2008 United States presidential election in Nebraska

none June 2025 March 2026 April 2012 2008 United States presidential election 2008 United States presidential election in Nebraska Nebraska presidential no 2004 United States presidential election in Nebraska 2004 2012 United States presidential election in Nebraska 2012 November 4, 2008 File:John McCain official portrait 2009 (cropped).jpg 200x200px John McCain Republican Party (United States) Arizona Sarah Palin 4 452,979 56.53% File:Obama portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 1 333,319 41.60% 350px County results 350px Congressional district results McCain #E27F90 50–60% #CC2F4A 60–70% #D40000 70–80% #AA0000 80–90% Obama #B9D7FF 40–50% #86B6F2 50–60% President George W. Bush Republican Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) The 2008 United States presidential election in Nebraska took place on November 4, 2008, as part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose five electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Nebraska is one of the two states of the U.S. that, instead of giving all of its electors to the winner based on its statewide results, allocates just two electoral votes to the winner of the statewide popular vote. The other three electors vote based on each congressional district's results. Nebraska, statewide, was not a swing state in 2008. Located in the Great Plains of the United States, it is one of the most staunchly Republican states in the country. While some hypothetical general election match-up polls between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama showed the race to be seemingly close, they were largely regarded as outliers as more polls released showed McCain leading in double digits. McCain wound up carrying the popular vote in Nebraska by 14.93 points, taking in 56.53% of the total statewide vote. However, Obama narrowly defeated McCain in Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, which contains Omaha and the surrounding areas. Obama was the first Democrat to win the district since 1964. Due to Nebraska's system of allocating electoral votes to winners of Congressional Districts, Obama won one electoral vote while John McCain received the state's other four electoral votes. On top of this, his 41.6% of the statewide popular vote is the highest a Democratic presidential candidate has won in Nebraska since Lyndon B. Johnson carried the state in his 1964 landslide. This was the first election ever that Nebraska split its electoral votes, the first since 1964 that a Democrat won an electoral vote from the state, which would later occur in 2020, and 2024, and the first state to split its electoral votes without faithless electors since 1960. As of 2024, this remains the last time that a Democrat has won more than 40% of the vote in Nebraska. Primaries & caucuses 2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses 2008 Nebraska Republican presidential primary 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 2022-10-23 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20090101161206/http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com/Predictions.html 2009-01-01Likely RCook 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 RThe 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 RElectoral-vote.comElectoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily https://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Dec31.html 2021-08-23 electoral-vote.comSolid RWashington PostBased on TakeawaySolid RPoliticoPOLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com https://www.politico.com/convention/swingstate.html 2016-09-22 www.politico.comSolid RRealClearPolitics 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 Map Solid RFiveThirtyEightSolid RCQ 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 RThe 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 RCNN2008-10-31 October – 2008 – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs CNN http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/ May 26, 2010 June 19, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100619013250/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/ deadSolid RNPRSolid RMSNBCSolid RFox NewsApril 27, 2010 Winning The Electoral College Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/winning-the-electoral-college/Likely RAssociated 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 RRasmussen 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 R