2008 United States presidential election in Vermont

none June 2025 September 2023 2008 United States presidential election 2008 United States presidential election in Vermont Vermont presidential no 2004 United States presidential election in Vermont 2004 2012 United States presidential election in Vermont 2012 November 4, 2008 File:Obama portrait crop.jpg x200px Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 3 219,262 67.46% File:John McCain official portrait 2009 (cropped).jpg John McCain Republican Party (United States) Arizona Sarah Palin 0 98,974 30.45% x250px County results x250px Municipality results Obama #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% #0645b4 80–90% McCain #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% President George W. Bush Republican Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) The 2008 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 4, 2008, concurrent with the federal election in all 50 states and D.C., which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Vermont was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama with 67.46%, to Republican John McCain's 30.45%, a Democratic victory margin of 37.01%. Obama carried every county by more than 60% of the vote with the exception of Essex County, which he won with 56%. He also broke 70% in 3 counties. A very liberal Northeastern state, Vermont was the second most Democratic state in the nation, weighing in as a whopping 30% more Democratic than the national average in the 2008 election. Obama's landslide win in Vermont outperformed Lyndon Johnson's 1964 Democratic landslide in the state, making the results of 2008 the strongest Democratic victory in Vermont's history. Vermont was one of three states, along with Obama's home state of Illinois and Biden's home state of Delaware, where his 2008 presidential performance outperformed both Franklin Delano Roosevelt in all four of his runs and Lyndon Johnson in his landslide 1964 victory. To date, this is the last time that the towns of Maidstone and Morgan voted Democratic and the last time that the town of Stratton voted Republican.Vermont Secretary of State Elections Division 2008 President General Election https://electionarchive.vermont.gov/elections/view/75447/ March 22, 2025 electionarchive.vermont.gov Primaries 2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary 2008 Vermont Republican presidential primary Liberty Union primary A primary was held for the Liberty Union Party for the first time since 1996. The party nominated Socialist Party USA nominee Brian Moore, who was favored by party leadership and was the only candidate to gather the 1,000 signatures required to appear on the ballot.Liberty Union Presidential Primary https://ballot-access.org/2008/01/20/liberty-union-presidential-primary/ 21 July 2026 Ballot Access News 20 January 2008Winger Richard Liberty Union Presidential Primary https://ballot-access.org/2008/03/11/liberty-union-presidential-primary-2/ 21 July 2026 Ballot Access News 11 March 2008 2008 Liberty Union presidential primary, March 4, 2008http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=421598 VT US President - LBU Primary August 23, 2010 Our Campaigns July 21, 2026 live https://web.archive.org/web/20170716091521if_/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=421598 July 16, 2017CandidateVotesPercentage Brian Moore (Socialist) 178 44.61% Other write-insNot all communities identified the recipients of write-in votes, so some of these may have been additional votes for the recipients listed below. 170 42.61% Barack Obama (write-in) (Democratic)25 6.27% Hillary Clinton (write-in) (Democratic) 15 3.67% Ralph Nader (write-in) (Independent) 5 1.25% Eugene Debs† (write-in) (Socialist) 1 0.25% Patrick Leahy (write-in) (Democratic) 1 0.25% John McCain (write-in) (Republican) 1 0.25% Richard Norford (write-in) 1 0.25% Ron Paul (write-in) (Republican) 1 0.25% Morgan Phillips (write-in) 1 0.25% Totals 399 100.00% 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 2015-05-05Solid 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 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 MapSolid 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 Polling Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election#Vermont Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election: Vermont Obama won every single pre-election poll, and each with a double-digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged Obama leading 59% to 35%.http://uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/PRESIDENT/2008/pollsa.php?fips=50 Election 2008 Polls Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections Fundraising Obama raised a total of $2,071,271 in the state. McCain raised $206,395.http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=VT&cand_id=P00000001 Presidential Campaign Finance https://web.archive.org/web/20090324090132/http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=VT&cand_id=P00000001 24 March 2009 Advertising and visits Neither campaign spent any money on advertising in Vermont.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/ad.spending/ CNN Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com May 26, 2010 Neither campaign visited the state.