 2003). "Bob Barr, Civil Libertarian. The right wing of the ACLU". Reason Magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^Hendrik Hertzberg (January 4, 2008). "A Hundred Years' War?". The New Yorker.; video at "Make It 100". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021.
^"Historic Disapproval: Bush Hits All-Time Low Amid Economic Meltdown". ABC News. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
^Presidential Job Approval Center November 18, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Gallup.com
^Steinhauser, Paul (March 19, 2008). "Poll: Bush's popularity hits new low". CNN. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
^"Confidence sinks to lowest since 2002 as fear tightens its hold on US consumers". International Herald Tribune. April 11, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
^"Bush says he wants McCain to win presidency". CNN. March 5, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
^Baker, Peter; Abramowitz last3 A Mazhintue, Michael (February 9, 2008). "History and Necessity Unite Bush, McCain". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
^Bouie, Jamelle (November 23, 2021). "Opinion | The Ronald Reagan Guide to Joe Biden's Political Future". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^Nyhan, Brendan (May 30, 2014). "How Old Is Too Old for President? Depends Who's Running". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^"Analysis: Age an issue in the 2008 campaign? - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^"The key moments in John McCain's life". BBC News. August 26, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^"John McCain rebelled at the Naval Academy — and as a POW — long before he was a Senate maverick". The Washington Post. August 25, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^Simba, Malik (Fall 2009). "The Obama Campaign 2008: A Historical Overview". Western Journal of Black Studies. 33 (3): 186–191. ProQuest 200339829.
^Perry Bacon; Jennifer Agiesta (June 9, 2008). "Change vs. Experience All Over Again". The Washington Post.
^. Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008.
^James Joyner (August 29, 2008). . Outsidethebeltway.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
^"Christian evangelicals send McCain a message". NBC News. Associated Press. February 12, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
^. AFP. September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^. The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008.
^"Gallup's Quick Read on the Election". Gallup.com. October 22, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
^"Exit polls: Obama wins big among young, minority voters". CNN.com. November 4, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
^"Investors Bail Out: The D word going cheap". www.nationalpost.com. September 16, 2008. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
^Martin, Jonathan; Allen, Mike (August 21, 2008). "McCain unsure how many houses he owns". Politico. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^Aigner-Treworgy, Adam (September 15, 2008). . MSNBC. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^. WAPT.com. December 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^"U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes: 110th Congress, 2nd Session". Senate.gov. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
^Schnur, Dan (November 3, 2008). "What caused McCain's poll numbers to fall?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
^Nichols, Hans (October 15, 2008). "McCain May Have Last Chance to Overcome Economy in Final Debate". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
^Robert E. Moffit and Nina Owcharenko, "The McCain Health Care Plan: More Power to Families," The Heritage Foundation, October 15, 2008
^Thomas Buchmueller, Sherry A. Glied, Anne Royalty, and Katherine Swartz, "Cost And Coverage Implications Of The McCain Plan To Restructure Health Insurance," Health Affairs, September 16, 2008
^Joseph Antos, Gail Wilensky, and Hanns Kuttner, "The Obama Plan: More Regulation, Unsustainable Spending," Health Affairs, September 16, 2008
^Robert E. Moffit and Nina Owcharenko, "The Obama Health Care Plan: More Power to Washington," October 2, 2012, at the Wayback MachineThe Heritage Foundation, October 15, 2008
^Mark V. Pauly, "Blending Better Ingredients For Health Reform," Health Affairs, September 16, 2008
^Robert J. Blendon, Drew E. Altman, John M. Benson, Mollyann Brodie, Tami Buhr, Claudia Deane, and Sasha Buscho, "Voters and Health Reform in the 2008 Presidential Election," March 26, 2009, at the Wayback MachineNew England Journal of Medicine 359;19, November 6, 2008
^ abcd"CPD: 2008 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
^"Vice presidential debate, Oct. 2, 2008". NBC News. October 3, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^Parker, Jennifer (September 23, 2008). "Obama, McCain Prep for Presidential Debates". ABC News. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
^. Freeandequal.org. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
^Kennedy, Helen (January 14, 2007). "Wanna be Prez? First get $100M". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
^Kirkpatrick, David (January 23, 2007). "Death Knell May Be Near for Public Election Funds". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
^. fec.gov. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
^"Obama rejects 'lipstick' charge". BBC. September 10, 2008.
^"Questions, not answers, highlight YouTube debate". CNN. July 24, 2007. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
^Stephanie Garry (June 8, 2007). "Candidates court young voters online". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
^"Breaking News: Ron Paul campaign donors set a record". Los Angeles Times. December 17, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
^Larry Fester (November 5, 2007). . USA Daily. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008.
^Fraser, Matthew. "Barack Obama and the Facebook Election". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
^Metzgar, Emily & Albert Maruggi. "Social Media and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election". Journal of New Communications Research. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
^Cain Miller, Claire (November 7, 2008). "How Obama's Internet Campaign Changed Politics". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
^Reid, Tim (November 23, 2007). "Palmetto Bugs: Slingers of Slime Step it up in SC". New York Post. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
^Rutenberg, Jim (June 29, 2008). "Political Freelancers Use Web to Join the Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
^Ian Urbina (October 9, 2008). "States' Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
^John Bohlinger (October 5, 2008). "Republicans crossed line with voter purge attempt". The Montana Standard. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
^. Michigan Messenger. September 10, 2008. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008.
^. House of Representatives. September 19, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008.
^Hoppe, Christy (September 19, 2008). . Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
^Young, Adam (September 24, 2008). . Daily Toreador. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
^ abNiquette, Mark (November 16, 2009). . Dispatchpolitics.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
^Niquette, Mark (October 22, 2008). . Dispatchpolitics.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
^Jeane Macintosh, "Gotham-to-Ohio Vote Scam Eyed," December 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine New York Post, October 20, 2008; Resume of group leader with statement about Marshall scholars membership posted here (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Riepenhoff, Jill (October 19, 2008). . Dispatchpolitics.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
^"Most Voters Say Media Wants Obama to Win". The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. October 22, 2008.
^High Marks for the Campaign, a High Bar for Obama Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
^Elizabeth Edwards (April 28, 2008). "Op-ed: Bowling 1, Health Care 0". The New York Times.
^Jong, Erica (May 5, 2008). "Inspiration Versus Degradation". The Huffington Post.
^"Public Says Media Harder on Clinton Than Obama, McCain". Gallup.com. May 29, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
^"Character and the Primaries of 2008". The Project for Excellence in Journalism. May 29, 2008.
^. Center for Media and Public Affairs. July 28, 2008. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008.
^"The Color of News". Project for Excellence in Journalism. October 29, 2008.
^Absentee and Early Voting Laws December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, from the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College
^. Firstread.msnbc.msn.com. November 4, 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^Fouhy, Beth (November 5, 2008). "McCain concedes presidency, congratulates Obama". Tucson Citizen. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
^Meincke, Paul (November 5, 2008). . Chicago: WLS-TV. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
^. The Canberra Times. November 5, 2008. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^Naughton, Philippe (November 5, 2008). . London: Times Online. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^ ab. Clerk.house.gov. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
^"Expected High Voter Turnout Has Government Officials, Watchdog Groups on Alert". Fox News. November 3, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2008. "The main thing that we all know is that there's going to be a huge turnout. There are going to be long lines, and any problems that occur will exacerbate because of those lines," said Robert M. Brandon, president of the Fair Elections Legal Network.
^Urbina, Ian (November 3, 2008). "Voting experts say high turnout may add to problems at the polls". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
^Alban, Debra (November 7, 2008). "Number of votes cast set record, but voter turnout percentage didn't". CNN. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
^ ab"Much-hyped Turnout Record Fails to Materialize" (PDF) (Press release). Center for the Study of the American Electorate, American University. November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2008.
^ ab(PDF) (Press release). Center for the Study of the American Electorate, American University. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
^"2008G - United States Elections Project". www.electproject.org. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
^. Elections.gmu.edu. March 31, 2012. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
^"Report: '08 turnout same as or only slightly higher than '04". CNN. November 6, 2008.
^"That huge voter turnout? Didn't happen". Politico. November 8, 2008.
^. Archived from the original on April 16, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
^. The Wilmington Journal. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on December 2, 2010.
^The New York Times (November 4, 2008). "2008 Presidential Race: Virginia—Election Guide—The New York Times". Election Guide 2008 – The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
^The New York Times (November 4, 2008). "2008 Presidential Race: Georgia—Election Guide—The New York Times". Election Guide 2008 – The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
^The New York Times (November 4, 2008). "2008 Presidential Race: Mississippi—Election Guide—The New York Times". Election Guide 2008 – The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
^. Ballot-access.org. October 23, 2008. Archived from the original on November 3, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^"Ballot Access News – November 1, 2008". Ballot-access.org. March 18, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
^"Ballot Access News—November 1, 2008". Ballot-access.org. March 18, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^. Ballot-access.org. December 22, 2008. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^"2008 Official Statewide General Election Results for Nevada". Nvsos.gov. November 4, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
^"2008 Presidential Election by State". Thegreenpapers.com. January 8, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
^"2008 Presidential Election by State". Thegreenpapers.com. January 8, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
^"Ballot Access News – February 1, 2009". Ballot-access.org. February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
^. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
^"National Exit Poll". CNN. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
^Kilner, Derek (June 4, 2008). "Kenyans Welcome Obama's Democratic Party Nomination". VOA News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
^Wallsten, Peter (November 5, 2008). "White Americans play major role in electing the first black president". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
^. socialstudiesforkids.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
^. America.gov. November 7, 2008. Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
^. Progress Illinois. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
^Exit Polls, The New York Times, November 5, 2008.
^Cost, Jay (November 20, 2008). "HorseRaceBlog—Electoral Polarization Continues Under Obama". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
^Kuhn, David Paul (November 5, 2008). "Exit polls: How Obama won". Politico. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
^Hunt, Albert R. (February 3, 2008). "Obama vs. McCain would be dream match". The New York Times.
Further reading
Plouffe, David. The Audacity to Win. 2009
Balz, Dan, and Haynes Johnson. The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election (2009), by leading reporters with inside information
Crotty, William. "Policy and Politics: The Bush Administration and the 2008 Presidential Election," Polity, July 2009, Vol. 41 Issue 3, pp 282–311 online
Curtis, Mark. Age of Obama: A Reporter's Journey With Clinton, McCain and Obama in the Making of the President in 2008 (2009)
Gidlow, Liette. Obama, Clinton, Palin: Making History in Election 2000 (2012)
Nelson, Michael. The Elections of 2008 (2009), factual summary except and text search
Sussman, Glen. "Choosing a New Direction: The Presidential Election of 2008," White House Studies, 2009, Vol. 9 Issue 1, pp 1–20
Wolffe, Richard. Renegade: The Making of a President (2010) excerpt and text search, narrative
Voters
Abramson, Paul R., John H. Aldrich, and David W. Rohde. Change and Continuity in the 2008 Elections (2009) excerpt and text search
Corwin E. Smidt and others. The Disappearing God Gap? Religion in the 2008 Presidential Election (Oxford University Press; 2010) 278 pages. Finds that the gap between church-attending traditionalists and other voters is not closing, as has been claimed, but is changing in significant ways; draws on survey data from voters who were interviewed in the spring of 2008 and then again after the election.
Crespino, Joseph. "The U.S. South and the 2008 Election," Southern Spaces (2008) online
Jessee, Stephen A. "Voter Ideology and Candidate Positioning in the 2008 Presidential Election," American Politics Research, March 2010, Vol. 38 Issue 2, pp 195–210
Kenski, Kate, Bruce W. Hardy, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. The Obama Victory: How Media, Money, and Message Shaped the 2008 Election (Oxford University Press; 2010) 378 pages. Draws on interviews with key campaign advisors as well as the National Annenberg Election Survey. excerpt and text search
Sabato, Larry. The Year of Obama: How Barack Obama Won the White House (2009)
Stempel III, Guido H. and Thomas K. Hargrove, eds. The 21st-Century Voter: Who Votes, How They Vote, and Why They Vote (2 vol. 2015).
