2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

none June 2025 September 2023 2008 United States presidential election 2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state) Washington presidential no 2004 United States presidential election in Washington (state) 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 United States presidential election in Washington (state) 2012 84.61% (of registered voters) 2.56%https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/research/voter-turnout-by-election.aspx Voter Turnout by Election Secretary of State: Kim Wyman www.sos.wa.gov 2020-05-25 File:Obama portrait crop.jpg 200x200px Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 11 1,750,848 57.65% File:John McCain official portrait 2009 (cropped).jpg John McCain Republican Party (United States) Arizona Sarah Palin 0 1,229,216 40.48% 350px County results 350px Congressional district results Obama #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666CB 70–80% #0645B4 80–90% McCain #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% President George W. Bush Republican Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) The 2008 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. The State of Washington was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama by a 17.2% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safe blue state. No Republican presidential nominee had won the State of Washington since Ronald Reagan won the state in 1984. Continuing on that trend, Washington stayed in the Democratic column as Obama carried the state with nearly 58% of the vote. 2020 11 As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Skamania County, Klickitat County, and Wahkiakum County voted for the Democratic candidate. This is also the last time the Democrat carried a majority of Washington’s counties. Obama became the first ever Democrat to win the White House without carrying Ferry County, as well as the first to do so without carrying Asotin County since Woodrow Wilson in 1912. Primaries Democratic primary 2008 Washington Democratic presidential caucuses The Democratic caucuses were a series of events held by the Washington State Democratic Party to determine the delegates that the Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Delegates were selected in a four-tier process that began with precinct caucuses, was further refined in legislative district caucuses and/or county conventions, concluded for some delegates in the congressional district caucuses, and finally concluded for the remaining delegates at the state convention. Washington also held a Democratic primary on February 19, 2008, but the Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.In Washington State Vote, Relevance Is an Issue William Yardley The New York Times 2008-02-18 https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/us/politics/18washington.html?ref=politics Delegate breakdown The Washington State Democratic Party sent a total of 97 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Of those delegates, 78 were pledged and 19 were unpledged. The 78 pledged delegates were allocated (pledged) to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention according to the results of Washington's four-step caucus process. The 19 unpledged delegates were popularly called "superdelegates" because their vote represented their personal decisions, whereas the regular delegates' votes represented the collective decision of many voters. The superdelegates were free to vote for any candidate at the national convention and were selected by the Washington State Democratic Party's officials and the pledged delegates.Washington State Delegate Selection Plan For The 2008 Democratic National Convention Washington State Democratic Party 2007-08-23 http://www.wa-democrats.org/pdf/uploaded/2008%20WA%20Delegate%20Selection%20and%20AA%20Plan%20-%20DNC%20Approved%20Final%20-%20070823%20-%20X.pdf 2008-04-29 http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080423204640/http%3A//www%2Ewa%2Ddemocrats%2Eorg/pdf/uploaded/2008%2520WA%2520Delegate%2520Selection%2520and%2520AA%2520Plan%2520%2D%2520DNC%2520Approved%2520Final%2520%2D%2520070823%2520%2D%2520X%2Epdf 2008-04-23 dead Berg-Andersson Richard Washington Democrat Presidential Nominating Process The Green Papers 2008-03-01 http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/WA-D.phtml 2008-03-05 The 78 pledged delegates were further divided into 51 district delegates and 27 statewide delegates. The 51 district delegates were divided among Washington's 9 congressional districts and were allocated to the presidential candidates based on the caucus results in each district. The 27 statewide delegates were divided into 17 at-large delegates and 10 party leaders and elected officials (abbreviated PLEOs). They were allocated to the presidential candidates at the state convention based on the preference of the 51 district delegates on June 13–15. Of the 19 unpledged delegates, 17 were selected in advance and 2 were selected at the state