2008 United States presidential election in Virginia

none June 2025 September 2023 2008 United States presidential election 2008 United States presidential election in Virginia Virginia presidential no 2004 United States presidential election in Virginia 2004 2012 United States presidential election in Virginia 2012 November 4, 2008 74.0% 3.2Registration/Turnout Reports - Summary of Virginia Registration & Turnout Statistics https://www.elections.virginia.gov/resultsreports/registrationturnout-statistics/ Virginia Department of Elections x200px Obama portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 13 1,959,532 52.63% John McCain official portrait 2009 (cropped).jpg John McCain Republican Party (United States) Arizona Sarah Palin 0 1,725,005 46.33% 436px County and independent city results 436px Congressional district results 436px Precinct results 436px 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% Tie/No Data #d4c4dc #808080 President George W. Bush Republican Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) The 2008 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 4, 2008, which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Virginia was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama by a 6.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, 16 of 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise a likely blue state, despite the fact that Virginia had not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon B. Johnson's 44-state landslide in 1964. The 2008 financial crisis, changing demographics, and population increases in voter-rich Northern Virginia helped make the state more competitive for Obama. His victory marked a powerful shift in the political climate in Virginia, as the state would go on to vote for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election thereafter. In contrast to Virginia, West Virginia voted for McCain. This was the first time Virginia voted Democratic and West Virginia voted Republican since 1924. Starting in 2008, Virginia has always voted for the Democratic nominee and West Virginia has always voted for the Republican nominee.https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_geoffrey_skelley/the_new_dominion_virginia_s_ever_changing_electoral_map The New Dominion: Virginia's Ever-Changing Electoral Map Geoffrey Skelley July 13, 2017 Rasmussen Reports July 30, 2020 Despite Obama's victory, Virginia's margin was 0.97% more Republican than the national average, the most recent time Virginia has voted further to the right than the nation at-large, although it was the closest to the national results. 2020 11 As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which King and Queen County voted for the Democratic candidate. Primaries 2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary 2008 Virginia Republican presidential primary Campaign Virginia was one of the first Southern states to break away from its traditional Democratic roots. It voted for Dwight Eisenhower by a convincing margin in 1952, and voted for every Republican nominee since then save for Johnson's massive landslide in 1964. However, the Democrats had made big gains in recent years by winning two gubernatorial races in a row, regaining control of the Virginia Senate, and electing Democrat Jim Webb to the U.S. Senate over incumbent Republican George Allen in 2006. Democrats made such gains in part due to the ever-expanding Northern Virginia, particularly the suburbs surrounding Washington, D.C. Historically, this area was strongly Republican. However, in recent years it has been dominated by white liberals who tend to vote Democratic.http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=back_to_the_future061807 Back to the Future - The American Prospect 12 July 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070712135150/http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=back_to_the_future061807 