2008 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania

none June 2025 September 2023 2008 United States presidential election 2008 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania presidential no 2004 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania 2004 2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania 2012 November 4, 2008 x200px Obama portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 21 3,276,363 54.49% John McCain official portrait 2009 (cropped).jpg John McCain Republican Party (United States) Arizona Sarah Palin 0 2,655,885 44.17% 300px County results 300px Congressional district results 300px Municipality results Obama #B9D7FF 40–50% #86B6F2 50–60% #4389E3 60–70% #1666CB 70–80% #0645B4 80–90% #002B84 90–100% McCain #F2B3BE 40–50% #E27F90 50–60% #CC2F4A 60–70% #D40000 70–80% #AA0000 80–90% #800000 90–100% Tie #D4C4DC President George W. Bush Republican Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) 68.6%As far as voter turnout, 2012's got nothing on 2008 https://whyy.org/articles/as-far-as-voter-turnout-2012s-got-nothing-on-2008/ 2024-09-05 WHYY en-US 0.3pp The 2008 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania was part of the 2008 United States presidential election, which took place on November 4, 2008, throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Voters chose 21 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Pennsylvania was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama by a 10.32% 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. Although the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1992, the margins of victory had become smaller over the past elections, as was highlighted in 2004 when John Kerry won Pennsylvania by a slim margin of 2.50%. Since George W. Bush came relatively close to winning the state in 2004, and because Obama had lost the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton by nearly 10% in April 2008, many analysts believed that Republican presidential nominee John McCain had a decent shot at winning Pennsylvania in the general election.Schneider Bill Hornick Ed Marquardt Alexander 2008-06-18 Poll: Obama leads McCain in swing states http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/18/swing.state.poll/index.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20081205042904/http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/18/swing.state.poll/index.html 2008-12-05 2008-12-06 CNN Nevertheless, Pennsylvania remained blue and gave Obama 54.49% of the vote to McCain's 44.17%, a margin of 10.32%. It was the first time since 1996 in which Pennsylvania was the most Republican of the three Rust Belt swing states (including Wisconsin and Michigan). As of the 2024 election, this is the last time that the counties of Berks, Cambria, Carbon, and Elk voted for a Democrat in a presidential election. Democratic primary 2008 Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary The Democratic primary was held on April 22. Voters also chose the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's candidates for various state and local offices. The Democratic primary was open to registered Democrats only. Polls opened at 7am and closed at 8pm. Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were the only candidates on the ballot for President of the United States.http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bcel/lib/bcel/elections/petition_filers.pdf Unofficial List of Candidates 2012-08-06 2008-04-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20080416080425/http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bcel/lib/bcel/elections/petition_filers.pdf dead The primary was considered to be a "must win" for Clinton, who defeated Obama, but by a smaller margin than hoped for. Hillary Clinton won the primary by 9.28%, a wider margin than expected than recent polls suggested, but smaller than most January and February polls. Despite her victory, she gained only nine delegates on Obama. In particular superdelegates were not swinging in her direction after her win; the Clintons had been trying to secure the support of Congressman Jason Altmire but he remained uncommitted after she won his district by 31% during the primary.Baker Peter Rutenberg Jim 2008-06-08 The Long Road to a Clinton Exit https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/us/politics/08recon.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&oref=slogin live https://web.archive.org/web/20081209030041/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/us/politics/08recon.html 2008-12-09 The New York Times Delegates The Pennsylvania Democratic Party sent 187 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Of those delegates, 158 were pledged, and 29 were unpledged. All of the 158 pledged delegates were allocated (pledged) to vote for a particular candidate at the National Convention according to the results of the Pennsylvania Presidential Primary. The 29 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 Pennsylvania Democratic Party's officials.Pennsylvania Delegate Selection Plan For The 2008 Democratic National Convention Pennsylvania Democratic Party 2007-08-25 http://padems.com/files/Delegate08Final806.pdf 2008-04-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20080625114520/http://padems.com/files/Delegate08Final806.pdf 