The election of the President of the United States of America 2008 was held on November 4, 2008 [2] . It was the 56th consecutive election of the President and Vice President of the United States for a four-year term. They coincided with the Senate elections in 2008 (in 31 states), the elections to the House of Representatives (in all states) and the elections of governors (in 11 states), as well as various referenda and local elections.
← 2004  2012 → | |||
| US Presidential Election (2008) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| November 4th | |||
| Voter turnout | 58.2% | ||
 |  | ||
| Candidate | Barack Obama | John McCain | |
| The consignment | Democratic Party | Republican Party | |
| From | Illinois | Arizona | |
| Vice President | Joe Biden | Sarah Palin | |
| Votes | 365 (52.9% [1] ) | 173 (45.7% [1] ) | |
 State Electoral Distribution | |||
The distribution of votes (that is, how much each state gives in the electoral college ), as in the 2004 elections , was based on a census conducted in 2000.
Representatives of the US Democratic Party won the election: Barack Obama was elected president, Joseph Biden was elected vice president. Their main opponents were Republican candidates - John McCain and Sarah Palin, respectively. The elected president and elected vice president took office on January 20, 2009 .
For the first time in US history, two incumbent senators fought for the presidency. For the first time, both candidates from the main parties were born outside the continental United States - Obama in Hawaii , and McCain in the Panama Canal Zone . For the first time since 1952, neither the incumbent president nor the incumbent vice president participated in the election ( George W. Bush, under the Constitution, could not run for a third term, and Richard Cheney repeatedly and resolutely rejected all attempts to run for president).
The elections, at any possible outcome, were historical from the point of view of the traditionally poorly represented groups of the population. Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States (he is also the first candidate of African descent to run for this post from the main parties), and Joseph Biden - the first Catholic Vice President of the United States. If McCain had won, then Sarah Palin would have become the first female vice president.
To nominate candidates from leading parties, it was necessary to go through the primaries and get the majority of the delegates' votes of the final party congress: the Democrats - 2025 votes, the Republicans - 1517.
Content
Candidates
Democratic candidates
| Candidate | Portrait | State | Votes | States wins | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama | Illinois | 2072 | 28 | took part in the election: elected president of the United States | |
| Hillary Clinton | New York | 1916 | 17 | starred on June 7 | |
| John edwards | North Carolina | 13 | 0 | starred on January 30 | |
| Mike Gravel | Alaska | 0 | 0 | starred on April 3 | |
| Bill richardson | New Mexico | 0 | 0 | starred on January 10 | |
| Joe Biden | Delaware | 0 | 0 | starred on January 3 | |
| Christopher Dodd | Connecticut | 0 | 0 | starred on January 3 | |
| Dennis Kusinich | Ohio | 0 | 0 | starred on January 23 |
As a result of the primaries, Obama became the single Democratic candidate in this election, receiving the support of more than 2025 necessary delegates.
On August 23, 2008 , Barack Obama declared Joseph Biden a candidate for the post of Vice President of the United States from the Democratic Party .
Republican Party Candidates
| Candidate | Portrait | State | Votes | States wins | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McCain | Arizona | 1517 | 24 | took part in the elections; was defeated | |
| Ron Paul | Texas | 35 | 0 | starred on May 30 | |
| Mike Huckabee | Arkansas | 275 | eight | starred on March 4 | |
| Mitt Romney | Massachusetts | 255 | eleven | starred on February 7 | |
| Rudolph Giuliani | New York | 0 | 0 | starred on January 30 | |
| Elan Keyes | Maryland | 0 | 0 | starred | |
| Duncan hunter | California | 0 | 0 | starred on January 19 | |
| Fred thompson | Tennessee | 0 | 0 | starred on January 22 | |
| Tom Tancredo | Colorado | 0 | 0 | starred on December 20, 2007 |
John McCain became the single Republican candidate in this election, receiving 62.7% of the vote of the congress delegates after the March 4 primaries. According to the results of the primaries, McCain enlisted the support of 1,517 congress delegates, Paul 35. The subsequent primaries did not matter anymore, since the candidate from the Republican Party was known.
Mitt Romney at the time of his exit from the campaign had 255 votes, Mike Huckabee - 275.
To win the congress, it is necessary to get the support of 1191 delegates.
On August 29, John McCain in Dayton, Ohio, declared Alaska Governor Sarah Palin a candidate for US Vice President .
Third Party and Independent Candidates
The candidate from the US Socialist Party was Brian Moore. On April 26, 2008, the US Constitutional Party at its congress nominated Chuck Boldwin as a candidate for president of the United States.
