2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

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2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

The 2008 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Quick Facts Turnout, Nominee ...
2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 
Turnout84.61% (of registered voters) 2.56%[1]
 
Nominee Barack Obama John McCain
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Illinois Arizona
Running mate Joe Biden Sarah Palin
Electoral vote 11 0
Popular vote 1,750,848 1,229,216
Percentage 57.65% 40.48%


President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic

Close

The State of Washington was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama by a 17.1% 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. No Republican presidential nominee had won the State of Washington since Ronald Reagan won the state in 1984. Continuing on that trend, Washington stayed in the Democratic column as Obama carried the state with over 57% of the vote.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Skamania County, Klickitat County, and Wahkiakum County voted for the Democratic candidate. This is also the last time the Democrat carried more counties than the Republican. Obama became the first ever Democrat to win the White House without carrying Ferry County, as well as the first to do so without carrying Asotin County since Woodrow Wilson in 1912.

Primaries

Summarize
Perspective

Democratic primary

The 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. Delegates were selected in a four-tier process that began with precinct caucuses, was further refined in legislative district caucuses and/or county conventions, concluded for some delegates in the congressional district caucuses, and finally concluded for the remaining delegates at the state convention.

Washington also held a Democratic primary on February 19, 2008, but the Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.[2]

Delegate breakdown

The Washington State Democratic Party sent a total of 97 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Of those delegates, 78 were pledged and 19 were unpledged. The 78 pledged delegates were allocated (pledged) to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention according to the results of Washington's four-step caucus process. The 19 unpledged delegates were popularly called "superdelegates" because their vote represented their personal decisions, whereas the regular delegates' votes represented the collective decision of many voters. The superdelegates were free to vote for any candidate at the national convention and were selected by the Washington State Democratic Party's officials and the pledged delegates.[3][4]

The 78 pledged delegates were further divided into 51 district delegates and 27 statewide delegates. The 51 district delegates were divided among Washington's 9 congressional districts and were allocated to the presidential candidates based on the caucus results in each district. The 27 statewide delegates were divided into 17 at-large delegates and 10 party leaders and elected officials (abbreviated PLEOs). They were allocated to the presidential candidates at the state convention based on the preference of the 51 district delegates on June 13–15.[3][4]

Of the 19 unpledged delegates, 17 were selected in advance and 2 were selected at the state convention. The delegates selected in advance were 7 Democratic National Committee members, the 2 Democratic U.S. senators from Washington, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, the 6 Democratic U.S. representatives from Washington, and the Democratic governor of Washington, Christine Gregoire.[3][4]

Delegate selection process

Precinct caucuses

The precinct caucuses took place on February 9, 2008. Washington's two senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton earlier in the nomination season.[5] The week before the caucuses, Washington's governor, Christine Gregoire, endorsed Senator Barack Obama.[6]

The caucuses were open to all voters who would be 18 years old by November 4, 2008. To vote, participants completed a form with their contact information and candidate preference. The form also asked voters to sign an oath stating: "I declare that I consider myself to be a DEMOCRAT and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2008 Presidential election." In some caucus groups, members split into smaller groups according to the candidate they supported. Voters supporting non-viable candidates had the option of moving into viable groups, and voters in viable groups could change their preference.[7] Unlike other state Democratic Party caucuses, Washington does not require a 15% threshold for allocation of delegates at the precinct level. Rules state that any fractional delegates remaining are awarded to the candidate with the most votes that do not have delegates.

Legislative district caucuses and county conventions

Democrats vote in the 43rd Legislative District Caucus, April 5, 2008

The second tier of the delegate selection process involved choosing 2,000 legislative district delegates (and 1,000 alternates) to send to the congressional district conventions on May 17 and the state convention on June 13–15.[8] There are 49 legislative districts in Washington State. Each district was allocated a certain number of delegates.[9] Delegates were elected at either legislative district caucuses or county conventions. Each of Washington's 39 counties has a local Democratic Party organization that determined the event at which delegate selection would take place. Most counties chose to select delegates at legislative district caucuses on April 5. The remaining counties selected delegates at sub-caucuses during their county conventions, most of which were held on either April 12 or April 19. The breakdown of events by date is listed below.[10][11]

April 5

Legislative district caucuses:

  • 1st through 6th
  • 8th
  • 11th
  • 12th
  • 16th (Benton County portion only, held at the 8th LD caucus)
  • 21st
  • 25th through 34th
  • 36th through 39th
  • 40th (San Juan County portion only)
  • 41st through 48th