2008-06-25Berg-Andersson Richard 2008-05-01 Pennsylvania Democrat Presidential Nominating Process http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/PA-D.phtml live https://web.archive.org/web/20080508034732/http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/PA-D.phtml 2008-05-08 2008-05-01 The Green Papers The 158 pledged delegates were further divided into 103 district delegates and 55 statewide delegates. The 103 district delegates were divided among Pennsylvania's 19 Congressional Districts and were allocated to the presidential candidates based on the primary results in each district. The 55 statewide delegates were divided into 35 at-large delegates and 20 party leaders and elected officials (abbreviated PLEOs). They were allocated to the presidential candidates based on the preference of the delegates at the State Committee meeting on June 7. Of the 29 unpledged delegates, 26 were selected in advance and 3 were selected at the State Committee meeting. The delegates selected in advance were 13 Democratic National Committee members, the 11 Democratic U.S. Representatives from Pennsylvania, Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr., and Democratic Governor Ed Rendell. Importance of Pennsylvania The primary was the first time since 1976 that Pennsylvania played a major role in a presidential nomination.Infield Tom The last time a Pa. primary mattered 2008-03-24 The Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/The_last_time_a_Pa_primary_mattered.html 2008-04-16 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080830002523/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/The_last_time_a_Pa_primary_mattered.html August 30, 2008 Importance of Pennsylvania for Clinton 250px|right|thumb|Former president Bill Clinton at a "Solutions for America" rally at the Henry Memorial Center at Washington & Jefferson College on March 11, 2008Former President Bill Clinton to Speak at W&J on Tuesday Current Press Releases Washington & Jefferson College March 10, 2008 http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2210&menu_id=517&crumb=518&page_title=Current%20Press%20Releases&id=11289 https://web.archive.org/web/20110708020159/http://www.washjeff.edu/content.aspx?section=2210&menu_id=517&crumb=518&page_title=Current%20Press%20Releases&id=11289 2011-07-08 2012-08-06 As the race continued to Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina, many observers had concluded that Clinton had little chance to overcome Obama's lead in pledged delegates.Alter Jonathan Jonathan Alter 2008-03-05 Hillary's New Math Problem: Tuesday's big wins? The delegate calculus just got worse. http://www.newsweek.com/id/119010 live https://web.archive.org/web/20080306210138/http://www.newsweek.com/id/119010 2008-03-06 Newsweek Former President Bill Clinton highlighted the importance of the state for the Clinton campaign saying on March 11 at an event in Western Pennsylvania that "If she wins a big, big victory in Pennsylvania, I think it'll give her a real big boost going into the next primaries ... I think she's got to win a big victory in Pennsylvania. I think if she does, she can be nominated, but it's up to you."http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/11/757889.aspx Bill: Hill needs 'big, big victory' in PA MSNBC.com 2008-03-11 2008-03-12 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080314103338/http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/11/757889.aspx March 14, 2008 This was a repetition of his tactic before March 4, warning supporters that his wife might not be able to continue if she did not win Ohio and Texas.Wheaton Sarah 2008-02-21 Bill Clinton: Texas and Ohio or Bust http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/bill-clinton-texas-and-ohio-or-bust/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20080321114848/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/bill-clinton-texas-and-ohio-or-bust/ 2008-03-21 2008-03-12 The New York Times Hillary Clinton emphasized that Pennsylvania was something of a home state for her, as her father came from Scranton, Pennsylvania, she and her brothers were christened there and had vacationed near there each summer, and her brothers still maintained the family cottage near there.Seelye Katherine Q. 2008-03-10 Pennsylvania Ties Could Help Clinton https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/us/politics/10scranton.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20110509112313/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/us/politics/10scranton.html 2011-05-09 2008-03-14 The New York Times Importance of Pennsylvania to Obama On March 18, 2008 Barack Obama chose Philadelphia as the site to deliver his much-anticipated "A More Perfect Union" speech dealing with the race and the controversy surrounding his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Campaign Obama's "Road to Change" bus tour thumb|right|200px|Obama speaking at a rally in Pittsburgh to kick off his statewide bus tour. Obama started a 6-day "Road to Change" bus tour across Pennsylvania, with stops in Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Altoona, State College, Harrisburg On March 28, Obama started the bus tour with a rally in Pittsburgh's Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall.March 25, 2008 Obama's Bus Tour Rolls Through Pittsburgh, Johnstown, State College http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/politics/15701045/detail.html https://web.archive.org/web/20100608072238/http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/politics/15701045/detail.html June 8, 2010 The Pittsburgh Channel Obama was introduced and endorsed by Senator Bob Casey Jr., who had indicated earlier that he would remain neutral in the democratic primary.2008-03-28 Bob Casey Endorses Barack Obama https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/us/politics/28text-casey.