United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 4, 2008 throughout all 50 states and D.C., which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election
. Voters chose 21 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President
and Vice President
.
Pennsylvania
was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama
by a 10.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safe blue state. Although the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1992
, the margins of victory have become smaller over the past elections, as was highlighted in 2004
when John Kerry
won the Keystone State by a slim margin of 2.50 percent. Since George W. Bush
came so close to winning the state in 2004 and because Barack Obama
lost the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary
to Hillary Rodham Clinton by nearly 10 percentage points in April 2008, many analysts believed that Republican John McCain
had a decent shot at winning Pennsylvania in the general election. Nevertheless, Pennsylvania remained blue and gave Obama 54.48% of the vote.
of Alaska
was announced as McCain's running mate in late August, but when the financial crisis of 2008 became a more potent election issue near the end of September, Obama then took a double-digit lead in the state polls, causing many analysts to no longer consider Pennsylvania a swing state in 2008. Nevertheless, John McCain campaigned heavily in the state near Election Day and some polls showed Obama's lead narrowing down to single digits. McCain hoped that Pennsylvania might be the swing state that ensured him a narrow victory. However, the economic crisis weighed heavily on the minds of voters across the country and in Pennsylvania it was no different where many voters blamed the Republicans and Wall Street
for the collapse, ultimately helping Obama who ended up carrying Pennsylvania by a strong margin of 10.31%.
and Allegheny
, home of the cities of Philadelphia
and Pittsburgh
respectively.
Obama did extremely well throughout eastern Pennsylvania. He won more than 80% of voters in the city of Philadelphia, and two of its suburban counties gave him three-to-two margins (the other suburban counties also voted for Obama). Democratic margins from Philadelphia and its suburbs were more than enough to ensure Obama's victory even if he had lost all the rest of the state. North of Philadelphia, the heavily industrialized, pro-union counties characterized by cities such as Scranton (birthplace of Obama's running mate, Joe Biden
), Wilkes-Barre and Allentown
strongly backed Obama as well. African-American and Latino voters, as well as younger college-age voters, in Monroe County
and even in very Republican Pike and Wayne counties gave Obama a much greater share of the vote than Kerry received in 2004. He also managed to win two traditionally Republican counties in the eastern part of the state, Dauphin (home to the state capital, Harrisburg
) and Berks (home to Reading
); the last Democrat to carry these counties was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In addition, Obama remained competitive in the two most Republican counties in the eastern region: Lancaster
(which gave George W. Bush his largest margin of victory in the entire state) and York
. While John Kerry
lost Lancaster by 32 percentage points, Obama lost the county by only 12%, a substantial improvement.
John McCain, however, did best in Southwestern Pennsylvania (around Pittsburgh), a part of Appalachia
and the central, rural "T". Central Pennsylvania is a Republican stronghold; John McCain won the vast majority of its counties, often by substantial margins. However, Southwestern Pennsylvania, until recently, was the most Democratic region of the state (except for Philadelphia). Historically, when a Democrat carries Pennsylvania, the entire lower-left corner of the state from Pittsburgh to Johnstown
is coated blue. The heavily unionized, Appalachian counties in and around Pittsburgh strongly voted against Ronald Reagan
in 1984; in that election the only other county in the state to vote Democratic was Philadelphia. In 2008, however, the Republicans won every single county in Southwestern Pennsylvania except for Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh (which voted Democratic by 15%). It was one of the few regions in which Obama did worse than John Kerry. This largely mirrored Obama's struggles throughout Appalachia throughout the course of the Democratic primary, when voters in this region strongly backed Hillary Clinton.
The 2008 election confirmed Pennsylvania's status as a Democratic-leaning state. As Kerry showed in 2004, under most circumstances a Democrat can lose everywhere else in the state and still run up enough of a margin in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to win.
During the same election at the state level, Democrats picked up two seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
but Republicans picked up one seat in the Pennsylvania Senate. Democrats also picked up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
in Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District as Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper
defeated seven-term incumbent Republican Phil English
by a 2.48-percent margin of victory. Dahlkemper received 51.24% of the vote while English took in 48.76%.
.
The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 15, 2008 to cast their votes for President and Vice President. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.
The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All 20 were pledged to Barack Obama
and Joe Biden
:
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...
. Voters chose 21 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
was won by Democratic nominee 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...
by a 10.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safe blue state. Although the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1992
United States presidential election, 1992
The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....