2007-07-12 It was, ultimately, this rapid demographic change that provided a huge new influx of Democratic voters to Virginia.Continetti Matthew October 2, 2006 George Allen Monkeys Around The Weekly Standard 12 3 http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/742cjkva.asp?pg=2 https://web.archive.org/web/20061028215741/http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/742cjkva.asp?pg=2 dead October 28, 2006 2009-05-31 Both presidential campaigns and the mainstream media treated Virginia as a swing state for most of the campaign. Obama campaigned extensively in Virginia and counted on the booming northern parts of the state for a Democratic victory. Victory in the presidential election for McCain would have been extremely difficult without Virginia; he would have had to win every swing state as well as at least one Democratic-leaning state. Predictions There were 16 news organizations that 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 2009-01-01Lean D flipCook 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 D flipThe 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 D flipElectoral-vote.comElectoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily https://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Dec31.html 2021-08-23 electoral-vote.comLean D flipWashington PostBased on TakeawayLean D flipPoliticoPOLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com https://www.politico.com/convention/swingstate.html 2016-09-22 www.politico.comLean D flipRealClearPolitics 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 MapToss-upFiveThirtyEightLean D flipCQ 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 D flipThe 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 D flipCNN2008-10-31 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 D flipNPRLean D flipMSNBCLean D flipFox NewsApril 27, 2010 Winning The Electoral College Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/winning-the-electoral-college/Likely D flipAssociated 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 D flipRasmussen 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.comLean D flip Polling Statewide opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2008#Virginia Statewide opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2008: Virginia After McCain clinched the Republican Party nomination in early March, he took a wide lead in polls against Obama, averaging almost 50%. But through the summer, polling was nearly dead even, with McCain only slightly leading Obama. After the Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Obama took a wide lead in the polls. In October, Obama won every single poll taken but one, and reached over 50% in most of them. The final three polls averaged Obama leading 51% to 46%.http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/va/virginia_mccain_vs_obama-551.html#polls 2008 - Virginia: McCain vs. Obama - RealClearPolitics www.realclearpolitics.com http://uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/PRESIDENT/2008/pollsa.php?fips=51 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081023095803/http://www.uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/PRESIDENT/2008/pollsa.php?fips=51 2008-10-23 Election 2008 Polls - Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections Fundraising Obama raised $17,035,784. McCain raised $16,130,194.http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=VA&cand_id=P00000001 Presidential Campaign Finance 2009-08-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20090324090057/http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=VA&cand_id=P00000001 2009-03-24 dead Spending and visits Obama spent over $26 million to McCain spending just $14 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-Biden ticket visited the state 19 times compared to just 10 times for McCain-Palin.