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20081211114704/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/us/politics/28text-casey.html 2008-12-11 2010-05-22 The New York Times Casey traveled to Florida over the Easter holiday, where he said rain forced him to stay inside and think about the election. Obama's ability to "transcend" the racial divide and his ability to engage younger voters proved decisive to his decision. According to sources, Casey's four daughters lobbied their dad to endorse Obama.Seelye Katherine Q. March 28, 2008 Obama wins endorsement from Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/28/america/28campaign.php https://web.archive.org/web/20080511214301/http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/28/america/28campaign.php May 11, 2008 International Herald Tribune On March 29, the Obama bus tour stopped at the Pleasant Valley Recreation Center in Altoona, where he famously bowled a 37.Barrett Devlin 2008-03-30 Obama Bowls for Pennsylvania Voters https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/30/obama-bowls-for-pennsylva_n_94097.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080401092439/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/30/obama-bowls-for-pennsylva_n_94097.html 2008-04-01 The Huffington Post Both Obama and Senator Casey (who rolled a score of 71) lost to local homemaker Roxanne Hart, who rolled a score of 82.http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_8750444 February 2022 yes On April Fool's Day, Senator Clinton jokingly challenged Obama to a "bowl-off," with the winner taking all the delegates.2008-04-01 Clinton challenges Obama to bowl-off https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23903195 live https://web.archive.org/web/20210127021347/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23903195 2021-01-27 NBC News en Controversy On April 11, 2008, Huffington Post blogger Mayhill Fowler, a self-admitted Barack Obama supporter, reported that during an April 6 "closed press" fundraising event in San Francisco, California, Obama recounted the obstacles facing his campaign in the Pennsylvania primary as it pertained to rural, white voters.Fowler Mayhill 2008-11-17 Obama: No Surprise That Hard-Pressed Pennsylvanians Turn Bitter https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-no-surprise-that-ha_b_96188.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20081129204912/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-no-surprise-that-ha_b_96188.html 2008-11-29 The Huffington Post Fowler wrote that during the speech, Obama said the following: You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them ... And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. Fowler later posted a three-minute 30 second audio snippet confirming the accuracy of the remark. Senators Clinton and John McCain both issued statements condemning the remarks.http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/04/12/politics/fromtheroad/entry4011172.shtml Clinton Says Obama is "Out of Touch" with Middle Class Americans, Calls Comments "Elitist" CBS News Fernando Suarez 2008-04-12 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080919223238/http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/04/12/politics/fromtheroad/entry4011172.shtml September 19, 2008 Obama later defended his comments, but conceded: "I didn't say it as well as I should have."Bohan Caren 2008-04-12 Obama says he erred in comments on "bitter" voters https://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSN1220078920080412 live https://web.archive.org/web/20080414201147/https://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSN1220078920080412 2008-04-14 Reuters However, he also added: "I said something that everybody knows is true."Finnegan Michael 2008-04-13 Obama expresses regret for remarks on small towns https://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama13apr13,1,6505389.story deviated https://web.archive.org/web/20080501163306/https://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama13apr13,1,6505389.story 2008-05-01 Los Angeles Times Obama had addressed similar themes of guns, religion, and economics in 2004 during an interview with Charlie Rose.Interview by Charlie Rose https://web.archive.org/web/20120722202240/http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/1169 July 22, 2012 See also: http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2004/11/23/1/an-hour-with-illinois-senator-barack-obama Full interview with Charlie Rose 2012-08-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20140126175012/http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2004/11/23/1/an-hour-with-illinois-senator-barack-obama 