Robert Barr became the libertarian candidate for the election. According to some experts, he could take away votes from Republican John McCain and thus decide the fate of the election if the gap between Democrats and Republicans would be minimal.
| The consignment | Candidate |
|---|---|
| Libertarian Party | Robert Barr |
| Socialist party | Brian Moore |
| Constitutional party | Chuck Baldwin |
| Green party | Cynthia McKinney |
| New American Independent Party | Frank McAnaulty |
| Party for Socialism and Liberation | Gloria La Riva |
| Socialist Workers Party | Roger Calero |
| Boston Tea Party | Charles Jay |
| Ban party | Jen amondson |
| Reformist party | Ted well |
| independent candidate | Alan Keyes |
| independent candidate | Joe Shriner |
Another presidential candidate, Ralph Nader , a well-known lawyer and presidential campaigner in 1996-2004, ran for himself.
Campaign
Obama and McCain’s pre-election debate in 2008 focused on domestic issues [3] .
Surveys
- According to Newsweek (January 23, 07), 28% of Americans would like to see the Republican as president after the 2008 elections, 49% as a Democrat.
Events
- January 3, 2008 : start of the primaries. The first primaries took place in Iowa. They won the Republicans - John McCain , the Democrats - Barack Obama .
- January 26, 2008 : Democrats have already passed 5 primaries. At this point, Obama has 63 congress delegates, Clinton - 48.
- January 29, 2008 : Republicans passed the eighth primaries. John McCain currently has 95 congressional votes, Mitt Romney - 65, Mike Huckabee - 27.
- January 30, 2008 : John Edwards announced the completion of his Democratic campaign.
- January 30, 2008 : Rudy Giuliani announced the completion of his Republican campaign.
- February 5, 2008 : Super Tuesday. Primaries were held in 22 states with Democrats and in 19 states with Republicans.
- February 7, 2008 : Mitt Romney announced the completion of his Republican campaign.
- March 4, 2008 : John McCain became the single Republican candidate, gaining the necessary number of votes of congress delegates. Mike Huckabee withdrew from the polls.
- June 3, 2008 : Barack Obama became the single candidate from the Democratic Party, gaining the required number of votes of congress delegates.
- June 7, 2008 : Hillary Clinton announced the completion of her Democratic campaign.
- August 27, 2008 : It became known that John McCain beat Barack Obama in the number of votes.
- September 26 : The first round of televised debates between presidential candidates. Viewers recognized Obama as the winner.
- October 7 : The second round of television debates. Again, most viewers considered Obama the winner.
- October 15 : Obama and McCain's third and final television debate. They mentioned plumber Joe .
- October 17 : After a series of televised debates, ratings show Obama's advantage over McCain at 8% - Obama 50%, McCain 42%
- October 26 : Opinion polls a week before the election show that Obama’s advantage over McCain is declining: Obama - 49%, McCain - 44%. Obama leads in 31 states, which give 375 votes, McCain - in 19, which give 160 votes. In another draw state, North Dakota is worth 3 electoral votes.
Results
According to the results of the vote count, Democrat Barack Obama confidently won. He is elected the 44th President of the United States.
On December 16, 2008, voting was held by electoral college [4] .
On January 9, 2009, the US Congress approved the election results. Obama scored 365 electoral votes, and his Republican rival John McCain - 173 votes [5] .
| Candidate | Electoral votes | % | Voter votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama | 365 | 67.8% | 69,498,516 | 52.93% |
| John McCain | 173 | 32.2% | 59 948 323 | 45.65% |
| Ralph Nader | 0 | 0% | 739 034 | 0.56% |
| Bob barr | 0 | 0% | 523,715 | 0.40% |
| Chuck Baldwin | 0 | 0% | 199,750 | 0.15% |
| Cynthia McKinney | 0 | 0% | 161 797 | 0.12% |
| Other | 0 | 0% | 242,685 | 0.18% |
| Total | 538 | 100 % | 131,313,820 | 100 % |
State Data
| State | Electors | Barack Obama | John McCain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9 | 38.74% | 60.32% |
| Alaska | 3 | 37.89% | 59.42% |
| Arizona | ten | 44.91% | 53.39% |
| Arkansas | 6 | 38.86% | 58.72% |
| Idaho | four | 35.96% | 61.30% |
| Iowa | 7 | 53.93% | 44.39% |
| Wyoming | 3 | 32.54% | 64.78% |
| Washington | eleven | 57.43% | 40.32% |
| Vermont | 3 | 67.46% | 30.45% |
| Virginia | 13 | 52.63% | 46.33% |
| Wisconsin | ten | 56.22% | 42.31% |
| Delaware | 3 | 61.94% | 36.95% |
| Georgia | 15 | 46.90% | 52.10% |
| Hawaii | four | 71.85% | 26.58% |
| West Virginia | five | 42.57% | 55.68% |
| Illinois | 21 | 61.92% | 36.78% |
| Indiana | eleven | 49.91% | 48.88% |
| California | 55 | 60.95% | 36.92% |
| Kansas | 6 | 41.57% | 56.50% |