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/candidate.visits/ CNN Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com 2010-05-26 Analysis thumb|right|Voters wait in queue at a polling station on the campus of George Mason University On Election Day, early returns showed McCain ahead. Election 2008: Time lapse of U.S. counties https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/results.htm USA Today 4 July 2008 2009-05-31 This was due in large part to the fact that many of the rural areas began to report first. However, Obama swamped McCain by scoring a near-sweep in Northern Virginia, which reported its returns last. Obama did exceptionally well throughout the most populous regions of the state. Northern Virginia overwhelmingly supported Obama.Leip David 2008 Presidential General Election Results http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2008&fips=51&f=0&off=0&elect=0 2009-05-31 David Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections In Arlington County and the independent city of Alexandria, the most traditionally Democratic jurisdictions in the region, Obama got over 70% of the vote, improving on Kerry by between 4% and 5% in both. In Fairfax County (the largest county in the state, and a then-traditionally Republican county that Kerry had become the first Democrat in 40 years to carry in 2004) Obama exceeded 60%, improving on Kerry's percentage by just shy of 7%. Just beyond Fairfax, to its south and west, Obama flipped the large counties of Loudoun and Prince William, becoming the first Democrat to carry either since 1964. He also won the independent cities of Harrisonburg for the first time since 1940, Hopewell since 1952, Manassas Park since 1976, Staunton since 1944, and Winchester since 1964.Evie Stone NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/vox-politics/2008/11/372_counties_flipped_in_08.html 372 Counties Flipped In '08 2024-05-03 The two other major metropolitan areas in the eastern part of the state, Richmond and Hampton Roads, are somewhat less Democratic than Northern Virginia. In both areas, Obama improved significantly on John Kerry's performance. While Obama easily won Richmond itself (which is 57% African American), he also made significant inroads into Richmond's traditionally heavily Republican suburbs. He carried Henrico County with 57% of the vote; that county last supported a Democrat with Harry S. Truman in 1948.Todd, Chuck and Gawiser, Sheldon. How Barack Obama Won. New York City: Vintage, 2009. In Chesterfield County, Obama did almost 20 points better than Kerry.Election Results 2008 http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html New York Times 2009-05-31 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20041103020223/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/history/ch13.htm November 3, 2004 Both counties had historically been strongly Republican at the national level; Chesterfield had given George W. Bush his largest raw vote margin in Virginia in both 2000 and 2004. Obama also did very well in Hampton Roads. The four Democratic-leaning cities along the harbor - Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, and Portsmouth - gave him margins exceeding 60%. Obama also split the Republican-leaning cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach; he barely won the former and barely lost the latter. Obama's strong performance in the area likely contributed to Democrat Glenn Nye unseating two-term Republican incumbent Thelma Drake in the Virginia 2 2nd Congressional District, a heavy military district which includes all of Virginia Beach and large portions of Norfolk and Hampton. Outside Virginia's three major metropolitan areas, Obama also significantly outperformed Kerry in Albemarle and Montgomery Counties and in a series of