convention. The delegates selected in advance were 7 Democratic National Committee members, the 2 Democratic U.S. senators from Washington, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, the 6 Democratic U.S. representatives from Washington, and the Democratic governor of Washington, Christine Gregoire. Delegate selection process Precinct caucuses The precinct caucuses took place on February 9, 2008. Washington's two senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton earlier in the nomination season.Murray endorses Clinton http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004155427_murray31m.html Seattle Times Company 2008-01-31 2008-02-08 The week before the caucuses, Washington's governor, Christine Gregoire, endorsed Senator Barack Obama.Chris McGann Gregoire endorses Obama http://www.seattlepi.com/local/350591_gregoire09.html Seattle PI 2008-02-08 2008-02-08 The caucuses were open to all voters who would be 18 years old by November 4, 2008. To vote, participants completed a form with their contact information and candidate preference. The form also asked voters to sign an oath stating: "I declare that I consider myself to be a DEMOCRAT and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2008 Presidential election." In some caucus groups, members split into smaller groups according to the candidate they supported. Voters supporting non-viable candidates had the option of moving into viable groups, and voters in viable groups could change their preference.https://www.wa-democrats.org/ Washington State Democratic Party Washington State Democratic Party Unlike other state Democratic Party caucuses, Washington does not require a 15% threshold for allocation of delegates at the precinct level. Rules state that any fractional delegates remaining are awarded to the candidate with the most votes that do not have delegates. Legislative district caucuses and county conventions thumb|right|Democrats vote in the 43rd Legislative District Caucus, April 5, 2008 The second tier of the delegate selection process involved choosing 2,000 legislative district delegates (and 1,000 alternates) to send to the congressional district conventions on May 17 and the state convention on June 13–15.The 2008 Washington State Democratic Caucus-Convention Cycle 46th District Democrats 2007-12-02 http://www.46dems.com/2008/caucuscycle.pdf 2008-04-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20080827160906/http://www.46dems.com/2008/caucuscycle.pdf 2008-08-27 dead There are 49 legislative districts in Washington State. Each district was allocated a certain number of delegates.Ravens Jaxon Delegates and Alternates Allocated to each County and Legislative District for the Congressional District Caucuses and the State Convention 34th District Democrats http://www.34dems.org/Docs2008/2008-State-Delegate-Allocation.pdf 2008-04-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20080909224737/http://www.34dems.org/Docs2008/2008-State-Delegate-Allocation.pdf 2008-09-09 dead Delegates were elected at either legislative district caucuses or county conventions. Each of Washington's 39 counties has a local Democratic Party organization that determined the event at which delegate selection would take place. Most counties chose to select delegates at legislative district caucuses on April 5. The remaining counties selected delegates at sub-caucuses during their county conventions, most of which were held on either April 12 or April 19. The breakdown of events by date is listed below.Washington State Democrats - Legislative District Caucuses Washington State Democratic Party http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=294 2008-04-25 2008-04-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20080423181536/http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=294 dead Washington State Democrats - County Conventions Washington State Democratic Party http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=295 2008-04-25 February 7, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120207152901/http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=295 dead April 5 Legislative district caucuses: 1st through 6th 8th 11th 12th 16th (Benton County portion only, held at the 8th LD caucus) 21st 25th through 34th 36th through 39th 40th (San Juan County portion only) 41st through 48th County convention: Whatcom (40th LD) April 12 County conventions: Clallam (24th LD) Franklin (9th & 16th LDs) Grays Harbor (19th, 24th & 35th LDs) Kitsap (23rd & 35th LDs) Kittitas (13th LD) Pend Oreille (7th LD) Skagit (10th & 40th LDs) April 13 County convention: Snohomish (10th LD) April 19 County conventions: Asotin (9th LD) Chelan (13th LD) Clark (15th, 17th, 18th & 49th LDs) Cowlitz (18th & 19th LDs) Ferry (7th LD) Grant (13th LD) Island (10th LD) Klickitat (15th LD) Lewis (20th LD) Lincoln (7th LD) Mason (35th LD) Okanogan (7th LD) Pacific (19th LD) Skamania (15th LD) Spokane (7th & 9th LDs) Stevens (7th LD) Thurston (20th, 22nd & 35th LDs) Wahkiakum (19th LD) Whitman (9th LD) Yakima (13th, 14th & 15th