, the margins of victory have become smaller over the past elections, as was highlighted in 2004
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
when John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
won the Keystone State by a slim margin of 2.50 percent. Since George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
came so close to winning the state in 2004 and because 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...
lost the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary
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...
to Hillary Rodham Clinton by nearly 10 percentage points in April 2008, many analysts believed that Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
had a decent shot at winning Pennsylvania in the general election. Nevertheless, Pennsylvania remained blue and gave Obama 54.48% of the vote.
Predictions
There were 17 news organizations who made state by state predictions of the election. Here are there last predictions before election day:- D.C. Political Report: Democrat
- Cook Political ReportCook Political ReportThe Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five...
: Leaning Democrat - Takeaway: Leaning Obama
- Election Projection: Leaning Obama
- Electoral-vote.comElectoral-vote.comElectoral-Vote.com is the website of computer scientist Andrew S. Tanenbaum. The site's primary content is poll analysis to project the outcome of U.S. elections. The site also includes commentary on related news stories. Well known for its color-coded electoral map of the United States, the...
: Leaning Democrat - Washington Post: Leaning Obama
- PoliticoPolitico (newspaper)The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
: Leaning Obama - Real Clear Politics: Leaning Obama
- FiveThirtyEight.comFiveThirtyEight.comFiveThirtyEight is a polling aggregation website with a blog created by Nate Silver. Sometimes colloquially referred to as 538 dot com or just 538, the website takes its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college...
: Leaning Obama - CQ Politics: Leaning Democrat
- New York Times: Leaning Democrat
- CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
: Leaning Democrat - NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
: Leaning Obama - MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
: Leaning Obama - Fox News: Democrat
- Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
: Democrat - Rasmussen ReportsRasmussen ReportsRasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...
: Safe Democrat
Polling
Both McCain and Obama lead in various state polls taken from February until the end of April, when Obama took a steady, moderate lead in the state polling. Obama's lead was temporarily reduced to within margins of error and ties when Governor Sarah PalinSarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
was announced as McCain's running mate in late August, but when the financial crisis of 2008 became a more potent election issue near the end of September, Obama then took a double-digit lead in the state polls, causing many analysts to no longer consider Pennsylvania a swing state in 2008. Nevertheless, John McCain campaigned heavily in the state near Election Day and some polls showed Obama's lead narrowing down to single digits. McCain hoped that Pennsylvania might be the swing state that ensured him a narrow victory. However, the economic crisis weighed heavily on the minds of voters across the country and in Pennsylvania it was no different where many voters blamed the Republicans and Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
for the collapse, ultimately helping Obama who ended up carrying Pennsylvania by a strong margin of 10.31%.
Advertising and visits
Obama spent almost $42 million, while McCain spent almost $30 million. The Obama campaign visited the state 16 times. The McCain campaign visited here 31 times.Analysis
McCain did win more counties than Obama, but the counties carried by Obama were by far the most populated of the state, including PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia County, Pennsylvania
-History:Tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area which became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized the area in 1655, but permanently lost control to England in 1674...
and Allegheny
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, home of the cities of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
respectively.
Obama did extremely well throughout eastern Pennsylvania. He won more than 80% of voters in the city of Philadelphia, and two of its suburban counties gave him three-to-two margins (the other suburban counties also voted for Obama). Democratic margins from Philadelphia and its suburbs were more than enough to ensure Obama's victory even if he had lost all the rest of the state. North of Philadelphia, the heavily industrialized, pro-union counties characterized by cities such as Scranton (birthplace of Obama's running mate, 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...
), Wilkes-Barre and Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
strongly backed Obama as well. African-American and Latino voters, as well as younger college-age voters, in Monroe County
Monroe County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...
and even in very Republican Pike and Wayne counties gave Obama a much greater share of the vote than Kerry received in 2004. He also managed to win two traditionally Republican counties in the eastern part of the state, Dauphin (home to the state capital, Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
) and Berks (home to Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
); the last Democrat to carry these counties was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In addition, Obama remained competitive in the two most Republican counties in the eastern region: Lancaster
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
(which gave George W. Bush his largest margin of victory in the entire state) and York
York County, Pennsylvania
York County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania....
. While John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
lost Lancaster by 32 percentage points, Obama lost the county by only 12%, a substantial improvement.
