United States presidential election in Ohio, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 United States presidential election in Ohio 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 20 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President
and Vice President
.
Ohio
was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama
with a 4.6% margin of victory. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered this state as a major swing state
and bellwether
. Both major party candidates visited the Buckeye State numerous times and campaigned throughout the state extensively trying to sway moderates and independent voters to their side. The polls in Ohio were fairly even throughout the campaign but Obama had a slight lead as Election Day drew closer. In the end, Obama flipped Ohio into the Democratic column.
had McCain leading with as high as 51% in September. But many voters in the state changed their minds as Obama later gained a steady lead in most polls taken starting in the beginning of October (around the time of the 2008 financial crisis).
, Obama spent over $28 million to McCain's $24 million. The Republican ticket visited the state 28 times to the Obama ticket's 22 times.
On Election Day 2008, Obama won the Buckeye State's 20 electoral votes by a margin of 4.59 percent, an increase from 2004
when George W. Bush
carried the state by 2.11 percent against John Kerry
and 2000
when Bush
carried the state by 3.50 percent against Al Gore
. Obama's win in heavily populated areas such as Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Franklin County
(Columbus
), Lucas County
(Toledo
) and the traditionally Republican Hamilton County
(Cincinnati) greatly contributed to his victory in the state.
McCain did best in the Republican heart of the state, the state's center and western parts composed of relatively rural
areas combined with Cincinnati and Columbus' heavily Republican suburbs. In addition, McCain won all but one county in the Appalachian southeast, mirroring the troubles Obama had throughout this region. On the other hand, Obama did best in the Democratic base—Cleveland (where he won almost 70% of the vote), Youngstown
and the heavily unionized counties next to Pennsylvania. However, he was unable to significantly improve upon John Kerry's performance in these areas. More surprisingly, the cities of Cincinnati and Columbus gave him strong support. Cincinnati, the only major city that didn't vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt
, voted Democratic for the first time since 1964
. Columbus, a city shifting to the Democrats, also voted for Obama by a three-to-two margin. In addition, Obama won several northern counties along the shore of Lake Erie
that John Kerry had lost in 2004.
As polls closed and results were coming in on Election Night, Republican strategist and adviser Karl Rove
joined Brit Hume
on Fox News offering analysis. Rove was discussing the impact an Ohio loss would have on McCain's chances of winning the election. "If he loses Ohio," Rove stated of McCain, "he goes from 286, which the Republicans carried in 2004, down to 266, and that puts him below the 270 threshold needed to win the White House. So he'd not only need to sweep the rest of these states which were won by the Republicans in 2004, he'd also need to pick up something as well." In a moment of unfortunate timing, Hume broke in. "Guess what Karl," Hume interrupted, "I've just received word that the state of Ohio has gone for Barack Obama."
.
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 20 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...
.
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
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 4.6% margin of victory. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered this state as a major 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...
and bellwether
Bellwether
A bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.The term is derived from the Middle English bellewether and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram leading his flock of sheep.The movements of...
. Both major party candidates visited the Buckeye State numerous times and campaigned throughout the state extensively trying to sway moderates and independent voters to their side. The polls in Ohio were fairly even throughout the campaign but Obama had a slight lead as Election Day drew closer. In the end, Obama flipped Ohio into the Democratic column.
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: 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: 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: 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...
: Leaning Obama - CQ Politics: Leaning Democrat
- 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...
: Toss Up - MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
: Leaning McCain - 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
During most of the summer and September, McCain led many state polls and many by 50% of over. The most accurate pollster of RasmussenRasmussen
The surname Rasmussen is a Danish and Norwegian surname, meaning "Rasmus' son" . It is the ninth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 1.9% of the population....
had McCain leading with as high as 51% in September. But many voters in the state changed their minds as Obama later gained a steady lead in most polls taken starting in the beginning of October (around the time of the 2008 financial crisis).
Advertising and visits
A major swing stateSwing 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...
, Obama spent over $28 million to McCain's $24 million. The Republican ticket visited the state 28 times to the Obama ticket's 22 times.
