Results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Encyclopedia
The results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries are the detailed outcomes of a series of contests by which members of the United States Democratic Party
choose their candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election
. The contests are held in each of the fifty U.S. state
s, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
, American Samoa
, Guam
, the U.S. Virgin Islands
, and Democrats Abroad
. The outcomes include totals of delegates selected as well as popular vote totals.
In order to secure the nomination at the convention, a candidate must receive at least 2,117 votes from delegates (a simple majority of the 4,233 delegate votes, bearing in mind half-votes from Florida, Michigan, Democrats Abroad and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
At the time of Hillary Clinton's suspending her campaign early on June 7, 2008, the superdelegate count was 246½ for her, and 478 for Barack Obama
, with 99 still uncommitted of the 823½ total then existing.
The breakdown by position for Clinton: 145 DNC, 52½ Representatives, 14 Senators, 17 add-ons, 10½ Governors, and 7½ DPLs.
The breakdown by position for Obama: 229 DNC, 157 Representatives, 34 Senators, 29 add-ons, 20 Governors, and 9 DPLs.
The breakdown for uncommitted voters was: 39 DNC, 22 Representatives, 1½ Senators, 32½ add-ons, 1 Governor, and 3 DPLs.
Dodd and Byrd are considered Senators, the DNC lists them as DPL. Rendell is a Governor, the DNC lists him as a DPL.
on February 5 determined how all 370 of that state's pledged delegates would be apportioned.
Some states, however, hold multiple events to determine delegate allocation. For example, Iowa
uses a series of events to award pledged delegates. The precinct caucus
held on January 3 provided an estimate of delegates to be awarded at later events, but the estimate changed as a result of the March 15 county conventions. Iowa delegates were not actually allocated to candidates until the district conventions on April 26 (when 29 of 45 delegates were awarded) and the state convention on June 14 (when the remaining 16 were awarded). In states with multiple events, like Iowa, the results for early events show the delegate split as it was projected at that time. The rows for later events show updated projections, and outdated projections are indicated withstrikeout. In states with events that apportion some but not all of the state's delegates, both actual and estimated allocations are provided.
This table does not list nomination events that have no effect on the allocation of pledged delegates. For example, it does not list state conventions that determine which persons will fill the role of delegates but not the number of delegates awarded or to whom the delegates are pledged.
Additional notes:
Key:
This section reports popular vote data for the two leading candidates, Barack Obama
and Hillary Clinton. Officially, the popular vote does not matter in the Democratic presidential nomination. However, political experts sometimes look to the popular vote as an indicator of candidate support and momentum. News media frequently report the popular vote on election night, declaring states "won" on this basis. Superdelegates may also consider the popular vote when making their decision about whom to support. Nevertheless, the popular vote count presents many problems and should be interpreted carefully.
After winning West Virginia, the Clinton campaign claimed a lead in the popular vote. However, the math behind this claim relied upon a number of points that were disputed by neutral political observers and by the Obama campaign. Most problematically, the Clinton campaign count gave Clinton 328,309 votes and Obama 0 votes in the disputed Michigan primary.
s, where a simple vote for a candidate is recorded. In caucus
es, the "popular vote" is often interpreted as the number of supporters who vote for each candidate at the conclusion of precinct-level caucuses. The table uses the official "popular vote" reported in all primary states and in the caucus states of Alaska, American Samoa, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Hawaii, Wyoming, and Guam. Official numbers were not reported in the caucus states of Iowa, Nevada, Washington, and Maine. These four states have been estimated by RealClearPolitics
based on other information released by the states. In Texas, two-thirds of pledged delegates were selected through a primary, while one-third were selected through caucuses. However, voters were eligible to participate in the caucuses only if they also voted in the primary, so RealClearPolitics used the primary results and ignored the caucus in determining the popular vote.
Nationwide, the RealClearPolitics tally counted one caucus participant as equal to one primary participant. However, turnout is generally lower in caucuses, and as a result, the popular vote may overweight the influence of primary states. For example, Hawaii and Rhode Island have similar populations, but the opinion of Rhode Islanders is weighted more heavily in the popular vote total. Clinton won the Rhode Island primary 58-40% and received 33,600 more votes than Obama. In contrast, Obama won the Hawaii caucuses 76-24%, but received only 19,500 more votes than Clinton. Thus, some researchers argue that the popular vote underestimates the depth of Obama's support in caucus states. If these states were to hold primaries and Obama were to win by a similar margin, his popular vote total would be considerably higher. However, Clinton argued that she would have done better in these states if primaries were held.
In Florida, where both candidates pledged not to campaign, Clinton beat Obama 50-33% in the disputed primary. In Michigan, where Obama and other candidates removed their name from the ballot, Clinton won against "Uncommitted" 55-40%. Exit poll
respondents said that if all candidates had been on the ballot, they would have voted 46% Clinton, 35% Obama, 12% Edwards, 3% other. These results do not record the preferences of voters who chose to stay home, believing that their votes would not count.
