The 2008 election had a higher registration rate than the presidential election of 2000, but was not statistically different … [9], Obama became the new front runner in New Hampshire, when his poll numbers skyrocketed after his Iowa victory[11] The Clinton campaign was struggling after a huge loss in Iowa and no strategy beyond the early primaries and caucuses. Democrats also picked up the office of State Treasurer that was vacated by Republican Sarah Steelman in her unsuccessful bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. "The U.S. South and the 2008 Election,", Jessee, Stephen A. [15], John McCain raised a total of $386,940 in the state. [3] Election results must go through a certification process before they are official; local election officials had until November 18 to verify their results and process the provisional ballots cast throughout Missouri.[3]. The 56th quadrennial United States presidential election was held on November 4, 2008.

The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf. 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. Previous Presidential Vote. [19] The Democratic ticket visited the state 12 times to the Republicans' 11 times.[20]. A significant number of write-in candidates also ran in the state, with some beating third-party candidates. Obama won all of them, giving him 10 consecutive victories after Super Tuesday. The unpopular war in Iraq was a key issue during the campaign before the economic crisis. However, these counties are very similar in character to Yellow Dog Democrat areas in neighboring Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Republican ticket visited here 14 times.[21]. Along the panhandle, McCain routinely took over 70% of the vote. [14], 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. Senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John McCain, the senior Senator from Arizona, and Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska. Three of the debates involved the presidential nominees, and one involved the vice-presidential nominees. 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.

Much like Bob Dole, McCain attempted to counter these charges by releasing all of his medical records, something Obama did not do.

As of 2016[update], this election is the last time that Indiana, Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District and North Carolina voted Democratic, and (as of 2019) that one of the nominees died following the election. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 11 electoral votes. George W. Bush narrowly won Jefferson County in 2004 over John Kerry. The following candidates (parties) were listed on the ballot in only one state: In Nevada, 6,267 votes were cast for "None Of These Candidates". 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. However, Obama was unable to substantially improve on Kerry's performance in rural Missouri, which is largely responsible for Missouri's Republican tilt. 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. Before the election, Montana was initially viewed as safe Republican, but was viewed as lean Republican or toss-up in the final we… Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont had all counties go to Obama. 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 and Virginia). As of the 2016 presidential election[update], this is the last election in which Flagler County and Volusia County voted for the Democratic candidate. Obama did extremely well here, winning 83.55% of the vote in St. Louis City and 78.4% in Kansas City.

Barack Obama (Democrat) defeated John McCain (Republican), winning 365 electoral votes and 52.9% of the popular vote. The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The request would have had to be granted by the state. Jonathan Allen (Heartquake) received 483 votes; listed only in Colorado, with write-in status in Arizona, Georgia, Montana, Texas, and other states. RealClearPolitics - Presidential Election - Comparing 2016 vs. 2012 vs. 2008 vs. 2004 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). [119] On October 5, 2008 the Republican Lt. [15][16], Super Tuesday was February 5, 2008, when the largest-ever number of simultaneous state primary elections was held.

Obama promised "universal health care, full employment, a green America, and an America respected instead of feared by its enemies".[79]. [38] 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.

Obama ended up winning the state with 51 percent of the vote, including wins in four counties that Bush won in 2004. State popular vote results are from the official Federal Election Commission report. "[131][132], 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.