independent cities around the state, most significantly Roanoke. Albemarle County surrounds Charlottesville, home to the University of Virginia, and Montgomery County is home to Virginia Tech. Elsewhere in rural Virginia, however, McCain did well. In the Shenandoah Valley and Southside Virginia, both traditional bases for the Republican Party in Virginia,Trende Sean Sean Trende 19 February 2009 Virginia Governor's Preview http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/02/virginia_governors_preview_1.html 2009-05-31 RealClearPolitics The question in Virginia is always whether the Republican Party can hold together its somewhat unwieldy three-legged coalition of historically Republican Virginians in the mountainous Appalachian western portion of the state, social conservatives in the rural areas east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and suburbanites in Northern Virginia and in the Richmond/Hampton Roads areas. Why this coalition is having troubles recently could fill a book. For our purposes, we will oversimplify somewhat and observe the following. Obama ran roughly evenly with Kerry. This area was among the first areas of Virginia to break away from "Solid South" Democratic patterns; the old-line Byrd Democrats had started splitting their tickets as early as the 1930s However, in southwestern Virginia—at the time one of the more traditionally Democratic regions of the state—McCain outperformed Bush in 2004, even flippingBuchanan and Dickenson counties, both of which last voted Republican in 1972; Obama thus became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying the aforementioned two counties since Woodrow Wilson in 1916. However, without the support of suburban voters in the eastern metropolitan areas of the commonwealth, McCain was ultimately unable to hold Virginia. During the same election, former Democratic Governor Mark Warner solidly defeated former Governor (and his predecessor) Republican Jim Gilmore by a two-to-one margin for the open U.S. Senate seat vacated by incumbent Republican John Warner (no relation to Mark Warner). Warner received 65.03% of the vote while Gilmore took in 33.73%. Warner won all but five counties in the state. Democrats also picked up three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the state level, Democrats picked up one seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Results United States presidential election in Virginia, 2008Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Clerk of the United States House of Representatives Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 2008 https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2008election.pdf 63 & 64PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 1,959,532 52.63% 13 Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 1,725,005 46.33% 0 Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 11,483 0.31% 0 Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 11,067 0.30% 0 Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 7,474 0.20% 0 Green Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente 2,344 0.06% 0 Write-ins Write-ins 6,355 0.17% 0 Totals 3,723,260 100.00% 13 Voter turnout (Voting age population) 65.1% By city and county County/cityBarack ObamaDemocraticJohn McCainRepublicanOther candidatesVarious partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#% Accomack 7,607 48.69% 7,833 50.14% 183 1.17% -226 -1.45% 15,623 Albemarle 29,792 58.43% 20,576 40.36% 616 1.21% 9,216 18.07% 50,984 Alexandria 50,473 71.73% 19,181 27.26% 710 1.01% 31,292 44.47% 70,364 Alleghany 3,553 48.22% 3,715 50.41% 101 1.37% -162 -2.19% 7,369 Amelia 2,488 38.11% 3,970 60.81% 71 1.08% -1,482 -22.70% 6,529 Amherst 6,094 41.46% 8,470 57.62% 136 0.92% -2,376 -16.16% 14,700 Appomattox 2,641 34.61% 4,903 64.26% 86 1.13% -2,262 -29.65% 7,630 Arlington 78,994 71.71% 29,876 27.12% 