The Clinton campaign argued that popular vote totals should include Florida and Michigan and that Obama should receive 0 votes in Michigan. Obama's supporters, and some neutral observers, countered that his standing would have improved in these states if the race had been contested normally and that most or all of the "uncommitted" votes in Michigan should be counted as votes for him. Obama argued that the nullified primaries do not represent a true test of popular support, noting that primaries where the candidates are not allowed to campaign amount to little more than a "referendum on name recognition".
has said that the popular vote should have no effect under the current rules: "It’s a delegate race. The way the system works is that the delegates choose the nominee." Obama's chief strategist suggested that the Clinton campaign's focus on the popular vote was a distraction tactic: "When they started off, it was all about delegates.... Now that we have more delegates, it’s all about the popular vote. And if that does not work out, they will probably challenge us to a game of cribbage
to choose the nominee." Nevertheless, polls have shown that a plurality of Democrats think superdelegates should consider the popular vote when deciding which candidate to support.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
choose their candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
. The contests are held in each of the fifty U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, the U.S. Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
, and Democrats Abroad
Democrats Abroad
Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party for United States citizens living permanently or temporarily abroad. The organization is given state-level recognition by the Democratic National Committee....
. The outcomes include totals of delegates selected as well as popular vote totals.
In order to secure the nomination at the convention, a candidate must receive at least 2,117 votes from delegates (a simple majority of the 4,233 delegate votes, bearing in mind half-votes from Florida, Michigan, Democrats Abroad and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
At the time of Hillary Clinton's suspending her campaign early on June 7, 2008, the superdelegate count was 246½ for her, and 478 for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, with 99 still uncommitted of the 823½ total then existing.
The breakdown by position for Clinton: 145 DNC, 52½ Representatives, 14 Senators, 17 add-ons, 10½ Governors, and 7½ DPLs.
The breakdown by position for Obama: 229 DNC, 157 Representatives, 34 Senators, 29 add-ons, 20 Governors, and 9 DPLs.
The breakdown for uncommitted voters was: 39 DNC, 22 Representatives, 1½ Senators, 32½ add-ons, 1 Governor, and 3 DPLs.
Dodd and Byrd are considered Senators, the DNC lists them as DPL. Rendell is a Governor, the DNC lists him as a DPL.
National summary
The following table summarizes the results of the local contests below, thus providing a nation-wide overview of the nomination process. The data contained in the row entitled Total bound pledged delegates is a subset of the data in the row entitled Total estimated pledged delegates. The bound delegates row does not include estimated delegates from contests in which the final allocation depends on the outcome of further caucuses or conventions.| Candidates | Uncommitted | Hillary Clinton Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the... |
Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... |
John Edwards John Edwards Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in... |
||||||
| Grand total estimated delegates |
99 | 1,973 46% |
2,306½ 54% |
4½ <1% |
||||||
| Total estimated superdelegate endorsement (724½ of 823½, 88% of 19%) |
99 | 246½ 34% |
478 66% |
0 | ||||||
(3,409½ of 3,409½, 100% of 81%) |
0 | 1,726½ 49% |
1,828½ 51% |
4½ <1% |
||||||
| Total bound pledged delegates (3,341½ of 3,409½, 98% of 81%) |
0 | 1,617½ 48% |
1,722½ 52% |
1½ <1% |
||||||
Local contests
The following table lists events that determine how many pledged delegates are allocated to each presidential candidate. Most states hold a single event to determine delegate allocation. For example, California's primaryCalifornia Democratic primary, 2008
The 2008 California Democratic primary took place on February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday. California was dubbed the "Big Enchilada" by the media because it offers the most delegates out of any other delegation. Hillary Clinton won the primary....
on February 5 determined how all 370 of that state's pledged delegates would be apportioned.
Some states, however, hold multiple events to determine delegate allocation. For example, Iowa
Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2008
The Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus occurred on January 3, 2008, and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary...
uses a series of events to award pledged delegates. The precinct caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
held on January 3 provided an estimate of delegates to be awarded at later events, but the estimate changed as a result of the March 15 county conventions. Iowa delegates were not actually allocated to candidates until the district conventions on April 26 (when 29 of 45 delegates were awarded) and the state convention on June 14 (when the remaining 16 were awarded). In states with multiple events, like Iowa, the results for early events show the delegate split as it was projected at that time. The rows for later events show updated projections, and outdated projections are indicated with
This table does not list nomination events that have no effect on the allocation of pledged delegates. For example, it does not list state conventions that determine which persons will fill the role of delegates but not the number of delegates awarded or to whom the delegates are pledged.
Additional notes:
- Except where indicated, data comes from the sources referenced at each state's primary or caucus Wikipedia article, available by clicking on a state's name.
- For past events, a dash (–) indicates that a candidate was not on the ballot.The delegate numbers in brackets are estimates. Delegates will be officially allocated during later caucuses, primaries, or conventions.These delegations use multiple caucus, primary, or convention processes to choose national delegates on different days. These processes are explained on each state's caucus article.
- To re-sort this table, click on the double-arrow symbol (
) at the top of a column.