2014-01-26 dead Final week On the last Friday before the primary, Senator Obama spoke on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a crowd of more than 35,000, the largest audience yet drawn by either candidate during the campaign.Seelye Katharine Q. 2008-04-19 Obama Draws Record Crowd in Philadelphia https://archive.nytimes.com/thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/obama-draws-record-crowd-in-philadelphia/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20221001090636/https://archive.nytimes.com/thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/obama-draws-record-crowd-in-philadelphia/ 2022-10-01 2024-06-03 The Caucus en The crowd was nearly twice what had been projected and spilled over into nearby streets.http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/19/921128.aspx https://web.archive.org/web/20080423221342/http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/19/921128.aspx dead 2008-04-23 OBAMA'S CLOSING ARGUMENT? Anburajan Aswini 2008-04-18 msnbc.com 2008-04-20 The next day, Obama conducted a whistle stop train tour from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, drawing a crowd of 6,000 at a stop in Wynnewood and 3,000 at a stop in Paoli. On Monday, Sen. Obama held the final events of his Pennsylvania campaign in Scranton, McKeesport and at the University of Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center.Sidoti Liz 2008-04-19 Obama takes whistle-stop tour through Pennsylvania http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jZv3Vf5-g07pAPJJrvLTZc3XDuyQD90577Q00 2008-04-20 Associated Press November 2012 Legobot yes The Saturday before the primary, Senator Clinton spoke in 5 Pennsylvania cities, including West Chester and York, Pennsylvania. More than 300 people showed up at the West Chester firehouse to hear the New York Senator speak.https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-clinton20apr20,1,3663470.story Clinton scrambles to hold onto waning lead in Pennsylvania Roug Louise 2008-04-20 Los Angeles Times 2008-04-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20080421124545/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-clinton20apr20,1,3663470.story 2008-04-21 At the Wilson high gymnasium in West Lawn, Pennsylvania, Clinton told several hundred more supporters: "The job of a leader is to bring people together to solve problems . . . to understand that sometimes we have to fight to get the political will and the votes to make that happen". On Monday, April 21, Senator Clinton along with husband Bill Clinton spoke to a crowd of 6,000 in Downtown Pittsburgh. Other events were held Monday in Scranton, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20080419_WEST_LAWN__Pa__-_Sen__Hillary_Rodham_Clinton_returned_to_NO_HEAD_SPECIFIED.html Clinton: I have the political will Fitgerald Thomas 2008-04-19 The Philadelphia Inquirer 2008-04-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20080423173457/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20080419_WEST_LAWN__Pa__-_Sen__Hillary_Rodham_Clinton_returned_to_NO_HEAD_SPECIFIED.html 2008-04-23 Both candidates refused to participate in the political custom of street money.Dave Davies Word on the street: No election $ http://www.philly.com/dailynews/top_story/20080415_Word_on_the_street__No_election__.html Philadelphia Daily News 2008-04-15 2008-04-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20080502103154/http://www.philly.com/dailynews/top_story/20080415_Word_on_the_street__No_election__.html 2008-05-02 Polls Statewide opinion polling for the April, May, and June Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008#Pennsylvania Public opinion polling from early January 2007 through mid-February 2008 consistently gave Hillary Clinton a double digit lead over Barack Obama.2008 Pennsylvania Democratic Presidential Primary http://www.pollster.com/08-PA-Dem-Pres-Primary.php Pollster.com 2008-03-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20080509092618/http://www.pollster.com/08-PA-Dem-Pres-Primary.php 2008-05-09 dead By the beginning of April, polls of Pennsylvanians showed Obama trailing Clinton by an average of 5 points.http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1165 Quinnipiac University 2012-08-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20110605040429/http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1165 2011-06-05 dead See also: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/docs/4376-Final%20Report-REGISTERED_DEMOCRATIC_PRIMARY_DEFINITEV_.pdf Time Magazine http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/downloads/uploaded/33_InsiderAdvantage_Majority_Opinion_PA_Dem_Poll_(4-3-2008).pdf Insider Advantage/Majority Opinion 2009-10-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20080625114520/http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/downloads/uploaded/33_InsiderAdvantage_Majority_Opinion_PA_Dem_Poll_%284-3-2008%29.pdf 2008-06-25 dead http://www.mcall.com/media/acrobat/2008-04/37477374.pdf Muhlenberg College July 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Penn_Release_040208.pdf Public Policy Polling According to 2 polls taken one day before the primary, Hillary Clinton was leading Barack Obama by 49%–42% and 