1,283 1.17% 49,118 44.59% 110,153 Augusta 9,825 29.47% 23,120 69.35% 393 1.18% -13,295 -39.88% 33,338 Bath 1,043 42.89% 1,349 55.47% 40 1.64% -306 -12.58% 2,432 Bedford 11,017 30.75% 24,420 68.16% 393 1.09% -13,403 -37.41% 35,830 Bedford City 1,208 44.18% 1,497 54.75% 29 1.07% -289 -10.57% 2,734 Bland 864 29.20% 2,031 68.64% 64 2.16% -1,167 -39.44% 2,959 Botetourt 5,693 32.71% 11,471 65.90% 242 1.39% -5,778 -33.19% 17,406 Bristol 2,665 36.21% 4,579 62.22% 115 1.57% -1,914 -26.01% 7,359 Brunswick 4,973 62.84% 2,877 36.35% 64 0.81% 2,096 26.49% 7,914 Buchanan 4,063 46.52% 4,541 51.99% 130 1.49% -478 -5.47% 8,734 Buckingham 3,489 49.89% 3,428 49.01% 77 1.10% 61 0.88% 6,994 Buena Vista 1,108 45.73% 1,282 52.91% 33 1.36% -174 -7.18% 2,423 Campbell 8,091 31.34% 17,444 67.58% 279 1.08% -9,353 -36.24% 25,814 Caroline 7,163 55.45% 5,617 43.48% 139 1.07% 1,546 11.97% 12,919 Carroll 4,109 32.67% 8,187 65.08% 283 2.25% -4,078 -32.41% 12,579 Charles City 2,838 68.34% 1,288 31.01% 27 0.65% 1,550 37.33% 4,153 Charlotte 2,705 43.93% 3,372 54.77% 80 1.30% -667 -10.84% 6,157 Charlottesville 15,705 78.35% 4,078 20.35% 261 1.30% 11,627 58.00% 20,044 Chesapeake 53,994 50.22% 52,625 48.94% 902 0.84% 1,369 1.28% 107,521 Chesterfield 74,310 45.85% 86,413 53.31% 1,365 0.84% -12,103 -7.46% 162,088 Clarke 3,457 46.52% 3,840 51.68% 134 1.80% -383 -5.16% 7,431 Colonial Heights 2,562 28.95% 6,161 69.62% 126 1.43% -3,599 -40.67% 8,849 Covington 1,304 55.40% 1,020 43.33% 30 1.27% 284 12.07% 2,354 Craig 877 33.46% 1,695 64.67% 49 1.87% -818 -31.21% 2,621 Culpeper 8,802 44.59% 10,711 54.26% 228 1.15% -1,909 -9.67% 19,741 Cumberland 2,255 47.73% 2,418 51.19% 51 1.08% -163 -3.46% 4,724 Danville 12,352 59.13% 8,361 40.02% 177 0.85% 3,991 19.11% 20,890 Dickenson 3,278 48.54% 3,324 49.22% 151 2.24% -46 -0.68% 6,753 Dinwiddie 6,246 48.45% 6,526 50.62% 120 0.93% -280 -2.17% 12,892 Emporia 1,702 65.04% 897 34.28% 18 0.68% 805 30.76% 2,617 Essex 2,934 54.70% 2,379 44.35% 51 0.95% 555 10.35% 5,364 Fairfax 310,359 60.12% 200,994 38.93% 4,901 0.95% 109,365 21.19% 516,254 Fairfax City 6,575 57.69% 4,691 41.16% 132 1.15% 1,884 16.53% 11,398 Falls Church 4,695 69.56% 1,970 29.19% 85 1.25% 2,725 40.37% 6,750 Fauquier 14,616 42.71% 19,227 56.19% 376 1.10% -4,611 -13.48% 34,219 Floyd 2,937 39.08% 4,441 59.09% 138 1.83% -1,504 -20.01% 7,516 Fluvanna 6,185 48.57% 6,420 50.41% 130 1.02% -235 -1.84% 12,735 Franklin 9,618 37.86% 15,414 60.68% 369 1.46% -5,796 -22.82% 25,401 Franklin City 2,819 63.68% 1,576 35.60% 32 0.72% 1,243 28.08% 4,427 Frederick 12,961 38.56% 20,149 59.95% 502 1.49% -7,188 -21.39% 33,612 Fredericksburg 6,155 63.60% 3,413 35.27% 109 1.13% 2,742 28.33% 9,677 Galax 1,052 43.80% 1,317 54.83% 33 1.37% -265 -11.03% 2,402 Giles 3,192 40.95% 4,462 57.24% 141 1.81% -1,270 -16.29% 7,795 Gloucester 6,916 35.98% 12,089 62.89% 217 1.13% -5,173 -26.91% 19,222 Goochland 4,813 38.31% 7,643 60.84% 106 0.85% -2,830 -22.53% 12,562 Grayson 2,480 34.35% 4,540 62.88% 200 2.77% -2,060 -28.53% 7,220 Greene 3,174 38.43% 4,980 60.29% 106 1.28% -1,806 -21.86% 8,260 Greensville 3,122 63.88% 1,729 35.38% 36 0.74% 1,393 28.50% 4,887 Halifax 8,126 48.23% 8,600 51.04% 124 0.73% -474 -2.81% 16,850 Hampton 46,917 69.05% 20,476 30.14% 550 0.81% 26,441 38.91% 67,943 Hanover 18,447 32.80% 37,344 66.39% 457 0.81% -18,897 -33.59% 56,248 Harrisonburg 8,444 57.54% 6,048 41.21% 183 1.25% 2,396 16.33% 14,675 Henrico 86,323 55.70% 67,381 43.48% 1,262 0.82% 18,942 12.22% 154,966 Henry 11,118 44.09% 13,758 54.56% 339 1.35% -2,640 -10.47% 25,215 Highland 590 37.97% 930 59.85% 34 2.18% -340 -21.88% 1,554 Hopewell 5,285 55.49% 4,149 43.56% 90 0.95% 1,136 11.93% 9,524 Isle of Wight 8,573 42.87% 11,258 56.30% 166 0.83% -2,685 -13.43% 19,997 James City 17,352 44.95% 20,912 54.17% 339 0.88% -3,560 -9.22% 38,603 King and Queen 1,918 51.77% 1,763 47.58% 24 0.65% 155 4.19% 3,705 King George 4,473 42.71% 5,888 