Key:
| 1st place delegates earned |
Withdrew prior to contest |
| Event date | Location | Uncommitted | Hillary Clinton Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the... |
Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... |
Mike Gravel Mike Gravel Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election.... |
John Edwards John Edwards Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in... |
Dennis Kucinich Dennis Kucinich Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections.... |
Bill Richardson |
Joe Biden Joe Biden Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama... |
Chris Dodd Christopher Dodd Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress.... |
| January 3 | Iowa Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus occurred on January 3, 2008, and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary... caucuses Pledged delegates: 0 (of 45) |
0% | 29% |
38% |
0% | 30% |
0% | 2% | 1% | 0% |
| January 8 | New Hampshire New Hampshire Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 New Hampshire Democratic primary on January 8, 2008 was the first primary in the United States in 2008. Its purpose was to determine the number of delegates from New Hampshire that would represent a certain candidate at the National Convention. In a primary, members of a political party—in... primary Pledged delegates: 22 |
– | 9 39% |
13 36% |
0% | 17% |
1% | 5% | 0% | 0% |
| January 15 | Michigan Michigan Democratic primary, 2008 The Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary took place January 15, 2008. Originally, the state had 156 delegates up for grabs that were to be awarded in the following way: 83 delegates were to be awarded based on the winner in each of Michigan's 15 congressional districts while an additional 45... primary Pledged delegates: 128 |
40% |
69 55% |
59 – |
0% | – | 4% | – | – | 1% |
| January 19 | Nevada Nevada Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Nevada Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on January 19, 2008 after having been moved from a later date by the Nevada Democratic Party... precinct caucuses Pledged delegates: 0 (of 25) |
0% | 51% |
45% |
0% | 4% | 0% | – | – | – |
| January 26 | South Carolina South Carolina Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary took place on January 26, 2008. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois won the primary's popular vote by a 28.9% margin.... primary Pledged delegates: 45 |
– | 12 27% |
33 55% |
0% | 18% |
0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| January 29 | Florida Florida Democratic primary, 2008 The Florida Democratic Presidential primary took place on January 29, 2008. Originally, the state had 185 delegates up for grabs that were to be awarded in the following way: 121 delegates were to be awarded based on the winner in each of Florida's 25 congressional districts while an additional 64... primary Pledged delegates: 185 |
– | 105 50% |
67 33% |
0% | 3 14% |
1% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| February 5 | Alabama Alabama Democratic primary, 2008 The Alabama Democratic Presidential Primary was held on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, and had a total of 52 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Alabama's seven congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 34. Another 18 delegates were awarded to the... primary Pledged delegates: 52 |
0% | 25 42% |
27 56% |
– | 1% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Alaska Alaska Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Alaska Democratic Caucuses took place Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. This was the first time that Democrats in Alaska participated in Super Tuesday, and the large turnout forced at least one caucusing site to delay closing its doors far beyond the 6 p.m. deadline. The state had a total of 13... caucuses Pledged delegates: 0 (of 13) |
0% | 25% |
75% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| February 5 | American Samoa American Samoa Democratic caucuses, 2008 The American Samoa Democratic caucuses, 2008 took place on February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday. Caucusing began at 11:00 am local time. The early time ensured that results would be reported that evening in the mainland United States. Hillary Clinton won the caucus, the smallest of Super... caucus Pledged delegate votes: 3 |
– | 2 57% |
1 42% |
0% | – | – | – | – | – |
| February 5 | Arizona Arizona Democratic primary, 2008 The Arizona Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, and had a total of 56 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Arizona's eight congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, which totaled 37. Another 19 delegates were awarded to the... primary Pledged delegates: 56 |
– | 31 50% |
25 42% |
0% | 5% | 0% | 0% | – | 0% |
| February 5 | Arkansas Arkansas Democratic primary, 2008 The Arkansas Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 35 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Arkansas's four congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 22. Another 13 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner,... primary Pledged delegates: 35 |
1% | 27 70% |
8 26% |
0% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | California California Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 California Democratic primary took place on February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday. California was dubbed the "Big Enchilada" by the media because it offers the most delegates out of any other delegation. Hillary Clinton won the primary.... primary Pledged delegates: 370 |
– | 204 51% |
166 43% |
0% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Colorado Colorado Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Colorado Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. As he did in every other state that held a caucus rather than a primary, Barack Obama won the caucus by a wide, two-to-one margin over Hillary Rodham Clinton.... precinct caucuses Pledged delegates: 0 (of 55) |
1% | 32% |
67% |
0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Connecticut Connecticut Democratic primary, 2008 The Connecticut Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 48 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Connecticut's five congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 31. Another 17 delegates were awarded to the statewide... primary Pledged delegates: 48 |
1% | 22 47% |
26 51% |
0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Delaware Delaware Democratic primary, 2008 The Delaware Democratic Presidential Primary was held on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, and had a total of 15 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Delaware's subdivisions was awarded those subdivisions' delegates, totaling 10. Another five delegates were awarded to the statewide winner,... primary Pledged delegates: 15 |
– | 6 42% |
9 53% |
– | 1% | 0% | – | 3% | 0% |
| February 5 | Georgia Georgia Democratic primary, 2008 The Georgia Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, and had a total of 87 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Georgia's 13 congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 57. Another 30 delegates were awarded to the... primary Pledged delegates: 87 |
