United States presidential election in North Carolina, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 United States presidential election in North Carolina 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 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President
and Vice President
.
North Carolina
was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama
with a 0.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered NC as a toss-up, or swing state
. But few truly believed Obama would win North Carolina. Only 2 of the 17 news/ political organizations listed here actually correctly predicted the result, an Obama victory. Throughout the general election, the state was heavily targeted by both campaigns. It was one of three Southern states (along with Florida
and Virginia
) that voted for Obama in 2008. A huge African American turnout bolstered by overwhelming support from younger voters were the major factors that helped deliver North Carolina's 15 electoral votes to Obama, making him the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the state in 32 years, though Bill Clinton came within 20,000 votes of winning the state in 1992.
showed Obama leading in a poll for the first time. He won the poll 49% to 47%. After that, polls showed the state being a complete toss-up as both McCain and Obama were winning many polls and no candidate was taking a consistent lead in the state. Reasons for the drastic turnaround in the state point to the financial crisis and the heavy advertising by the Obama campaign in the fall election. The final 3 polls found a tie with both candidate at 49%, which was accurate compared to the actual results.
Situated in the South, which has become a Republican stronghold in recent elections, North Carolina
is an anomaly. While very Democratic at the local and state level, the last Democratic presidential nominee to win the Tar Heel State was Jimmy Carter
in 1976
; not even the Southern moderate populist Bill Clinton
from Arkansas
could win North Carolina.
Obama decided early on to aggressively campaign in the state. It paid off quickly; most polls from spring onward showed the race within single digits. He also dramatically outspent McCain in the state. This was also one of the closest statewide contests of 2008, as Obama captured North Carolina just by 0.32 percent of the vote - a margin of only 14,177 votes out of 4.2 million statewide. Only in Missouri
was the race closer where McCain nipped Obama by less than 4,000 votes or by a margin of 0.14 percent.
Republicans have traditionally done well in the western part of North Carolina that is a part of Appalachia
, while Democrats are stronger in the east. When a Democrat wins in North Carolina, almost everything from Charlotte
eastward is usually coated blue. Even when Democrats lose, they often still retain a number of counties in the industrial southeast (alongside Fayetteville
), the African-American northeast, the fast-growing I-85 Corridor
in the Piedmont, and sometimes the western Appalachian region next to Tennessee
. For example, a map of Bill Clinton's narrow 1992 loss in North Carolina shows him narrowly winning all these regions.
Obama, however, did not take the traditional Democratic path to victory. Instead, his main margins came from the cities, where he did particularly well throughout the country. While Obama only won 35 of North Carolina's 100 counties, these counties contained more than half of the state's population.
Obama's victory margin came largely by running up huge majorities in the I-85 Corridor, a developing megalopolis
which is home to more than two-thirds of the state's population and casts almost 70 percent of the state's vote. The state's five largest counties--Mecklenburg
(home to Charlotte) Wake (home to Raleigh
), Guilford (home to Greensboro), Forsyth
(home to Winston-Salem) and Durham
(home to Durham
)--are all located in this area, and Obama swept them all by 11 percentage points or more. In 1992, Bill Clinton had only been able to win Durham County by this margin; he actually narrowly lost Forsyth and Mecklenburg (the latter was where Obama had his biggest margin in the state). Ultimately, Obama's combined margin of 350,000 votes in these counties was too much for McCain to overcome.
However, McCain did well in the Charlotte suburbs, Appalachian Foothills and mountain country; indeed, he carried all but four counties west of Winston-Salem. Aside from the I-85 Corridor, Obama's results were mediocre in the traditional Democratic base. He lost badly in Appalachia, mirroring the difficulties he had throughout this region. Obama only won three counties in this region, one of which was Buncombe County, home to the largest city in the region, Asheville. He did as well as Al Gore (who lost North Carolina by double-digits) in the Fayetteville area.
Thus, Obama did not rely on the traditional Democratic base but rather a new coalition of city voters to win North Carolina. Obama would have lost the state by a comfortable margin without the state's five largest counties; instead, he barely pulled off a victory by creating a unique coalition of voters, particularly among highly affluent and educated migrants from the Northeast who traditionally tend to vote Democratic, as well as among African Americans and college students, the two voting blocs that overwhelmingly supported him during the course of the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.