51%–41%. Other polls showed Clinton leading by an average of about 6%.http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/pa/pennsylvania_democratic_primary-240.html Pennsylvania Democratic Primary information at realclearpolitics.com Some superdelegates also announced their preferred candidates before the primary. As of April 30, 16 superdelegates had announced support for Senator Clinton and 5 had announced support for Senator Obama.http://innovation.cq.com/primaries?tab=2 CQ Politics Primary Guide 2008-02-20 CQ Politics dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081029233322/http://innovation.cq.com/primaries?tab=2 October 29, 2008 Results 400px|right|thumb Results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries Primary date: April 22, 2008 National pledged delegates determined: 158 Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary, 2008Official ResultsCommonwealth of PA – Elections Information Pennsylvania Department of State 2008-04-22 http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&ElectionID=27&OfficeID=1 2008-05-01 April 26, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080426093149/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&ElectionID=27&OfficeID=1 dead Candidate Votes Percentage Estimated national delegates Hillary Clinton 1,275,039 54.57% 85 Barack Obama 1,061,441 45.43% 73 Totals 2,336,480 100.0% 158 Republican primary 2008 Pennsylvania Republican presidential primary The Republican primary was also held on April 22 and voters also chose the Pennsylvania Republican Party's candidates for various state and local offices. Polls opened at 7:00 am and closed at 8:00 pm. John McCain was the winner. He had already been declared the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, having secured enough delegate votes in earlier primary contests to win the nomination at the 2008 Republican National Convention. thumb|right|200px|Ron Paul delivers a speech at the University of Pittsburgh on April 3, 2008. Unlike on the Democratic side, little campaigning took place as John McCain had already clinched the nomination. Outsider candidate Ron Paul made several stops in the state, including his birthplace of Pittsburgh. +Official results Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates John McCain 594,061 72.86% 74* Ron Paul 129,246 15.85% 0 Mike Huckabee* 92,057 11.29% 0 Total 815,364 100% 74 *Delegates are essentially unpledged in the Pennsylvania Republican primary. Some media sources noted that Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee combined took in around 220,000 votes (about 27% of the vote), despite McCain's status as presumptive nominee and the statistical irrelevance of Pennsylvania, as a possible sign of continuing social conservative or libertarian unease with McCain's nomination and have speculated about whether these results could potentially affect McCain in the November general election. Although some strategists disputed this theory, pointing to low turnout among McCain supporters and arguing that primary results would not necessarily influence the November election.https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/opinion/27rich.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin Opinion | How McCain Lost in Pennsylvania The New York Times 27 April 2008 Rich Frankhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080423/cm_thenation/45314454 McCain Loses 27% of Pennsylvania Vote - Yahoo! News news.yahoo.com 11 January 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20080426232052/http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080423/cm_thenation/45314454 26 April 2008 deadhttp://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/24/pa_vote_hints_republicans_divided_in_support_for_mccain/ Pa. Vote hints Republicans divided in support for McCain Boston.com 24 April 2008 Rhee Foon Campaign Predictions There were 16 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day: +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 2015-05-05Lean 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/ 2009-04-22Lean DElectoral-vote.comElectoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily https://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Dec31.html 2021-08-23 electoral-vote.comLean DWashington PostBased on TakeawayLean DPoliticoPOLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com https://www.politico.com/convention/swingstate.html 2016-09-22 www.politico.comLean DRealClearPolitics http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=5 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080605003612/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=5 2008-06-05 RealClearPolitics - Electoral MapLean DFiveThirtyEightLean 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 PoliticsLean 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, 2010Lean 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/ deadLean DNPRLean DMSNBCLean 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 Polling Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election#Pennsylvania Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election: Pennsylvania Both McCain and Obama led in various state polls taken from February until the end of April, when Obama took a steady, moderate lead in the