Todd, Chuck, and Sheldon Gawiser. How Barack Obama Won: A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election (2009) excerpt and text search
External links
January 13, 2023
2008, united, states, presidential, election, related, races, 2008, united, states, elections, 56th, quadrennial, presidential, election, held, tuesday, november, 2008, democratic, ticket, barack, obama, junior, senator, from, illinois, biden, senior, senator,. For related races see 2008 United States elections The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election held on Tuesday November 4 2008 The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama the junior senator from Illinois and Joe Biden the senior senator from Delaware defeated the Republican ticket of John McCain the senior senator from Arizona and Sarah Palin the governor of Alaska Obama became the first African American to be elected to the presidency as well as being only the third sitting United States senator elected president joining Warren G Harding and John F Kennedy Meanwhile Biden became the first senator running mate of a senator elected president since Lyndon B Johnson who was Kennedy s running mate in the 1960 election 2008 United States presidential election 2004 November 4 2008 2012 538 members of the Electoral College270 electoral votes needed to winOpinion pollsTurnout58 2 1 1 5 pp Nominee Barack Obama John McCainParty Democratic RepublicanHome state Illinois ArizonaRunning mate Joe Biden Sarah PalinElectoral vote 365 173States carried 28 DC NE 02 22Popular vote 69 498 516 59 948 323Percentage 52 9 45 7 Presidential election results map Blue denotes states won by Obama Biden and red denotes those won by McCain Palin Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia President before electionGeorge W BushRepublican Elected President Barack ObamaDemocraticIncumbent Republican President George W Bush was ineligible to pursue a third term due to the term limits established by the 22nd Amendment McCain secured the Republican nomination by March 2008 defeating former governors Mitt Romney Mike Huckabee and other challengers The Democratic primaries were marked by a sharp contest between Obama and the initial front runner former First Lady and Senator Hillary Clinton Clinton s victory in the New Hampshire primary made her the first woman to win a major party s presidential primary nb 1 After a long primary season Obama secured the Democratic nomination in June 2008 This marked the first election since 1952 where neither the incumbent president nor the incumbent vice president were nominees Early campaigning focused heavily on the Iraq War and Bush s unpopularity McCain supported the war as well as a troop surge that had begun in 2007 while Obama strongly opposed the war Bush endorsed McCain but the two did not campaign together and Bush did not appear in person at the 2008 Republican National Convention Obama campaigned on the theme that Washington must change while McCain emphasized his experience The campaign was strongly affected by the onset of a major financial crisis which peaked in September 2008 McCain s decision to suspend his campaign during the height of the financial crisis backfired as voters viewed his response as erratic 4 Obama won a decisive victory over McCain winning the Electoral College and the popular vote by a sizable margin including states that had not voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1976 North Carolina and 1964 Indiana Virginia and Nebraska s 2nd congressional district Obama received the largest share of the popular vote won by a Democrat since Lyndon B Johnson in 1964 and was the first Democrat to win an outright majority of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976 Obama s total count of 69 5 million votes stood as the largest tally ever won by a presidential candidate until 2020 when this was surpassed by both major party candidates in a high turnout election He was the first Democrat to win without Arkansas and Missouri since those states joined the Union in 1836 and 1821 and the first Democrat to win the presidency without winning West Virginia since 1916 Obama flipped nine states that had voted Republican in 2004 Colorado Florida Indiana Iowa Nevada New Mexico North Carolina Ohio and Virginia as well as Nebraska s 2nd congressional district As of 2022 update this is the last time Indiana and North Carolina have voted Democratic the last time that either a Democratic or Republican candidate received fewer than 200 electoral votes and the last time an incumbent U S senator was a major party nominee This is the only election in American history where both major party nominees were sitting US Senators Contents 1 Background 2 Nominations 2 1 Democratic Party nomination 2 1 1 Candidate 2 1 2 Withdrawn candidates 2 1 3 Before the primaries 2 1 4 Early primaries and caucuses 2 1 5 Super Tuesday 2 1 6 Ohio Texas and Pennsylvania 2 1 7 Indiana and North Carolina 2 1 8 Florida and Michigan 2 1 9 Clinching the nomination 2 2 Republican Party nomination 2 2 1 Candidate 2 2 2 Withdrawn candidates 2 2 3 Before the primaries 2 2 4 Early primaries caucuses 2 2 5 Super Tuesday 2 3 Third party and other nominations 2 3 1 Candidates gallery 2 4 Party conventions 3 General election campaign 3 1 Issues 3 1 1 Iraq 3 1 2 Bush s unpopularity 3 1 3 Age issue 3 1 4 Economy 3 1 5 Health care 3 2 Presidential debates 3 3 Campaign costs 3 3 1 Expense summary 3 4 Notable expressions and phrases 4 Internet campaigns 4 1 Fundraising 4 2 Promotion 5 Controversies 5 1 Voter suppression allegations 5 2 Media bias 6 Conduct 6 1 Turnout 6 2 Ballot access 7 Results 7 1 Results by state 7 2 Cartographic gallery 7 3 Close states 7 3 1 Statistics 8 Voter demographics 9 Analysis 10 See also 10 1 Opinion polling 11 Notes 12 References 13 Further reading 13 1 Voters 14 External linksBackgroundFurther information United States presidential election Procedure The incumbent in 2008 George W Bush His second term expired at noon on January 20 2009 Article Two of the United States Constitution provides that the President and Vice President of the United States must be natural born citizens of the United States at least 35 years old and residents of the United States for a period of at least 14 years Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the political parties in which case each party devises a method such as a primary election to choose the candidate the party deems best suited to run for the position Traditionally the primary elections are indirect elections where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate The party s delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party s behalf The general election in November is also an indirect election where voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College these electors in turn directly elect the president and vice president President George W Bush a Republican and former Governor of Texas was ineligible to seek reelection to a third term due to the Twenty second Amendment in accordance with Section 1 of the Twentieth Amendment his term expired at noon eastern standard time on January 20 2009 Also ineligible to run for an additional term as president was past two term president Bill Clinton While neither of them ran former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H W Bush each having served only one term were both eligible to run for a second term as president NominationsDemocratic Party nomination Main articles Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries and 2008 Democratic National Convention Candidate Main article 2008 Democratic Party presidential candidates 2008 Democratic Party ticketBarack Obama Joe Bidenfor President for Vice President U S Senatorfrom Illinois 2005 2008 U S Senatorfrom Delaware 1973 2009 CampaignWithdrawn candidates Candidates in this section are sorted by popular vote from the primariesHillary Clinton John Edwards Bill Richardson Joe Biden Chris Dodd Mike Gravel Dennis Kucinich Tom Vilsack U S Senator from New York 2001 2009 U S Senatorfrom North Carolina 1999 2005 30thGovernor of New Mexico 2003 2011 U S Senatorfrom Delaware 1973 2009 U S Senatorfrom Connecticut 1981 2011 U S Senatorfrom Alaska 1969 1981 U S Representativefrom Ohio 1997 2013 40thGovernor of Iowa 1999 2007 Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign CampaignW June 717 493 836 votes W Jan 300 votes W Jan 100 votes W Jan 30 votes W Jan 30 votes W N A0 votes W Jan 230 votes W Feb 23 20070 votesBefore the primaries Media speculation had begun almost immediately after the results of the 2004 presidential election were released In the 2006 midterm elections the Democrats regained majorities in both houses of the U S Congress 5 Early polls taken before anyone had announced a candidacy had shown Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as the most popular potential Democratic candidates 6 Nevertheless the media speculated on several other candidates including Al Gore the runner up in the 2000 election John Kerry the runner up in the 2004 election John Edwards Kerry s running mate in 2004 senator from Delaware Joe Biden New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh 7 Edwards was one of the first to formally announce his candidacy for the presidency on December 28 2006 This run would be his second attempt at the presidency 8 Clinton announced intentions to run in the Democratic primaries on January 20 2007 9 Obama announced his candidacy on February 10 in his home state of Illinois 9 Early primaries and caucuses Early in the year the support for Barack Obama started to increase in the polls and he passed Clinton for the top spot in Iowa he ended up winning the caucus in that state with John Edwards coming in second and Clinton in third 10 Obama s win was fueled mostly by first time caucus goers and Independents and showed voters viewed him as the candidate of change 10 Iowa has since been viewed as the state that jump started Obama s campaign and set him on track to win both the nomination and the presidency 11 After the Iowa caucus Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd withdrew from the nomination contest 10 Obama became the new front runner in New Hampshire when his poll numbers skyrocketed after his Iowa victory 12 The Clinton campaign was struggling after a huge loss in Iowa and no strategy beyond the early primaries and caucuses According to The Vancouver Sun campaign strategists had mapped a victory scenario that envisioned the former first lady wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination by Super Tuesday on Feb 5 13 In what is considered a turning point for her campaign Clinton had a strong performance at the Saint Anselm College ABC and Facebook debates several days before the New Hampshire primary as well as an emotional interview in a public broadcast live on TV 14 Clinton won that primary by 2 of the vote contrary to the predictions of pollsters who consistently had her trailing Obama for a few days up to the primary date 12 Clinton s win was the first time a woman had ever won a major American party s presidential primary for the purposes of delegate selection 15 On January 30 2008 after placing in third in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries Edwards announced that he was suspending his campaign for the presidency but he did not initially endorse any remaining candidates 16 17 Super Tuesday Super Tuesday was February 5 2008 when the largest ever number of simultaneous state primary elections was held 18 Super Tuesday ended up leaving the Democrats in a virtual tie with Obama amassing 847 delegates to Clinton s 834 from the 23 states that held Democratic primaries 19 California was one of the Super Tuesday states that could provide a large number of delegates to the candidates Obama trailed in the California polling by an average of 6 0 before the primary he ended up losing that state by 8 3 of the vote 20 Some analysts cited a large Latino turnout that voted for Clinton as the deciding factor 21 The Louisiana Nebraska Hawaii Wisconsin U S Virgin Islands the District of Columbia Maryland and Virginia primaries and the Washington and Maine caucuses all took place after Super Tuesday in February Obama won all of them giving him 10 consecutive victories after Super Tuesday 22 23 Ohio Texas and Pennsylvania On March 4 Hillary Clinton carried Ohio and Rhode Island in the Democratic primaries some considered these wins especially Ohio a surprise upset by 10 24 25 although she did lead in the polling averages in both states 20 26 She also carried the primary in Texas but Obama won the Texas caucuses held the same day and netted more delegates from the state than Clinton 27 Only one state held a primary in April This was Pennsylvania on April 22 Although Obama made a strong effort to win Pennsylvania Hillary Clinton won that primary by nearly 10 with approximately 55 of the vote 28 Obama had outspent Clinton three to one in Pennsylvania but his comment at a San Francisco fundraiser that small town Americans cling to guns and religion drew sharp criticism from the Clinton campaign and may have hurt his chances in the Keystone State 29 In addition Clinton had several advantages in Pennsylvania Throughout the primary process she relied on the support of older white working class voters Pennsylvania held a closed primary which means that only registered Democrats could vote and according to Ron Elving of NPR the established Democratic electorate was older whiter more Catholic and more working class than in most of the primaries to date 30 After Pennsylvania Obama had a higher number of delegates and popular votes than Clinton did and was still in a stronger position to win the nomination Clinton however had received the endorsement of more superdelegates than Obama 28 Indiana and North Carolina On May 6 North Carolina and Indiana held their Democratic presidential primaries Clinton and Obama campaigned aggressively there before the voting took place Polling had shown Obama a few points ahead in North Carolina and Clinton similarly leading in Indiana 31 32 In the actual results Obama outperformed the polls by several points in both states winning by a significant margin in North Carolina 33 and losing by only 1 1 in Indiana 50 56 to 49 44 34 After these primaries most pundits declared that it had become increasingly improbable if not impossible for Clinton to win the nomination 35 The small win in Indiana barely kept her campaign alive for the next month 36 Although she did manage to win the majority of the remaining primaries and delegates it was not enough to overcome Obama s substantial delegate lead Florida and Michigan During late 2007 the two parties adopted rules against states moving their primaries to an earlier date in the year For the Republicans the penalty for this violation was supposed to be the loss of half the state party s delegates to the convention The Democratic penalty was the complete exclusion from the national convention of delegates from states that broke these rules The Democratic Party allowed only four states to hold elections before February 5 2008 Clinton won a majority of delegates and popular votes from both states though 40 voted uncommitted in Michigan and subsequently led a fight to seat all the Florida and Michigan delegates 37 There was some speculation that the fight over the delegates