County convention:

  • Whatcom (40th LD)
April 12

County conventions:

  • Clallam (24th LD)
  • Franklin (9th & 16th LDs)
  • Grays Harbor (19th, 24th & 35th LDs)
  • Kitsap (23rd & 35th LDs)
  • Kittitas (13th LD)
  • Pend Oreille (7th LD)
  • Skagit (10th & 40th LDs)
April 13

County convention:

  • Snohomish (10th LD)
April 19

County conventions:

  • Asotin (9th LD)
  • Chelan (13th LD)
  • Clark (15th, 17th, 18th & 49th LDs)
  • Cowlitz (18th & 19th LDs)
  • Ferry (7th LD)
  • Grant (13th LD)
  • Island (10th LD)
  • Klickitat (15th LD)
  • Lewis (20th LD)
  • Lincoln (7th LD)
  • Mason (35th LD)
  • Okanogan (7th LD)
  • Pacific (19th LD)
  • Skamania (15th LD)
  • Spokane (7th & 9th LDs)
  • Stevens (7th LD)
  • Thurston (20th, 22nd & 35th LDs)
  • Wahkiakum (19th LD)
  • Whitman (9th LD)
  • Yakima (13th, 14th & 15th LDs)
April 20

County convention:

  • Walla Walla (16th LD)
April 26

County convention:

  • Jefferson (24th LD)
Unknown date

County conventions:

  • Adams (9th LD)
  • Garfield (9th LD)
  • Columbia (16th LD)

Congressional district caucuses

Fifty-one delegates were chosen at the nine congressional district caucuses. Each district was allotted a different number of delegates:

  • CD 1: 6
  • CD 2: 6
  • CD 3: 5
  • CD 4: 3
  • CD 5: 5
  • CD 6: 6
  • CD 7: 9
  • CD 8: 6
  • CD 9: 5

State convention

Twenty-nine delegates were chosen at the state convention, twenty-seven of which were pledged to vote for a particular candidate. Seventeen of these pledged delegates were "at-large" delegates that did not represent a specific Washington congressional district, and ten were party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs).

Polls

Results

Precinct caucuses

Caucus date: February 9, 2008

National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78)

More information 2008 Washington Democratic presidential precinct caucuses 96.4% of precincts reporting, Candidate ...
2008 Washington Democratic presidential precinct caucuses
96.4% of precincts reporting[12]
Candidate Precinct delegates Percentage Estimated national delegates[7]
Barack Obama 21,768 67.56% 52
Hillary Clinton 10,038 31.15% 26
Other 50 0.16% 0
Uncommitted 364 1.13% 0
Totals 32,220 100.00% 78
Close

Primary

The Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.[2]

Primary date: February 19, 2008

National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78)

Key:Withdrew
prior to contest
More information Candidate, Votes ...
2008 Washington Democratic presidential primary[13]
Candidate Votes Percentage
Barack Obama 354,112 51.22%
Hillary Clinton 315,744 45.67%
John Edwards 11,892 1.72%
Dennis Kucinich 4,021 0.58%
Bill Richardson 2,040 0.30%
Joe Biden 1,883 0.27%
Mike Gravel 1,071 0.15%
Christopher Dodd 618 0.09%
Totals 691,381 100.00%
Close

Legislative district caucuses and county conventions

Dashes indicate districts for which results are unavailable.

Caucus/Convention dates: April 5–26, 2008

National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78)

More information Washington Democratic Legislative District Caucusesand County Conventions, 2008 61% of districts reporting, Legislative District ...
Washington Democratic Legislative District Caucuses
and County Conventions, 2008
61% of districts reporting
Legislative
District
Barack
Obama
Hillary
Clinton
Total State Delegates
from this LD[9]
LD1[14] 32 12 44
LD2[15] 26 14 40
LD3 33
LD4 38
LD5[16] 36 12 48
LD6[17] 29 15 44
LD7 34
LD8 33
LD9 33
LD10 43
LD11[18] 26 10 36
LD12 31
LD13 28
LD14 27
LD15 26
LD16 28
LD17 39
LD18 44
LD19 38
LD20[19] 25 13 38
LD21 40
LD22[20] 36 13 49
LD23[21] 34 11 45
LD24[22] 28 10 47
LD25[23] 26 15 41
LD26[24] 28 14 42
LD27[25] 27 12 39
LD28 34
LD29 30
LD30 35
LD31[26] 22 16 38
LD32[27] 36 14 50
LD33[28] 23 12 35
LD34[29] 38 13 51
LD35[30] 15 8 41
LD36[31] 52 15 67
LD37[31] 38 9 47
LD38[32] 23 11 34
LD39[33] 27 12 39
LD40[34] 36 9 47
LD41[35] 36 13 49
LD42[36] 33 10 43
LD43[37] 53 14 67
LD44[38] 30 13 43
LD45[39] 33 12 45
LD46[40] 45 15 60
LD47[41] 27 11 38
LD48[42] 30 11 41
LD49 38
Totals 950 369 2,000
Estimated
national delegates
0 0 78
Close