LDs) April 20 County convention: Walla Walla (16th LD) April 26 County convention: Jefferson (24th LD) Unknown date County conventions: Adams (9th LD) Garfield (9th LD) Columbia (16th LD) Congressional district caucuses Fifty-one delegates were chosen at the nine congressional district caucuses. Each district was allotted a different number of delegates: CD 1: 6 CD 2: 6 CD 3: 5 CD 4: 3 CD 5: 5 CD 6: 6 CD 7: 9 CD 8: 6 CD 9: 5 State convention Twenty-nine delegates were chosen at the state convention, twenty-seven of which were pledged to vote for a particular candidate. Seventeen of these pledged delegates were "at-large" delegates that did not represent a specific Washington congressional district, and ten were party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Polls Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries#Washington Results Results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries Precinct caucuses Caucus date: February 9, 2008 National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78) 2008 Washington Democratic presidential precinct caucuses96.4% of precincts reportingCaucus Results by Jurisdiction http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=273 Washington State Democratic Party 2008-02-12 2008-02-12 2008-02-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20080227202702/http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=273 dead CandidatePrecinct delegatesPercentageEstimated national delegates Barack Obama 21,768 67.56% 52 Hillary Clinton 10,038 31.15% 26 Other 50 0.16% 0 Uncommitted 364 1.13% 0 Totals32,220100.00%78 Primary The Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates. Primary date: February 19, 2008 National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78) Key: Withdrewprior to contest 2008 Washington Democratic presidential primaryPresident - Democratic Party Federal (Statewide) http://vote.wa.gov/elections/wei/Results.aspx?ElectionID=3&RaceID=0&RaceTypeCode=O Washington Secretary of State 2008-03-07 2008-03-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20080507212943/http://vote.wa.gov/elections/wei/Results.aspx?ElectionID=3&RaceID=0&RaceTypeCode=O 2008-05-07 dead CandidateVotesPercentage Barack Obama 354,112 51.22% Hillary Clinton 315,744 45.67% John Edwards 11,892 1.72% Dennis Kucinich 4,021 0.58% Bill Richardson 2,040 0.30% Joe Biden 1,883 0.27% Mike Gravel 1,071 0.15% Christopher Dodd 618 0.09% Totals691,381100.00% Legislative district caucuses and county conventions Dashes indicate districts for which results are unavailable. Caucus/Convention dates: April 5–26, 2008 National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78) Washington Democratic Legislative District Caucusesand County Conventions, 200861% of districts reporting LegislativeDistrict BarackObama HillaryClinton Total State Delegatesfrom this LDLD1DeGolier Cheryl LD Caucus Results and Observations Snohomish County Democrats 2008-04-06 http://www.snohomishdemocrats.org/?q=LDcaucusresults 2008-04-27 321244LD2Yelm Starts Democrat Caucuses The Olympian Online http://www.theolympian.com/election/story/410641.html https://archive.today/20140913224221/http://www.theolympian.com/election/story/410641.html dead 2014-09-13 2008-04-26 261440LD3 – –33LD4 – –38LD52008 Legislative District Caucuses 5th District Democrats http://5thdems.org/2008-legislative-district-caucuses/ 2008-04-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20080410231154/http://5thdems.org/2008-legislative-district-caucuses/ 2008-04-10 dead 361248LD6Brewer Andrew Final Credentials Report April 5th 6th LD Caucus 6th Legislative District Democrats http://web.mac.com/abrewer/6th_LD_Democrats_WA/LD_Caucus_April_5th_Election_Results.html 2008-04-28 October 2010 H3llBot291544LD7 – –34LD8 – –33LD9 – –33LD10 – –43LD11Brede Alene April 5th 11th LD Preliminary Caucus Results 11th Legislative District Democrats http://www.11thlddems.org/ 2008-04-28 261036LD12 – –31LD13 – –28LD14 – –27LD15 – –26LD16 – –28LD17 – –39LD18 – –44LD19 – –38LD20Caucus Results Thurston County Democrats http://thurstondemocrats.org/node/731 2008-05-10 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080510134401/http://www.thurstondemocrats.org/node/731 May 10, 2008 251338LD21 – –40LD22Caucus Results Thurston County Democrats http://thurstondemocrats.org/node/731 2008-04-27 2008-05-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20080510134401/http://www.thurstondemocrats.org/node/731 dead 361349LD23LD Caucus Results were YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt2-2k0E6pY https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/rt2-2k0E6pY 2021-12-21 live 2008-05-10 341145LD24The 24th LD met at 3 different places: the Clallam, Grays Harbor, and Jefferson County Conventions. Clallam County portion 2008 Elected Delegates Clallam Democrats http://www.clallamdemocrats.org/News%20&%20Views/News%20&%20Views.