– | 27 31% |
60 66% |
0% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Idaho Idaho Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Idaho Democratic Presidential Caucuses were held on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 18 national delegates at stake. For the first time, caucuses were held in all 44 counties, all of them open caucuses organized at the county level rather than the precinct level.The Idaho Democratic Caucus... county caucuses (6/12-14 conv.) Pledged delegates: 12 (of 18) |
3% | 2 [ 3 ] 17% |
10 [ 15 ] 80% |
– | 1% | – | – | – | – |
| February 5 | Illinois Illinois Democratic primary, 2008 The Illinois Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 153 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Illinois's 19 congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 100. Another 53 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner,... primary Pledged delegates: 153 |
– | 49 33% |
104 65% |
– | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Kansas Kansas Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Kansas Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 21 delegates at stake. The remaining 11 delegates were selected at the Kansas Democratic Party District Conventions on April 12... local unit conventions Pledged delegates: 21 (of 32) |
– | 6 [ 9 ] 26% |
15 [ 23 ] 74% |
– | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| February 5 | Massachusetts Massachusetts Democratic primary, 2008 The Massachusetts Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, and had a total of 93 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Massachusetts's 10 congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 61. Another 32 delegates were awarded to... primary Pledged delegates: 93 |
– | 55 56% |
38 41% |
0% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Minnesota Minnesota Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Minnesota Democratic Caucus took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008 with 78 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 47. Another 25 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Barack Obama... caucuses Pledged delegates: 72 |
1% | 24 32% |
48 66% |
– | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Missouri Missouri Democratic primary, 2008 The Missouri Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 72 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Missouri's nine congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, which totaled 47. Another 25 delegates were awarded to the statewide... primary Pledged delegates: 72 |
0% | 36 48% |
36 49% |
0% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | New Jersey New Jersey Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 New Jersey Democratic primary took place February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday. Hillary Clinton won this primary.-Polls:- Results :- See also :* Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008... primary Pledged delegates: 107 |
– | 59 54% |
48 44% |
– | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – |
| February 5 | New Mexico caucuses Pledged delegates: 26 |
0% | 14 49% |
12 48% |
– | 1% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | New York New York Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 New York Democratic primary took place on February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday. Polls indicated that New York Senator Hillary Clinton was leading rival Senator Barack Obama by double digits in the weeks before the contest, and she ended up winning with roughly 58% of the... primary Pledged delegates: 232 |
– | 139 57% |
93 40% |
– | 1% | – | – | – | – |
| February 5 | North Dakota North Dakota Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 North Dakota Democratic caucuses took place on February 5, 2008, one of the many Super Tuesday nominating contests held that day. Barack Obama won the caucuses, securing 8 out of 13 national delegates.- Process :... precinct caucuses Pledged delegates: 0 (of 13) |
– | 37% |
61% |
– | 1% | – | – | – | – |
| February 5 | Oklahoma Oklahoma Democratic primary, 2008 The Oklahoma Democratic primary, 2008, part of the process of selecting that party's nominee for President of the United States, took place on February 5, one of the many nominating contests of 2008's "Super Tuesday". The primary election chose 38 pledged delegates to represent Oklahoma at the... primary Pledged delegates: 38 |
– | 24 55% |
14 31% |
– | 10% | 1% | 2% | – | 1% |
| February 5 | Tennessee Tennessee Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Tennessee Democratic primary took place on February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday.-Polls:- Results :- See also :*Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008*Tennessee Republican primary, 2008... primary Pledged delegates: 68 |
1% | 40 54% |
28 40% |
0% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 5 | Utah Utah Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Utah Democratic primary took place on February 5, 2008, with the votes of 23 pledged delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention at stake. The primary was one of many held on Super Tuesday. Barack Obama won the primary.-Polls:... primary Pledged delegates: 23 |
– | 9 39% |
14 57% |
0% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 9 | Louisiana Louisiana Democratic primary, 2008 The Louisiana Democratic Presidential Primary took place on February 9, 2008, and had 56 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Louisiana's seven congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 37. Another 29 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Barack... primary Pledged delegates: 56 |
1% | 23 36% |
33 57% |
– | 3% | – | – | 2% | 1% |
| February 9 | Nebraska Nebraska Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Nebraska Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on February 9, 2008, where 24 of the state's 31 convention delegates were chosen. Like he did throughout many other states that held caucuses instead of primaries, Barack Obama won the Nebraska Democratic Caucus by more than a two-to-one... precinct caucuses (6/20-22 conv.) Pledged delegates: 16 (of 24) |
0% | 5 [ 8 ] 32% |
11 [ 16 ] 68% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| February 9 | U.S. Virgin Islands United States Virgin Islands Democratic territorial convention, 2008 The 2008 United States Virgin Islands Democratic territorial convention took place on February 9, 2008. The convention chose 6 delegates, all pledged to Senator Barack Obama. Each delegate, however, only counted for half a vote at the 2008 Democratic National Convention... territorial convention Pledged delegate votes: 3 |
3% | 7% | 3 90% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| February 9 | Washington Washington Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Washington Democratic caucuses were a series of events held by the Washington State Democratic Party to determine the delegates that the Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... precinct caucuses Pledged delegates: 0 (of 78) |
1% | 31% |
68% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| February 10 | Maine Maine Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Maine Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on February 10, 2008, and had 24 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Maine's two congressional districts received all of that district's total delegates, which totaled 16. Another eight delegates were awarded to the statewide winner,... municipal caucuses (conv. 5/31) Pledged delegates: 0 (of 24) |
1% | 40% |
59% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| Democrats Abroad Democrats Abroad primary, 2008 The 2008 Democrats Abroad primary took place from February 5, 2008 until February 12. The first voting began at midnight in Indonesia, with one of the first unofficial results came from a polling station at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. Of roughly 100 votes, 75% were for Senator Barack Obama... primary Pledged delegate votes: 7 |
0% | 2½ 32% |
4½ 66% |
– | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | – | |
| February 12 | District of Columbia District of Columbia Democratic primary, 2008 The District of Columbia Democratic Presidential Primary took place on February 12, 2008, nicknamed the "Potomac Primary" because Maryland and Virginia, which border the Potomac River, also held Democratic primaries that day... primary Pledged delegates: 15 |
0% | 2 24% |
13 75% |
– | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| February 12 | Maryland Maryland Democratic primary, 2008 The Maryland Democratic Presidential Primary took place on February 12, 2008. Nicknamed the "Potomac Primary" or the "Chesapeake Primary" because the District of Columbia and Virginia also held their primaries that day , a total of 70 delegates were up for grabs in Maryland... primary Pledged delegates: 70 |
1% | 27 36% |
43 61% |
0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| February 12 | Virginia Virginia Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Virginia Democratic primary took place on February 12, 2008, an election day nicknamed the "Potomac Primary" because the District of Columbia and Maryland also held Democratic primaries. The Virginia Democratic primary was an open primary, and was competitive for the first time since 1988... primary Pledged delegates: 83 |
– | 29 35% |
54 64% |
– | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – |
| February 19 | Hawaii Hawaii Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Hawaii Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on February 19, 2008, with 20 pledged delegates at stake. The winner in each of Hawaii's two congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 13. Another seven delegates were awarded to both candidates at the... caucuses Pledged delegates: 20 |
0% | 6 24% |
14 76% |
– | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| February 19 | Wisconsin Wisconsin Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Wisconsin Democratic primary took place on February 19, 2008. 74 pledged delegates were at stake. The Hawaii Democratic caucuses, 2008 took place the same day.... primary Pledged delegates: 74 |
0% | 32 41% |
42 58% |
0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| March 4 | Ohio Ohio Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Ohio Democratic primary took place on March 4, 2008 and was open to registered Democrats and Independents. Ohio sent 141 pledged delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, which were awarded to the candidates proportionally based on the outcome of the election. In addition,... primary Pledged delegates: 141 |
– | 74 53% |
67 45% |
– | 2% | – | – | – | – |
| March 4 | Rhode Island Rhode Island Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Rhode Island Democratic primary took place on March 4, 2008. It was an open primary. 21 delegates were awarded on a proportional basis. Rhode Island's delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention also included 11 superdelegates whose votes were not bound by the results of the... primary Pledged delegates: 21 |
1% | 13 58% |
8 40% |
– | 1% | – | – | – | – |
| March 4 | Texas Texas Democratic primary and caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Texas Democratic primary and caucuses were a series of events to determine the delegates that the Texas Democratic Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... primary Pledged delegates: 126 (of 193) |
– | 65 51% |
61 47% |
– | 1% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| March 4 | Texas Texas Democratic primary and caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Texas Democratic primary and caucuses were a series of events to determine the delegates that the Texas Democratic Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... precinct conventions Pledged delegates: 0 (of 193) |
0% | 44% |
56% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| March 4 | Vermont Vermont Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Vermont Democratic primary was an open primary that took place on March 4, 2008. Barack Obama won the primary, his only decisive win among the four March 4 contests. The primary determined the 15 pledged delegates that represented Vermont at the 2008 Democratic National Convention... primary Pledged delegates: 15 |
– | 6 39% |
9 59% |
– | 1% | 1% | – | – | – |
| March 8 | Wyoming Wyoming Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Wyoming Democratic caucuses were a series of events designed to determine the delegates that the Wyoming Democratic Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The party was allocated seven pledged delegates to presidential candidates on March 8 during the Wyoming Democratic... county caucuses Pledged delegates: 7 (of 12) |
1% | 3 38% |
4 61% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| March 11 | Mississippi Mississippi Democratic primary, 2008 The Mississippi Democratic Presidential Primary took place on March 11, 2008, with 33 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Mississippi's four congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 22. Another 11 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Barack Obama... primary Pledged delegates: 33 |
0% | 13 37% |
20 61% |
0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| North Dakota North Dakota Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 North Dakota Democratic caucuses took place on February 5, 2008, one of the many Super Tuesday nominating contests held that day. Barack Obama won the caucuses, securing 8 out of 13 national delegates.- Process :... legislative district conventions Pledged delegates: 0 (of 13) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| March 15 | Iowa Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus occurred on January 3, 2008, and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary... county conventions Pledged delegates: 0 (of 45) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| Colorado Colorado Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Colorado Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. As he did in every other state that held a caucus rather than a primary, Barack Obama won the caucus by a wide, two-to-one margin over Hillary Rodham Clinton.... county assemblies/conventions Pledged delegates: 0 (of 55) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| March 29 | Texas Texas Democratic primary and caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Texas Democratic primary and caucuses were a series of events to determine the delegates that the Texas Democratic Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... county and senatorial district conventions (see 6/6-7) Pledged delegates: 0 (of 193) |