Polling Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election#Nebraska Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election: Nebraska McCain led in every single pre-election poll. Since May, he led in each poll by a double-digit margin of victory and each with at least 52% of the vote.Election 2008 Polls – Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections Fundraising John McCain raised a total of $678,059 in the state, while Barack Obama raised $864,393.http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=NE&cand_id=P00000001 Presidential Campaign Finance August 19, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090324090027/http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=NE&cand_id=P00000001 March 24, 2009 dead Advertising and visits Obama spent $55,807 while McCain and the Republican Trust PAC spent a total of just $1,225.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/ad.spending/ CNN Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com May 26, 2010 Both Obama and McCain visited the state once. Obama held a downtown rally at OmahaYouTube – Barack Obama Omaha Rally and McCain traveled to both Omaha and Ashland. Palin also visited Omaha once.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/candidate.visits/ CNN Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com May 26, 2010 Campaign in Omaha Nebraska has two electoral votes that go to the winner of the popular vote in the state, while the other three are split based on whichever candidate wins the popular vote in each of Nebraska's three congressional districts, all of which have trended Republican in the past elections. However, Nebraska's 2nd congressional District, which encompasses Omaha, is significantly less conservative. Nebraska's second congressional was considered as a battleground area by some, leading the Obama campaign to open a single campaign office in Omaha with 15 staff members to cover the congressional district in September 2008."Obama Camp Targets Omaha: Obama Makes A Play In Nebraska, One Of Only Two States That Can Split It's Electoral Votes", CBS. Retrieved 9/27/08. More than 900 people attended the opening of those offices. Democratic Mayor Mike Fahey of Omaha said that he would do whatever it takes to deliver the electoral vote tied to the 2nd Congressional District to Obama, and the Obama Campaign considered Nebraska's 2nd congressional district "in play".Bratton, A.J. "Hundreds visit Obama's Omaha headquarters", Associated Press. September 10, 2008. Retrieved 9/27/08. Former Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey and then senior U.S. Senator Ben Nelson campaigned in the city for Obama."Senators To Campaign In Omaha For Obama" https://web.archive.org/web/20110927135339/http://www.ketv.com/politics/17458608/detail.html September 27, 2011 , KETV. September 12, 2008. Retrieved 9/27/08. Analysis Nebraska, part of the conservative Great Plains region, is one of the most Republican states in the nation. It has only gone Democratic in a presidential election seven times since statehood. Continuing on that trend, McCain won Nebraska by nearly 15 points. Obama was only able to win four counties: Douglas County, which contains Omaha; Lancaster County, which contains the state capital of Lincoln and the University of Nebraska; Saline County; and Thurston County, which contains a Native American reservation and was the only county to be won by John Kerry in 2004. No Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide 1964 victory has ever won more than four counties in Nebraska.Leip David Presidential General Election Map Comparison Nebraska http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ April 19, 2009 In 2008, McCain won Nebraska's 1st Congressional District and Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District by fairly safe margins,http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapPNE CNN Election Center 2008 – Nebraska Results November 23, 2008 along with the state as a whole, but Obama managed to carry Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, based in Omaha, by a slim margin of 1,260 votes, resulting in one of Nebraska's five electoral votes being awarded to Obama.http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_sid=10481441 https://archive.today/20081110070009/http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_sid=10481441 dead November 10, 2008 Omaha.com Elections Section November 23, 2008 This was a particularly notable win, because with Nebraska's split electoral vote system Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win an electoral vote from Nebraska