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20080509145446/http://www.clallamdemocrats.org/News%20%26%20Views/News%20%26%20Views.htm 2008-05-09 2008-05-15 dead Jefferson County Portion Results of the Jefferson County Convention, April 26, 2008 Jefferson County Democrats http://jeffcodemocrats.com/ 2008-05-15 Grays Harbor portion (still waiting)281047LD25Stokes Charley HUNDREDS OF ENTHUSIASTIC DEMOCRATS FILL PHS AUDITORIUM 25th Legislative District Democrats http://25dems.org/focus/May08FOCUS.pdf 2008-05-10 261541LD2626th Legislative District Democrats http://www.26dems.org/Pages/caucus.htm www.26dems.org 7 December 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20080509085205/http://www.26dems.org/Pages/caucus.htm 9 May 2008281442LD2727th LD CD Caucus and WS Convention Del and Alt 2008 27th Legislative District Democrats http://www.27thdems.org/documents/27th%20CD%20Caucus%20Dels%20%20Alts%202008.pdf 2008-05-15 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080909224737/http://www.27thdems.org/documents/27th%20CD%20Caucus%20Dels%20%20Alts%202008.pdf September 9, 2008 271239LD28 – –34LD29 – –30LD30 – –35LD31LD Caucus Delegates http://www.31stdistrictdemocrats.org/LDcaucusdelegates.htm www.31stdistrictdemocrats.org 7 December 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20110902223900/http://www.31stdistrictdemocrats.org/LDcaucusdelegates.htm 2 September 2011221638LD32http://32ld.snohomishdemocrats.org/?q=2008_LD_Caucus Snohomish County Democrats 2012-10-10 https://archive.today/20130705020136/http://32ld.snohomishdemocrats.org/?q=2008_LD_Caucus 2013-07-05 dead 361450LD33http://www.33rddems.org/caucus2008.phpDecember 2018231235LD3434th Dems 2008 LD Caucus Results http://www.34dems.org/news_caucus-2008-ldresults.htm www.34dems.org 7 December 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20080409200618/http://www.34dems.org/news_caucus-2008-ldresults.htm 9 April 2008381351LD35The 35th LD met at 4 different places: the Mason, Thurston, Grays Harbor, and Kitsap County Conventions. Mason County portion Results Mason County Democratic Central Committee http://www.masoncountydemocrats.com/ 2008-04-28 Thurston County portion: Caucus Results Thurston County Democrats http://thurstondemocrats.org/ 2008-04-2815841LD36Welcome to the 37th District Democrats http://www.37dems.org/ 37th District Democrats 7 December 2018 en521567LD3738947LD38Working On A Better Life https://www.snohomishdemocrats.org/?q=node/462 www.snohomishdemocrats.org 7 December 2018 December 9, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181209131126/https://www.snohomishdemocrats.org/?q=node/462 dead 231134LD39Home http://wa-democrats-39ld.org/ https://web.archive.org/web/20110901210741/http://wa-democrats-39ld.org/ dead 1 September 2011 wa-democrats-39ld.org 7 December 2018 1 September 2011271239LD40The 40th LD met at 3 different places: the Whatcom County Convention, the Skagit County Convention, and San Juan county's 40th LD caucus. Skagit County portion: Delegates by the Numbers Skagit Valley Herald A–6 2008-04-13 Whatcom County portion: McClendon Natalie Local Democrats Elect Delegates to Congressional District Caucus Whatcom County Democrats 2008-04-12 http://www.whatcomdemocrats.com/ 2008-04-28 San Juan portion: San Juan 2008 Results of the 40th Legislative District Caucus Democrats of San Juan County Washington http://www.sjdemocrats.org/ 2008-04-2836947LD4141st Legislative District Caucus Results 41st District Democrats 2008-04-11 http://www.41dems.org/ 2008-04-28361349LD42McClendon Natalie Local Democrats Elect Delegates to Congressional District Caucus Whatcom County Democrats 2008-04-12 http://www.whatcomdemocrats.com/ 2008-04-28331043LD43Caucus Results 43rd District Democrats of Washington http://www.43rddems.org/ 2008-04-28 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060823110920/http://www.43rddems.org/ 2006-08-23 531467LD44DeWitt Rick Legislative District Caucus 44th Legislative District Democrats of Washington State http://www.44thdems.org/meetings/ld_caucus/index.html 2008-04-28 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080819235047/http://www.44thdems.org/meetings/ld_caucus/index.html August 19, 2008 301343LD4545th LD Democrats - Caucus Information 45th District Democrats http://www.45thdemocrats.org/Caucus.php 2008-04-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20080308110148/http://www.45thdemocrats.org/Caucus.php 2008-03-08 dead 331245LD46WA46Dems - LD Caucus Results 46th District Democrats http://www.46dems.com/2008/ldcaucusresults.php 2008-04-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20080629024837/http://www.46dems.com/2008/ldcaucusresults.php 2008-06-29 dead 451560LD47LD Caucus Results 47th District Democrats http://www.wa47dems.org/ 2008-05-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20060626234421/http://wa47dems.org/ 2006-06-26 dead 271138LD48LD Caucus Results 48th District Democrats http://48thdems.org/content.php?pid=49 2008-04-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20100806210417/http://48thdems.org/content.php?pid=49 2010-08-06 dead 301141LD49 – –38 Totals9503692,000 Estimatednational delegates0078 Congressional district caucuses Caucus date: May 17, 2008 National pledged