| Kentucky | eight | 41.15% | 57.37% |
| Colorado | 9 | 53.66% | 44.71% |
| Connecticut | 7 | 60.59% | 38.22% |
| Louisiana | 9 | 39.93% | 58.56% |
| Massachusetts | 12 | 61.80% | 35.99% |
| Minnesota | ten | 54.06% | 43.82% |
| Mississippi | 6 | 43.00% | 56.18% |
| Missouri | eleven | 49.25% | 49.39% |
| Michigan | 17 | 57.37% | 40.92% |
| Montana | 3 | 47.17% | 49.43% |
| Maine (1st District) | 2 | 60.51% | 37.69% |
| Maine (2nd district) | 2 | 54.61% | 43.35% |
| Maryland | ten | 61.92% | 36.47% |
| Nebraska (1st District) | 2 | 44.34% | 54.09% |
| Nebraska (2nd district) | one | 49.95% | 48.76% |
| Nebraska (3rd arrondissement) | 2 | 29.63% | 68.64% |
| Nevada | five | 55.15% | 42.65% |
| New hampshire | four | 54.13% | 44.52% |
| New Jersey | 15 | 57.15% | 41.62% |
| New Mexico | five | 56.91% | 41.77% |
| New York | 31 | 62.80% | 36.11% |
| Ohio | 20 | 51.36% | 46.83% |
| Oklahoma | 7 | 34.35% | 65.65% |
| Oregon | 7 | 56.75% | 40.40% |
| Pennsylvania | 21 | 54.48% | 44.17% |
| Rhode Island | four | 63.13% | 35.21% |
| North Dakota | 3 | 44.47% | 53.07% |
| North Carolina | 15 | 49.70% | 49.38% |
| Tennessee | eleven | 41.83% | 56.90% |
| Texas | 34 | 43.64% | 55.39% |
| District of Columbia | 3 | 92.46% | 6.53% |
| Florida | 27 | 50.91% | 48.10% |
| South Dakota | 3 | 44.75% | 53.16% |
| South Carolina | eight | 44.90% | 53.87% |
| Utah | five | 34.27% | 62.34% |
International Observer Ratings
According to Anvar Azimov , Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE , observers at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights , observing the general democratic nature of the elections, at the same time “revealed a number of serious violations of OSCE commitments.” Among the violations noted by observers are “falsification of voter lists, deprivation of voters the right to vote, failures in electronic voting systems. Most states lack legislative guarantees for international observers to access polling stations. Problems with secrecy of voting, implementation of procedures and federal laws were noted . ” [6] [7]
Historical Parallels
In the East of the USA, the border between democratic and republican states went approximately along the border between the former states of the Union (“federals”, Yankees ) and the United States (“confederates”, dixies ) during the civil war between the North and the South in 1861–1865 . At the same time, former democratic slaveholding states voted for Republican McCain, and former republican abolitionist states for Democrat Obama. [eight]
See also
- Barack Obama
- Presidency of Barack Obama
- Inauguration of Barack Obama (2009)
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2008/2008presgeresults.pdf
- ↑ Presidential elections officially kicked off in the United States , Echo of Moscow (November 4, 2008).
- ↑ Watching the Eclipse: Michael McFaul was in Russia when the prospects for democracy appeared there and when those prospects began to fade
- ↑ Barack Obama officially became the elected president of the United States . Lenta.ru (December 16, 2008). Date of treatment August 14, 2010. Archived March 10, 2012.
- ↑ The U.S. Congress approved Obama's victory in the election . Lenta.ru (January 8, 2009). Date of treatment August 14, 2010. Archived March 10, 2012.
- ↑ Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE Found Violations in US Elections // Lenta.Ru, November 7, 2008
- ↑ Speech by the Permanent Representative of Russia A. S. Azimov at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, Vienna, November 6, 2008 // Website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, November 7, 2008
- ↑ A. Nagorny, N. Konkov . Obama is president of the crisis
Links
- Beyond Red and Blue: 7 Ways to View the Presidential Election Map - from Scientific American
- 2008 Presidential Candidates at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign commercials from the 2008 election
- How close was the 2008 election? - Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- US Election 2008 Web Monitor
- 2008 Electoral Map
- "Behind the Results", USA Today election coverage
- Joseph Crespino, "The US South and the 2008 Election" , Southern Spaces , December 11, 2008
- United States District Primary Results
- Beyond Red and Blue: 7 Ways to View the Presidential Election Map - from Scientific American
- 2008 Presidential Candidates at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign commercials from the 2008 election
- How close was the 2008 election? - Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- US Election 2008 Web Monitor
- 2008 Electoral Map
- "Behind the Results", USA Today election coverage
- Joseph Crespino, "The US South and the 2008 Election" , Southern Spaces , December 11, 2008
- Data for each candidate