since 1964."Obama wins electoral votes in Omaha", Omaha World-Herald. November 8, 2008. Retrieved 11/11/08. Obama did particularly well in the state's two most populated counties, Douglas and Lancaster. Obama was able to carve out small victories and became the first Democrat to carry those counties since 1964.Election Results 2008 http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html New York Times April 19, 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20041103020223/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/history/ch13.htm November 3, 2004 2024 11 As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Saline County voted Democratic. During the same election, Republicans held the open U.S. Senate seat vacated by Republican Chuck Hagel who retired. Former Republican Governor Mike Johanns easily defeated Democrat Scott Kleeb, a rancher, by 17.46 points. Johanns received 57.52% of the total vote while Kleeb took in 40.06%. At the state level, a candidate known to be a Republican picked up a seat in the nonpartisan and unicameral Nebraska Legislature in 2008. Results 2008 United States presidential election in NebraskaPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 452,979 56.53% 4 Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 333,319 41.60% 1 Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 5,406 0.67% 0 Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 2,972 0.37% 0 Write-ins Write-in candidates 2,837 0.35% 0 Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 2,740 0.34% 0 Green Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente 1,028 0.13% 0 Totals 801,281 100.00% 5 Voter turnout n/a — By county CountyJohn McCainRepublicanBarack ObamaDemocraticVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#%Adams8,25262.47%4,68535.47%2732.06%3,56727.00%13,210Antelope2,38374.82%75723.77%451.41%1,62651.05%3,185Arthur21782.51%3914.83%72.66%17867.68%263Banner34883.65%6214.90%61.45%28668.75%416Blaine26684.18%4313.61%72.21%22370.57%316Boone2,04272.00%74226.16%521.84%1,30045.84%2,836Box Butte2,93258.89%1,88637.88%1613.23%1,04621.01%4,979Boyd83975.59%25022.52%211.89%58953.07%1,110Brown1,20877.09%31119.85%483.06%89757.24%1,567Buffalo13,09767.88%5,86730.41%3291.71%7,23037.47%19,293Burt1,90756.30%1,41341.72%671.98%49414.58%3,387Butler2,55766.61%1,19031.00%922.39%1,36735.61%3,839Cass7,12058.74%4,75339.21%2492.05%2,36719.53%12,122Cedar2,91269.77%1,19028.51%721.72%1,72241.26%4,174Chase1,47780.10%34118.49%261.41%1,13661.61%1,844Cherry2,36077.15%59919.58%1003.27%1,76157.57%3,059Cheyenne3,57273.82%1,17324.24%941.94%2,39949.58%4,839Clay2,17771.78%78025.72%762.50%1,39746.06%3,033Colfax2,01863.00%1,12535.12%601.88%89327.88%3,203Cuming2,73266.85%1,27431.17%811.98%1,45835.68%4,087Custer4,30177.11%1,19221.37%851.52%3,10955.74%5,578Dakota3,29251.47%2,99446.81%1101.72%2984.66%6,396Dawes2,37662.94%1,28534.04%1143.02%1,09128.90%3,775Dawson5,46068.37%2,39930.04%1271.59%3,06138.33%7,986Deuel73273.72%24324.47%181.81%48949.25%993Dixon1,78563.89%94633.86%632.25%83930.03%2,794Dodge8,55755.03%6,68943.02%3041.95%1,86812.01%15,550Douglas106,29146.89%116,81051.53%3,6001.58%-10,519-4.64%226,701Dundy78376.84%21821.39%181.77%56555.45%1,019Fillmore1,91364.91%96232.64%722.45%95132.27%2,947Franklin1,07969.52%44228.48%312.00%63741.04%1,552Frontier1,03473.65%34924.86%211.49%68548.79%1,404Furnas1,72574.10%55623.88%472.02%1,16950.22%2,328Gage5,43553.49%4,47344.03%2522.48%9629.46%10,160Garden84474.17%28324.87%110.96%56149.30%1,138Garfield80077.67%21220.58%181.75%58857.09%1,030Gosper77674.05%26024.81%121.14%51649.24%1,048Grant31886.65%4111.17%82.18%27775.48%367Greeley71559.63%45838.20%262.17%25721.43%1,199Hall12,97761.01%7,85536.93%4392.06%5,12224.08%21,271Hamilton3,38970.62%1,33227.76%781.62%2,05742.86%4,799Harlan1,32975.25%40222.76%351.99%92752.49%1,766Hayes46183.36%8515.37%71.27%37667.99%553Hitchcock1,00172.59%34625.09%322.32%65547.50%1,379Holt3,74675.31%1,08921.89%1392.80%2,65753.42%4,974Hooker35581.05%7517.12%81.83%28063.93%438Howard1,84761.65%1,08336.15%662.20%76425.50%2,996Jefferson2,10356.88%1,52041.11%742.01%58315.77%3,697Johnson1,14254.12%91443.32%542.56%22810.80%2,110Kearney2,22470.60%87627.81%501.59%1,34842.79%3,150Keith2,94274.14%97424.55%521.31%1,96849.59%3,968Keya