delegates determined: 51 (of 78) Washington Democratic Congressional District Caucuses, 20080% of districts reportingCongressional DistrictNational Delegates ObamaWA National Delegate List Obama Campaign http://www.obamadelegates.org/page/WA+National+Delegate+List 2008-05-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20080609042847/http://www.obamadelegates.org/page/WA+National+Delegate+List 2008-06-09 usurped National Delegates ClintonDerived by deducting reported Obama numbers from total delegates for each CD.National Delegates Total CD1DeGolier Cheryl 1st Congressional District Caucus Results 1st District Democrats 2008-05-19 http://www.1stdems.org/node/565 2008-05-20 December 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes 4 2 6 CD2 4 2 6 CD3 3 2 5 CD4 2 1 3 CD5 3 2 5 CD6 4 2 6 CD7CD Caucus Results 46th District Democrats http://www.46dems.com/2008/cdcaucusresults.php 2008-05-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20080827160037/http://www.46dems.com/2008/cdcaucusresults.php 2008-08-27 dead 7 2 9 CD8 4 2 6 CD9 3 2 5 Totals341751 State convention Convention date: June 13–15, 2008 National pledged delegates determined: 27 (of 78) 2008 Washington Democratic State ConventionCandidateAt-Large and PLEO delegatesPercentageNational delegates Barack Obama 18 66.67% 52 Hillary Clinton 9 33.33% 26 Totals27100.00%78 Republican caucuses and primary 2008 Washington Republican presidential caucuses and primary The Republican caucuses were held on Saturday February 9 and the primary on February 19, 2008, to compete 40 total delegates, of which 18 tied to the caucuses, 19 tied to the primary, and 3 unpledged RNC member delegates.RESULTS: Washington http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#WA CNN February 9, 2008 February 9, 2008 May 8, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080508012111/http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#WA dead Candidates All following candidates appeared on the ballot for voters in Washington: Mike Huckabee John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney (candidate suspended his campaign) Caucuses Voting in Washington's caucuses closed at 9:00 pm EST February 9. The Washington Republican Party declared John McCain the winner on the night of the election, after 87% of the votes were counted. Mike Huckabee disputed the results and accused the state party of calling the election prematurely. He demanded a statewide caucus recount.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004176904_webcaucus11.html The Seattle Times Mike Huckabee wants retraction, caucus recount February 11, 2008 However, by Tuesday, February 12, the Washington Republicans again declared McCain the winner after 96% of the votes were tallied,Washington Caucus Updates Show McCain is Still GOP Winner, Despite Huckabee Challenge February 12, 2008 FoxNews.com http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2008/02/12/washington-caucus-updates-show-mccain-is-still-gop-winner-despite-huckabee-challenge/?wpcf7=json&wpcf7=json January 10, 2009 May 2016 medicmedic and never counted the rest of the votes.Nate Silver Nate Silver http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/in-washington-caucus-expect-the-unexpected/ In Washington Caucus, Expect the Unexpected March 2, 2012 March 3, 2012 FiveThirtyEight +96% of precincts reporting Candidate State delegate Percentage Delegates Counties carried John McCain 3,228 25.9% 16 11 Mike Huckabee 2,959 23.52% 8 11 Ron Paul 2,740 21.64% 5 9 Mitt Romney 1,903 15.45% 0 4 Uncommitted 1,662 13.49% 0 2 Total 12,320 100% 2937 Primary The primary took place on February 19, 2008. +Official resultsPresident - Republican Party http://vote.wa.gov/elections/wei/results.aspx?ElectionID=3 Washington Secretary of State 2008-03-07 2008-05-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20080521184826/http://vote.wa.gov/elections/wei/results.aspx?ElectionID=3 2008-05-21 dead Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates John McCain 262,304 49.50% 16 Mike Huckabee 127,657 24.09% 8 Mitt Romney* 86,140 16.25% 0 Ron Paul 40,539 7.65% 5 Rudy Giuliani* 5,145 0.97% 0 Fred Thompson* 4,865 0.92% 0 Alan Keyes 2,226 0.42% 0 Duncan Hunter* 799 0.19% 0 Total 529,932 100% 29 * Candidate stopped campaign before primary Money raised The following table shows the amount of money each Republican Party candidate raised in the state of Washington. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/ CNN Map: Campaign money race Campaign Predictions +SourceRankingD.C. Political Report2009-01-01 D.C.'s Political Report: The complete source for campaign summaries. http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com/Predictions.html 2021-08-23 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20090101161206/http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com/Predictions.html 2009-01-01Likely DCook Political Report2015-05-05 Presidential http://cookpolitical.com/presidential 2021-08-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20150505003043/http://cookpolitical.com/presidential 2015-05-05Solid DThe Takeaway2009-04-22 Vote 2008 - The Takeaway - Track the Electoral College vote predictions http://vote2008.thetakeaway.org/2008/09/20/track-the-electoral-college-vote-predictions/ 2021-08-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20090422070127/http://vote2008.thetakeaway.org/2008/09/20/track-the-electoral-college-vote-predictions/ 2009-04-22Solid DElectoral-vote.comElectoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily https://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Dec31.html 2021-08-23 electoral-vote.comSolid DWashington PostBased on TakeawaySolid DPoliticoPOLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com https://www.politico.com/convention/swingstate.html 2016-09-22 www.politico.comSolid DRealClearPoliticshttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=5 Result 2008 www.realclearpolitics.com 2021-11-18Solid DFiveThirtyEightSolid DCQ PoliticsCQ Presidential Election Maps, 2008 http://innovation.cq.com/prezMap08/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090614004022/http://innovation.cq.com/prezMap08 June 14, 2009 December 20, 2009 CQ PoliticsSolid DThe New York TimesNagourney Adam Zeleny Jeff Carter Shan 2008-11-04 The Electoral Map: Key States The New York Times http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/whos-ahead/key-states/map.html?scp=1&sq=electoral%20college%20map&st=cse May 26, 2010Solid DCNN2008-10-31 October – 2008 – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs CNN http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/ May 26, 2010 2010-06-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20100619013250/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/ deadSafe DNPRSolid DMSNBCSolid DFox NewsApril 27, 2010 Winning The Electoral College Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/winning-the-electoral-college/Likely DAssociated Pressroadto270 http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/campaign_plus/roadto270/ 2016-09-22 hosted.ap.org December 8, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081208002123/http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/campaign_plus/roadto270/ deadLikely DRasmussen ReportsElection 2008: Electoral College Update - Rasmussen Reports http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/election_2008_electoral_college_update 2016-09-22 www.rasmussenreports.comSafe D Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election#Washington Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election: Washington Since February 28, Obama won every pre-election poll. Since September 22, he won each poll with a double-digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged Obama leading 54% to 40%. Fundraising McCain raised a total of $2,697,999 in the state. Obama raised $16,518,208.http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=WA&cand_id=P00000001 Presidential Campaign Finance 2009-08-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20090324085845/http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=WA&cand_id=P00000001 2009-03-24 dead Advertising and visits Obama and his interest groups spent $312,869. McCain and his interest groups spent just $2,264.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/ad.spending/ CNN Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com May 26, 2010 The Democratic ticket visited the state once, while the Republican ticket did not visit at all.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/candidate.visits/ CNN Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com May 26, 2010 Analysis Washington once leaned Republican, like most of the Pacific Northwest. From 1952 to 1984, it only went Democratic twice—in 1964 and 1968. However, it has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every presidential election since 1988. Neither candidate seriously contested the state as it was viewed as a safe blue state. Like Oregon, the state is divided politically by the urban/rural divide and geographically by the Cascade Mountains. The two are related in that nearly all of the major cities lie west of the Cascades. Most of the state's population resides in Western Washington along the Pacific Coast and in highly urbanized areas like Seattle. The Seattle area, home to almost two-thirds of the state's population, is overwhelmingly Democratic. The rest of Western Washington leans Democratic as well, though the lean is not as pronounced as in the greater Seattle area. In contrast, Eastern Washington is very rural, and in many ways more similar to Idaho than Seattle. Republicans have had an edge here for many years, in part to its strong tinge of social conservatism. As a result, while Republicans typically win more counties, the overwhelming Democratic trend in the more-heavily populated western portion is enough to swing the whole state to the Democrats. On Election Day, Obama won the state by 17.18%. Washington was called for Obama as soon as the polls in the state closed. He swept the more urban counties along the Western Seaboard, which