state polling. Obama's lead was temporarily reduced to within margins of error and ties when Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska was announced as McCain's running mate in late August, but when the 2008 financial crisis became a more potent election issue near the end of September, Obama then took a double-digit lead in the state polls, causing many analysts to no longer consider Pennsylvania a swing state in 2008.http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/pa/pennsylvania_mccain_vs_obama-244.html RealClearPolitics – Election 2008 – Pennsylvania 2008-12-06 Nevertheless, John McCain campaigned heavily in the state near Election Day and some polls showed Obama's lead narrowing down to single digits. McCain hoped that Pennsylvania might be the swing state that ensured him a narrow victory. However, the economic crisis weighed heavily on the minds of voters across the country and in Pennsylvania it was no different where many voters blamed the Republicans for the collapse, ultimately helping Obama who ended up carrying Pennsylvania by a strong margin of 10.32%. Fundraising Obama raised $14,043,740. McCain raised $5,188,757.http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=PA&cand_id=P00000001 Presidential Campaign Finance 2009-08-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20090324085839/http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=PA&cand_id=P00000001 2009-03-24 dead Advertising and visits Obama spent almost $42 million, while McCain spent almost $30 million.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/ad.spending/ CNN Map: Campaign Ad Spending – Election Center 2008 from CNN.com 2010-05-26 The Obama campaign visited the state 16 times. The McCain campaign visited here 31 times.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/candidate.visits/ CNN Map: Campaign Candidate Visits – Election Center 2008 from CNN.com 2010-05-26 Analysis McCain did win more counties than Obama, but the counties carried by Obama were by far the most populated of the state, including Philadelphia, Allegheny and Lehigh counties, home to the state's three largest cities: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown respectively.http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ Commonwealth of PA 2008-12-06 December 10, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111210212757/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ dead Obama did extremely well throughout eastern Pennsylvania. He won more than 80% of voters in the city of Philadelphia, and two of its suburban counties gave him 3-to-2 margins (the other suburban counties also voted for Obama).Election Results 2008 http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html The New York Times 2009-05-15 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20041103020223/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/history/ch13.htm November 3, 2004 Democratic margins from Philadelphia and its suburbs were more than Obama's statewide margin of victory. North of Philadelphia, the heavily industrialized, pro-union counties characterized by cities such as Scranton (birthplace of Obama's running mate, Joe Biden), Wilkes-Barre and Allentown strongly backed Obama as well. African-American and Latino voters, as well as younger college-age voters, in Monroe County and even in very Republican Pike and Wayne counties gave Obama a much greater share of the vote than Kerry received in 2004. He also managed to win four traditionally Republican counties in the eastern part of the state, Dauphin (home to the state capital, Harrisburg), Monroe, Chester, and Berks; the last Democrat to carry these counties was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In addition, Obama remained competitive in the two most Republican counties in the eastern region: Lancaster (which gave George W. Bush his largest margin of victory in the entire state) and York. While John Kerry lost Lancaster by 32%, Obama lost the county by only 12%, a substantial improvement. John McCain, however, did best in Southwestern Pennsylvania around Pittsburgh, a part of Appalachia and the central, rural "T". Central Pennsylvania is a Republican stronghold; John McCain won the vast majority of its counties, often by substantial margins. However, Southwestern Pennsylvania, until recently, was the most Democratic region of the state outside of Philadelphia. Historically, when a Democrat carried Pennsylvania, the entire lower-left corner of the state from Pittsburgh to Johnstown was coated blue. The heavily unionized, Appalachian counties in and around Pittsburgh strongly voted against Ronald Reagan in 1984; in that election the only other county in the state to vote Democratic was Philadelphia.David Leip Presidential General Election Map Comparison: Pennsylvania http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ 2009-05-15 But in 2008, McCain flipped Washington, Beaver, and Fayette counties for the first time since 1972, leaving Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, as the sole remaining blue county. It was one of the few regions of the country in which Obama did worse than John Kerry. This largely mirrored Obama's struggles in Appalachia throughout the Democratic primary, when voters in this region strongly backed Hillary Clinton. 