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/candidate.visits/ CNN Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com May 26, 2010 Analysis Vermont was once the quintessential Yankee Republican state. It identified with the newly formed GOP in 1856 and remained in the Republican fold for over 130 years. From 1856 to 1988, it only voted for a Democrat once, in Lyndon Johnson's 44-state landslide of 1964. Vermont and Maine were the only states that Franklin D. Roosevelt didn't carry in any of his four elections. However, the brand of Republicanism practiced in Vermont has historically been a moderate one. Coupled with an influx of more liberal newcomers from out of state, this made Vermont considerably friendlier to Democrats as the national GOP moved further to the right. After narrowly supporting George H. W. Bush in 1988, Vermont gave Bill Clinton a 16-point margin in 1992. Republicans have not seriously contested the state since then, and Vermont is now reckoned as part of a bloc of solidly blue states spanning most of the Northeast. The 2008 race kept this tradition going. Obama won with 67% of the vote to McCain's 30%. The state was called for Obama almost as soon as the polls closed, and was the first state called for Obama. Obama was the first Democrat to get over 70% of the vote in any Vermont county since 1964, and the first for either party since 1972. Vermont was Obama's second-best state and his best in the contiguous 48 states; only topped by the staggering 71% he received in Hawaii, the state where he was born. The Obama-Biden ticket won every county in the state, including several northeastern counties which had a history of voting Republican.http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html CHAPTER 13: Toward the 21st Century The New York Times May 26, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20041103020223/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/history/ch13.htm November 3, 2004 Obama also performed better than John Kerry in every county. As a measure of how Republican Vermont once was, George W. Bush was at the time the only Republican to win the White House without carrying Vermont. Notes Results 2008 United States presidential election in VermontPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 219,262 67.46% 3 Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 98,974 30.45% 0 Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 3,339 1.03% 0 Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 1,067 0.33% 0 Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 500 0.15% 0 Others* Others 1,904 0.59% 0 Totals 325,046 100.00% 3 Voter turnout (Voting age population) 66.7% Others include Cynthia McKinney, Green; Róger Calero, Socialist Workers; Gloria La Riva, Socialism and Liberation; and Brian Moore, Liberty Union. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=191875 Our Campaigns - VT US President Race - Nov 04, 2008 ourcampaigns.com 2009 2015-08-25 By county right 300px Swing by county Legend #00bdec Democratic — +12.5-15% #00a1c8 Democratic — +>15% 300px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #4bdbff Democratic — +7.5-10% #aaeeff Democratic — +2.5-5% #d5f6ff Democratic — +0-2.5% #ffd5d5 Republican — +0-2.5% #ffaaaa Republican — +2.5-5% 300px County flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold #0671b0 Flip County Barack ObamaDemocratic John McCainRepublican Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % Addison 13,202 68.62% 5,667 29.46% 369 1.92% 7,535 39.16% 19,238 Bennington 12,524 65.47% 6,133 32.06% 472 2.47% 6,391 33.41% 19,129 Caledonia 8,900 60.43% 5,472 37.15% 356 2.42% 3,428 23.28% 14,728 Chittenden 59,611 71.44% 22,237 26.65% 1,592 1.91% 37,374 44.79% 83,440 Essex 1,733 55.89% 1,284 41.41% 84 2.70% 449 14.48% 3,101 Franklin 13,179 61.41% 7,853 36.59% 428 2.00% 5,326 24.82% 21,460 Grand Isle 2,694 63.11% 1,490 34.90% 85 1.99% 1,204 28.21% 4,269 Lamoille 8,914 70.37% 3,515 27.75% 239 1.88% 5,399 42.62% 12,668 Orange 9,799 64.56% 5,047 33.25% 333 2.19% 4,752 31.31% 15,179 Orleans 7,998 62.63% 4,482 35.10% 291 2.27% 3,516 27.53% 12,771 Rutland 19,355 61.22% 11,584 36.64% 678 2.14% 7,771 24.58% 31,617 Washington 22,324 69.33% 9,129 28.35% 747 2.32% 13,195 40.98% 32,200 Windham 17,585 73.02% 5,997 24.90% 499 2.08% 11,588 48.12% 24,081 Windsor 21,444 68.81% 9,084 29.15% 637 2.04% 12,360 39.66% 31,165Totals219,26267.46%98,97430.45%6,8102.09%120,28837.01%325,046 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Essex (largest town: Lunenburg) By congressional district Due to the state's low population, only one congressional district is allocated. This district, called the at-large district because it covers the entire state, is thus equivalent to the statewide election results. District McCain Obama RepresentativeAt-large 30.45% 67.46%Peter Welch Electors List of 2008 United States presidential electors Technically the voters of Vermont, as they do in every state, cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Vermont is allocated three electors because it has 1 congressional district and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 3 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and their running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 3 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 elected at large as members of the Electoral College from the state. All three were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden:http://vermont-elections.org/ Elections Home Vermont Secretary of State vermont-elections.org 2016-09-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20140210125755/http://vermont-elections.org/ 2014-02-10 dead Claire Ayer Euan Bear Kevin Christie See also United States presidential elections in Vermont References 2 External links General election results Democratic primary Republican primary Liberty Union primary Vermont Category:United States presidential elections in Vermont Category:2008 Vermont elections