Congressional district caucuses

Caucus date: May 17, 2008

National pledged delegates determined: 51 (of 78)

More information Washington Democratic Congressional District Caucuses, 2008 0% of districts reporting, Congressional District ...
Washington Democratic Congressional District Caucuses, 2008
0% of districts reporting
Congressional District National Delegates Obama[43] National Delegates Clinton[44] National Delegates Total
CD1[45] 4 2 6
CD2 4 2 6
CD3 3 2 5
CD4 2 1 3
CD5 3 2 5
CD6 4 2 6
CD7[46] 7 2 9
CD8 4 2 6
CD9 3 2 5
Totals 34 17 51
Close

State convention

Convention date: June 13–15, 2008

National pledged delegates determined: 27 (of 78)

More information Candidate, At-Large and PLEO delegates ...
2008 Washington Democratic State Convention[4]
Candidate At-Large and PLEO delegates Percentage National delegates
Barack Obama 18 66.67% 52
Hillary Clinton 9 33.33% 26
Totals 27 100.00% 78
Close

Republican caucuses and primary

The Republican caucuses were held on Saturday February 9 and the primary on February 19, 2008, to compete 40 total delegates, of which 18 tied to the caucuses, 19 tied to the primary, and 3 unpledged RNC member delegates.[47]

Candidates

All following candidates appeared on the ballot for voters in Washington:

Caucuses

Voting in Washington's caucuses closed at 9:00 pm EST February 9.

The Washington Republican Party declared John McCain the winner on the night of the election, after 87% of the votes were counted. Mike Huckabee disputed the results and accused the state party of calling the election prematurely. He demanded a statewide caucus recount.[48] However, by Tuesday, February 12, the Washington Republicans again declared McCain the winner after 96% of the votes were tallied,[49] and never counted the rest of the votes.[50]

More information Candidate, State delegate ...
96% of precincts reporting[47]
Candidate State delegate Percentage Delegates Counties carried
John McCain3,22825.9%1611
Mike Huckabee2,95923.52%811
Ron Paul2,74021.64%59
Mitt Romney1,90315.45%04
Uncommitted1,66213.49%02
Total12,320100%2937
Close

Primary

The primary took place on February 19, 2008.

More information Candidate, Votes ...
Official results[47][51]
Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates
John McCain262,30449.50%16
Mike Huckabee127,65724.09%8
Mitt Romney*86,14016.25%0
Ron Paul40,5397.65%5
Rudy Giuliani*5,1450.97%0
Fred Thompson*4,8650.92%0
Alan Keyes2,2260.42%0
Duncan Hunter*7990.19%0
Total529,932100%29
Close

* Candidate stopped campaign before primary

Money raised

The following table shows the amount of money each Republican Party candidate raised in the state of Washington.[52]

Campaign

Predictions

More information Source, Ranking ...
Source Ranking
D.C. Political Report[53] Likely D
Cook Political Report[54] Solid D
The Takeaway[55] Solid D
Electoral-vote.com[56] Solid D
Washington Post[57] Solid D
Politico[58] Solid D
RealClearPolitics[59] Solid D
FiveThirtyEight[57] Solid D
CQ Politics[60] Solid D
The New York Times[61] Solid D
CNN[62] Safe D
NPR[57] Solid D
MSNBC[57] Solid D
Fox News[63] Likely D
Associated Press[64] Likely D
Rasmussen Reports[65] Safe D
Close

Since February 28, Obama won every pre-election poll. Since September 22, he won each poll with a double-digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged Obama leading 54% to 40%.