could last until the convention in August On May 31 2008 the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic Party reached a compromise on the Florida and Michigan delegate situation The committee decided to seat delegates from Michigan and Florida at the convention in August but to only award each a half vote 38 Clinching the nomination 2008 DNC during Stevie Wonder s performance The major political party nomination process technically continues through June of an election year In previous cycles the candidates were effectively chosen by the end of the primaries held in March but in this cycle Barack Obama did not win enough delegates to secure the nomination until June 3 after a 17 month campaign against Hillary Clinton He had a wide lead in states won while Clinton had won majorities in several of the larger states Now because a form of proportional representation and popular vote decided Democratic state delegate contests numbers were close between Clinton and Obama 39 By May Clinton claimed to hold a lead in the popular vote but the Associated Press found that her numbers were accurate only in one close scenario 40 In June after the last of the primaries had taken place Obama secured the Democratic nomination for president with the help of multiple super delegate endorsements most of the super delegates had refused to declare their support for either candidate until the primaries were completed 41 He was the first African American to win the nomination of a major political party in the United States 42 For several days Clinton refused to concede the race although she signaled her presidential campaign was ending in a post primary speech on June 3 in her home state of New York 43 She finally conceded the nomination to Obama on June 7 She pledged her full support to the presumptive nominee and vowed to do everything she could to help him get elected 44 Republican Party nomination Main articles John McCain 2008 presidential campaign 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries and 2008 Republican National Convention Not only was the 2008 election the first time since 1952 that neither the incumbent president nor the incumbent vice president was a candidate in the general election but it was also the first time since the 1928 election that neither sought his party s nomination for president as Bush was term limited from seeking another nomination the unique aspect was Vice President Cheney s decision not to seek the Republican nomination 45 46 The 2008 election was also the third presidential election since 1896 in which neither the incumbent president the incumbent vice president nor a current or former member of the incumbent president s Cabinet won the nomination of either major party the others being 1920 and 1952 47 With no members of the Bush administration emerging as major contenders for the Republican nomination the Republican race was as open as the Democratic race Candidate Main article 2008 Republican Party presidential candidates 2008 Republican Party ticketJohn McCain Sarah Palinfor President for Vice President U S Senatorfrom Arizona 1987 2018 9thGovernor of Alaska 2006 2009 Campaign Withdrawn candidates Candidates in this section are sorted by popular vote from the primariesMitt Romney Mike Huckabee Ron Paul Rudy Giuliani Fred Thompson 70thGovernor ofMassachusetts 2003 2007 44thGovernor ofArkansas 1996 2007 U S Representativefrom Texas 1996 2013 107thMayor ofNew York City 1993 2001 U S Senatorfrom Tennessee 1994 2003 Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign CampaignW Feb 74 699 788 votes W March 44 276 046 votes W June 121 160 403 votes W Jan 30597 518 votes W Jan 22292 752 votesAlan Keyes Duncan Hunter Tom Tancredo Sam Brownback Jim Gilmore 16thAssistant Secretaryof State for IOA 1985 1987 U S Representativefrom California 1981 2009 U S Representativefrom Colorado 1999 2009 U S Senatorfrom Kansas 1996 2011 68thGovernor of Virginia 1998 2002 Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign CampaignW April 1559 636 votes W Jan 1939 883 votes W Jan 108 595 votes W Oct 18 20072 838 votes W July 14 20070 votesBefore the primaries Immediately after the 2006 midterm elections media pundits began speculating as they did about the Democrats about potential Republican candidates for president in 2008 6 In November 2006 former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led in the polls followed closely by Arizona Senator John McCain 48 The media speculated that Giuliani s pro choice stance on abortion and McCain s age and support of the unpopular Iraq War would be detriments to their candidacies 6 Giuliani remained the frontrunner in the polls throughout most of 2007 with McCain and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson fighting for second place 49 Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee Giuliani former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Texas Representative Ron Paul announced their candidacies on January 28 February 5 February 13 and March 12 respectively 50 51 52 53 McCain officially announced his candidacy on March 1 2007 after several informal announcements 54 In the third quarter of 2007 the top four GOP Republican fundraisers were Romney Giuliani Thompson and Ron Paul 55 MSNBC s Chuck Todd christened Giuliani and John McCain the front runners after the second Republican presidential debate in early 2007 56 Early primaries caucuses Huckabee winner of Iowa had little to no money and hoped for at least a third place finish in New Hampshire McCain eventually displaced Rudy Giuliani and Romney as the front runner in New Hampshire McCain staged a turnaround victory 57 having been written off by the pundits and polling in single digits less than a month before the race 58 With the Republicans stripping Michigan and Florida of half their delegates for moving their primaries into January 2008 against party rules the race for the nomination was based there McCain meanwhile managed a small victory over Huckabee in South Carolina 59 setting him up for a larger and more important victory over Romney in Florida which held a closed primary on January 29 60 By this time after several scandals no success in the early primaries and a third place finish in Florida Giuliani conceded the nomination and endorsed John McCain the next day 61 Super Tuesday McCain was also endorsed in February by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger before the California primary took place on Super Tuesday This gave him a significant boost in the polls for the state s primary 62 which awarded the greatest number of delegates of all the states On Super Tuesday McCain won his home state of Arizona taking all 53 delegates He also won nearly all of California s 173 delegates the largest of the Super Tuesday prizes McCain also scored wins in seven other states picking up 574 delegates 63 Huckabee was the surprise performer winning 5 states and 218 delegates 63 Romney won 7 states and 231 delegates 63 Two days later Romney suspended his presidential campaign saying that if he stayed in the race he would forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win 64 His departure left Huckabee and Paul as McCain s only major challengers in the remaining primaries and caucuses Romney endorsed McCain on February 14 65 Louisiana the District of Columbia Kansas Wisconsin and Washington held primaries in February after Super Tuesday Despite McCain picking up big victories Huckabee won Louisiana and Kansas McCain narrowly carried the Washington caucuses over Huckabee and Paul who amassed a large showing 23 The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico closed February for the Republicans After Super Tuesday John McCain had become the clear front runner but by the end of February he still had not acquired enough delegates to secure the nomination In March John McCain clinched the Republican nomination after sweeping all four primaries Texas Ohio Vermont and Rhode Island putting him over the top of the 1 191 delegates required to win the GOP nomination 26 Mike Huckabee then conceded the race to McCain leaving Ron Paul who had just 16 delegates as his only remaining opponent 66 Romney would eventually become the Republican presidential nominee 4 years later which he then lost to Barack Obama Third party and other nominations Main article Third party and independent candidates for the 2008 United States presidential election Along with the Democratic and Republican parties three other parties nominated candidates with ballot access in enough states to win the minimum 270 electoral votes needed to win the election These were the Constitution Party the Green Party and the Libertarian Party In addition independent candidate Ralph Nader ran his own campaign The Constitution Party nominated writer pastor and conservative talk show host Chuck Baldwin for president and attorney Darrell Castle from Tennessee for vice president 67 68 While campaigning Baldwin voiced his opposition to the Iraq War the Sixteenth Amendment Roe v Wade the IRS and the Federal Reserve 69 The Green Party nominated former Democratic representative Cynthia McKinney from Georgia for president and political activist Rosa Clemente from New York for vice president McKinney campaigned on a platform that supported single payer universal health care the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan reparations for African Americans and the creation of a Department of Peace 70 The Libertarian Party nominated former Republican representative Bob Barr from Georgia for president and his former rival for the Libertarian nomination Wayne Allyn Root from Nevada for vice president During the 2008 presidential campaign Barr advocated a reworking or abolition of the income tax 71 and opposed the war in Iraq 72 and the Patriot Act 73 Candidates gallery Independent AttorneyRalph Naderfrom Connecticut campaign Libertarian Party Former RepresentativeBob Barrfrom Georgia campaign Constitution Party Former PastorChuck Baldwinfrom Florida campaign Green Party Former RepresentativeCynthia McKinneyfrom Georgia campaign Party conventions Denver Saint Paul Kansas City Chicagoclass notpageimage Sites of the 2008 National Party Conventions April 23 26 2008 2008 Constitution Party National Convention held in Kansas City Missouri May 23 26 2008 2008 Libertarian National Convention held in Denver Colorado July 10 13 2008 2008 Green Party National Convention held in Chicago Illinois August 25 28 2008 2008 Democratic National Convention held in Denver Colorado September 1 4 2008 2008 Republican National Convention held in Saint Paul Minnesota General election campaignIssues Iraq The unpopular war in Iraq was a key issue during the campaign before the economic crisis John McCain supported the war while Barack Obama opposed it Obama s early and strong opposition to the war helped him stand out against the other Democratic candidates during the primaries as well as stand out to a war weary electorate during the general campaign Though McCain meant it as a peacetime presence like the United States maintained in Germany and Japan after World War II 74 his statement that the United States could be in Iraq for as much as the next 50 to 100 years would prove costly Obama used it against him as part of his strategy to tie him to the unpopular President Bush John McCain s support for the troop surge employed by General David Petraeus which was one of several factors credited with improving the security situation in Iraq may have boosted McCain s stance on the issue in voters minds McCain who supported the invasion argued that his support for the successful surge showed his superior judgment However Obama was quick to remind voters that there would have been no need for a surge had there been no war at all thus questioning McCain s judgment Bush s unpopularity George W Bush had become increasingly unpopular among Americans by late 2005 due in part by the growing unpopularity of the Iraq War domestically and internationally as well as Bush s handling of the financial crisis of 2007 08 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 By the time Obama was elected as President of the United States on November 4 2008 Bush s approval rating was in the low to mid 20s and his disapproval grew increasingly significant being in the high 60s and even low 70s in some polls 75 Polls consistently showed that his approval ratings among American voters had averaged around 30 percent 76 77 78 In March 2008 Bush endorsed McCain at the White House 79 but did not make a single appearance for McCain during the campaign Bush appeared at the 2008 GOP convention only through a live video broadcast He chose not to appear in person due to disaster events in the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav Although he supported the war in Iraq McCain made an effort to show that he had disagreed with Bush on many other key issues such as climate change During the entire general election campaign Obama countered by pointing out in ads and at numerous campaign rallies that McCain had claimed in an interview that he voted with Bush 90 of the time and congressional voting records supported this for the years Bush was in office 80 Age issue This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 2008 United States presidential election news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Palins and McCains campaigning in Fairfax Virginia September 10 2008 following the Republican National Convention Similar to Senator Bob Dole s 1996 presidential campaign one of the more widely leveled charges against McCain was the issue of his age he turned 72 in August and there was widespread concern about the idea of electing a man who would be 80 years old if he completed two full terms in office the oldest president Ronald Reagan had been a month shy of 78 when he left office in January 1989 81 82 In addition McCain suffered from the ill effects of his captivity in North Vietnam and reportedly had difficulty lifting his arms above his head His age in particular was considered a liability against the youthful Senator Obama who was the first Generation Xer to run for president on a major party ticket 83 McCain for comparison was born before World War II and belonged to the Silent Generation 84 Much like Bob Dole McCain attempted to counter these charges by releasing all of his medical records something Obama did not do McCain s wife Cindy dismissed concerns about his health by arguing that We went hiking the Grand Canyon last summer and John did great and had no trouble keeping up with us McCain also appeared at several campaign stops with his still active 95 year old mother In a speech on the House floor Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha criticized McCain s age by saying Seven presidents have come and gone since I ve been in Congress and I saw the toll the job took on each one of them If elected McCain would have been the first president born in the 1930s McCain ultimately died in 2018 85 just one year after the completion of Obama s second term Like the Clinton campaign in 1996 Obama avoided discussing McCain s age directly instead preferring to simply call his ideas and message old and old hat He also made a strong appeal to youth voters and back during his primary contest with Hillary Clinton had stated When I watched the feud between the Clintons and Newt Gingrich