Paha40976.74%11521.58%91.68%29455.16%533Kimball1,34674.32%43924.24%261.44%90750.08%1,811Knox2,72866.80%1,25530.73%1012.47%1,47336.07%4,084Lancaster59,39846.59%65,73451.56%2,3581.85%-6,336-4.97%127,490Lincoln10,81766.46%5,04631.00%4142.54%5,77135.46%16,277Logan32778.61%8119.47%81.92%24659.14%416Loup30276.84%8621.88%51.28%21654.96%393Madison9,65568.74%4,14229.49%2481.77%5,51339.25%14,045McPherson24081.91%4515.36%82.73%19566.55%293Merrick2,37569.22%98628.74%702.04%1,38940.48%3,431Morrill1,72573.37%55723.69%692.94%1,16849.68%2,351Nance1,11665.38%54932.16%422.46%56733.22%1,707Nemaha2,13461.43%1,24035.69%1002.88%89425.74%3,474Nuckolls1,49867.45%65729.58%662.97%84137.87%2,221Otoe4,03356.87%2,91541.10%1442.03%1,11815.77%7,092Pawnee85962.07%48334.90%423.03%37627.17%1,384Perkins1,09276.90%31021.83%181.27%78255.07%1,420Phelps3,36075.12%1,05023.47%631.41%2,31051.65%4,473Pierce2,38573.93%78324.27%581.80%1,60249.66%3,226Platte9,37369.84%3,79628.29%2511.87%5,57741.55%13,420Polk1,82271.65%66826.27%532.08%1,15445.38%2,543Red Willow3,73574.05%1,21624.11%931.84%2,51949.94%5,044Richardson2,34259.02%1,51338.13%1132.85%82920.89%3,968Rock64079.90%13917.35%222.75%50162.55%801Saline2,43446.35%2,67450.92%1432.73%-240-4.57%5,251Sarpy38,81657.06%28,01041.18%1,1961.76%10,80615.88%68,022Saunders6,18860.60%3,76736.89%2572.51%2,42123.71%10,212Scotts Bluff9,70865.91%4,74532.21%2771.88%4,96333.70%14,730Seward4,64761.72%2,70335.90%1792.38%1,94425.82%7,529Sheridan1,94178.84%45418.44%672.72%1,48760.40%2,462Sherman95060.43%58537.21%372.36%36523.22%1,572Sioux60382.38%11715.98%121.64%48666.40%732Stanton1,78171.38%66426.61%502.01%1,11744.77%2,495Thayer1,74965.78%86032.34%501.88%88933.44%2,659Thomas33184.87%5113.08%82.05%28071.79%390Thurston97245.72%1,12052.68%341.60%-148-6.96%2,126Valley1,65768.39%70629.14%602.47%95139.25%2,423Washington6,42562.26%3,71135.96%1841.78%2,71426.30%10,320Wayne2,50365.73%1,24932.80%561.47%1,25432.93%3,808Webster1,23367.86%55230.38%321.76%68137.48%1,817Wheeler33475.91%9621.82%102.27%23854.09%440York4,84873.81%1,60724.47%1131.72%3,24149.34%6,568Totals452,97956.53%333,31941.60%14,9831.87%119,66014.93%801,281 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Douglas (largest city: Omaha) Lancaster (largest city: Lincoln) Saline (largest city: Crete) right 300px 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% 300px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #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 flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold #0671b0 Flip Republican #f48882 Hold By congressional district McCain carried two of the state's three congressional districts, while Barack Obama carried one congressional district held by a Republican.Official Results of Nebraska General Election - November 4, 2008 https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2008/2008%20General%20Canvass%20Book.pdf February 1, 2025 District McCain Obama Other Representative # % # % # %Nebraska 1 1st 148,179 54.10% 121,411 44.33% 4,303 1.57%Jeff Fortenberry Nebraska 2 2nd 135,439 48.75% 138,809 49.97% 3,561 1.28%Lee TerryNebraska 3 3rd 169,361 68.64% 73,099 29.63% 4,282 1.73%Adrian Smith Electors List of 2008 United States presidential electors Technically the voters of Nebraska cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Nebraska is allocated 5 electors because it has 3 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 5 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 2 electoral votes, and the other 3 are allocated via the individual results of the congressional districts. 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 November 1, 2008 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 5 members of the Electoral College from the state. 4 of the electors were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin; 2 at large, 1 for each of the 1st and 3rd Congressional districts. 1 was pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden: Charles Thone is an elector for Nebraska's 1st congressional district pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin.Nebraska Certificate of Ascertainment, page 1 of 3.. National Archives and Records Administration. William Forsee is an elector for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.https://archive.today/20120906144924/http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10515098 Elector casts first Nebraska Democratic vote in 44 years, Omaha World-Herald. D. Neal Smith is an elector for Nebraska's 3rd congressional district pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin. Norman Riffel is an at-large elector pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin. Patricia Dorwart is an at-large elector pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin. See also United States presidential elections in Nebraska Presidency of Barack Obama References 30em Nebraska 2008 Category:2008 Nebraska elections