Fundraising

McCain raised a total of $2,697,999 in the state. Obama raised $16,518,208.[66]

Advertising and visits

Obama and his interest groups spent $312,869. McCain and his interest groups spent just $2,264.[67] The Democratic ticket visited the state once, while the Republican ticket did not visit at all.[68]

Analysis

Summarize
Perspective

Washington once leaned Republican, like most of the Pacific Northwest. From 1952 to 1984, it only went Democratic twice—in 1964 and 1968. However, it has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every presidential election since 1988. Neither candidate seriously contested the state as it was viewed as a safe blue state. Like Oregon, the state is divided politically by the urban/rural divide and geographically by the Cascade Mountains. The two are related in that nearly all of the major cities lie west of the Cascades. Most of the state's population resides in Western Washington along the Pacific Coast and in highly urbanized areas like Seattle. The Seattle area, home to almost two-thirds of the state's population, is overwhelmingly Democratic. The rest of Western Washington leans Democratic as well, though the lean is not as pronounced as in the greater Seattle area. In contrast, Eastern Washington is very rural, and in many ways more similar to Idaho than Seattle. Republicans have had an edge here for many years, in part to its strong tinge of social conservatism. As a result, while Republicans typically win more counties, the overwhelming Democratic trend in the more-heavily populated western portion is enough to swing the whole state to the Democrats.

On Election Day, Obama won the state by 17.18%. Washington was called for Obama as soon as the polls in the state closed. He swept the more urban counties along the Western Seaboard, which compose the Democratic base. More than two-thirds of the state's population lives in this area; this makes it very difficult for a Republican to win the state because of this region's liberal tilt. Obama would have been assured a victory in any event due to his performance in the Seattle area. He carried King County, home to Seattle itself and its close suburbs and just over a third of the state's population, with 69.97 percent of the vote—almost three-fifths of his statewide majority. Obama also swept the two other big counties in Western Washington, Pierce (home to Tacoma) and Snohomish (home to Everett) by decisive margins. His combined majority in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties would have been more than enough to carry the state. McCain only won one county in the western part of the state, Lewis County, traditionally the most socially conservative county west of the Cascades.

On the other hand, McCain did extremely well in Eastern Washington. Neither Al Gore or John Kerry was able to take a single county in Eastern Washington; in 2008, Obama only won one small county, Whitman County, home to Washington State University in Pullman. Nevertheless, as with Oregon, McCain's margins in the eastern part of the state were far outweighed by Obama's landslides in the more populated coastal regions and cities in the western part of the state. Obama did, however, improve substantially in Eastern Washington, especially in the region's largest county, Spokane County, home to the city of Spokane.

During the same election, incumbent Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire was reelected to a second term with 53.00% of the vote over Republican Dino Rossi who took 46.55% in a rematch of their controversial race from four years earlier. At the state level, Democrats picked up one seat in the Washington House of Representatives while Republicans picked up a seat in the Washington Senate.

Results

Summarize
Perspective
More information Party, Candidate ...
2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 1,750,848 57.65% 11
Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 1,229,216 40.48% 0
Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 29,489 0.97% 0
Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 12,728 0.42% 0
Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 9,432 0.31% 0
Green Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente 3,819 0.13% 0
Others Others 1,036 0.04% 0
Totals 3,036,878 100.00% 11
Voter turnout (Voting age population) 62.2%
Close