John McCain, however, did best in Southwestern Pennsylvania (around Pittsburgh), a part of Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
and the central, rural "T". Central Pennsylvania is a Republican stronghold; John McCain won the vast majority of its counties, often by substantial margins. However, Southwestern Pennsylvania, until recently, was the most Democratic region of the state (except for Philadelphia). Historically, when a Democrat carries Pennsylvania, the entire lower-left corner of the state from Pittsburgh to Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
is coated blue. The heavily unionized, Appalachian counties in and around Pittsburgh strongly voted against Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in 1984; in that election the only other county in the state to vote Democratic was Philadelphia. In 2008, however, the Republicans won every single county in Southwestern Pennsylvania except for Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh (which voted Democratic by 15%). It was one of the few regions in which Obama did worse than John Kerry. This largely mirrored Obama's struggles throughout Appalachia throughout the course of the Democratic primary, when voters in this region strongly backed Hillary Clinton.
The 2008 election confirmed Pennsylvania's status as a Democratic-leaning state. As Kerry showed in 2004, under most circumstances a Democrat can lose everywhere else in the state and still run up enough of a margin in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to win.
During the same election at the state level, Democrats picked up two seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
but Republicans picked up one seat in the Pennsylvania Senate. Democrats also picked up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District as Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper
Kathy Dahlkemper
Kathleen Ann "Kathy" Dahlkemper is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in Erie and includes most of the northwestern portion of the state....
defeated seven-term incumbent Republican Phil English
Phil English
Philip Sheridan "Phil" English served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 - 2009 from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, representing the state's 3rd Congressional district....
by a 2.48-percent margin of victory. Dahlkemper received 51.24% of the vote while English took in 48.76%.
Results
| United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic 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... |
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... |
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... |
3,276,363 | 54.48% | 21 | |
| Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
John McCain John McCain John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election.... |
Sarah Palin Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was... |
2,655,885 | 44.17% | 0 | |
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government.... |
Matt Gonzalez Matt Gonzalez Matthew Edward Gonzalez is an American politician, lawyer, and activist prominent in San Francisco politics. He currently serves as chief attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender's office.... |
42,977 | 0.71% | 0 | |
| Libertarian Libertarian Party (United States) The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration... |
Bob Barr Bob Barr Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of... |
Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
19,912 | 0.33% | 0 | |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 16,413 | 0.27% | 0 | ||
| Others | Others | 1,267 | 0.02% | 0 | ||
| Constitution Constitution Party (United States) The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections... |
Chuck Baldwin Chuck Baldwin Charles Obadiah "Chuck" Baldwin is an American politician and founder-pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and had previously been its nominee for U.S. vice president in 2004... |
Darrell Castle Darrell Castle Darrell Castle is an American political figure, activist and attorney from Memphis, Tennessee, and was the vice presidential candidate of the Constitution Party in the 2008 United States presidential election.-Early life and education:... |
542 | 0.01% | 0 | |
| Green Green Party (United States) The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties... |
Cynthia McKinney Cynthia McKinney Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States... |
Rosa Clemente Rosa Clemente Rosa Alicia Clemente is a United States community organizer, independent journalist and hip-hop activist. She was the vice presidential running mate of 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.Clemente was born and raised in South Bronx, New... |
38 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Totals | 6,013,397 | 100.00% | 21 | |||
| Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 63.7% | |||||
By county
| County | Obama% | Obama# | McCain% | McCain# | Others% | Others# |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Adams County, Pennsylvania Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams... |
39.4% | 17,633 | 58.9% | 26,349 | 1.7% | 759 |
| Allegheny Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh... |
57.1% | 373,153 | 41.6% | 272,347 | 1.3% | 8,539 |
| Armstrong Armstrong County, Pennsylvania Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,941. It is located northeast of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Armstrong County was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003.The county seat is Kittanning... |