unfold during the 1990s I was reminded of old quarrels started on college campuses long ago It s time for a new generation to take over Obama s active use of a Blackberry and other modern technology also stood in contrast to the Arizona Senator s admission that he did not use a computer or a cell phone McCain s service in Vietnam while marketable to baby boomers was referred to as unimportant to younger voters Obama campaigning as a symbol of change in Cleveland Ohio with a Change We Need sign Obama promised universal health care full employment a green America and an America respected instead of feared by its enemies 86 Polls regularly found the general electorate as a whole divided more evenly between change and experience as candidate qualities than the Democratic primary electorate which split in favor of change by a nearly 2 1 margin 87 Advantages for McCain and Obama on experience and the ability to bring change respectively remained steady through the November 4 election However final pre election polling found that voters considered Obama s inexperience less of an impediment than McCain s association with sitting president George W Bush 88 an association which was rhetorically framed by the Obama campaign throughout the election season as more of the same McCain appeared to undercut his line of attack by picking first term Alaska governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate 89 Palin had been governor only since 2006 and before that had been a council member and mayor of Wasilla The choice of Palin was controversial however it appeared to solve two pressing concerns McCain s age and health since a youthful vice president would succeed him to office if he died or became incapacitated and appealing to right wing conservatives a group that had been comparatively unmoved by McCain Palin also came off as more down to earth and relatable to average Americans than McCain widely criticized as a Beltway insider 90 However media interviews suggested that Palin lacked knowledge on certain key issues and they cast doubt among many voters about her qualifications to be vice president or president In this regard her inexperience was also a liability when McCain s age and health were factored in there was a higher than normal probability of Palin succeeding to the presidency and many moderates and independents chafed at this idea One 72 year old heartbeat away from the presidency became a popular anti GOP slogan Late night TV host David Letterman jokingly referred to Palin as resembling a slutty flight attendant and even Obama himself on a September 9 speech referred to the Alaska governor s policies as the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig She also came under attack on everything from her 17 year old daughter giving birth to a child out of wedlock to actively participating in hunting moose and other animals 91 Because of Palin s conservative views there was also concern that she would alienate independents and moderates two groups that pundits observed McCain would need to win the election 92 Economy Polls taken in the last few months of the presidential campaign and exit polls conducted on Election Day showed the economy as the top concern for voters 93 94 In the fall of 2008 many news sources were reporting that the economy was suffering its most serious downturn since the Great Depression 95 During this period John McCain s election prospects fell with several politically costly comments about the economy On August 20 John McCain said in an interview with Politico that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife Cindy owned I think I ll have my staff get to you he told the media outlet 96 Both on the stump and in Obama s political ad Seven the gaffe was used to portray McCain as somebody unable to relate to the concerns of ordinary Americans This out of touch image was further cultivated when on September 15 the day of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy at a morning rally in Jacksonville Florida McCain declared that the fundamentals of our economy are strong despite what he described as tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street 97 With the perception among voters to the contrary the comment appeared to cost McCain politically On September 24 2008 after the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis McCain announced that he was suspending his campaign to return to Washington so he could help craft a 700 billion bailout package for the troubled financial industry and he stated that he would not debate Obama until Congress passed the bailout bill 98 Despite this decision McCain was portrayed as somebody not playing a significant role in the negotiations for the first version of the bill which fell short of passage in the House He eventually decided to attend the first presidential debate on September 26 despite Congress lack of immediate action on the bill His ineffectiveness in the negotiations and his reversal in decision to attend the debates were seized upon to portray McCain as erratic in his response to the economy Days later a second version of the original bailout bill was passed by both the House and Senate with Obama his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden and McCain all voting for the measure Hillary Clinton would as well 99 All the aforementioned remarks and campaign issues hurt McCain s standing with voters All these also occurred after the onset of the economic crisis and after McCain s poll numbers had started to fall Although sound bites of all of these missteps were played repeatedly on national television many pundits and analysts say that the actual financial crisis and economic conditions caused McCain s large drop in support in mid September and severely damaged his campaign 100 101 Health care John McCain s proposals focused on open market competition rather than government funding or control At the heart of his plan were tax credits 2 500 for individuals and 5 000 for families who do not subscribe to or do not have access to health care through their employer To help people who are denied coverage by insurance companies due to pre existing conditions McCain proposed working with states to create what he calls a Guaranteed Access Plan 102 Barack Obama called for universal health care His health care plan proposed creating a National Health Insurance Exchange that would include both private insurance plans and a Medicare like government run option Coverage would be guaranteed regardless of health status and premiums would not vary based on health status either It would have required parents to cover their children but did not require adults to buy insurance Critics of McCain s plan argued that it would not significantly reduce the number of uninsured Americans would increase costs reduce consumer protections and lead to less generous benefit packages 103 Critics of Obama s plan argued that it would increase federal regulation of private health insurance without addressing the underlying incentives behind rising health care spending 104 105 Mark Pauly suggested that a combination of the two approaches would work better than either one alone 106 A poll released in early November 2008 found that voters supporting Obama listed health care as their second priority voters supporting McCain listed it as fourth tied with the war in Iraq Affordability was the primary health care priority among both sets of voters Obama voters were more likely than McCain voters to believe government can do much about health care costs 107 Presidential debates Main article 2008 United States presidential debates The United States presidential election of 2008 was sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates CPD a bipartisan organization that sponsored four debates that occurred at various locations around the United States U S in September and October 2008 Three of the debates involved the presidential nominees and one involved the vice presidential nominees Debates among candidates for the 2008 U S presidential election No Date Time Host City Moderators Participants Viewership millions P1 Friday September 26 2008 9 00 pm EDT University of Mississippi Oxford Mississippi Jim Lehrer Senator Barack ObamaSenator John McCain 52 4 108 VP Friday October 3 2008 9 00 pm EDT Washington University in St Louis St Louis Missouri Gwen Ifill Senator Joe BidenGovernor Sarah Palin 69 9 108 P2 Tuesday October 7 2008 9 00 pm EDT Belmont University Nashville Tennessee Tom Brokaw Senator Barack ObamaSenator John McCain 63 2 108 P3 Wednesday October 15 2008 9 00 pm EDT Hofstra University Hempstead New York Bob Schieffer Senator Barack ObamaSenator John McCain 56 5 108 109 110 University of MississippiOxford MS Belmont UniversityNashville TN Washington UniversitySt Louis MO Hofstra UniversityHempstead NYclass notpageimage Sites of the 2008 general election debatesAnother debate was sponsored by the Columbia University political union and took place there on October 19 All candidates who could theoretically win the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election were invited and Ralph Nader Cynthia McKinney and Chuck Baldwin agreed to attend Amy Goodman principal host of Democracy Now moderated It was broadcast on cable by C SPAN and on the Internet by Break the Matrix 111 Campaign costs Main article Fundraising for the 2008 United States presidential election The reported cost of campaigning for president has increased significantly in recent years One source reported that if the costs for both Democratic and Republican campaigns were added together for the presidential primary election general election and the political conventions the costs have more than doubled in only eight years 448 9 million in 1996 649 5 million in 2000 and 1 01 billion in 2004 112 In January 2007 Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael E Toner estimated that the 2008 race would be a 1 billion election and that to be taken seriously a candidate would have needed to raise at least 100 million by the end of 2007 113 Expense summary According to required campaign filings as reported by the Federal Election Commission FEC 148 candidates for all parties collectively raised 1 644 712 232 and spent 1 601 104 696 for the primary and general campaigns combined through November 24 2008 The amounts raised and spent by the major candidates according to the same source were as follows Candidate party Amount raised Amount spent Votes Average spent per voteBarack Obama D 778 642 962 760 370 195 69 498 516 10 94John McCain R 379 006 485 346 666 422 59 948 323 5 78Ralph Nader I 4 496 180 4 187 628 739 034 5 67Bob Barr L 1 383 681 1 345 202 523 715 2 57Chuck Baldwin C 261 673 234 309 199 750 1 17Cynthia McKinney G 240 130 238 968 161 797 1 48Excludes spending by independent expenditure concerns Source Federal Election Commission 114 Notable expressions and phrases Drill baby drill Republican self described energy policy Yes We Can Obama s campaign slogan That one McCain s reference to Obama during the 2nd debate Lipstick on a pig Obama used this phrase to insinuate that any changes that McCain was advocating from the policies of George W Bush would only be slight modifications of Bush s policies but the underlying policies would be the same and in Obama s opinion bad Some called it sexist claiming it was a reference to Sarah Palin who cracked a joke during the Republican convention that the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick 115 Internet campaignsFundraising See also Grassroots fundraising Howard Dean collected large contributions through the Internet in his 2004 primary run In 2008 candidates went even further to reach out to Internet users through their own sites and such sites as YouTube MySpace and Facebook 116 117 On December 16 2007 Ron Paul collected 6 million more money on a single day through Internet donations than any presidential candidate in US history 118 119 120 Promotion Not only did the Internet allow candidates to raise money but also it gave them a tool to appeal to newer and younger demographics Political pundits were now evaluating candidates based on their social media following Senator Barack Obama s victory is credited to his competitive edge in social media and Internet following Obama had over 2 million American supporters on Facebook and 100 000 followers on Twitter while McCain attracted only 600 000 Facebook supporters likes and 4 600 followers on Twitter Obama s YouTube channel held 115 000 subscribers and more than 97 million video views Obama had maintained a similar advantage over Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary 121 Obama s edge in social media was crucial to the election outcome According to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life project 35 percent of Americans relied on online video for election news Ten percent of Americans used social networking sites to learn about the election 122 The 2008 election showed huge increases in Internet use Another study done after the election gave a lot of insight on young voters Thirty seven percent of Americans ages 18 24 got election news from social networking sites Almost a quarter of Americans saw something about the election in an online video 123 YouTube and other online video outlets allowed candidates to advertise in ways like never before The Republican Party in particular was criticized for not adequately using social media and other means to reach young voters Anonymous and semi anonymous smear campaigns traditionally done with fliers and push calling also spread to the Internet 124 Organizations specializing in the production and distribution of viral material such as Brave New Films emerged such organizations have been said to be having a growing influence on American politics 125 ControversiesVoter suppression allegations Allegations of voter list purges using unlawful criteria caused controversy in at least six swing states Colorado Indiana Ohio Michigan Nevada and North Carolina 126 On October 5 2008 the Republican Lt Governor of Montana John Bohlinger accused the Montana Republican Party of vote caging to purge 6 000 voters from three counties which trend Democratic 127 Allegations arose in Michigan that the Republican Party planned to challenge the eligibility of voters based on lists of foreclosed homes 128 The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama filed a lawsuit challenging this The House Judiciary Committee wrote to the Department of Justice requesting an investigation 129 Libertarian candidate Bob Barr filed a lawsuit in Texas to have Obama and McCain removed from the ballot in that state 130 His campaign alleged that both of the candidates had missed the August 26 deadline to file and had been included on the ballot in violation of Texas election law Neither Obama nor McCain had been confirmed as the candidate of their respective parties at the time of the deadline The Texas Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit without explanation 131 In Ohio identified by both parties as a key state allegations surfaced from both Republicans and Democrats that individuals from out of state were moving to the state temporarily and attempting to vote despite not meeting the state s requirement of permanent residency for more than 29 days The Franklin County Board of Elections referred 55 cases of possible voting irregularities