During the same election, Democrats picked up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
in North Carolina's 8th congressional district
where incumbent Republican Robin Hayes
was ousted by Democrat Larry Kissell
, a high school social studies teacher who almost toppled Hayes in 2006. Kissell received 55.38% of the vote while Hayes took in 44.62%, a 10.76-percent difference. Democrats also held onto the Governor's Mansion as term-limited incumbent Democratic Governor
Mike Easley
was ineligible to seek a third term. Lieutenant Governor
Beverly Perdue defeated Republican Pat McCrory, the incumbent mayor of Charlotte. Perdue received 50.23% of the vote while McCrory took in 46.90% with the remaining 2.86% going to Libertarian
Michael Munger. In a highly targeted U.S. Senate
race, Democratic State Senator
Kay Hagan defeated incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole
by a wider-than-anticipated margin - by 8.47 points. Hagan received 52.65% while Dole took in 44.18%. The race received widespread attention after the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
ran its infamous "Godless" ad that accused Hagan, a Sunday school teacher, of accepting money from atheists
and accused her of being an atheist. The ad backfired terribly and was one of the major factors that contributed to Dole's defeat. At the state level, Democrats increased their gains in the North Carolina General Assembly
, picking up five seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives
and one seat in the North Carolina Senate
.
According to exit polls over 95% of African American
s cast ballots for Obama. This played a critical role in North Carolina, as 95% of the state's registered African American voters turned out, with Obama carrying an unprecedented 100% of African-American females and African Americans age 18 to 29, according to exit polling. Comparatively, the turnout statewide was only 69%.
.
.
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 15 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 15 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...
.
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
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...
with a 0.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered NC as a toss-up, or swing state
Swing state
In United States presidential politics, a swing state is a state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state's electoral college votes...
. But few truly believed Obama would win North Carolina. Only 2 of the 17 news/ political organizations listed here actually correctly predicted the result, an Obama victory. Throughout the general election, the state was heavily targeted by both campaigns. It was one of three Southern states (along with Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
) that voted for Obama in 2008. A huge African American turnout bolstered by overwhelming support from younger voters were the major factors that helped deliver North Carolina's 15 electoral votes to Obama, making him the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the state in 32 years, though Bill Clinton came within 20,000 votes of winning the state in 1992.
Primaries
- North Carolina Democratic primary, 2008North Carolina Democratic primary, 2008The 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....
- North Carolina Republican primary, 2008North Carolina Republican primary, 2008-Results:* Candidate dropped out of the race before the primary-See also:* North Carolina Democratic primary, 2008* Republican Party presidential primaries, 2008* Super Tuesday III, 2008-References:...
Predictions
There were 17 news organizations who made state by state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day:- D.C. Political Report: Republican
- 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...
: Toss-Up - Takeaway: Toss-Up
- 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: Toss-Up
- 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 McCain - Real Clear Politics: Toss-Up
- 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...
: Toss-Up - CQ Politics: Toss-Up
- New York Times: Toss-Up
- 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...
: Toss-Up - 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 McCain - MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
: Toss-Up - Fox News: Toss-Up
- 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...
: Toss-Up - 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...
: Toss-Up
Polling
Early on, McCain won almost every single pre-election poll. However, on September 23, Rasmussen ReportsRasmussen Reports
Rasmussen 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...
showed Obama leading in a poll for the first time. He won the poll 49% to 47%. After that, polls showed the state being a complete toss-up as both McCain and Obama were winning many polls and no candidate was taking a consistent lead in the state. Reasons for the drastic turnaround in the state point to the financial crisis and the heavy advertising by the Obama campaign in the fall election. The final 3 polls found a tie with both candidate at 49%, which was accurate compared to the actual results.
Fundraising
John McCain raised a total of $2,888,922 in the state. Barack Obama raised $8,569,866.Advertising and visits
Obama and his interest groups spent $15,178,674. McCain and his interest groups spent just $7,137,289. The Democratic ticket visited the state 12 times. The Republican ticket visited the state 8 times.Analysis
The winner was not certain even several days after the election, when thousands of provisional and absentee ballots were still being counted. However, when it became evident that McCain would need to win an improbable majority of these votes to overcome Obama's election night lead, the major news networks finally called the state's 15 electoral votes for Obama. North Carolina was the second-closest state in 2008; only in Missouri was the race closer.Situated in the South, which has become a Republican stronghold in recent elections, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
is an anomaly. While very Democratic at the local and state level, the last Democratic presidential nominee to win the Tar Heel State was Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in 1976
United States presidential election, 1976
The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...
; not even the Southern moderate populist Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
from Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
could win North Carolina.