36.8% | 11,138 | 61.3% | 18,542 | 1.9% | 583 |
| Beaver Beaver County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile... |
47.6% | 40,499 | 50.4% | 42,895 | 1.9% | 1,638 |
| Bedford Bedford County, Pennsylvania Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :... |
27.0% | 6,059 | 71.8% | 16,124 | 1.2% | 260 |
| Berks Berks County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile... |
53.8% | 97,047 | 44.6% | 80,513 | 1.6% | 2,951 |
| Blair Blair County, Pennsylvania -Significant Topographic Features:*Brush Mountain*Logan Valley*Morrison Cove*Tussey Mountain-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 129,144 people, 51,518 households, and 34,877 families residing in the county. The population density was 246 people per square mile . There were 55,061... |
37.2% | 19,813 | 61.4% | 32,708 | 1.5% | 777 |
| Bradford Bradford County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,761 people, 24,453 households, and 17,312 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 28,664 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile... |
39.8% | 10,306 | 58.2% | 15,057 | 2.0% | 524 |
| Bucks Bucks County, Pennsylvania - Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by... |
53.7% | 179,031 | 45.1% | 150,248 | 1.2% | 4,045 |
| Butler Butler County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile... |
35.5% | 32,260 | 62.9% | 57,074 | 1.6% | 1,427 |
| Cambria Cambria County, Pennsylvania Cambria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It comprises the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 143,679.... |
49.2% | 32,451 | 48.5% | 31,995 | 2.4% | 1,560 |
| Cameron Cameron County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 5,974 people, 2,465 households, and 1,624 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 4,592 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile... |
39.2% | 879 | 58.9% | 1,323 | 1.9% | 43 |
| Carbon Carbon County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 58,802 people, 23,701 households, and 16,424 families residing in the county. The population density was 154 people per square mile . There were 30,492 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile... |
49.8% | 13,464 | 47.9% | 12,957 | 2.3% | 629 |
| Centre Centre County, Pennsylvania Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990.... |
55.1% | 41,950 | 43.3% | 32,992 | 1.5% | 1,169 |
| Chester Chester County, Pennsylvania -State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were... |
54.0% | 137,833 | 44.8% | 114,421 | 1.2% | 2,998 |
| Clarion Clarion County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 41,765 people, 16,052 households, and 10,738 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 people per square mile . There were 19,426 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile... |
37.8% | 6,756 | 60.1% | 10,737 | 2.1% | 383 |
| Clearfield Clearfield County, Pennsylvania Clearfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 81,642.Clearfield County was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Huntingdon and Lycoming Counties but was administered as part of Centre County until 1812... |
42.8% | 14,555 | 54.9% | 18,662 | 2.4% | 805 |
| Clinton Clinton County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 37,914 people, 14,773 households, and 9,927 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 18,166 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile... |
48.0% | 7,097 | 50.7% | 7,504 | 1.3% | 190 |
| Columbia Columbia County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 64,151 people, 24,915 households, and 16,568 families residing in the county. The population density was 132 people per square mile . There were 27,733 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile... |
46.8% | 13,230 | 51.2% | 14,477 | 2.0% | 571 |
| Crawford Crawford County, Pennsylvania Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 88,765.Crawford County was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named for Colonel William Crawford... |
43.8% | 16,780 | 54.2% | 20,750 | 2.0% | 777 |
| Cumberland Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:... |
42.5% | 48,306 | 56.0% | 63,739 | 1.5% | 1,737 |
| Dauphin Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 census, the population was 268,100. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the state capital... |
53.9% | 69,975 | 44.9% | 58,238 | 1.3% | 1,632 |
| Delaware Delaware County, Pennsylvania Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties.... |
60.2% | 178,870 | 38.8% | 115,273 | 1.0% | 2,861 |
| Elk Elk County, Pennsylvania Elk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,946.Elk County was created on April 18, 1843, from parts of Jefferson, Clearfield and McKean Counties, and is named for the Eastern elk that historically inhabited the region. Its county... |
50.8% | 7,290 | 46.5% | 6,676 | 2.8% | 396 |
| Erie Erie County, Pennsylvania Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 280,566. Its county seat is the City of Erie.- Geography :... |
59.1% | 75,775 | 39.3% | 50,351 | 1.7% | 2,145 |
| Fayette Fayette County, Pennsylvania Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the2010 census, the population was 136,606. The county is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area.... |
49.2% | 25,866 | 49.6% | 26,081 | 1.2% | 613 |
| Forest Forest County, Pennsylvania Forest County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population is 7,716. Forest County is famous as a rural retreat. Nearly 75% of all dwellings in the county are second or vacation homes . Forest County does not have a single traffic light, the only county in the... |