to the local prosecutor 132 Three groups attracted particular notice Vote from Home Vote Today Ohio and Drop Everything and Come to Ohio Vote from Home attracted the most attention when thirteen of the group s members moved to the same location in eastern Columbus Members of the group organized by Marc Gustafson including several Marshall and Rhodes scholars studying at Oxford University settled with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O Brien to have their challenged ballots withdrawn 133 134 The Obama campaign and others alleged that members of the McCain campaign had also voted without properly establishing residency 132 Since 1953 only six people in Ohio have gone to prison for illegal voting 135 Media bias Republicans and independents leveled significant criticism at media outlets coverage of the presidential election season An October 22 2008 Pew Research Center poll estimated 70 of registered voters believed journalists wanted Barack Obama to win the election as opposed to 9 for John McCain 136 Another Pew survey conducted after the election found that 67 of voters thought that the press fairly covered Obama versus 30 who viewed the coverage as unfair Regarding McCain 53 of voters viewed his press coverage as fair versus 44 who characterized it as unfair Among affiliated Democrats 83 believed the press fairly covered Obama just 22 of Republicans thought the press was fair to McCain 137 At the February debate Tim Russert of NBC News was criticized for what some perceived as disproportionately tough questioning of Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton 138 Among the questions Russert had asked Clinton but not Obama to provide the name of the new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev 138 This was later parodied on Saturday Night Live In October 2007 liberal commentators accused Russert of harassing Clinton over the issue of supporting drivers licenses for illegal immigrants 139 On April 16 ABC News hosted a debate in Philadelphia Pennsylvania Moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos were criticized by viewers bloggers and media critics for the poor quality of their questions 138 139 Many viewers said they considered some of the questions irrelevant when measured against the importance of the faltering economy or the Iraq War Included in that category were continued questions about Obama s former pastor Senator Hillary Clinton s assertion that she had to duck sniper fire in Bosnia more than a decade ago and Senator Obama s not wearing an American flag pin 138 The moderators focused on campaign gaffes and some believed they focused too much on Obama 139 Stephanopoulos defended their performance saying Senator Obama was the front runner and the questions were not inappropriate or irrelevant at all 138 139 In an op ed published on April 27 2008 in The New York Times Elizabeth Edwards wrote that the media covered much more of the rancor of the campaign and amount of money spent than the candidates priorities policies and principles 140 Author Erica Jong commented that our press has become a sea of triviality meanness and irrelevant chatter 141 A Gallup poll released on May 29 2008 also estimated that more Americans felt the media was being harder on Hillary Clinton than they were towards Barack Obama Time magazine columnist Mark Halperin stated that the media during the 2008 election had a blind almost slavish worship of Obama 142 The Project for Excellence in Journalism and Harvard University s Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press Politics and Public Policy conducted a study of 5 374 media narratives and assertions about the presidential candidates from January 1 through March 9 2008 The study found that Obama received 69 favorable coverage and Clinton received 67 compared to only 43 favorable media coverage of McCain 143 Another study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University found the media coverage of Obama to be 72 negative from June 8 to July 21 compared to 57 negative for McCain 144 An October 29 study found 29 of stories about Obama to be negative compared to 57 of stories about McCain being negative 145 Conduct Final poll closing times on Election Day 7PM EST 00 00 UTC 6 7 30PM EST 00 30 UTC 3 8PM EST 01 00 UTC 15 DC 8 30PM EST 01 30 UTC 1 9PM EST 02 00 UTC 15 10PM EST 03 00 UTC 4 11PM EST 04 00 UTC 5 1AM EST 06 00 UTC 1 Election Day was on November 4 2008 The majority of states allowed early voting with all states allowing some form of absentee voting 146 Voters cast votes for listed presidential candidates but were actually selecting representatives for their state s Electoral College slate A McCain victory quickly became improbable as Obama amassed early wins in his home state of Illinois the Northeast and the critical battleground states of Ohio which no Republican has ever been elected president without winning and Pennsylvania by 9 30 PM Eastern Standard Time 147 Obama won the entire Northeast by comfortable margins and the Great Lakes states of Michigan Wisconsin and Minnesota by double digits McCain held on to traditionally Republican states like North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska though notably Obama did win an electoral vote from Nebraska s 2nd congressional district Kansas Oklahoma Montana Utah Idaho Wyoming and his home state of Arizona Out of the southern states Obama won Florida North Carolina Delaware Maryland and Virginia Obama also won the hotly contested states of Iowa and New Mexico which Al Gore had won in 2000 and George W Bush in 2004 Also for only the second time since 1936 1964 being the other Indiana went Democratic giving Obama all eight Great Lakes states the first time a presidential candidate had won all of them since Richard Nixon in 1972 CNN and Fox News called Virginia for Obama shortly before 11 00 PM leaving him only 50 electoral votes shy of victory with only six West Coast states California Oregon Washington Idaho Alaska and Hawaii still voting All American networks called the election in favor of Obama at 11 00 PM as the polls closed on the West Coast Obama was immediately declared the winner in California Oregon Washington and Hawaii McCain won Idaho and the Electoral College totals were updated to 297 for Obama and 146 for McCain 270 are needed to win McCain gave a concession speech half an hour later in his hometown of Phoenix Arizona 148 Obama appeared just before midnight Eastern Time in Grant Park Chicago in front of a crowd of 250 000 people to deliver his victory speech 149 Cartogram of the Electoral Votes for 2008 United States presidential election each square representing one electoral vote The map shows the impact of winning swing states Nebraska being one of two states that are not winner take all for the first time had its votes split with its second congressional district voting for Obama Following Obama s speech spontaneous street parties broke out in cities across the United States including Philadelphia Houston Las Vegas Miami Chicago Columbus Detroit Boston Los Angeles Portland Washington D C San Francisco Denver Atlanta Madison and New York City 150 and around the world in London Bonn Berlin Obama Japan Toronto Rio de Janeiro Sydney and Nairobi 151 Later on election night after Obama was named the winner he picked up several more wins in swing states in which the polls had shown a close race These included Florida Indiana Virginia and the western states of Colorado and Nevada All of these states had been carried by Bush in 2004 North Carolina and the bellwether state of Missouri remained undecided for several days Eventually Obama was declared the winner in North Carolina and McCain in Missouri with Obama pulling out a rare win in Nebraska s 2nd congressional district This put the projected electoral vote count at 365 for Obama and 173 for McCain Obama s victories in the populous swing states of Florida Ohio Pennsylvania North Carolina and Virginia contributed to his decisive win The presidential electors cast their ballots for president and vice president and Congress tallied these votes on January 8 2009 152 Turnout The voter turnout for this election was broadly predicted to be high by American standards 153 154 and a record number of votes were cast 155 The final tally of total votes counted was 131 3 million compared to 122 3 million in 2004 which also boasted the highest record since 1968 the last presidential election before the voting age was lowered to 18 Expressed as a percentage of eligible voters 131 2 million votes could reflect a turnout as high as 63 0 of eligible voters which would be the highest since 1960 156 157 This 63 0 turnout rate is based on an estimated eligible voter population of 208 323 000 157 Another estimate puts the eligible voter population at 213 313 508 resulting in a turnout rate of 61 6 which would be the highest turnout rate since 1968 158 159 Broken down by age group voters under 35 voted for Obama by a large majority with McCain most popular among voters over 60 Voters between 35 and 59 were nearly split 50 50 between the two candidates American University s Center for the Study of the American Electorate released a report on November 6 2008 two days after the election which concluded that the anticipated increase in turnout had failed to materialize 156 That report was the basis for some news articles that indicated voter turnout failed to meet expectations 160 161 When the remaining votes were counted after the release of the report the total number of votes cast in the presidential election was raised to 131 2 million which surpassed the American University report s preliminary estimate of 126 5 to 128 5 million voters by a factor of between 2 and 4 The election saw increased participation from African Americans who made up 13 0 of the electorate versus 11 1 in 2004 162 According to exit polls over 95 of African Americans voted for Obama This played a critical role in Southern states such as North Carolina 74 of North Carolina s registered African American voters turned out as opposed to 69 of North Carolinians in general with Obama carrying 100 with rounding of African American females and African Americans age 18 to 29 according to exit polling 163 This was also the case in Virginia where much higher turnout among African Americans propelled Obama to victory in the former Republican stronghold 164 Even in southern states in which Obama was unsuccessful such as Georgia and Mississippi due to large African American turnout he was much more competitive than John Kerry in 2004 165 166 Ballot access Presidential ticket Party Ballot access 167 VotesObama Biden Democratic 50 DC 69 498 516McCain Palin Republican 50 DC 59 948 323Nader Gonzalez Independent 45 DC 739 034Barr Root Libertarian 45 523 715Baldwin Castle Constitution 37 199 750McKinney Clemente Green 32 DC 161 797Others total see below 242 685No other candidate had ballot access in enough states to win 270 electoral votes All six candidates appeared on the ballot for a majority of the voters while the 17 other listed candidates were available to no more than 30 of the voters 168 The following candidates and parties had ballot listing or write in status in more than one state 169 Alan Keyes America s Independent Party received 47 746 votes listed in three states Colorado and Florida plus California listed as American Independent and also had write in status in Kentucky Ohio Texas and Utah Ron Paul received 42 426 votes listed in Louisiana Louisiana Taxpayers and in Montana Constitution with write in status in California Gloria La Riva Party for Socialism and Liberation received 6 808 votes 170 nationally listed in 12 states Arkansas Colorado Florida Iowa Louisiana New Jersey New York Rhode Island Utah Vermont Washington and Wisconsin Brian Moore Socialist Party see Brian Moore presidential campaign 2008 received 6 538 votes listed in eight states Colorado Florida Iowa New Jersey Ohio and Wisconsin and Tennessee independent and Vermont Liberty Union He also filed for write in status in 17 other states Alaska Connecticut Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Michigan Minnesota Montana New York North Carolina Oregon Texas Utah Virginia Washington and Wyoming Roger Calero Socialist Workers Party received 5 151 votes listed in ten states He was listed by name in Delaware Minnesota New Jersey New York and Vermont James Harris was listed as his stand in in Colorado Florida Iowa Louisiana and Washington and also had write in status in California Charles Jay Boston Tea Party received 2 422 votes listed in Colorado and Florida and in Tennessee as independent with write in status in Arizona Montana and Utah Tom Stevens Objectivist received 755 votes listed in Colorado and Florida Gene Amondson Prohibition received 653 votes listed in Colorado Florida and Louisiana Jonathan Allen Heartquake received 483 votes listed only in Colorado with write in status in Arizona Georgia Montana Texas and other states The following candidates parties were listed on the ballot in only one state Richard Duncan Independent Ohio 3 905 votes John Joseph Polachek New Party Illinois 1 149 votes Frank McEnulty New American Independent Colorado listed as unaffiliated 829 votes Jeffrey Wamboldt We the People Wisconsin 764 votes Jeff Boss Vote Here New Jersey 639 votes George Phillies New Hampshire also listed with the label Libertarian 531 votes Ted Weill Reform Mississippi 481 votes Bradford Lyttle U S Pacifist Colorado 110 votes In Nevada 6 267 votes were cast for None of These Candidates 171 In the three states that officially keep track of blank votes for president 103 193 votes were recorded as blank 172 More than 100 000 write in votes were cast and recorded for a scattering of other candidates including 62 votes for Santa Claus in ten states and 11 votes for Mickey Mouse in five states 173 According to the Federal Election Commission an unusually high number of miscellaneous write ins were cast for president in 2008 including 112 597 tallied in the 17 states that record votes for non listed candidates 174 There were more presidential candidates on the ballot than at any other time in U S history except for the 1992 election which also had 23 candidates listed in at least one state ResultsPopular vote totals are from the official Federal Election Commission report The results of the electoral vote were certified by Congress on January 8 2009 152 Electoral results Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoralvote Running mateCount Percentage Vice presidential candidate Home state Electoral voteBarack Hussein Obama II Democratic Illinois 69 498 516 52 93 365 Joseph Robinette Biden Jr Delaware 365John Sidney McCain III Republican Arizona 59 948 323 45 65 173 Sarah Louise Heath Palin Alaska 173Ralph Nader Independent Connecticut 739 034 0 56 0 Matthew Edward Gonzalez California 0Robert Laurence Barr Jr Libertarian Georgia 523 715 0 40 0 Wayne Allyn Root Nevada 0Charles Obadiah Baldwin Constitution Florida 199 750 0 15 0 Darrell Castle Tennessee 0Cynthia Ann McKinney Green Georgia 161 797 0 12 0 Rosa Alicia Clemente North Carolina 0Alan Lee Keyes America s Independent Party New York 47 941 0 04 0 Wiley S Drake Sr Colorado 0Other 242 685 0 18 Other Total 131 313 820 100 538 538Needed to win 270 270Popular voteObama 52 93 McCain 45 65 Nader 0 56 Barr 0 40 Baldwin 0 15 McKinney 0 12 Keyes 0 04 Others 0 18 