2024 11 As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Carbon County, Elk County, Cambria County, and Berks County voted for the Democratic candidate. During the same election at the state level, Democrats picked up two seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, but Republicans picked up one seat in the Pennsylvania Senate. Democrats also picked up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District as Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper defeated seven-term incumbent Republican Phil English by a 2.48% margin of victory. Dahlkemper received 51.24% of the vote while English took in 48.76%. Results 2008 United States presidential election in PennsylvaniaPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 3,276,363 54.47% 21 Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 2,655,885 44.15% 0 Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 42,977 0.71% 0 Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 19,912 0.33% 0 Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 1,348 0.02% 0 Write-ins Write-ins 17,043 0.28% 0 Totals 6,015,477 100.00% 21 Voter turnout (Voting age population) 63.7% By county Countyhttps://www.electionreturns.pa.gov/General/CountyBreakDownResults?officeId=1&districtId=1&ElectionID=17&ElectionType=G&IsActive=0 Pennsylvania Elections – County Breakdown Results electionreturns.pa.gov November 4, 2008 December 28, 2019Barack ObamaDemocraticJohn McCainRepublicanRalph NaderIndependentBob BarrLibertarianVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal votes cast#%#%#%#%#%#%Adams17,63339.41%26,34958.89%3550.79%1540.34%2500.55%-8,716-19.48%44,741Allegheny373,15357.05%272,34741.64%3,9270.60%2,0090.31%2,6030.39%100,80615.41%654,039Armstrong11,13836.80%18,54261.27%2630.87%1380.46%1820.60%-7,404-24.47%30,263Beaver40,49947.63%42,89550.45%8260.97%2680.32%5440.64%-2,396-2.82%85,032Bedford6,05926.87%16,12471.51%1640.73%960.43%1050.46%-10,065-44.64%22,548Berks97,04753.76%80,51344.60%1,6140.89%8260.46%5110.28%16,5349.16%180,511Blair19,81337.17%32,70861.37%3350.63%2460.46%1960.37%-12,895-24.20%53,298Bradford10,30639.81%15,05758.16%3021.17%1220.47%1020.39%-4,751-18.35%25,889Bucks179,03153.71%150,24845.08%2,4050.72%1,2400.37%4000.12%28,7838.63%333,324Butler32,26035.54%57,07462.88%7220.80%3690.41%3360.37%-24,814-27.34%90,761Cambria32,45149.16%31,99548.47%9051.37%3190.48%3360.51%4560.69%66,006Cameron87938.95%1,32358.62%341.51%90.40%120.53%-444-19.67%2,257Carbon13,46449.77%12,95747.90%3791.40%1230.45%1270.47%5071.87%27,050Centre41,95055.12%32,99243.35%4880.64%3330.44%3480.46%8,95811.77%76,111Chester137,83354.00%114,42144.83%1,2300.48%8700.34%8980.35%23,4129.17%255,252Clarion6,75637.79%10,73760.06%1690.95%1040.58%1110.62%-3,981-22.27%17,877Clearfield14,55542.78%18,66254.85%4431.30%1530.45%2090.61%-4,107-12.07%34,022Clinton7,09747.98%7,50450.73%1360.92%540.37%00.00%-407-2.75%14,791Columbia13,23046.79%14,47751.20%2640.93%920.33%2150.76%-1,247-4.41%28,278Crawford16,78043.80%20,75054.17%4371.14%1670.44%1730.45%-3,970-10.37%38,307Cumberland48,30642.44%63,73956.00%7890.69%4700.41%5210.46%-15,433-13.56%113,825Dauphin69,97553.89%58,23844.85%8160.63%5000.39%3160.24%11,7379.04%129,845Delaware178,87060.12%115,27338.75%1,9550.66%9060.30%5060.17%63,59721.37%297,510Elk7,29050.76%6,67646.48%2201.53%850.59%910.63%6144.28%14,362Erie75,77559.07%50,35139.25%1,1670.91%3980.31%5800.45%25,42419.82%128,271Fayette25,86648.95%26,08149.35%4560.86%1570.30%2840.53%-215-0.40%52,844Forest1,03842.06%1,36655.35%301.22%100.41%240.97%-328-13.29%2,468Franklin21,16933.12%41,90665.56%3700.58%1960.31%2760.43%-20,737-32.44%63,917Fulton1,57624.99%4,64273.61%570.90%310.49%00.00%-3,066-48.62%6,306Greene7,82948.59%7,88948.96%2191.36%390.24%1380.85%-60-0.37%16,114Huntingdon6,62135.35%11,74562.70%1961.05%700.37%990.53%-5,124-27.35%18,731Indiana17,06545.75%19,72752.88%3570.96%1530.41%00.00%-2,662-7.13%37,302Jefferson6,44734.09%12,05763.75%1921.02%1060.56%1100.58%-5,610-29.66%18,912Juniata3,06831.25%6,48466.04%1071.09%520.53%1081.10%-3,416-34.79%9,819Lackawanna67,52062.21%39,48836.38%7020.65%1660.15%6630.61%28,03225.83%108,539Lancaster99,58643.44%126,56855.21%1,2180.53%7650.33%1,1120.49%-26,982-11.77%229,249Lawrence19,71146.54%21,85151.60%3950.93%1460.34%2460.58%-2,140-5.06%42,349Lebanon23,31039.80%34,31458.59%4490.77%2240.38%2660.46%-11,004-18.79%58,563Lehigh87,08957.12%63,38241.57%1,4770.97%5250.34%00.00%23,70715.55%152,473Luzerne72,49253.32%61,12744.96%1,1390.84%4170.31%7930.58%11,3658.36%135,968Lycoming18,38137.17%30,28061.24%3830.77%1930.39%2100.42%-11,899-24.07%49,447McKean6,46540.38%9,22457.61%2001.25%580.36%630.39%-2,759-17.23%16,010Mercer26,41148.76%26,56549.04%6111.13%2340.43%3470.64%-154-0.28%54,168Mifflin5,37532.40%10,92965.89%1570.95%410.25%850.51%-5,554-33.49%16,587Monroe39,45357.50%28,29341.23%4980.73%1990.29%1750.26%11,16016.27%68,618Montgomery253,39359.94%165,55239.16%2,0910.49%1,3830.33%3220.08%87,84120.78%422,741Montour3,36441.65%4,57456.64%670.83%180.22%530.66%-1,210-14.99%8,076Northampton75,25555.35%58,55143.07%1,2530.92%5280.39%3670.27%16,70412.28%135,954Northumberland14,32942.00%19,01855.75%4151.22%1770.52%1750.52%-4,689-13.75%34,114Perry6,39632.22%13,05865.79%1981.00%930.47%1030.52%-6,662-33.57%19,848Philadelphia595,98083.00%117,22116.33%3,0710.43%1,0570.15%6960.10%478,75966