Analysis
Going into Election 2008, both McCain and Obama knew that Ohio was a crucial state. Earlier in the primary season, Ohio had given a major comeback victory to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Both candidates campaigned heavily throughout the state in hopes for winning its 20 electoral votes. As no Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio, it was seen in particular as a "must-win" state for McCain.On Election Day 2008, Obama won the Buckeye State's 20 electoral votes by a margin of 4.59 percent, an increase from 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 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....
carried the state by 2.11 percent against 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...
and 2000
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
when 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....
carried the state by 3.50 percent against Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
. Obama's win in heavily populated areas such as Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Franklin County
Franklin County, Ohio
Franklin County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. In 2010 the population was 1,163,414, making it the second largest county in Ohio and the 34th largest county in population in the United States. Franklin County is also the largest in the eight-county Columbus, Ohio...
(Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
), Lucas County
Lucas County, Ohio
----...
(Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
) and the traditionally Republican Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
(Cincinnati) greatly contributed to his victory in the state.
McCain did best in the Republican heart of the state, the state's center and western parts composed of relatively rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
areas combined with Cincinnati and Columbus' heavily Republican suburbs. In addition, McCain won all but one county in the Appalachian southeast, mirroring the troubles Obama had throughout this region. On the other hand, Obama did best in the Democratic base—Cleveland (where he won almost 70% of the vote), Youngstown
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and the heavily unionized counties next to Pennsylvania. However, he was unable to significantly improve upon John Kerry's performance in these areas. More surprisingly, the cities of Cincinnati and Columbus gave him strong support. Cincinnati, the only major city that didn't vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, voted Democratic for the first time since 1964
United States presidential election, 1964
The United States presidential election of 1964 was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had come to office less than a year earlier following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy. Johnson, who had successfully associated himself with Kennedy's...
. Columbus, a city shifting to the Democrats, also voted for Obama by a three-to-two margin. In addition, Obama won several northern counties along the shore of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
that John Kerry had lost in 2004.
As polls closed and results were coming in on Election Night, Republican strategist and adviser Karl Rove
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
joined Brit Hume
Brit Hume
Brit Hume is an American television journalist and political commentator.For twenty years he was a correspondent for the American Broadcasting Company, including Chief White House Correspondent. He then spent ten years as the Washington, D.C. managing editor of the Fox News Channel and the anchor...
on Fox News offering analysis. Rove was discussing the impact an Ohio loss would have on McCain's chances of winning the election. "If he loses Ohio," Rove stated of McCain, "he goes from 286, which the Republicans carried in 2004, down to 266, and that puts him below the 270 threshold needed to win the White House. So he'd not only need to sweep the rest of these states which were won by the Republicans in 2004, he'd also need to pick up something as well." In a moment of unfortunate timing, Hume broke in. "Guess what Karl," Hume interrupted, "I've just received word that the state of Ohio has gone for Barack Obama."