Electoral voteObama 67 84 McCain 32 16 Results by state Further information United States presidential election The popular vote on Election Day The following table records the official vote tallies for each state for those presidential candidates who were listed on ballots in enough states to have a theoretical chance for a majority in the Electoral College State popular vote results are from the official Federal Election Commission report The column labeled Margin shows Obama s margin of victory over McCain the margin is negative for states and districts won by McCain Legend States districts won by Obama BidenStates districts won by McCain Palin At large results for states that split electoral votes Barack ObamaDemocratic John McCainRepublican Ralph NaderIndependent Bob BarrLibertarian Chuck BaldwinConstitution Cynthia McKinneyGreen Others Margin Total votesState district EV EV EV EV EV EV EV EV Alabama 9 813 479 38 74 1 266 546 60 32 9 6 788 0 32 4 991 0 24 4 310 0 21 0 0 00 3 705 0 18 453 067 21 58 2 099 819 ALAlaska 3 123 594 37 89 193 841 59 42 3 3 783 1 16 1 589 0 49 1 660 0 51 0 0 00 1 730 0 53 70 247 21 54 326 197 AKArizona 10 1 034 707 45 12 1 230 111 53 64 10 11 301 0 49 12 555 0 55 1 371 0 06 3 406 0 15 24 0 00 195 404 8 52 2 293 475 AZArkansas 6 422 310 38 86 638 017 58 72 6 12 882 1 19 4 776 0 44 4 023 0 37 3 470 0 32 1 139 0 10 215 707 19 85 1 086 617 ARCalifornia 55 8 274 473 61 01 55 5 011 781 36 95 108 381 0 80 67 582 0 50 3 145 0 02 38 774 0 29 57 764 0 43 3 262 692 24 06 13 561 900 CAColorado 9 1 288 633 53 66 9 1 073 629 44 71 13 352 0 56 10 898 0 45 6 233 0 26 2 822 0 12 5 895 0 25 215 004 8 95 2 401 462 COConnecticut 7 997 772 60 59 7 629 428 38 22 19 162 1 16 0 0 00 311 0 02 90 0 01 34 0 00 368 344 22 37 1 646 797 CTDelaware 3 255 459 61 94 3 152 374 36 95 2 401 0 58 1 109 0 27 626 0 15 385 0 09 58 0 01 103 085 25 00 412 412 DEDistrict of Columbia 3 245 800 92 46 3 17 367 6 53 958 0 36 0 0 00 0 0 00 590 0 22 1 138 0 43 228 433 85 92 265 853 DCFlorida 27 4 282 074 51 03 27 4 045 624 48 22 28 124 0 34 17 218 0 21 7 915 0 09 2 887 0 03 6 902 0 08 236 450 2 82 8 390 744 FLGeorgia 15 1 844 123 46 99 2 048 759 52 20 15 1 158 0 03 28 731 0 73 1 402 0 04 250 0 01 63 0 00 204 636 5 21 3 924 486 GAHawaii 4 325 871 71 85 4 120 566 26 58 3 825 0 84 1 314 0 29 1 013 0 22 979 0 22 0 0 00 205 305 45 26 453 568 HIIdaho 4 236 440 36 09 403 012 61 52 4 7 175 1 10 3 658 0 56 4 747 0 72 39 0 01 51 0 01 166 572 25 43 655 122 IDIllinois 21 3 419 348 61 92 21 2 031 179 36 78 30 948 0 56 19 642 0 36 8 256 0 15 11 838 0 21 1 160 0 02 1 388 169 25 14 5 522 371 ILIndiana 11 1 374 039 49 95 11 1 345 648 48 91 909 0 03 29 257 1 06 1 024 0 04 87 0 00 90 0 00 28 391 1 03 2 751 054 INIowa 7 828 940 53 93 7 682 379 44 39 8 014 0 52 4 590 0 30 4 445 0 29 1 423 0 09 7 332 0 48 146 561 9 53 1 537 123 IAKansas 6 514 765 41 65 699 655 56 61 6 10 527 0 85 6 706 0 54 4 148 0 34 35 0 00 36 0 00 184 890 14 96 1 235 872 KSKentucky 8 751 985 41 17 1 048 462 57 40 8 15 378 0 84 5 989 0 33 4 694 0 26 0 0 00 112 0 01 296 477 16 23 1 826 620 KYLouisiana 9 782 989 39 93 1 148 275 58 56 9 6 997 0 36 0 0 00 2 581 0 13 9 187 0 47 10 732 0 55 365 286 18 63 1 960 761 LAMaine 2 421 923 57 71 2 295 273 40 38 10 636 1 45 251 0 03 177 0 02 2 900 0 40 3 0 00 126 650 17 32 731 163 MEMaine s 1st 1 232 145 60 51 1 144 604 37 69 5 263 1 37 1 362 0 36 252 0 07 87 541 22 82 383 626 ME1Maine s 2nd 1 189 778 54 61 1 150 669 43 35 5 373 1 55 1 538 0 44 179 0 05 39 109 11 25 347 537 ME2Maryland 10 1 629 467 61 92 10 959 862 36 47 14 713 0 56 9 842 0 37 3 760 0 14 4 747 0 18 9 205 0 35 669 605 25 44 2 631 596 MDMassachusetts 12 1 904 097 61 80 12 1 108 854 35 99 28 841 0 94 13 189 0 43 4 971 0 16 6 550 0 21 14 483 0 47 795 243 25 81 3 080 985 MAMichigan 17 2 872 579 57 43 17 2 048 639 40 96 33 085 0 66 23 716 0 47 14 685 0 29 8 892 0 18 170 0 00 823 940 16 47 5 001 766 MIMinnesota 10 1 573 354 54 06 10 1 275 409 43 82 30 152 1 04 9 174 0 32 6 787 0 23 5 174 0 18 10 319 0 35 297 945 10 24 2 910 369 MNMississippi 6 554 662 43 00 724 597 56 18 6 4 011 0 31 2 529 0 20 2 551 0 20 1 034 0 08 481 0 04 169 935 13 17 1 289 865 MSMissouri 11 1 441 911 49 29 1 445 814 49 43 11 17 813 0 61 11 386 0 39 8 201 0 28 80 0 00 0 0 00 3 903 0 13 2 925 205 MOMontana 3 231 667 47 25 242 763 49 51 3 3 686 0 75 1 355 0 28 143 0 03 23 0 00 10 665 2 18 11 096 2 26 490 302 MTNebraska 2 333 319 41 60 452 979 56 53 2 5 406 0 67 2 740 0 34 2 972 0 37 1 028 0 13 2 837 0 35 119 660 14 93 801 281 NENebraska s 1st 1 121 411 44 33 148 179 54 10 1 1 963 0 72 922 0 34 1 024 0 37 394 0 14 26 768 9 77 273 893 NE1Nebraska s 2nd 1 138 809 49 97 1 135 439 48 75 1 628 0 59 1 014 0 36 599 0 22 320 0 12 3 370 1 21 277 809 NE2Nebraska s 3rd 1 73 099 29 63 169 361 68 64 1 1 815 0 74 804 0 33 1 349 0 55 314 0 13 96 262 39 01 246 742 NE3Nevada 5 533 736 55 15 5 412 827 42 65 6 150 0 64 4 263 0 44 3 194 0 33 1 411 0 15 6 267 0 65 120 909 12 49 967 848 NVNew Hampshire 4 384 826 54 13 4 316 534 44 52 3 503 0 49 2 217 0 31 226 0 03 40 0 01 3 624 0 51 68 292 9 61 710 970 NHNew Jersey 15 2 215 422 57 27 15 1 613 207 41 70 21 298 0 55 8 441 0 22 3 956 0 10 3 636 0 09 2 277 0 06 602 215 15 57 3 868 237 NJNew Mexico 5 472 422 56 91 5 346 832 41 78 5 327 0 64 2 428 0 29 1 597 0 19 1 552 0 19 0 0 00 125 590 15 13 830 158 NMNew York 31 4 804 945 62 88 31 2 752 771 36 03 41 249 0 54 19 596 0 26 634 0 01 12 801 0 17 8 935 0 12 2 052 174 26 86 7 640 931 NYNorth Carolina 15 2 142 651 49 70 15 2 128 474 49 38 1 448 0 03 25 722 0 60 0 0 00 158 0 00 12 336 0 29 14 177 0 33 4 310 789 NCNorth Dakota 3 141 278 44 62 168 601 53 25 3 4 189 1 32 1 354 0 43 1 199 0 38 0 0 00 0 0 00 27 323 8 63 316 621 NDOhio 20 2 940 044 51 50 20 2 677 820 46 91 42 337 0 74 19 917 0 35 12 565 0 22 8 518 0 15 7 149 0 13 262 224 4 59 5 708 350 OHOklahoma 7 502 496 34 35 960 165 65 65 7 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 00 457 669 31 29 1 462 661 OKOregon 7 1 037 291 56 75 7 738 475 40 40 18 614 1 02 7 635 0 42 7 693 0 42 4 543 0 25 13 613 0 74 298 816 16 35 1 827 864 ORPennsylvania 21 3 276 363 54 49 21 2 655 885 44 17 42 977 0 71 19 912 0 33 1 092 0 02 0 0 00 17 043 0 28 620 478 10 32 6 013 272 PARhode Island 4 296 571 62 86 4 165 391 35 06 4 829 1 02 1 382 0 29 675 0 14 797 0 17 2 121 0 45 131 180 27 81 471 766 RISouth Carolina 8 862 449 44 90 1 034 896 53 87 8 5 053 0 26 7 283 0 38 6 827 0 36 4 461 0 23 0 0 00 172 447 8 98 1 920 969 SCSouth Dakota 3 170 924 44 75 203 054 53 16 3 4 267 1 12 1 835 0 48 1 895 0 50 0 0 00 0 0 00 32 130 8 41 381 975 SDTennessee 11 1 087 437 41 83 1 479 178 56 90 11 11 560 0 44 8 547 0 33 8 191 0 32 2 499 0 10 2 337 0 09 391 741 15 07 2 599 749 TNTexas 34 3 528 633 43 68 4 479 328 55 45 34 5 751 0 07 56 116 0 69 5 708 0 07 909 0 01 1 350 0 02 950 695 11 77 8 077 795 TXUtah 5 327 670 34 41 596 030 62 58 5 8 416 0 88 6 966 0 73 12 012 1 26 982 0 10 294 0 03 268 360 28 18 952 370 UTVermont 3 219 262 67 46 3 98 974 30 45 3 339 1 03 1 067 0 33 500 0 15 66 0 02 1 838 0 57 120 288 37 01 325 046 VTVirginia 13 1 959 532 52 63 13 1 725 005 46 33 11 483 0 31 11 067 0 30 7 474 0 20 2 344 0 06 6 355 0 17 234 527 6 30 3 723 260 VAWashington 11 1 750 848 57 65 11 1 229 216 40 48 29 489 0 97 12 728 0 42 9 432 0 31 3 819 0 13 1 346 0 04 521 632 17 18 3 036 878 WAWest Virginia 5 303 857 42 59 397 466 55 71 5 7 219 1 01 0 0 00 2 465 0 35 2 355 0 33 89 0 01 93 609 13 12 713 451 WVWisconsin 10 1 677 211 56 22 10 1 262 393 42 31 17 605 0 59 8 858 0 30 5 072 0 17 4 216 0 14 8 062 0 27 414 818 13 90 2 983 417 WIWyoming 3 82 868 32 54 164 958 64 78 3 2 525 0 99 1 594 0 63 1 192 0 47 0 0 00 1 521 0 60 82 090 32 24 254 658 WYU S Total 538 69 498 516 52 93 365 59 948 323 45 65 173 739 034 0 56 523 715 0 40 199 750 0 15 161 797 0 12 242 685 0 18 9 550 193 7 27 131 313 820 US Note Maine and Nebraska each allow for their electoral votes to be split between candidates In both states two electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the statewide race and one electoral vote is awarded to the winner of each congressional district 175 176 Cartographic gallery Popular vote by county Red represents counties that went for McCain blue represents counties that went for Obama Connecticut Hawaii Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island and Vermont had all counties go to Obama Oklahoma had all counties go to McCain Presidential popular votes by county as a scale from red Republican to blue Democratic Cartogram of popular vote with each county rescaled in proportion to its population Deeper blue represents a Democratic majority brighter red represents a Republican majority 177 Results by county shaded according to winning candidate s percentage of the vote Change in vote margins at the county level from the 2004 election to the 2008 election Obama made dramatic gains in every region of the country except for Arizona McCain s home state Alaska Palin s home state Appalachia and the inner South where McCain improved over Bush Results by Congressional Districts shaded according to winning candidate s percentage of the vote Close states States districts in the 2008 United States Presidential election in which the margin of victory was less than 5 Blue states districts went for Obama red for McCain Yellow states were won by either candidate by 5 or more Nevada Colorado New Mexico Virginia and Iowa were won by Bush in 2004 but were won by Obama by a margin of more than 5 in 2008 States where the margin of victory was under 1 26 electoral votes 15 won by Obama 11 by McCain Missouri 0 13 3 903 votes 11 electoral votes North Carolina 0 31 14 177 votes 15 electoral votesStates where the margin of victory was between 1 and 5 62 electoral votes 59 won by Obama 3 by McCain Indiana 1 03 28 391 votes 11 electoral votes Nebraska s 2nd congressional district 1 21 3 370 votes 1 electoral vote Montana 2 26 11 096 votes 3 electoral votes Florida 2 82 236 450 votes 27 electoral votes Ohio 4 59 262 224 votes 20 electoral votesStates districts where the margin of victory was between 5 and 10 73 electoral votes 33 won by Obama 40 by McCain Georgia 5 21 204 636 votes 15 electoral votes Virginia 6 30 234 527 votes 13 electoral votes South Dakota 8 41 32 130 votes 3 electoral votes Arizona 8 52 195 404 votes 10 electoral votes North Dakota 8 63 27 323 votes 3 electoral votes Colorado 8 95 215 004 votes 9 electoral votes tipping point state South Carolina 8 98 172 447 votes 8 electoral votes Iowa 9 53 146 561 votes 7 electoral votes New Hampshire 9 61 68 292 votes 4 electoral votes Nebraska s 1st congressional district 9 77 26 768 votes 1 electoral voteBlue denotes states or congressional districts won by Democrat Barack Obama red denotes those won by Republican John McCain Statistics Counties with highest percentage of Democratic vote 178 Washington D C 92 46 Prince George s County Maryland 88 87 Bronx County New York 88 71 Shannon County South Dakota 88 69 Petersburg Virginia 88 64 Counties with highest percentage of Republican vote King County Texas 92 64 Roberts County Texas 92 08 Ochiltree County Texas 91 70 Glasscock County Texas 90 13 Beaver County Oklahoma 89 25 Voter demographicsThe 2008 presidential vote by demographic subgroupDemographic subgroup Obama McCain Other oftotal voteTotal vote 53 46 1 100IdeologyLiberals 89 10 1 22Moderates 60 39 1 44Conservatives 20 78 2 34PartyDemocrats 89 10 1 39Republicans 9 90 1 32Independents 52 44 4 29GenderMen 49 48 3 47Women 56 43 1 53Marital statusMarried 47 52 1 66Non married 65 33 2 34RaceWhite 43 55 2 74Black 95 4 1 13Asian 62 35 3 2Other 66 31 3 2Hispanic 67 31 2 9ReligionProtestant 45 54 1 54Catholic 54 45 1 27Jewish 78 21 1 2Other 73 22 5 6None 75 23 2 12Religious service attendanceMore than weekly 43 55 2 12Weekly 43 55 2 27Monthly 53 46 1 15A few times a year 59 39 2 28Never 67 30 3 16White evangelical or born again Christian White evangelical or born again Christian 24 74 2 26Everyone else 62 36 2 74Age18 24 years old 66 32 2 1025 29 years old 66 31 3 830 39 years old 54 44 2 1840 49 years old 49 49 2 2150 64 years old 50 49 1 2765 and older 45 53 2 16Age by raceWhites 18 29 years old 54 44 2 11Whites 30 44 years old 41 57 2 20Whites 45 64 years old 42 56 2 30Whites 65 and older 40 58 2 13Blacks 18 29 years old 95 4 1 3Blacks 30 44 years old 96 4 n a 4Blacks 45 64 years old 96 3 1 4Blacks 65 and older 94 6 n a 1Latinos 18 29 years old 76 19 5 3Latinos 30 44 years old 63 36 1 3Latinos 45 64 years old 58 40 2 2Latinos 65 and older 68 30 2 1Others 64 33 3 5First time voter First time voter 69 30 1 11Everyone else 50 48 2 89Sexual orientationGay lesbian or bisexual 70 27 3 4Heterosexual 53 45 2 96EducationNot a high school graduate 63 35 2 4High school graduate 52 46 2 20Some college education 51 47 2 31College graduate 50 48 2 28Postgraduate education 58 40 2 17Education by race ethnicityWhite college graduates 47 51 2 35White no college degree 40 58 2 39Non white college graduates 75 22 3 9Non white no college degree 83 16 1 16Family incomeUnder 15 000 73 25 2 6 15 000 30 000 60 37 3 12 30 000 50 000 55 43 2 19 50 000 75 000 48 49 3 21 75 000 100 000 51 48 1 15 100 000 150 000 48 51 1 14 150 000 200 000 48 50 1 6Over 200 000 52 46 2 6Union householdsUnion 59 39 2 21Non union 51 47 2 79Military serviceVeterans 44 54 2 15Non veterans 54 44 2 85Issue regarded as most importantEconomy 53 44 3 63Iraq 59 39 2 10Health care 73 26 1 9Terrorism 13 86 1 9Energy 50 46 4 7RegionNortheast 59 40 1 21Midwest 54 44 2 24South 45 54 1 32West 57 40 3 23Community sizeUrban 63 35 2 30Suburban 50 48 2 49Rural 45 53 2 21Source Exit polls conducted by Edison Research of Somerville New Jersey for the National Election Pool a consortium of ABC News Associated Press CBS News CNN Fox News and NBC News 179 AnalysisObama having a white mother and Kenyan father of the Luo ethnic group 180 became the first African American as well as the first biracial president 181 Several black people had previously run for president including Shirley Chisolm Jesse Jackson Lenora Fulani Carol Moseley Braun Alan Keyes and Al Sharpton though Obama was the first one even to win the nomination of a major party let alone the general election 182 The Obama Biden ticket was also the first winning ticket in American history in which neither candidate was a white Protestant as Biden is Roman Catholic and the first Roman Catholic to be elected vice president all previous tickets with Catholic vice presidential candidates had been defeated 1964 1972 1984 183 The Obama Biden ticket was the first winning ticket consisting of two sitting Senators since 1960 John F Kennedy Lyndon B Johnson in the previous election cycle 2004 Democrats also nominated two sitting senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina but they lost to incumbents Bush and Cheney and Obama became the first Northern Democratic president since Kennedy Also Obama became the first Democratic candidate to win a majority of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976 the first to win a majority of both votes and states since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and the first Northern Democrat to win a majority of both votes and states since Franklin Roosevelt in 1944 Obama became the first Northern Democrat to win any state in the former Confederacy since Hubert Humphrey won Texas in 1968 This was the first presidential election since 1952 in which neither of the major party nominees was the incumbent president or vice