– | [ 30 ] | [ 37 ] | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| North Dakota North Dakota Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 North Dakota Democratic caucuses took place on February 5, 2008, one of the many Super Tuesday nominating contests held that day. Barack Obama won the caucuses, securing 8 out of 13 national delegates.- Process :... state convention Pledged delegates: 13 (of 13) |
– | 5 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Nevada Nevada Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Nevada Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on January 19, 2008 after having been moved from a later date by the Nevada Democratic Party... county conventions Pledged delegates: 0 (of 25) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| April 22 | Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Democratic primary in Pennsylvania was held on April 22 by the Pennsylvania Department of State in which voters chose their preference for the Democratic Party's candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Voters also chose the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's candidates for various... primary Pledged delegates: 158 |
– | 85 55% |
73 45% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| Washington Washington Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Washington Democratic caucuses were a series of events held by the Washington State Democratic Party to determine the delegates that the Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... legislative district caucuses/county conventions Pledged delegates: 0 (of 78) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| April 26 | Iowa Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus occurred on January 3, 2008, and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary... district conventions (see 6/14) Pledged delegates: 29 (of 45) |
– | 9 [ 14 ] |
20 [ 28 ] |
– | [ 3 ] |
– | – | – | – |
| May 3 | Guam Guam Democratic territorial convention, 2008 The 2008 Guam Democratic territorial convention took place on May 3, 2008. Senator Barack Obama won by 7 votes, a margin of less than 0.2%. This resulted in each candidate getting 2 pledged delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... territorial convention Pledged delegate votes: 4 |
– | 2 50% |
2 50% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 6 | Indiana Indiana Democratic primary, 2008 Clinton narrowly defeated Obama to win the primary.The Indiana Democratic Presidential Primary took place on May 6, 2008. It was an open primary with 72 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Indiana's nine congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 47.... primary Pledged delegates: 72 |
– | 38 51% |
34 49% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 6 | North Carolina North Carolina Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Democratic presidential primary in North Carolina took place on May 6, 2008, one of the last primary elections in the long race for nomination between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Obama won the primary.... primary Pledged delegates: 115 |
1% | 48 42% |
67 56% |
1% | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 13 | West Virginia West Virginia Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 West Virginia Democratic primary took place on May 13, 2008 with polls closing at 7:30 p.m. EST. It was open to Democrats and Independents. The primary determined 28 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, who were awarded on a proportional basis. West Virginia's Democratic... primary Pledged delegates: 28 |
– | 20 67% |
8 26% |
– | 7% | – | – | – | – |
| Colorado Colorado Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Colorado Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. As he did in every other state that held a caucus rather than a primary, Barack Obama won the caucus by a wide, two-to-one margin over Hillary Rodham Clinton.... congressional district conventions Pledged delegates: 36 (of 55) |
– | 13 | 23 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| May 17 | Colorado Colorado Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Colorado Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. As he did in every other state that held a caucus rather than a primary, Barack Obama won the caucus by a wide, two-to-one margin over Hillary Rodham Clinton.... state convention Pledged delegates: 19 (of 55) |
– | 6 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 17 | Kansas Kansas Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Kansas Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 21 delegates at stake. The remaining 11 delegates were selected at the Kansas Democratic Party District Conventions on April 12... state convention Pledged delegates: 11 (of 32) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 17 | Nevada Nevada Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Nevada Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on January 19, 2008 after having been moved from a later date by the Nevada Democratic Party... state convention Pledged delegates: 25 (of 25) |
– | 11 | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 17 | Washington Washington Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Washington Democratic caucuses were a series of events held by the Washington State Democratic Party to determine the delegates that the Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... congressional district caucuses (6/13-15 conv.) Pledged delegates: 51 (of 78) |
– | 17 [ 26 ] |
34 [ 52 ] |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 20 | Kentucky Kentucky Democratic primary, 2008 The Kentucky Democratic Presidential Primary took place May 20, 2008, and had 51 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Kentucky's six congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 34. Another 17 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Hillary Rodham... primary Pledged delegates: 51 |
2% | 37 66% |
14 30% |
– | 2% | – | – | – | – |
| May 20 | Oregon Oregon Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Oregon Democratic primary was a mail-only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Democratic voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots had to have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008... primary Pledged delegates: 52 |
- | 21 41% |
31 59% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 24 | Alaska Alaska Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Alaska Democratic Caucuses took place Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. This was the first time that Democrats in Alaska participated in Super Tuesday, and the large turnout forced at least one caucusing site to delay closing its doors far beyond the 6 p.m. deadline. The state had a total of 13... state convention Pledged delegates: 13 (of 13) |