42.1% | 1,038 | 55.3% | 1,366 | 2.6% | 64 |
| Franklin Franklin County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile... |
33.1% | 21,169 | 65.6% | 41,906 | 1.3% | 842 |
| Fulton Fulton County, Pennsylvania Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 14,845.Fulton County was created on April 19, 1850, from part of Bedford County and named for inventor Robert Fulton.Its county seat is McConnellsburg.... |
25.0% | 1,576 | 73.6% | 4,642 | 1.4% | 88 |
| Greene Greene County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,672 people, 15,060 households, and 10,587 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 16,678 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile... |
48.6% | 7,829 | 49.0% | 7,889 | 2.5% | 396 |
| Huntingdon Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Huntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,913.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S... |
35.3% | 6,621 | 62.7% | 11,745 | 1.9% | 365 |
| Indiana Indiana County, Pennsylvania -Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 58,077 registered voters in Indiana County .* Democratic: 26,653 * Republican: 24,159 * Other Parties: 7,265 -County commissioners:*Rodney Ruddock, Chairman, Republican... |
45.7% | 17,065 | 52.9% | 19,727 | 1.4% | 510 |
| Jefferson Jefferson County, Pennsylvania Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,200. It was established on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and named for then-President Thomas Jefferson. Its county seat is Brookville... |
34.1% | 6,447 | 63.8% | 12,057 | 2.2% | 407 |
| Juniata Juniata County, Pennsylvania Juniata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 24,636. Juniata County was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata River. Its county seat is Mifflintown.... |
31.3% | 3,068 | 66.0% | 6,484 | 2.7% | 265 |
| Lackawanna Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 465 people per square mile . There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 per square mile... |
62.2% | 67,520 | 36.4% | 39,488 | 1.4% | 1,531 |
| Lancaster Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the... |
43.4% | 99,586 | 55.2% | 126,568 | 1.4% | 3,095 |
| Lawrence Lawrence County, Pennsylvania Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 91,108. The county was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003. The county seat is New Castle.... |
46.5% | 19,711 | 51.6% | 21,851 | 1.9% | 787 |
| Lebanon Lebanon County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 120,327 people and 32,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 332 people per square mile . There were 49,320 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile... |
39.8% | 23,310 | 58.6% | 34,314 | 1.6% | 939 |
| Lehigh Lehigh County, Pennsylvania -Climate:Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year.... |
57.1% | 87,089 | 41.6% | 63,382 | 1.3% | 2,002 |
| Luzerne Luzerne County, Pennsylvania - Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry... |
53.3% | 72,492 | 45.0% | 61,127 | 1.7% | 2,349 |
| Lycoming Lycoming County, Pennsylvania -Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Plateau:Lycoming County is divided between the Appalachian Mountains in the south, the dissected Allegheny Plateau in the north and east, and the valley of the West Branch Susquehanna River between these.-West Branch Susquehanna River:The West Branch of the... |
37.2% | 18,381 | 61.2% | 30,280 | 1.6% | 786 |
| McKean McKean County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 45,936 people, 18,024 households, and 12,094 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 21,644 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile... |
40.5% | 6,465 | 57.8% | 9,224 | 1.6% | 258 |
| Mercer Mercer County, Pennsylvania Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 116,638. Its county seat is Mercer; Sharon is its largest city.... |
48.8% | 26,411 | 49.0% | 26,565 | 2.2% | 1,192 |
| Mifflin Mifflin County, Pennsylvania Mifflin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 46,682. Its county seat is Lewistown. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Pennsylvania.-Geography:... |
32.6% | 5,375 | 66.2% | 10,929 | 1.2% | 198 |
| Monroe Monroe County, Pennsylvania -National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile... |
57.5% | 39,453 | 41.2% | 28,293 | 1.3% | 872 |
| Montgomery Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part... |
60.0% | 253,393 | 39.2% | 165,552 | 0.8% | 3,474 |
| Montour Montour County, Pennsylvania Montour County is located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, the county's population was 18,267. Its county seat is Danville. It is named for Andrew Montour, a prominent métis interpreter who served with George Washington during the French and Indian War. The county is part of the... |
41.9% | 3,364 | 57.0% | 4,574 | 1.1% | 85 |
| Northampton Northampton County, Pennsylvania As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of... |
55.4% | 75,255 | 43.1% | 58,551 | 1.6% | 2,148 |
| Northumberland Northumberland County, Pennsylvania There were 38,835 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had... |
42.0% | 14,329 | 55.7% | 19,018 | 2.2% | 767 |
| Perry Perry County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 43,602 people, 16,695 households, and 12,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile . There were 18,941 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile... |
32.2% | 6,396 | 65.8% | 13,058 | 2.0% | 394 |