56.22% 113 1.07% -1,415 -13.51% 10,474 King William 3,344 39.87% 4,966 59.20% 78 0.93% -1,622 -19.33% 8,388 Lancaster 3,235 46.63% 3,647 52.57% 56 0.80% -412 -5.94% 6,938 Lee 3,219 34.89% 5,825 63.13% 183 1.98% -2,606 -28.24% 9,227 Lexington 1,543 62.24% 914 36.87% 22 0.89% 629 25.37% 2,479 Loudoun 74,845 53.67% 63,336 45.42% 1,278 0.91% 11,509 8.25% 139,459 Louisa 6,978 45.45% 8,182 53.29% 193 1.26% -1,204 -7.84% 15,353 Lunenburg 2,703 47.84% 2,900 51.33% 47 0.83% -197 -3.49% 5,650 Lynchburg 16,269 47.37% 17,638 51.36% 434 1.27% -1,369 -3.99% 34,341 Madison 2,862 42.72% 3,758 56.10% 79 1.18% -896 -13.38% 6,699 Manassas 7,518 55.17% 5,975 43.85% 134 0.98% 1,543 11.32% 13,627 Manassas Park 2,463 59.49% 1,634 39.47% 43 1.04% 829 20.02% 4,140 Martinsville 4,139 63.48% 2,311 35.44% 70 1.08% 1,828 28.04% 6,520 Mathews 1,934 35.55% 3,456 63.53% 50 0.92% -1,522 -27.98% 5,440 Mecklenburg 7,127 47.26% 7,817 51.83% 138 0.91% -690 -4.57% 15,082 Middlesex 2,391 39.81% 3,545 59.02% 70 1.17% -1,154 -19.21% 6,006 Montgomery 21,031 51.73% 19,028 46.81% 594 1.46% 2,003 4.92% 40,653 Nelson 4,391 53.99% 3,647 44.84% 95 1.17% 744 9.15% 8,133 New Kent 3,493 34.96% 6,385 63.91% 113 1.13% -2,892 -28.95% 9,991 Newport News 51,972 63.93% 28,667 35.26% 656 0.81% 23,305 28.67% 81,295 Norfolk 62,819 71.03% 24,814 28.06% 813 0.91% 38,005 42.97% 88,446 Northampton 3,800 57.70% 2,713 41.19% 73 1.11% 1,087 16.51% 6,586 Northumberland 3,312 44.72% 4,041 54.56% 53 0.72% -729 -9.84% 7,406 Norton 743 49.14% 744 49.21% 25 1.65% -1 -0.07% 1,512 Nottoway 3,413 48.84% 3,499 50.07% 76 1.09% -86 -1.23% 6,988 Orange 7,107 44.98% 8,506 53.83% 188 1.19% -1,399 -8.85% 15,801 Page 4,235 40.76% 6,041 58.15% 113 1.09% -1,806 -17.39% 10,389 Patrick 2,879 33.75% 5,491 64.37% 161 1.88% -2,612 -30.62% 8,531 Petersburg 13,774 88.64% 1,583 10.19% 183 1.17% 12,191 78.45% 15,540 Pittsylvania 11,415 37.51% 18,730 61.55% 288 0.94% -7,315 -24.04% 30,433 Poquoson 1,748 24.74% 5,229 74.01% 88 1.25% -3,481 -49.27% 7,065 Portsmouth 32,327 69.27% 13,984 29.97% 354 0.76% 18,343 39.30% 46,665 Powhatan 4,237 29.31% 10,088 69.78% 131 0.91% -5,851 -40.47% 14,456 Prince Edward 5,101 54.34% 4,174 44.46% 113 1.20% 927 9.88% 9,388 Prince George 7,130 44.55% 8,752 54.68% 124 0.77% -1,622 -10.13% 16,006 Prince William 93,435 57.52% 67,621 41.63% 1,390 0.85% 25,814 15.89% 162,446 Pulaski 5,918 39.32% 8,857 58.85% 275 1.83% -2,939 -19.53% 15,050 Radford 2,930 53.97% 2,418 44.54% 81 1.49% 512 9.43% 5,429 Rappahannock 2,105 47.79% 2,227 50.56% 73 1.65% -122 -2.77% 4,405 Richmond 1,618 43.20% 2,092 55.86% 35 0.94% -474 -12.66% 3,745 Richmond City 73,623 79.09% 18,649 20.03% 813 0.88% 54,974 59.06% 93,085 Roanoke 19,812 38.87% 30,571 59.97% 592 1.16% -10,759 -21.10% 50,975 Roanoke City 24,934 61.15% 15,394 37.76% 444 1.09% 9,540 23.39% 40,772 Rockbridge 4,347 42.64% 5,732 56.22% 116 1.14% -1,385 -13.58% 10,195 Rockingham 10,453 31.36% 22,468 67.40% 413 1.24% -12,015 -36.04% 33,334 Russell 4,932 42.91% 6,389 55.59% 173 1.50% -1,457 -12.68% 11,494 Salem 5,164 41.63% 7,088 57.13% 154 1.24% -1,924 -15.50% 12,406 Scott 2,725 27.59% 6,980 70.68% 170 1.73% -4,255 -43.09% 9,875 Shenandoah 6,912 35.96% 12,005 62.45% 306 1.59% -5,093 -26.49% 19,223 Smyth 4,239 34.46% 7,817 63.54% 246 2.00% -3,578 -29.08% 12,302 Southampton 4,402 48.55% 4,583 50.55% 82 0.90% -181 -2.00% 9,067 Spotsylvania 24,897 46.05% 28,610 52.91% 562 1.04% -3,713 -6.86% 54,069 Stafford 25,716 46.37% 29,221 52.69% 518 0.94% -3,505 -6.32% 55,455 Staunton 5,569 50.56% 5,330 48.39% 116 1.05% 239 2.17% 11,015 Suffolk 22,446 56.24% 17,165 43.01% 297 0.75% 5,281 13.23% 39,908 Surry 2,626 60.72% 1,663 38.45% 36 0.83% 963 22.27% 4,325 Sussex 3,301 61.55% 2,026 37.78% 36 0.67% 1,275 23.77% 5,363 Tazewell 5,596 32.80% 11,201 65.65% 264 1.55% -5,605 -32.85% 17,061 Virginia Beach 98,885 49.14% 100,319 49.85% 2,045 1.01% -1,434 -0.71% 201,249 Warren 6,997 43.39% 