– | 3 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 24 | Wyoming Wyoming Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Wyoming Democratic caucuses were a series of events designed to determine the delegates that the Wyoming Democratic Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The party was allocated seven pledged delegates to presidential candidates on March 8 during the Wyoming Democratic... state convention Pledged delegates: 5 (of 12) |
– | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 31 | Maine Maine Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Maine Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on February 10, 2008, and had 24 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Maine's two congressional districts received all of that district's total delegates, which totaled 16. Another eight delegates were awarded to the statewide winner,... state convention, (caucus 2/10) Pledged delegates: 24 (of 24) |
– | 9 | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| June 1 | Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Puerto Rico Democratic primary took place on June 1, 2008. It was an open primary. Puerto Rico initially planned to hold caucuses, as was done in 2000 and 2004, on June 7, 2008. In December 2007, an error in the plan was discovered; the caucus date should have read June 1, 2008. Puerto... primary Pledged delegates: 55 |
– | 38 68% |
17 32% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| June 3 | Montana Montana Democratic primary, 2008 The Montana Democratic Presidential Primary took place on June 3, 2008, with 16 delegates at stake. Along with South Dakota, it was one of the last two elections in the 2008 Democratic Party Presidential Primary. The winner in Montana's at-large congressional district was awarded all of that... primary Pledged delegates: 16 |
2% |
7 41% |
9 56% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| June 3 | South Dakota South Dakota Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 South Dakota Democratic primary took place on June 3, 2008. Along with Montana, it was one of the final two elections in the 2008 primary season... primary Pledged delegates: 15 |
– | 8 55% |
7 45% |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| Texas Texas Democratic primary and caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Texas Democratic primary and caucuses were a series of events to determine the delegates that the Texas Democratic Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... state convention (see 3/29) Pledged delegates: 67 (of 193) |
– | 29 | 38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Nebraska Nebraska Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Nebraska Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on February 9, 2008, where 24 of the state's 31 convention delegates were chosen. Like he did throughout many other states that held caucuses instead of primaries, Barack Obama won the Nebraska Democratic Caucus by more than a two-to-one... county conventions Pledged delegates: 0 (of 24) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Idaho Idaho Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Idaho Democratic Presidential Caucuses were held on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 18 national delegates at stake. For the first time, caucuses were held in all 44 counties, all of them open caucuses organized at the county level rather than the precinct level.The Idaho Democratic Caucus... state convention (2/5 caucus) Pledged delegates: 6 (of 18) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| June 14 | Iowa Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus occurred on January 3, 2008, and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary... state convention (4/26 conv.) Pledged delegates: 16 (of 45) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Washington Washington Democratic caucuses, 2008 The 2008 Washington Democratic caucuses were a series of events held by the Washington State Democratic Party to determine the delegates that the Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention... state convention (5/17 caucus) Pledged delegates: 27 (of 78) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Democratic primary, 2008 The 2008 Puerto Rico Democratic primary took place on June 1, 2008. It was an open primary. Puerto Rico initially planned to hold caucuses, as was done in 2000 and 2004, on June 7, 2008. In December 2007, an error in the plan was discovered; the caucus date should have read June 1, 2008. Puerto... commonwealth convention Pledged delegates: 0 (of 55) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Nebraska Nebraska Democratic caucuses, 2008 The Nebraska Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on February 9, 2008, where 24 of the state's 31 convention delegates were chosen. Like he did throughout many other states that held caucuses instead of primaries, Barack Obama won the Nebraska Democratic Caucus by more than a two-to-one... state convention (2/9 caucus) Pledged delegates: 8 (of 24) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Popular vote
This section reports popular vote data for the two leading candidates, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and Hillary Clinton. Officially, the popular vote does not matter in the Democratic presidential nomination. However, political experts sometimes look to the popular vote as an indicator of candidate support and momentum. News media frequently report the popular vote on election night, declaring states "won" on this basis. Superdelegates may also consider the popular vote when making their decision about whom to support. Nevertheless, the popular vote count presents many problems and should be interpreted carefully.
After winning West Virginia, the Clinton campaign claimed a lead in the popular vote. However, the math behind this claim relied upon a number of points that were disputed by neutral political observers and by the Obama campaign. Most problematically, the Clinton campaign count gave Clinton 328,309 votes and Obama 0 votes in the disputed Michigan primary.
Caucus states
The popular vote is easiest to tally in primary electionPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
s, where a simple vote for a candidate is recorded. In caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
es, the "popular vote" is often interpreted as the number of supporters who vote for each candidate at the conclusion of precinct-level caucuses. The table uses the official "popular vote" reported in all primary states and in the caucus states of Alaska, American Samoa, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Hawaii, Wyoming, and Guam. Official numbers were not reported in the caucus states of Iowa, Nevada, Washington, and Maine. These four states have been estimated by RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics is a political news and polling data aggregator based in Chicago, Illinois. The site's founders say their goal is to give readers "ideological diversity." They have described themselves as frustrated with what they perceive as anti-conservative, anti-Christian media bias, and...
based on other information released by the states. In Texas, two-thirds of pledged delegates were selected through a primary, while one-third were selected through caucuses. However, voters were eligible to participate in the caucuses only if they also voted in the primary, so RealClearPolitics used the primary results and ignored the caucus in determining the popular vote.