| Philadelphia Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania -History:Tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area which became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized the area in 1655, but permanently lost control to England in 1674... |
83.0% | 595,980 | 16.3% | 117,221 | 0.7% | 4,767 |
| Pike Pike County, Pennsylvania -National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:... |
47.3% | 11,493 | 51.5% | 12,518 | 1.1% | 273 |
| Potter Potter County, Pennsylvania Potter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Plateau region. As of 2010, the population was 17,457. Its county seat is Coudersport. Potter County was named after James Potter, who was a general from Pennsylvania in the Continental Army during the... |
30.6% | 2,300 | 68.1% | 5,109 | 1.3% | 98 |
| Schuylkill Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania -Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859.... |
44.5% | 28,300 | 53.1% | 33,767 | 2.4% | 1,538 |
| Snyder Snyder County, Pennsylvania Snyder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 39,702. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County... |
34.6% | 5,382 | 63.6% | 9,900 | 1.8% | 284 |
| Somerset Somerset County, Pennsylvania Somerset County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 77,742. Somerset County was created on April 17, 1795, from part of Bedford County and named for Somerset, United Kingdom. Its county seat is Somerset. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania,... |
36.4% | 12,878 | 61.3% | 21,686 | 2.3% | 804 |
| Sullivan Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population is 6,428. Sullivan County was created on March 15, 1847, from part of Lycoming County and named for Charles Sullivan, leader of the Pennsylvania Senate... |
39.5% | 1,233 | 59.0% | 1,841 | 1.5% | 46 |
| Susquehanna Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,238 people, 16,529 households, and 11,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 21,829 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile... |
43.2% | 8,381 | 54.8% | 10,633 | 2.1% | 401 |
| Tioga Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,981. Tioga County was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and named for the Tioga River. Its county seat is Wellsboro.... |
35.5% | 6,390 | 63.0% | 11,326 | 1.5% | 268 |
| Union Union County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile... |
42.0% | 7,333 | 56.4% | 9,859 | 1.6% | 283 |
| Venango Venango County, Pennsylvania Venango County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 54,984. Its county seat is Franklin.-History:Venango County was created on March 12, 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties... |
39.4% | 9,238 | 58.5% | 13,718 | 2.1% | 504 |
| Warren Warren County, Pennsylvania Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 41,815. It was formed in 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming counties; attached to Crawford County until 1805 and then to Venango County until Warren was formally organized in 1819. Its county... |
46.1% | 8,537 | 52.3% | 9,685 | 1.6% | 295 |
| Washington Washington County, Pennsylvania -Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482... |
46.8% | 46,122 | 51.5% | 50,752 | 1.6% | 1,597 |
| Wayne Wayne County, Pennsylvania As of the census of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile . There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile... |
43.3% | 9,892 | 55.6% | 12,702 | 1.1% | 241 |
| Westmoreland Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile... |
41.0% | 72,721 | 57.6% | 102,294 | 1.4% | 2,532 |
| Wyoming Wyoming County, Pennsylvania Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was created in 1842 from part of Luzerne County. Its county seat is Tunkhannock.-Geography:According to the U.S... |
45.3% | 5,985 | 52.8% | 6,983 | 1.9% | 254 |
| York York County, Pennsylvania York County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania.... |
42.4% | 82,839 | 56.0% | 109,268 | 1.6% | 3,138 |
By congressional district
Although Barack Obama won Pennsylvania, John McCain carried 10 of the commonwealth’s 19 congressional districts, including four districts held by Democrats. One district, PA-03, was extremely close, however, with McCain only winning by less than 20 votes. Obama won 9 districts, including two districts held by Republicans.| District | McCain | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11.72% | 87.82% | Bob Brady Bob Brady Robert A. "Bob" Brady is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1998, and the ranking Democrat on the United States House Committee on House Administration since 2007... |
|
| 9.52% | 90.05% | Chaka Fattah Chaka Fattah Chaka Fattah is the U.S. representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party... |
|
| 49.30% | 49.30% | Phil English Phil English Philip Sheridan "Phil" English served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 - 2009 from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, representing the state's 3rd Congressional district.... (110th Congress 110th United States Congress The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of... ) |
|
| Kathy Dahlkemper Kathy Dahlkemper Kathleen Ann "Kathy" Dahlkemper is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in Erie and includes most of the northwestern portion of the state.... (111th Congress 111th United States Congress The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of... ) |
|||
| 54.72% | 44.27% | Jason Altmire Jason Altmire Jason Altmire is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life and education:... |
|