.67%718,025Pike11,49347.33%12,51851.55%1860.77%870.36%00.00%-1,025-4.22%24,284Potter2,30030.46%5,10967.66%630.83%350.46%440.58%-2,809-37.20%7,551Schuylkill28,30044.49%33,76753.09%7021.10%2880.45%5480.86%-5,467-8.60%63,605Snyder5,38234.58%9,90063.60%1390.89%580.37%870.56%-4,518-29.02%15,566Somerset12,87836.41%21,68661.32%4011.13%2030.57%2000.08%-8,808-24.91%35,368Sullivan1,23339.44%1,84158.89%321.02%140.45%60.19%-608-19.45%3,126Susquehanna8,38143.17%10,63354.77%1910.98%810.42%1290.66%-2,252-11.60%19,415Tioga6,39035.25%11,32662.48%1770.98%910.50%1420.77%-4,936-27.23%18,126Union7,33341.96%9,85956.42%1360.78%720.41%750.43%-2,526-14.46%17,475Venango9,23839.34%13,71858.42%2501.06%1010.43%1740.74%-4,480-19.08%23,481Warren8,53745.74%9,68551.89%2221.20%730.39%1460.78%-1,148-6.15%18,663Washington46,12246.82%50,75251.52%8410.85%3320.34%4690.48%-4,630-4.70%98,516Wayne9,89243.14%12,70255.39%1910.83%500.22%970.41%-2,810-12.25%22,932Westmoreland72,72140.96%102,29457.62%1,3010.73%5570.31%6740.38%-29,573-16.66%177,547Wyoming5,98545.26%6,98352.81%1200.91%500.38%850.64%-998-7.55%13,223York82,83942.42%109,26855.95%1,3720.70%7310.37%1,0760.55%-26,429-13.53%195,286Totals3,276,36354.47%2,655,88544.15%42,9770.71%19,9120.33%20,3390.34%620,47810.32%6,015,476 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Beaver (largest city: Beaver) Fayette (largest borough: Uniontown) Washington (largest borough: Washington) Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Berks (largest borough: Reading) Cambria (largest city: Johnstown) Carbon (largest borough: Jim Thorpe) Centre (largest borough: Bellefonte) Chester (largest borough: West Chester) Dauphin (largest borough: Harrisburg) Elk (largest borough: Ridgway) Monroe (largest borough: Stroudsburg) right 260px 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% #ffd5d5 Republican — +0-2.5% #ffaaaa Republican — +2.5-5% #ff8080 Republican — +5-7.5% #ff5555 Republican — +7.5-10% 260px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #00bdec Democratic — +12.5-15% #4bdbff Democratic — +7.5-10% #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% #ff2a2a Republican — +10-12.5% #ff0000 Republican — +12.5-15% #d40000 Republican — +>15% 260px County flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold #0671b0 Flip Republican #f48882 Hold #ca0120 Flip By congressional district Although Barack Obama won Pennsylvania, John McCain carried ten of the commonwealth's 19 congressional districts, including four districts held by Democrats. One district, PA-03, was extremely close, however, with McCain only winning by 17 votes.2008 Presidential General Election Results - Pennsylvania https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2008&fips=42903&f=1&off=0&elect=0 uselectionatlas.org Obama won nine districts, including two districts held by Republicans. The 12th congressional district, held by John Murtha, was the only district that supported Kerry in 2004 and McCain in 2008. District McCain Obama RepresentativePennsylvania 1 1st 11.71% 87.74%Bob BradyPennsylvania 2 2nd 9.51% 89.97%Chaka FattahPennsylvania 3 3rd49.072%49.067%Phil English (110th Congress)Kathy Dahlkemper (111th Congress)Pennsylvania 4 4th 54.51% 44.04%Jason AltmirePennsylvania 5 5th54.23%43.86%John E. Peterson (110th Congress)Glenn Thompson (111th Congress)Pennsylvania 6 6th 41.15% 57.64%Jim GerlachPennsylvania 7 7th 43.13% 55.75%Joe SestakPennsylvania 8 8th 44.97% 53.82%Patrick MurphyPennsylvania 9 9th 63.20% 35.23%Bill ShusterPennsylvania 10 10th 53.28% 45.02%Chris CarneyPennsylvania 11 11th 41.80% 56.55%Paul KanjorskiPennsylvania 12 12th 49.24% 48.92%John MurthaPennsylvania 13 13th 40.53% 58.48%Allyson SchwartzPennsylvania 14 14th 28.84% 69.78%Mike DoylePennsylvania 15 15th 43.16% 55.44%Charlie DentPennsylvania 16 16th 51.03% 47.67%Joe PittsPennsylvania 17 17th 50.94% 47.41%Tim HoldenPennsylvania 18 18th 54.67% 44.02%Tim MurphyPennsylvania 19 19th 55.92% 42.45%Todd Platts Electors List of 2008 United States presidential electors Technically the voters of Pennsylvania cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Pennsylvania is allocated 21 electors because it has 19 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 21 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 21 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 his or her 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 20 were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden:http://www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/cwp/view.asp?a=1315&q=447065&electionsNav=%7C#electors Running for Office 2009-07-06 2009-03-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20090309071157/http://www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/cwp/view.asp?a=1315&q=447065&electionsNav=%7C#electors dead Lynne Abraham Christopher Lewis John Brenne Valerie McDonald-Roberts Eileen Connell Thomas McMahon Kathi Cozzone Robert Mello John Fetterman Michael A. Nutter William George Corey O'Brien Patrick B. Gillespie Josh Shapiro Richard Gray Jack Wagner Franco Harris Michael Washo George Hartwick Daylin Leach See also Hillary Clinton wins Pennsylvania, cuts Obama's lead United States presidential elections in Pennsylvania 2004 Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries References United States president Pennsylvania 2008