Nationwide, the RealClearPolitics tally counted one caucus participant as equal to one primary participant. However, turnout is generally lower in caucuses, and as a result, the popular vote may overweight the influence of primary states. For example, Hawaii and Rhode Island have similar populations, but the opinion of Rhode Islanders is weighted more heavily in the popular vote total. Clinton won the Rhode Island primary 58-40% and received 33,600 more votes than Obama. In contrast, Obama won the Hawaii caucuses 76-24%, but received only 19,500 more votes than Clinton. Thus, some researchers argue that the popular vote underestimates the depth of Obama's support in caucus states. If these states were to hold primaries and Obama were to win by a similar margin, his popular vote total would be considerably higher. However, Clinton argued that she would have done better in these states if primaries were held.
Florida and Michigan
Florida and Michigan have been penalized by the Democratic party, and under the rules as they existed at the time of the elections, the delegates were not to be seated at the Democratic Convention. Toward the end of the primary season, on May 31, the Democratic National Committee restored "half votes" to the disputed primaries, as well as accepting a reapportionment of Michigan delegates proposed by the state party.In Florida, where both candidates pledged not to campaign, Clinton beat Obama 50-33% in the disputed primary. In Michigan, where Obama and other candidates removed their name from the ballot, Clinton won against "Uncommitted" 55-40%. Exit poll
Exit poll
An election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. Unlike an opinion poll, which asks whom the voter plans to vote for or some similar formulation, an exit poll asks whom the voter actually voted for. A similar poll conducted before actual...
respondents said that if all candidates had been on the ballot, they would have voted 46% Clinton, 35% Obama, 12% Edwards, 3% other. These results do not record the preferences of voters who chose to stay home, believing that their votes would not count.
The Clinton campaign argued that popular vote totals should include Florida and Michigan and that Obama should receive 0 votes in Michigan. Obama's supporters, and some neutral observers, countered that his standing would have improved in these states if the race had been contested normally and that most or all of the "uncommitted" votes in Michigan should be counted as votes for him. Obama argued that the nullified primaries do not represent a true test of popular support, noting that primaries where the candidates are not allowed to campaign amount to little more than a "referendum on name recognition".
Nomination rules
Finally, it should be noted that the nomination was decided by delegates under the Democratic Party's rules, so the candidates campaigned to maximize their delegate advantage. If the nomination were decided by popular vote, they likely would have campaigned differently to run up the vote in populous states like New York and Illinois. House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
has said that the popular vote should have no effect under the current rules: "It’s a delegate race. The way the system works is that the delegates choose the nominee." Obama's chief strategist suggested that the Clinton campaign's focus on the popular vote was a distraction tactic: "When they started off, it was all about delegates.... Now that we have more delegates, it’s all about the popular vote. And if that does not work out, they will probably challenge us to a game of cribbage
Cribbage
Cribbage, or crib, is a card game traditionally for two players, but commonly played with three, four or more, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points...
to choose the nominee." Nevertheless, polls have shown that a plurality of Democrats think superdelegates should consider the popular vote when deciding which candidate to support.
Popular vote table
The table below presents various combinations of the "popular vote," accounting for some, but not all, of the problems noted above. The source for the popular vote totals in each state is RealClearPolitics, which aggregates data from official state results and news sources. Not all combinations are reported, only those most commonly cited as popular vote estimates. For example, the table does not reflect exit poll findings on how many voters would have voted for Obama had Obama's name been on the Michigan ballot, since there are many ways to generate this estimate.| Popular Vote (through June 4, 2008) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metrics | Vote Estimate | ||||
| Include caucus estimates (IA, NV, WA, ME) |
Include Florida |
Include Michigan |
Michigan "uncommitted" allotted to Obama |
Clinton Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the... |
Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... |
| yes | yes | yes | all | 18,045,829 | 18,107,587 |
| yes | yes | yes | none | 18,045,829 | 17,869,419 |
| yes | yes | no | - | 17,717,520 | 17,869,419 |
| yes | no | no | - | 16,846,534 | 17,293,205 |
| no | yes | yes | all | 17,821,967 | 17,773,503 |
| no | yes | yes | none | 17,821,967 | 17,535,335 |
| no | yes | no | - | 17,493,658 | 17,535,335 |
| no | no | no | - | 16,622,672 | 16,959,121 |
Graphical representations
In all graphs below, purple represents Obama, green represents Clinton, and orange represents Edwards. Yellow represents a tie. |
 |
 |
 |
See also
- Nationwide opinion polling for the Democratic Party 2008 presidential candidatesNationwide opinion polling for the Democratic Party 2008 presidential candidatesFor state-by state numbers see Statewide opinion polling for the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008This is a collection of scientific, public nationwide opinion polls that have been conducted relating to the 2008 Democratic presidential candidates.-Broad field: For state-by state numbers...
- Results of the 2008 Republican Party presidential primariesResults of the 2008 Republican Party presidential primariesThis article contains the results of the 2008 Republican presidential primaries and caucuses.The 2008 Republican primaries are the selection processes by which the Republican Party selects delegates to attend the 2008 Republican National Convention...
- Statewide opinion polling for the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008Statewide opinion polling for the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2008This article is a collection of state-wide public opinion polls that have been conducted relating to the Democratic presidential primaries, 2008. A graphic summary of the data in map form follows...