president Swing by state States are listed by increasing percentage of Democratic votes showing how the share of the vote changed between 2004 and 2008 Excluding the candidates home states only five states trended more Republican Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Tennessee and West Virginia Prior to the election commentators discussed whether Senator Obama would be able to redraw the electoral map by winning states that had been voting for Republican candidates in recent decades 184 In many ways he was successful He won every region of the country by double digits except the South which John McCain won by nine percent Obama won Delaware the District of Columbia Maryland North Carolina Florida and Virginia in the South as defined by the US Census Bureau McCain won most of the Deep South where white voters had generally supported Republican candidates by increasingly large margins in the previous few decades 185 Obama won all of the 2004 swing states states that either Kerry or Bush won by less than 5 by a margin of 8 5 percent or more except for Ohio which the Democrat carried by 4 5 percent Obama also defied political bellwethers becoming the first person to win the presidency while losing Missouri since 1956 as well as the first Democrat ever to do so and while losing Kentucky and Tennessee since 1960 He was the first Democrat to win without Arkansas since that state joined the Union in 1836 and the first Democrat to win the presidency without winning West Virginia since 1916 Because one West Virginia elector voted for the Democrat in 1916 Obama was the first Democrat to win without any electors from the state since its founding in 1863 Indiana and Virginia voted for the Democratic nominee for the first time since 1964 Indiana returned to being a reliably red state in subsequent elections Virginia however has been won by Democrats in every presidential election since and would grow increasingly Democratic at the state level North Carolina which Obama was the first Democrat to carry since 1976 would return to the Republican column in the following elections though only by narrow margins each time Obama was also relatively competitive in some traditionally Republican states he lost notably Montana which he lost by under 3 and Georgia which he lost by just 5 He is also the only 21st century Democrat to lose North Dakota and South Dakota by just single digits This was the first presidential election in which Nebraska split its electoral votes between two candidates Together with Maine which would not split its votes until 2016 Nebraska is one of two states that allow a split in electoral votes without faithless electors a candidate receives one electoral vote for each congressional district won Nebraska has three Maine two while the statewide winner receives an additional two electoral votes Obama won the electoral vote from Nebraska s 2nd congressional district largely comprising the city of Omaha Nebraska s other four electoral votes went to John McCain This would not happen again until 2020 As of 2020 update this election is the last time that Indiana and North Carolina voted Democratic and is also the most recent election where one of the nominees has since died This election exhibited the continuation of some of the polarization trends evident in the 2000 and 2004 elections 186 McCain won whites 55 43 percent while Obama won blacks 95 4 percent 187 Hispanics 67 31 percent and Asians 62 35 percent Voters aged 18 29 voted for Obama by 66 32 percent while elderly voters backed McCain 53 45 percent 188 The 25 year age gap between McCain and Obama was the widest in U S presidential election history among the top two candidates 189 See alsoBarack Obama religion conspiracy theories Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories First inauguration of Barack Obama Newspaper endorsements in the 2008 United States presidential election Presidential transition of Barack Obama 2008 United States gubernatorial elections 2008 United States House of Representatives elections 2008 United States Senate elections Third party and independent candidates for the 2008 United States presidential electionOpinion polling Nationwide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election International opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election Scientific forecasts FiveThirtyEightNotes Shirley Chisholm had previously won a contest in New Jersey in 1972 that was a no delegate awarding presidential preference ballot in which the major candidates were not listed the actual delegate selection vote went to George McGovern 2 3 References Official 2008 Presidential General Election Results PDF fec gov Retrieved March 31 2017 Sullivan Ronald June 7 1972 Dakotan Beats Humphrey By a Big Margin in Jersey PDF The New York Times p 1 Sanford Is Withdrawing From N J The Times News Hendersonville North Carolina Associated Press May 13 1972 p 12 Halloran Liz September 24 2008 McCain Suspends Campaign Shocks Republicans USNews Archived from the original on October 12 2020 Retrieved December 5 2020 Kuhnhenn Jim November 9 2006 Democrats win control of Congress The Washington Post AP Retrieved September 6 2012 a b c Borger Julian November 11 2006 Now the real race begins The Guardian London Retrieved June 7 2009 Hughes John November 15 2006 With midterms over all eyes turn to the 2008 presidential race The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved June 7 2009 Balz Dan December 29 2006 Edwards Formally Joins 2008 Presidential Race The Washington Post Retrieved June 7 2009 permanent dead link a b Taggert Carlee February 15 2007 Tough choice for 2008 Democratic nominee The Stentor Retrieved June 7 2009 permanent dead link a b c Crowley Candy Malveaux Suzanne Yellin Jessica January 4 2008 Obama wins Iowa as candidate for change CNN Retrieved June 8 2009 Steinhauser Paul April 22 2009 Back to where it began Obama visits Iowa CNN Retrieved June 8 2009 a b 2008 New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary Pollster com Archived from the original on September 23 2008 Retrieved June 8 2009 Alberts Sheldon June 7 2008 Overconfidence bad strategy doomed Clinton campaign The Vancouver Sun Archived from the original on June 11 2008 Retrieved June 8 2009 Hannah Strange amp Philippe Naughton January 9 2008 Hillary Clinton my teary moment won me New Hampshire The Times London Retrieved March 14 2008 See also Hillary tears up in New Hampshire Primary 2008 Video YouTube Archived from the original on December 12 2021 Fast Facts Elections Election Watch Center for American Women and Politics Archived from the original on April 30 2009 Retrieved May 31 2015 Edwards exits presidential race CBS News January 30 2008 Archived from the original on October 20 2012 Retrieved January 30 2008 Holland Steve January 30 2008 Giuliani Edwards quit White House Race Reuters Retrieved January 30 2008 Greene Richard Allen May 30 2007 States jostle for primary power BBC News Retrieved September 15 2008 Presidential primary and caucus dates PDF Stateline org Pew Research Center August 30 2007 p 1 Archived from the original PDF on September 11 2008 Retrieved September 15 2008 a b Nate Silver August 11 2008 The Persistent Myth of the Bradley Effect Archived from the original on December 2 2013 Retrieved August 11 2008 Frank D Russo February 6 2008 Clinton Win in California Larger Than Polls Predicted Because of Huge Latino Turnout Archived from the original on March 13 2008 Retrieved March 14 2008 Election Center 2008 Primary Results from Maine CNN February 10 2008 Retrieved March 14 2008 a b 2008 Primary Results NBC News Retrieved March 14 2008 Clinton comeback Fight goes on The Seattle Times March 5 2008 Retrieved March 5 2008 2008 Presidential election results Archived from the original on July 26 2016 Retrieved July 27 2016 a b Clinton wins key primaries CNN projects McCain clinches nod CNN March 5 2008 Retrieved March 5 2008 Election Center 2008 Primaries and Caucuses Results Democratic Scorecard CNN August 20 2008 a b Jensen Kristin Dodge Catherine April 23 2008 Clinton Wins Pennsylvania Vote Obama Retains Control Update6 Bloomberg L P Retrieved June 8 2009 Oinounou Mosheh Bruns Aaron April 12 2008 Obama on Guns and Religion I Didn t Say It as Well as I Should Have Fox News Archived from the original on February 20 2009 Retrieved June 8 2009 Elving Ron April 23 2008 Analysis Clinton Needed Pennsylvania to Carry On NPR Retrieved June 8 2009 Election 2008 North Carolina Democratic Primary RealClearPolitics May 1 2008 Retrieved January 24 2009 Election 2008 Indiana Democratic Primary RealClearPolitics Retrieved January 24 2009 NC Election Results North Carolina State Board of Elections May 7 2008 Retrieved June 8 2009 Indiana Primary Election May 6 2008 Indiana Secretary of State August 22 2008 Retrieved June 8 2009 Rutenberg Jim May 8 2008 Pundits Declare the Race Over The New York Times Retrieved June 8 2009 NBC Obama takes N C Decision 08 NBC News NBC News May 7 2008 Retrieved January 24 2009 Hertzberg Hendrik June 2 2008 Memory Lapse The New Yorker Retrieved June 8 2009 Florida Michigan get all delegates but each gets half vote CNN com Archived from the original on June 2 2008 Retrieved May 31 2008 Jackson John S Barbara Leavitt Brown October 12 1991 The 1992 primary proportional representation for Illinois Democrats Illinois Issues University of Illinois at Springfield Retrieved May 18 2008 Fact check Clinton vote claims under scrutiny USA Today Associated Press May 15 2008 Retrieved June 8 2009 Obama claims Democratic nomination Decision 08 NBC News NBC News June 4 2008 Retrieved January 24 2009 Zeleny Jeff June 4 2008 Obama Clinches Nomination First Black Candidate to Lead a Major Party Ticket The New York Times Retrieved January 24 2009 Historic night Obama clinches nomination Bill Nichols and Ben Smith Politico com Retrieved January 24 2009 ABC News Clinton Concedes Democratic Nomination Obama Leads Party in Fall Abcnews go com Retrieved January 24 2009 Harnden Toby November 13 2007 The top US conservatives and liberals London Telegraph co uk Archived from the original on January 10 2022 Retrieved September 7 2008 Charles G Dawes 30th Vice President 1925 1929 Archived November 6 2014 at the Wayback Machine U S Senate Jones Charles O September 2008 Vice Presidents and Other Heirs Apparent The Historical Experience of Experience Presidential Studies Quarterly 38 3 422 432 doi 10 1111 j 1741 5705 2008 02653 x JSTOR 41219688 Vardi Nathan November 14 2006 President Rudy Giuliani Forbes Retrieved June 9 2009 White House 2008 Republican Nomination Pollingreport com Retrieved June 9 2009 Romano Lois January 29 2007 Huckabee Announces Presidential Bit The Washington Post Retrieved June 9 2009 Balz Dan Cillizza Chris February 6 2007 Giuliani Announces He s In 08 Presidential Race The Washington Post Retrieved June 9 2009 Gonyea Don February 13 2007 Romney Announces His Candidacy for 2008 NPR Retrieved June 9 2009 Martin Gary March 12 2007 Paul formally launches presidential bid San Antonio Express News Archived from the original on March 15 2007 Retrieved March 13 2007 Parker Jennifer April 25 2007 The Art of the Presidential Rollout ABC News Retrieved June 9 2009 Paul Raises More Than 3 5M in One Day The Washington Post Todd Chuck May 15 2007 Winners amp Losers MSNBC Archived from the original on May 31 2009 Retrieved June 9 2009 Clinton and McCain the comeback kids CNN January 8 2008 Retrieved January 8 2008 Robin Toner amp Marjorie Connelly January 14 2008 New poll finds McCain reshaping GOP race NBC News New York Times Retrieved March 14 2008 See also John McCain Ultimate Survivor The Star South Africa March 6 2008 Archived from the original on May 17 2008 Retrieved March 14 2008 Election Center 2008 Primary Results for South Carolina CNN January 19 2008 Retrieved January 19 2008 McCain wins Florida CNN projects CNN January 29 2008 Retrieved June 9 2009 Montopoli Brian January 29 2008 For Giuliani A Disappointing Fade To Exit CBS News Archived from the original on February 21 2011 Retrieved June 9 2009 Schwarzenegger backs McCain for president CNN January 31 2008 Retrieved May 26 2010 a b c Johnson Wesley February 6 2008 Super Tuesday results state by state The Independent London Archived from the original on May 1 2022 Retrieved June 9 2009 King John February 7 2008 Romney suspends presidential campaign CNN Romney endorses McCain for GOP nomination CNN February 14 2008 Retrieved June 9 2009 Huckabee bows to inevitable ends GOP run CNN March 5 2008 Retrieved March 5 2008 Mannies Jo April 26 2008 At KC convention Constitution Party picks pastor for president St Louis Post Dispatch Archived from the original on May 30 2008 Retrieved July 14 2009 Montana News Association May 22 2008 BALDWIN 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF Montana News Association Archived from the original on May 1 2011 Retrieved July 14 2009 Simon Scott October 18 2008 Chuck Baldwin On His Run For President NPR Retrieved July 14 2009 Scott Jeffry July 12 2008 McKinney wins Green Party nomination The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved July 14 2009 Bob Barr We must both reduce and simplify taxes Independent Political Report June 5 2008 Retrieved July 14 2009 Galloway Jim March 26 2008 Bob Barr thinking very serious thoughts about a presidential race Iraq and torture The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved July 14 2009 Walker Jesse December 2003 Bob Barr Civil Libertarian The right wing of the ACLU Reason Magazine Retrieved July 14 2009 Hendrik Hertzberg January 4 2008 A Hundred Years War The New Yorker video at Make It 100 YouTube Archived from the original on December 12 2021 Historic Disapproval Bush Hits All Time Low Amid Economic Meltdown ABC News Retrieved February 8 2021 Presidential Job Approval Center Archived November 18 2016 at the Wayback Machine Gallup com Steinhauser Paul March 19 2008 Poll Bush s popularity hits new low CNN Retrieved January 10 2009 Confidence sinks to lowest since 2002 as fear tightens its hold on US consumers International Herald Tribune April 11 2008 Retrieved January 10 2009 Bush says he wants McCain to win presidency CNN March 5 2008 Retrieved January 10 2009 Baker Peter Abramowitz last3 A Mazhintue Michael February 9 2008 History and Necessity Unite Bush McCain Washingtonpost com Retrieved January 30 2009 Bouie Jamelle November 23 2021 Opinion The Ronald Reagan Guide to Joe Biden s Political Future The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved November 30 2021 Nyhan Brendan May 30 2014 How Old Is Too Old for President Depends Who s Running The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved November 30 2021 Analysis Age an issue in the 2008 campaign CNN com edition cnn com Retrieved November 30 2021 The key moments in John McCain s life BBC News August 26 2018 Retrieved November 30 2021 John McCain rebelled at the Naval Academy and as a POW long before he was a Senate maverick The Washington Post August 25 2018 Retrieved November 30 2021 Simba Malik Fall 2009 The Obama Campaign 2008 A Historical Overview Western Journal of Black Studies 33 3 186 191 ProQuest 200339829 Perry Bacon Jennifer Agiesta June 9 2008 Change vs Experience All Over Again The Washington Post Obama Ends Campaign Ahead In Ohio And Pennsylvania Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Archived from the original on November 6 