compose the Democratic base. More than two-thirds of the state's population lives in this area; this makes it very difficult for a Republican to win the state because of this region's liberal tilt. Obama would have been assured a victory in any event due to his performance in the Seattle area. He carried King County, home to Seattle itself and its close suburbs and just over a third of the state's population, with 70.30 percent of the vote—almost three-fifths of his statewide majority. Obama also swept the two other big counties in Western Washington, Pierce (home to Tacoma) and Snohomish (home to Everett) by decisive margins. His combined majority in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties would have been more than enough to carry the state. McCain only won one county in the western part of the state, Lewis County, traditionally the most socially conservative county west of the Cascades. On the other hand, McCain did extremely well in Eastern Washington. Neither Al Gore or John Kerry was able to take a single county in Eastern Washington; in 2008, Obama only won one small county, Whitman County, home to Washington State University in Pullman. Nevertheless, as with Oregon, McCain's margins in the eastern part of the state were far outweighed by Obama's landslides in the more populated coastal regions and cities in the western part of the state. Obama did, however, improve substantially in Eastern Washington, especially in the region's largest county, Spokane County, home to the city of Spokane. During the same election, incumbent Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire was reelected to a second term with 53.24% of the vote over Republican Dino Rossi who took 46.76% in a rematch of their controversial race from four years earlier. At the state level, Democrats picked up one seat in the Washington House of Representatives while Republicans picked up a seat in the Washington Senate. Results 2008 United States presidential election in Washington2008 Primary Data https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2008-primary-data.zip sos.wa.gov live https://web.archive.org/web/20250625074817/https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2008-primary-data.zip June 25, 2025 Democratic Party (United States) Barack ObamaJoe Biden 1,750,848 57.65% +4.83% Republican Party (United States) John McCainSarah Palin 1,229,216 40.48% −5.16% Independent politician Ralph NaderMatt Gonzalez 29,489 0.97% +0.16% Libertarian Party (United States) Bob BarrWayne Allyn Root 12,728 0.42% − Constitution Party (United States) Chuck BaldwinDarrell Castle 9,432 0.31% +0.17% Green Party (United States) Cynthia McKinneyRosa Clemente 3,819 0.13% +0.03% Party for Socialism and Liberation Gloria La RivaEugene Puryear 705 0.02% N/A Socialist Workers Party (United States) James HarrisAlyson Kennedy 641 0.02% − 3,036,878 100.00% N/A By county CountyBarack ObamaDemocraticJohn McCainRepublicanVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#% Adams 1,552 31.95% 3,222 66.32% 84 1.73% -1,670 -34.38% 4,858 Asotin 4,139 42.32% 5,451 55.74% 190 1.94% -1,312 -13.42% 9,780 Benton 26,288 36.05% 45,345 62.19% 1,278 1.75% -19,057 -26.14% 72,911 Chelan 13,781 43.12% 17,605 55.09% 572 1.79% -3,824 -11.97% 31,958 Clallam 19,470 50.55% 18,199 47.25% 850 2.21% 1,271 3.30% 38,519 Clark 95,356 52.17% 84,212 46.08% 3,196 1.75% 11,144 6.10% 182,764 Columbia 686 30.79% 1,499 67.28% 43 1.93% -813 -36.49% 2,228 Cowlitz 24,597 54.38% 19,554 43.23% 1,078 2.38% 5,043 11.15% 45,229 Douglas 5,848 38.45% 9,098 59.82% 263 1.73% -3,250 -21.37% 15,209 Ferry 1,467 41.90% 1,916 54.73% 118 3.37% -449 -12.82% 3,501 Franklin 7,361 37.37% 12,037 61.11% 298 1.51% -4,676 -23.74% 19,696 Garfield 385 28.04% 968 70.50% 20 1.46% -583 -42.46% 1,373 Grant 9,601 34.99% 17,153 62.52% 684 2.49% -7,552 -27.52% 27,438 Grays Harbor 16,354 56.04% 12,104 41.47% 726 2.49% 4,250 14.56% 29,184 Island 22,058 52.32% 19,426 46.08% 675 1.60% 2,632 6.24% 42,159 Jefferson 13,252 66.29% 6,330 31.66% 409 2.05% 6,922 34.63% 19,991 King 648,230 70.30% 259,716 28.17% 14,086 1.53% 388,514 42.14% 922,032 Kitsap 68,624 55.19% 53,297 42.86% 2,416 1.94% 15,327 12.33% 124,337 Kittitas 8,030 44.94% 9,471 53.01% 367 2.05% -1,441 -8.06% 17,868 Klickitat 4,965 48.85% 4,944 48.64% 255 2.51% 21 0.21% 10,164 Lewis 13,624 39.26% 20,278 58.43% 803 2.31% -6,654 -19.17% 34,705 Lincoln 2,032 34.00% 3,803 63.63% 142 2.38% -1,771 -29.63% 5,977 Mason 15,050 53.17% 12,600 44.51% 656 2.32% 2,450 8.66% 28,306 Okanogan 7,613 45.13% 8,798 52.15% 459 2.72% -1,185 -7.02% 16,870 Pacific 6,094 55.72% 4,555 41.65% 288 2.63% 1,539 14.07% 10,937 Pend Oreille 2,562 39.10% 3,717 56.73% 273 4.17% -1,155 -17.63% 6,552 Pierce 181,824 55.18% 141,673 42.99% 6,023 1.83% 40,151 12.18% 329,520 San Juan 7,374 70.02% 2,958 28.09% 199 1.89% 4,416 41.93% 10,531 Skagit 30,053 53.78% 24,687 44.17% 1,146 2.05% 5,366 9.60% 55,886 Skamania 2,817 51.31% 2,524 45.97% 149 2.71% 293 5.34% 5,490 Snohomish 187,294 58.47% 126,722 39.56% 6,317 1.97% 60,572 18.91% 320,333 Spokane 105,786 48.19% 