8,879 55.06% 250 1.55% -1,882 -11.67% 16,126 Washington 8,063 32.91% 16,077 65.62% 360 1.47% -8,014 -32.71% 24,500 Waynesboro 3,906 44.09% 4,815 54.35% 139 1.56% -909 -10.26% 8,860 Westmoreland 4,577 54.64% 3,719 44.40% 81 0.96% 858 10.24% 8,377 Williamsburg 4,328 63.77% 2,353 34.67% 106 0.95% 1,975 29.10% 6,787 Winchester 5,268 52.02% 4,725 46.66% 133 1.32% 543 5.36% 10,126 Wise 4,995 35.33% 8,914 63.05% 229 1.62% -3,919 -27.72% 14,138 Wythe 4,107 32.88% 8,207 65.70% 177 1.42% -4,100 -32.82% 12,491 York 13,700 40.42% 19,833 58.51% 364 1.07% -6,133 -18.09% 33,897Totals1,959,53252.63%1,725,00546.33%38,7231.04%234,5276.30%3,723,260 right 300px Swing by county and independent city 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% #ff2a2a Republican — +10-12.5% #ff0000 Republican — +12.5-15% #d40000 Republican — +>15% 300px Trend relative to the state by county and independent city Legend #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% #ff2a2a Republican — +10-12.5% #ff0000 Republican — +12.5-15% #d40000 Republican — +>15% 300px County and independent city flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold #0671b0 Flip Republican #f48882 Hold #ca0120 Flip Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican Buchanan (largest city: Grundy) Dickenson (largest borough: Clintwood) Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic 29em Buckingham (largest borough: Buckingham) Caroline (largest borough: Bowling Green) Chesapeake (independent city) Essex (largest borough: Tappahannock) Harrisonburg (independent city) Henrico (largest borough: Richmond) Hopewell (independent city) King and Queen (largest borough: King and Queen Courthouse) Loudoun (largest borough: Leesburg) Manassas (independent city) Manassas Park (independent city) Montgomery (largest borough: Blacksburg) Prince William (largest borough: Manassas) Radford (independent city) Staunton (independent city) Suffolk (independent city) Westmoreland (largest borough: Montross) Winchester (independent city) By congressional district Barack Obama carried six of the state's 11 congressional districts. Both candidates carried two districts won by the other party. District McCain Obama RepresentativeVirginia 1 1st51% 48%Jo Ann Davis (110th Congress)Rob Wittman (111th Congress)Virginia 2 2nd48%50%Thelma Drake (110th Congress)Glenn Nye (111th Congress)Virginia 3 3rd 24% 76%Bobby ScottVirginia 4 4th 49% 50%Randy ForbesVirginia 5 5th51%48%Virgil Goode (110th Congress)Tom Perriello (111th Congress)Virginia 6 6th 57% 42%Bob GoodlatteVirginia 7 7th 53% 46%Eric CantorVirginia 8 8th 30% 69%Jim MoranVirginia 9 9th 59% 40%Rick BoucherVirginia 10 10th 46% 53%Frank WolfVirginia 11 11th42%57%Thomas M. Davis (110th Congress)Gerry Connolly (111th Congress) Electors List of 2008 United States presidential electors Technically the voters of Virginia cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Virginia is allocated 13 electors because it has 11 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 13 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 13 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 13 were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden:http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/documents/08PVPGEN_CAN.pdf President and Vice President November 4, 2008 General Election - Electors Names and Addresses September 9, 2008 Commonwealth of Virginia State Board of Elections March 18, 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110604225700/http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/documents/08PVPGEN_CAN.pdf June 4, 2011 Christia Rey Sandra Brandt Betty Squire Susan Johnston Rowland Marc Finney Dorothy Blackwell James Harold Allen Boyd Marian Van Landingham Robert Edgar Childress Rolland Winter Janet Carver Michael Jon Sophie Ann Salley References Virginia 2008 Category:2008 Virginia elections