2008 James Joyner August 29 2008 Sarah Palin John McCain s VP Choice Outsidethebeltway com Archived from the original on September 19 2008 Retrieved January 30 2009 Christian evangelicals send McCain a message NBC News Associated Press February 12 2008 Retrieved January 30 2009 Palin gets media savaging after faltering interview AFP September 26 2008 Archived from the original on December 1 2008 Retrieved December 30 2008 Sarah Palin seen as beacon of hope as defeat at poll looms The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on October 17 2008 Gallup s Quick Read on the Election Gallup com October 22 2008 Retrieved January 30 2009 Exit polls Obama wins big among young minority voters CNN com November 4 2008 Retrieved January 30 2009 Investors Bail Out The D word going cheap www nationalpost com September 16 2008 Archived from the original on September 4 2012 Retrieved February 15 2009 Martin Jonathan Allen Mike August 21 2008 McCain unsure how many houses he owns Politico Retrieved December 30 2008 Aigner Treworgy Adam September 15 2008 McCain Economy still strong MSNBC Archived from the original on December 6 2008 Retrieved December 30 2008 Obama McCain Meet In Mississippi WAPT com December 29 2008 Archived from the original on May 1 2011 Retrieved December 30 2008 U S Senate Roll Call Votes 110th Congress 2nd Session Senate gov Retrieved April 2 2013 Schnur Dan November 3 2008 What caused McCain s poll numbers to fall Los Angeles Times Retrieved September 6 2012 Nichols Hans October 15 2008 McCain May Have Last Chance to Overcome Economy in Final Debate Bloomberg Retrieved January 29 2009 Robert E Moffit and Nina Owcharenko The McCain Health Care Plan More Power to Families The Heritage Foundation October 15 2008 Thomas Buchmueller Sherry A Glied Anne Royalty and Katherine Swartz Cost And Coverage Implications Of The McCain Plan To Restructure Health Insurance Health Affairs September 16 2008 Joseph Antos Gail Wilensky and Hanns Kuttner The Obama Plan More Regulation Unsustainable Spending Health Affairs September 16 2008 Robert E Moffit and Nina Owcharenko The Obama Health Care Plan More Power to Washington Archived October 2 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Heritage Foundation October 15 2008 Mark V Pauly Blending Better Ingredients For Health Reform Health Affairs September 16 2008 Robert J Blendon Drew E Altman John M Benson Mollyann Brodie Tami Buhr Claudia Deane and Sasha Buscho Voters and Health Reform in the 2008 Presidential Election Archived March 26 2009 at the Wayback Machine New England Journal of Medicine 359 19 November 6 2008 a b c d CPD 2008 Debates www debates org Retrieved January 8 2019 Vice presidential debate Oct 2 2008 NBC News October 3 2008 Retrieved July 14 2009 Parker Jennifer September 23 2008 Obama McCain Prep for Presidential Debates ABC News Retrieved July 14 2009 Free and Equal Freeandequal org Archived from the original on October 19 2008 Retrieved November 3 2008 Kennedy Helen January 14 2007 Wanna be Prez First get 100M New York Daily News Retrieved February 1 2007 Kirkpatrick David January 23 2007 Death Knell May Be Near for Public Election Funds The New York Times Retrieved September 15 2008 Financial Summary Report Search Results fec gov Archived from the original on December 8 2014 Retrieved December 22 2008 Obama rejects lipstick charge BBC September 10 2008 Questions not answers highlight YouTube debate CNN July 24 2007 Retrieved March 14 2008 Stephanie Garry June 8 2007 Candidates court young voters online St Petersburg Times Retrieved September 15 2008 Kenneth P Vogel December 17 2007 Money bomb Ron Paul raises 6 million in 24 hour period USA Today The Politico Retrieved March 14 2008 Breaking News Ron Paul campaign donors set a record Los Angeles Times December 17 2007 Retrieved September 15 2008 Larry Fester November 5 2007 Ron Paul makes fund raising history USA Daily Archived from the original on January 12 2008 Fraser Matthew Barack Obama and the Facebook Election U S News amp World Report Retrieved March 2 2014 Metzgar Emily amp Albert Maruggi Social Media and the 2008 U S Presidential Election Journal of New Communications Research a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty url help Cain Miller Claire November 7 2008 How Obama s Internet Campaign Changed Politics The New York Times Retrieved March 1 2014 Reid Tim November 23 2007 Palmetto Bugs Slingers of Slime Step it up in SC New York Post Retrieved September 15 2008 Rutenberg Jim June 29 2008 Political Freelancers Use Web to Join the Attack The New York Times Retrieved October 25 2008 Ian Urbina October 9 2008 States Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal The New York Times Retrieved October 15 2008 John Bohlinger October 5 2008 Republicans crossed line with voter purge attempt The Montana Standard Retrieved October 15 2008 Lose your house lose your vote Michigan Messenger September 10 2008 Archived from the original on September 23 2008 Conyers Calls on McCain to Immediately Halt Republican Vote Suppression Efforts House of Representatives September 19 2008 Archived from the original on September 24 2008 Hoppe Christy September 19 2008 Libertarian Bob Barr sues to have McCain Obama cast off Texas ballot Dallas Morning News Archived from the original on September 21 2008 Retrieved October 8 2008 Young Adam September 24 2008 Texas court McCain Obama to remain on ballot Daily Toreador Archived from the original on October 6 2008 Retrieved October 8 2008 a b Niquette Mark November 16 2009 Mark Niquette Vote Fraud Cases Linger from 2008 Columbus Dispatch November 16 2008 Dispatchpolitics com Archived from the original on April 29 2011 Retrieved June 13 2010 Niquette Mark October 22 2008 Mark Niquette and Jill Riepenhoff Voters Flocking to Ohio Columbus Dispatch October 22 2008 Dispatchpolitics com Archived from the original on August 12 2010 Retrieved June 13 2010 Jeane Macintosh Gotham to Ohio Vote Scam Eyed Archived December 12 2011 at the Wayback Machine New York Post October 20 2008 Resume of group leader with statement about Marshall scholars membership posted here Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on May 14 2011 Retrieved April 17 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Riepenhoff Jill October 19 2008 Jill Riepenhoff Illegal Voters or Just Getting Out the Vote Columbus Dispatch October 19 2008 Dispatchpolitics com Archived from the original on August 12 2010 Retrieved June 13 2010 Most Voters Say Media Wants Obama to Win The Pew Research Center for the People amp the Press October 22 2008 High Marks for the Campaign a High Bar for Obama Pew Research Center Retrieved September 6 2012 a b c d e Steinberg Jacques April 18 2008 Who Lost the Debate Moderators Many Say The New York Times Retrieved April 18 2008 a b c d Kurtz Howard April 18 2008 The Backlash Against ABC The Washington Post Retrieved April 18 2008 Elizabeth Edwards April 28 2008 Op ed Bowling 1 Health Care 0 The New York Times Jong Erica May 5 2008 Inspiration Versus Degradation The Huffington Post Public Says Media Harder on Clinton Than Obama McCain Gallup com May 29 2008 Retrieved July 17 2011 Character and the Primaries of 2008 The Project for Excellence in Journalism May 29 2008 MEDIA BASH BARACK NOT A TYPO Center for Media and Public Affairs July 28 2008 Archived from the original on November 20 2008 The Color of News Project for Excellence in Journalism October 29 2008 Absentee and Early Voting Laws Archived December 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine from the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College NBC calls Ohio for Obama First Read msnbc com Firstread msnbc msn com November 4 2008 Archived from the original on December 11 2008 Retrieved January 24 2009 Fouhy Beth November 5 2008 McCain concedes presidency congratulates Obama Tucson Citizen Archived from the original on July 16 2012 Retrieved July 18 2011 Meincke Paul November 5 2008 Chicago could benefit from Obama election Chicago WLS TV Archived from the original on June 29 2011 Retrieved July 18 2011 Scenes of joy across the US Local News News General The Canberra Times November 5 2008 Archived from the original on February 19 2009 Retrieved January 24 2009 Naughton Philippe November 5 2008 World celebrates Barack Obama victory London Times Online Archived from the original on April 29 2011 Retrieved January 24 2009 a b United States House of Representatives floor summary for Jan 8 2009 Clerk house gov Archived from the original on April 2 2012 Retrieved January 30 2009 Expected High Voter Turnout Has Government Officials Watchdog Groups on Alert Fox News November 3 2008 Retrieved November 7 2008 The main thing that we all know is that there s going to be a huge turnout There are going to be long lines and any problems that occur will exacerbate because of those lines said Robert M Brandon president of the Fair Elections Legal Network Urbina Ian November 3 2008 Voting experts say high turnout may add to problems at the polls The New York Times Retrieved July 16 2009 Alban Debra November 7 2008 Number of votes cast set record but voter turnout percentage didn t CNN Retrieved July 16 2009 a b Much hyped Turnout Record Fails to Materialize PDF Press release Center for the Study of the American Electorate American University November 6 2008 Retrieved November 20 2008 a b African Americans Anger Fear and Youth Propel Turnout to Highest Level Since 1964 PDF Press release Center for the Study of the American Electorate American University Archived from the original PDF on December 18 2008 Retrieved December 18 2008 2008G United States Elections Project www electproject org Retrieved October 31 2020 2008 General Election Turnout Vote Elections gmu edu March 31 2012 Archived from the original on January 12 2013 Retrieved December 6 2012 Report 08 turnout same as or only slightly higher than 04 CNN November 6 2008 That huge voter turnout Didn t happen Politico November 8 2008 America Goes to the Polls Archived from the original on April 16 2012 Retrieved September 6 2012 How Black Democrats won North Carolina and the Election Massive Turnout Week of November 13 19 2008 The Wilmington Journal November 24 2008 Archived from the original on December 2 2010 The New York Times November 4 2008 2008 Presidential Race Virginia Election Guide The New York Times Election Guide 2008 The New York Times The New York Times Company Retrieved June 2 2009 The New York Times November 4 2008 2008 Presidential Race Georgia Election Guide The New York Times Election Guide 2008 The New York Times The New York Times Company Retrieved June 2 2009 The New York Times November 4 2008 2008 Presidential Race Mississippi Election Guide The New York Times Election Guide 2008 The New York Times The New York Times Company Retrieved June 2 2009 2008 PETITIONING FOR PRESIDENT Ballot access org October 23 2008 Archived from the original on November 3 2008 Retrieved January 24 2009 Ballot Access News November 1 2008 Ballot access org March 18 2008 Retrieved February 23 2010 Ballot Access News November 1 2008 Ballot access org March 18 2008 Retrieved January 24 2009 12 12 92 Ballot access org December 22 2008 Archived from the original on February 4 2009 Retrieved January 24 2009 2008 Official Statewide General Election Results for Nevada Nvsos gov November 4 2008 Retrieved April 2 2013 2008 Presidential Election by State Thegreenpapers com January 8 2009 Retrieved February 23 2010 2008 Presidential Election by State Thegreenpapers com January 8 2009 Retrieved February 23 2010 Ballot Access News February 1 2009 Ballot access org February 1 2009 Retrieved February 23 2010 Bureau of Corporations Elections amp Commissions Elections Division Archived from the original on November 4 2012 Retrieved December 2 2012 Official Results of Nebraska General Election November 4 2008 PDF Archived from the original PDF on January 14 2009 Retrieved December 2 2012 Election maps www personal umich edu 1 Uselectionatlas org National Exit Poll CNN Retrieved January 28 2013 Kilner Derek June 4 2008 Kenyans Welcome Obama s Democratic Party Nomination VOA News Archived from the original on July 26 2010 Retrieved June 17 2008 Wallsten Peter November 5 2008 White Americans play major role in electing the first black president Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 16 2009 African Americans Who Ran for President socialstudiesforkids com Archived from the original on October 5 2018 Retrieved March 22 2016 America gov America gov November 7 2008 Archived from the original on August 5 2009 Retrieved July 16 2009 Obama Over the Top How New Voters Could Redraw The Electoral Map Progress Illinois Archived from the original on May 14 2008 Retrieved January 30 2009 Exit Polls The New York Times November 5 2008 Cost Jay November 20 2008 HorseRaceBlog Electoral Polarization Continues Under Obama RealClearPolitics Retrieved January 24 2009 Kuhn David Paul November 5 2008 Exit polls How Obama won Politico Retrieved November 8 2011 Exit poll CNN Retrieved January 30 2009 Hunt Albert R February 3 2008 Obama vs McCain would be dream match The New York Times Further readingPlouffe David The Audacity to Win 2009 Balz Dan and Haynes Johnson The Battle for America 2008 The Story of an Extraordinary Election 2009 by leading reporters with inside information Crotty William Policy and Politics The Bush Administration and the 2008 Presidential Election Polity July 2009 Vol 41 Issue 3 pp 282 311 online Curtis Mark Age of Obama A Reporter s Journey With Clinton McCain and Obama in the Making of the President in 2008 2009 Gidlow Liette Obama Clinton Palin Making History in Election 2000 2012 Nelson Michael The Elections of 2008 2009 factual summary except and text search Sussman Glen Choosing a New Direction The Presidential Election of 2008 White House Studies 2009 Vol 9 Issue 1 pp 1 20 Wolffe Richard Renegade The Making of a President 2010 excerpt and text search narrativeVoters Abramson Paul R John H Aldrich and David W Rohde Change and Continuity in the 2008 Elections 2009 excerpt and text search Corwin E Smidt and others The Disappearing God Gap Religion in the 2008 Presidential Election Oxford University Press 2010 278 pages Finds that the gap between church attending traditionalists and other voters is not closing as has been claimed but is changing in significant ways draws on survey data from voters who were interviewed in the spring of 2008 and then again after the election Crespino Joseph The U S South and the 2008 Election Southern Spaces 2008 online Jessee Stephen A Voter Ideology and Candidate Positioning in the 2008 Presidential Election American Politics Research March 2010 Vol 38 Issue 2 pp 195 210 Kenski Kate Bruce W Hardy and Kathleen Hall Jamieson The Obama Victory How Media Money and Message Shaped the 2008 Election Oxford University Press 2010 378 pages Draws on interviews with key campaign advisors as well as the National Annenberg Election Survey excerpt and text search Sabato Larry The Year of Obama How Barack Obama Won the White House 2009 Stempel III Guido H and Thomas K Hargrove eds The 21st Century Voter Who Votes How They Vote and Why They Vote 2 vol 2015 Todd Chuck and Sheldon Gawiser How Barack Obama Won A State by State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election 2009 excerpt and text searchExternal links span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