Obama decided early on to aggressively campaign in the state. It paid off quickly; most polls from spring onward showed the race within single digits. He also dramatically outspent McCain in the state. This was also one of the closest statewide contests of 2008, as Obama captured North Carolina just by 0.32 percent of the vote - a margin of only 14,177 votes out of 4.2 million statewide. Only in Missouri
United States presidential election in Missouri, 2008
The 2008 United States presidential election in Missouri was held on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election, which took place throughout all 50 states and D.C....
was the race closer where McCain nipped Obama by less than 4,000 votes or by a margin of 0.14 percent.
Republicans have traditionally done well in the western part of North Carolina that is 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...
, while Democrats are stronger in the east. When a Democrat wins in North Carolina, almost everything from Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
eastward is usually coated blue. Even when Democrats lose, they often still retain a number of counties in the industrial southeast (alongside Fayetteville
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
), the African-American northeast, the fast-growing I-85 Corridor
I-85 Corridor
The I-85 Corridor is a multi-state region that follows Interstate 85 across the Southeastern United States. It stretches from Montgomery, Alabama to Petersburg, Virginia...
in the Piedmont, and sometimes the western Appalachian region next to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. For example, a map of Bill Clinton's narrow 1992 loss in North Carolina shows him narrowly winning all these regions.
Obama, however, did not take the traditional Democratic path to victory. Instead, his main margins came from the cities, where he did particularly well throughout the country. While Obama only won 35 of North Carolina's 100 counties, these counties contained more than half of the state's population.
Obama's victory margin came largely by running up huge majorities in the I-85 Corridor, a developing megalopolis
Megalopolis (city type)
A megalopolis is typically defined as a chain of roughly adjacent metropolitan areas. The term was used by Oswald Spengler in his 1918 book, The Decline of the West, and Lewis Mumford in his 1938 book, The Culture of Cities, which described it as the first stage in urban overdevelopment and...
which is home to more than two-thirds of the state's population and casts almost 70 percent of the state's vote. The state's five largest counties--Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta...
(home to Charlotte) Wake (home to Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
), Guilford (home to Greensboro), Forsyth
Forsyth County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 747 people per square mile . There were 133,093 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
(home to Winston-Salem) and Durham
Durham County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 223,314 people, 89,015 households, and 54,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 769 people per square mile . There were 95,452 housing units at an average density of 329 per square mile...
(home to Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
)--are all located in this area, and Obama swept them all by 11 percentage points or more. In 1992, Bill Clinton had only been able to win Durham County by this margin; he actually narrowly lost Forsyth and Mecklenburg (the latter was where Obama had his biggest margin in the state). Ultimately, Obama's combined margin of 350,000 votes in these counties was too much for McCain to overcome.
However, McCain did well in the Charlotte suburbs, Appalachian Foothills and mountain country; indeed, he carried all but four counties west of Winston-Salem. Aside from the I-85 Corridor, Obama's results were mediocre in the traditional Democratic base. He lost badly in Appalachia, mirroring the difficulties he had throughout this region. Obama only won three counties in this region, one of which was Buncombe County, home to the largest city in the region, Asheville. He did as well as Al Gore (who lost North Carolina by double-digits) in the Fayetteville area.
Thus, Obama did not rely on the traditional Democratic base but rather a new coalition of city voters to win North Carolina. Obama would have lost the state by a comfortable margin without the state's five largest counties; instead, he barely pulled off a victory by creating a unique coalition of voters, particularly among highly affluent and educated migrants from the Northeast who traditionally tend to vote Democratic, as well as among African Americans and college students, the two voting blocs that overwhelmingly supported him during the course of the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.
During the same election, Democrats 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 North Carolina's 8th congressional district
North Carolina's 8th congressional district
North Carolina's eighth congressional district consists of a large portion of southern North Carolina from Charlotte to Fayetteville, including Concord, Albemarle, Monroe, Wadesboro, Troy, Rockingham, Laurinburg, and Raeford...
where incumbent Republican Robin Hayes
Robin Hayes
Robert Cannon "Robin" Hayes is the current chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. For five terms from 1999 to 2009, he represented North Carolina's 8th congressional district in the House of Representatives.-Early life:...
was ousted by Democrat Larry Kissell
Larry Kissell
Lawrence Webb "Larry" Kissell is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.-Early life, education, and early career:...
, a high school social studies teacher who almost toppled Hayes in 2006. Kissell received 55.38% of the vote while Hayes took in 44.62%, a 10.76-percent difference. Democrats also held onto the Governor's Mansion as term-limited incumbent Democratic Governor
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
Mike Easley
Mike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
was ineligible to seek a third term. Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
The Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina is the second highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government...
Beverly Perdue defeated Republican Pat McCrory, the incumbent mayor of Charlotte. Perdue received 50.23% of the vote while McCrory took in 46.90% with the remaining 2.86% going to 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...