By county

More information County, Barack Obama Democratic ...
County Barack Obama
Democratic
John McCain
Republican
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Adams 1,552 31.95% 3,222 66.32% 84 1.73% -1,670 -34.37% 4,858
Asotin 4,139 42.32% 5,451 55.74% 190 1.94% -1,312 -13.42% 9,780
Benton 26,288 35.84% 45,345 61.83% 1,708 2.33% -19,057 -25.99% 73,341
Chelan 13,781 42.85% 17,605 54.74% 777 2.41% -3,824 -11.89% 32,163
Clallam 19,470 50.55% 18,199 47.25% 851 2.21% 1,271 3.30% 38,520
Clark 95,356 51.85% 84,212 45.79% 4,357 2.37% 11,144 6.06% 183,925
Columbia 686 30.38% 1,499 66.39% 73 3.24% -813 -36.01% 2,258
Cowlitz 24,597 54.05% 19,554 42.96% 1,361 2.99% 5,043 11.09% 45,512
Douglas 5,848 38.26% 9,098 59.52% 339 2.22% -3,250 -21.26% 15,285
Ferry 1,467 41.49% 1,916 54.19% 153 4.33% -449 -12.70% 3,536
Franklin 7,361 37.19% 12,037 60.81% 397 2.01% -4,676 -23.62% 19,795
Garfield 385 28.04% 968 70.50% 20 1.46% -583 -42.46% 1,373
Grant 9,601 34.74% 17,153 62.07% 880 3.18% -7,552 -27.33% 27,634
Grays Harbor 16,354 56.04% 12,104 41.47% 726 2.49% 4,250 14.57% 29,184
Island 22,058 52.31% 19,426 46.07% 680 1.61% 2,632 6.24% 42,164
Jefferson 13,252 65.85% 6,330 31.46% 541 2.69% 6,922 34.39% 20,123
King 648,230 69.97% 259,716 28.03% 18,511 2.00% 388,514 41.94% 926,457
Kitsap 68,624 54.89% 53,297 42.63% 3,090 2.47% 15,327 12.26% 125,011
Kittitas 8,030 44.67% 9,471 52.68% 476 2.65% -1,441 -8.01% 17,977
Klickitat 4,965 48.85% 4,944 48.64% 255 2.51% 21 0.21% 10,164
Lewis 13,624 38.96% 20,278 57.99% 1,067 3.05% -6,654 -19.03% 34,969
Lincoln 2,032 33.82% 3,803 63.30% 173 2.88% -1,771 -29.48% 6,008
Mason 15,050 52.78% 12,600 44.19% 863 3.03% 2,450 8.59% 28,513
Okanogan 7,613 44.82% 8,798 51.79% 576 3.39% -1,185 -6.97% 16,987
Pacific 6,094 55.12% 4,555 41.20% 406 3.67% 1,539 13.92% 11,055
Pend Oreille 2,562 38.79% 3,717 56.28% 326 4.94% -1,155 -17.49% 6,605
Pierce 181,824 54.88% 141,673 42.76% 7,839 2.37% 40,151 12.12% 331,336
San Juan 7,374 69.66% 2,958 27.94% 254 2.40% 4,416 41.72% 10,586
Skagit 30,053 53.42% 24,687 43.89% 1,513 2.69% 5,366 9.53% 56,253
Skamania 2,817 51.31% 2,524 45.97% 149 2.71% 293 5.34% 5,490
Snohomish 187,294 58.13% 126,722 39.33% 8,183 2.54% 60,572 18.80% 322,199
Spokane 105,786 47.87% 108,314 49.01% 6,907 3.13% -2,528 -1.14% 221,007
Stevens 8,499 37.62% 13,132 58.13% 960 4.25% -4,633 -20.51% 22,591
Thurston 75,882 59.57% 48,366 37.97% 3,142 2.47% 27,516 21.60% 127,390
Wahkiakum 1,121 48.61% 1,105 47.92% 80 3.47% 16 0.69% 2,306
Walla Walla 10,081 40.52% 14,182 57.01% 614 2.47% -4,101 -16.49% 24,877
Whatcom 58,236 57.71% 40,205 39.84% 2,465 2.44% 18,031 17.87% 100,906
Whitman 9,070 51.57% 8,104 46.07% 415 2.36% 966 5.50% 17,589
Yakima 33,792 43.58% 41,946 54.10% 1,796 2.32% -8,154 -10.52% 77,534
Totals1,750,84857.34%1,229,21640.26%73,1972.40%521,63217.08%3,036,878
Close
Thumb
County Flips:
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

Barack Obama carried 7 of the state's 9 congressional districts, including one district held by a Republican.[69]

More information District, McCain ...
District McCain Obama Representative
1st 35.93% 62.44% Jay Inslee
2nd 42.00% 55.60% Rick Larsen
3rd 45.66% 52.37% Brian Baird
4th 57.84% 40.30% Doc Hastings
5th 51.54% 45.97% Cathy McMorris Rodgers
6th 40.51% 57.43% Norm Dicks
7th 14.96% 83.54% Jim McDermott
8th 41.83% 56.62% Dave Reichert
9th 39.47% 58.72% Adam Smith
Close

Electors

Summarize
Perspective

Technically the voters of Washington cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Washington is allocated 11 electors because it has 9 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 11 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and their running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 11 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.[70] An elector who votes for someone other than their candidate is known as a faithless elector.

The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 15, 2008, to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.

The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All 11 were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden:[71]

  1. Jeff Siddiqui[72]
  2. Maggie Hanson
  3. Jane Buchanan-Banks
  4. Pat M. Notter
  5. Marcus Riccelli[73]
  6. Bradford Donovan
  7. Lesley Ahmed[74]
  8. Di A. Irons[75]
  9. Calvin Edwards
  10. Kristine Fallstone
  11. John Daniels

See also

References

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