| 54.55% | 44.05% | John E. Peterson John E. Peterson John E. Peterson is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. From 1997 - 2009, he represented the state's mainly rural and largely Republican 5th Congressional district in the U.S. House.-Biography:... (110th Congress 110th United States Congress The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of... ) |
|
| Glenn "G.T." Thompson (111th Congress 111th United States Congress The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of... ) |
|||
| 41.21% | 57.81% | Jim Gerlach Jim Gerlach James "Jim" Gerlach is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.- Early life, education and career :... |
|
| 43.20% | 55.84% | Joe Sestak | |
| 44.99% | 53.92% | Patrick Murphy Patrick Murphy (politician) Patrick Joseph Murphy is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.... |
|
| 63.36% | 35.43% | Bill Shuster Bill Shuster William Shuster is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a son of former Congressman Bud Shuster.-Early life, education and career:... |
|
| 53.60% | 45.17% | Chris Carney Chris Carney Christopher P. "Chris" Carney is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was a prominent member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition.... |
|
| 44.99% | 53.92% | Paul E. Kanjorski Paul E. Kanjorski Paul E. Kanjorski is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes the cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton, as well as most of the Poconos.... |
|
| 49.43% | 49.12% | John Murtha John Murtha John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010.... |
|
| 40.51% | 58.56% | Allyson Schwartz Allyson Schwartz Allyson Young Schwartz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia... |
|
| 29.03% | 69.99% | Michael F. Doyle Michael F. Doyle Michael F. "Mike" Doyle is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Pittsburgh and includes most of Allegheny County.... |
|
| 43.14% | 55.58% | Charlie Dent Charlie Dent Charles "Charlie" Dent is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district includes all of Northampton County, most of Lehigh County, and small parts of Berks and Montgomery Counties.... |
|
| 51.39% | 47.74% | Joe Pitts | |
| 51.10% | 47.65% | Tim Holden Tim Holden Thomas Timothy "Tim" Holden is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:... |
|
| 54.90% | 44.15% | Tim Murphy Tim Murphy (congressman) Timothy "Tim" F. Murphy is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Pennsylvania Senate.... |
|
| 56.25% | 42.64% | Todd Platts Todd Russell Platts Todd Russell Platts is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district is located in south-central Pennsylvania, encompassing all of York and Adams Counties, and a large portion of Cumberland County... |
Electors
Technically the voters of Pennsylvania cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Pennsylvania is allocated 21 electors because it has 19 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 21 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 21 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for President and Vice President. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless electorFaithless elector
In United States presidential elections, a faithless elector is a member of the Electoral College who does not vote for the candidate they have pledged to vote for...
.
The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 15, 2008 to cast their votes for President and Vice President. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.
The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All 20 were pledged to 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 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...
:
- Lynne AbrahamLynne AbrahamLynne Abraham served as the District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia from May 1991 to January 2010. She was the first woman to serve as Philadelphia's District Attorney. Abraham won election to that position four times. As District Attorney, she oversaw the largest district attorney's office...
- Christopher Lewis
- John Brenne
- Valerie McDonald-RobertsValerie McDonald-RobertsValerie McDonald-Roberts is an American politician. She is the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds and in 2006 was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.-Community and political experiences:...
- Eileen Connell
- Thomas McMahon
- Kathi Cozzone
- Robert Mello
- John Fetterman
- Michael A. NutterMichael A. NutterMichael Anthony Nutter is the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the third African-American mayor of Philadelphia, the largest city in the United States with an African-American mayor. Elected on November 6, 2007, he was sworn in on January 7, 2008 and re-elected on November 8, 2011...
- William George
- Corey O'Brien
- Patrick B. GillespiePatrick B. GillespiePatrick B. Gillespie is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.-References:...
- Joshua Shapiro
- Richard Gray
- Jack WagnerJack Wagner (politician)Jack E. Wagner is the current auditor general of Pennsylvania. The statewide elected office is charged with serving as the commonwealth’s independent fiscal monitor...
- Franco HarrisFranco HarrisFranco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
- Michael Washo
- George Hartwick
- Daylin LeachDaylin LeachDaylin Leach is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 17th senatorial district since 2009. He was previously a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 149th district from 2003 to 2009.-Biography:Leach graduated from Parkland High...