Michael Munger. In a highly targeted U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
race, Democratic State Senator
North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...
Kay Hagan defeated incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole
Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
by a wider-than-anticipated margin - by 8.47 points. Hagan received 52.65% while Dole took in 44.18%. The race received widespread attention after the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
ran its infamous "Godless" ad that accused Hagan, a Sunday school teacher, of accepting money from atheists
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
and accused her of being an atheist. The ad backfired terribly and was one of the major factors that contributed to Dole's defeat. At the state level, Democrats increased their gains in the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
, picking up five seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
and one seat in the North Carolina Senate
North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...
.
According to exit polls over 95% of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s cast ballots for Obama. This played a critical role in North Carolina, as 95% of the state's registered African American voters turned out, with Obama carrying an unprecedented 100% of African-American females and African Americans age 18 to 29, according to exit polling. Comparatively, the turnout statewide was only 69%.
Results
| United States presidential election in North Carolina, 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... |
2,142,651 | 49.70% | 15 | |
| 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... |
2,128,474 | 49.38% | 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... |
25,722 | 0.60% | 0 | |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 12,292 | 0.29% | 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.... (Write-in) |
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.... |
1,454 | 0.03% | 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... (Write-in) |
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... |
158 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Others | Others | 38 | 0.00% | 0 | ||
| Totals | 4,310,789 | 100.00% | 15 | |||
| Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 63.0% | |||||
By congressional district
Despite Barack Obama winning North Carolina, John McCain carried seven of the state’s 13 congressional districts, including two districts represented by Democrats in the U.S. House of RepresentativesUnited 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...
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| District | McCain | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37.11% | 62.44% | G.K. Butterfield | |
| 47.29% | 51.91% | Bob Etheridge Bob Etheridge Bobby Ray "Bob" Etheridge is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was defeated in the 2010 election by Renee Ellmers.-Early life, education and career:... |
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| 61.37% | 37.83% | Walter B. Jones Walter B. Jones Walter Beaman Jones, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district encompasses the Outer Banks and areas near the Pamlico Sound. Jones' father was Walter B. Jones, Sr., a Democratic Party congressman from the neighboring 1st district... |
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| 36.32% | 62.70% | David Price David Price (American politician) David Eugene Price is a professor and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997 and previously from 1987 to 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party... |
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| 60.83% | 37.91% | Virginia Foxx Virginia Foxx Virginia Foxx is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Republican Party. The district takes in much of the northwestern portion of the state and a portion of Winston-Salem.... |
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| 62.76% | 36.20% | Howard Coble Howard Coble John Howard Coble is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1985. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and pre-political career:Coble was born in Greensboro, North Carolina... |
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| 52.35% | 46.79% | Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre Douglas Carmichael "Mike" McIntyre II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.... |
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| 46.68% | 52.56% | Robin Hayes Robin Hayes Robert Cannon "Robin" Hayes is the current chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. For five terms from 1999 to 2009, he represented North Carolina's 8th congressional district in the House of Representatives.-Early life:... (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... ) |
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| Larry Kissell Larry Kissell Lawrence Webb "Larry" Kissell is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.-Early life, education, and early career:... (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... ) |
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| 54.46% | 44.75% | Sue Wilkins Myrick | |
| 63.11% | 35.74% | Patrick T. McHenry Patrick T. McHenry Patrick Timothy McHenry is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for a single term... |
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| 52.12% | 46.50% | Heath Shuler Heath Shuler Joseph Heath Shuler is a businessman, a former NFL quarterback, and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.... |
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| 28.93% | 70.42% | Mel Watt Mel Watt Melvin Luther Watt is the United States House of Representatives for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:... |
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| 40.38% | 58.70% | Brad Miller Brad Miller (congressman) Ralph Bradley "Brad" Miller is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. District 13 includes all of Caswell and Person counties, and parts of Alamance, Granville, Guilford, Rockingham and Wake counties... |
Electors
Technically the voters of North Carolina cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. North Carolina is allocated 15 electors because it has 13 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 15 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 15 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...
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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 15 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...
:
- Janice ColeJanice ColeJanice McKenzie Cole is an attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina under President Bill Clinton....
- Louise Sewell
- Virginia Tillett
- Linda Gunter
- Timothy Futrelle
- Wayne Abraham
- Armin Ancis
- Wendy Wood
- Michael Cognac
- Dan DeHart
- Harley Caldwell
- Samuel Spencer
- Patricia Hawkins
- Sid Crawford
- Kara Hollingsworth