108,314 49.34% 5,411 2.47% -2,528 -1.15% 219,511 Stevens 8,499 38.04% 13,132 58.78% 710 3.18% -4,633 -20.74% 22,341 Thurston 75,882 59.89% 48,366 38.17% 2,461 1.94% 27,516 21.72% 126,709 Wahkiakum 1,121 48.87% 1,105 48.17% 68 2.96% 16 0.70% 2,294 Walla Walla 10,081 40.77% 14,182 57.35% 464 1.88% -4,101 -16.59% 24,727 Whatcom 58,236 58.04% 40,205 40.07% 1,898 1.89% 18,031 17.97% 100,339 Whitman 9,070 51.57% 8,104 46.07% 415 2.36% 966 5.49% 17,589 Yakima 33,792 43.85% 41,946 54.43% 1,324 1.72% -8,154 -10.58% 77,062Totals1,750,84857.65%1,229,21640.48%56,8141.87%521,63217.18%3,036,878 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Clallam (largest community: Port Angeles) Clark (largest city: Vancouver) Island (largest city: Coupeville) Klickitat (largest community: Goldendale) Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon) Skamania (largest community: Carson) Wahkhiakum (largest community: Puget Island) Whitman (largest city: Pullman) right 275px Swing by county Legend #00a1c8 Democratic — +>15% #00bdec Democratic — +12.5-15% #09ceff Democratic — +10-12.5% #4bdbff Democratic — +7.5–10% #77e3ff Democratic — +5–7.5% #aaeeff Democratic — +2.5–5% #d5f6ff Democratic — +0–2.5% 275px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #77e3ff Democratic — +5–7.5% #aaeeff Democratic — +2.5–5% #d5f6ff Democratic — +0–2.5% #ffd5d5 Republican — +0–2.5% #ffaaaa Republican — +2.5–5% #ff8080 Republican — +5–7.5% #ff5555 Republican — +7.5-10% 275px County flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold #0671b0 Flip Republican #f48882 Hold By congressional district Barack Obama carried seven of the state's nine congressional districts, including one district held by a Republican.2008 General Data https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2008-general-data.zip sos.wa.gov live https://web.archive.org/web/20240520224356/https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2008-general-data.zip 2024-05-20 District McCain Obama RepresentativeWashington 1 1st 35.93% 62.44%Jay InsleeWashington 2 2nd 42.00% 55.60%Rick LarsenWashington 3 3rd 45.66% 52.37%Brian BairdWashington 4 4th 57.84% 40.30%Doc HastingsWashington 5 5th 51.54% 45.97%Cathy McMorris RodgersWashington 6 6th 40.51% 57.43%Norm DicksWashington 7 7th 14.96% 83.54%Jim McDermottWashington 8 8th 41.83% 56.62%Dave ReichertWashington 9 9th 39.47% 58.72%Adam Smith Electors List of 2008 United States presidential electors Technically the voters of Washington cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Washington is allocated 11 electors because it has 9 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 11 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and their running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 11 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them.http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ec.htm Electoral College 2008-11-01 California Secretary of State dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081030041546/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ec.htm October 30, 2008 An elector who votes for someone other than their candidate is known as a faithless elector. The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 15, 2008, to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols. The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All 11 were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden:http://www.secstate.wa.gov/_assets/elections/Electoral%20College%20Democratic%20Pres%20Electors.pdf Electoral College Democratic Pres Electors www.secstate.wa.gov 2021-11-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20160123095246/http://www.secstate.wa.gov/_assets/elections/Electoral%20College%20Democratic%20Pres%20Electors.pdf January 23, 2016 dead Jeff SiddiquiGregory Roberts http://www.seattlepi.com/local/373598_elector05.html Lynnwood man may become one of first Muslim presidential electors in U.S Seattlepi.com 2008-08-04 2021-11-18 Maggie Hanson Jane Buchanan-Banks Pat M. Notter Marcus Riccellihttps://www.legistorm.com/person/Marcus_M_Riccelli/51077.html Marcus M. Riccelli - Congressional Staffer Salary Data www.legistorm.com Bradford Donovan Lesley AhmedRegimbal Alec http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/145260.asp Washington's Muslim electors could help make history Blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com November 18, 2021 November 22, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081122134223/http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/145260.asp dead Di A. Ironshttp://www.seattlepi.com/local/245457_irons21.html Seattle Post-Intelligencer Gregory Roberts Neil Modie Irons family feud airs on the Web October 20, 2005 Calvin Edwards Kristine Fallstone John Daniels See also United States presidential elections in Washington (state) Presidency of Barack Obama References 30em External links Official Washington Presidential election results Category:2008 Washington (state) elections Category:United States presidential elections in Washington (state) Washington