Results
| United States presidential election in Ohio, 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... |
2,940,044 | 51.50% | 20 | |
| 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... |
2,677,820 | 46.91% | 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.... |
42,337 | 0.74% | 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... |
19,917 | 0.35% | 0 | |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 13,330 | 0.23% | 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:... |
12,565 | 0.22% | 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... |
8,518 | 0.15% | 0 | |
| Others | Others | 6,843 | 0.12% | 0 | ||
| Totals | 5,721,374 | 100.00% | 20 | |||
| Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 67.3% | |||||
By county
Projections based on published official or unofficial county election board results, where available; otherwise, on the unofficial state board of elections results.| > Barack Obama | ||||||
| Adams | 4,170 | 6,914 | 131 | 38 | 29 | 106 |
||||||
| Allen | 19,521 | 29,941 | 362 | 196 | 75 | 168 |
||||||
| Ashland | 9,300 | 15,158 | 225 | 117 | 76 | 292 |
||||||
| Ashtabula | 25,027 | 18,949 | 456 | 174 | 71 | 197 |
||||||
| Athens | 20,722 | 9,742 | 263 | 140 | 85 | 146 |
||||||
| Auglaize | 6,727 | 16,395 | 168 | 87 | 31 | 78 |
||||||
| Belmont | 16,302 | 15,422 | 402 | 104 | 52 | 129 |
||||||
| Brown | 7,503 | 12,192 | 220 | 84 | 32 | 82 |
||||||
| Butler | 66,030 | 105,340 | 1,039 | 642 | 222 | 503 |
||||||
| Carroll | 6,423 | 7,097 | 213 | 64 | 45 | 111 |
||||||
| Champaign | 7,385 | 11,141 | 196 | 70 | 35 | 60 |
||||||
| Clark | 31,958 | 33,634 | 661 | 217 | 110 | 190 |
||||||
| Clermont | 31,611 | 62,559 | 599 | 362 | 122 | 227 |
||||||
| Clinton | 6,558 | 12,410 | 197 | 67 | 21 | 53 |
||||||
| Columbiana | 21,882 | 25,585 | 545 | 143 | 94 | 238 |
||||||
| Coshocton | 7,689 | 8,675 | 221 | 86 | 65 | 127 |
||||||
| Crawford | 8,288 | 12,316 | 242 | 105 | 71 | 151 |
||||||
| Cuyahoga | 458,204 | 199,864 | 3,615 | 1,477 | 711 | 1,246 |
||||||
| Darke | 7,964 | 17,290 | 273 | 97 | 69 | 100 |
||||||
| Defiance | 8,399 | 10,407 | 154 | 81 | 37 | 119 |
||||||
| Delaware | 36,653 | 54,778 | 359 | 339 | 77 | 213 |
||||||
| Erie | 23,148 | 17,432 | 349 | 125 | 56 | 119 |
||||||
| Fairfield | 29,250 | 41,580 | 493 | 267 | 109 | 247 |
||||||
| Fayette | 4,401 | 7,102 | 103 | 44 | 19 | 25 |
||||||
| Franklin | 334,684 | 218,478 | 2,993 | 2,128 | 689 | 1,319 |
||||||
| Fulton | 9,900 | 11,689 | 167 | 72 | 38 | 107 |
||||||
| Gallia | 4,777 | 8,247 | 132 | 64 | 36 | 62 |
||||||
| Geauga | 21,250 | 29,096 | 379 | 180 | 59 | 138 |
||||||
| Greene | 33,540 | 48,936 | 510 | 288 | 110 | 205 |
||||||
| Guernsey | 7,625 | 9,197 | 228 | 85 | 48 | 142 |
||||||
| Hamilton | 224,644 | 195,107 | 1,899 | 1,264 | 397 | 774 |
||||||
| Hancock | 13,870 | 22,420 | 209 | 152 | 62 | 168 |
||||||
| Hardin | 5,013 | 7,749 | 139 | 76 | 51 | 86 |
||||||
| Harrison | 3,683 | 3,872 | 104 | 27 | 24 | 77 |
||||||
| Henry | 6,320 | 8,239 | 115 | 66 | 32 | 68 |
||||||
| Highland | 6,857 | 11,908 | 204 | 76 | 42 | 101 |
||||||
| Hocking | 6,231 | 6,326 | 154 | 58 | 38 | 88 |
||||||
| Holmes | 3,141 | 7,720 | 113 | 35 | 25 | 79 |
||||||
| Huron | 12,076 | 12,884 | 212 | 122 | 71 | 217 |
||||||
| Jackson | 5,397 | 8,219 | 179 | 70 | 32 | 96 |
||||||
| Jefferson | 17,635 | 17,559 | 395 | 138 | 57 | 155 |
||||||
| Knox | 11,014 | 16,640 | 233 | 106 | 47 | 191 |
||||||
| Lake | 60,155 | 59,142 | 1,086 | 399 | 163 | 390 |
||||||
| Lawrence | 11,262 | 15,415 | 282 | 94 | 34 | 107 |
||||||
| Licking | 33,896 | 46,886 | 683 | 345 | 133 | 340 |
||||||
| Logan | 7,936 | 13,848 | 208 | 97 | 49 | 79 |
||||||
| Lorain | 85,276 | 59,068 | 1,273 | 456 | 221 | 565 |
||||||
| Lucas | 142,852 | 73,706 | 1,488 | 923 | 277 | 585 |
||||||
| Madison | 6,532 | 10,603 | 142 | 89 | 31 | 54 |
||||||
| Mahoning | 79,173 | 45,319 | 1,300 | 432 | 276 | 703 |
||||||
| Marion | 12,870 | 15,454 | 301 | 157 | 76 | 159 |
||||||
| Medina | 40,924 | 48,189 | 638 | 278 | 109 | 313 |
||||||
| Meigs | 4,094 | 6,015 | 111 | 50 | 28 | 56 |
||||||
| Mercer | 5,853 | 15,100 | 127 | 70 | 28 | 93 |
||||||
| Miami | 18,372 | 33,417 | 426 | 221 | 135 | 236 |
||||||
| Monroe | 3,705 | 3,066 | 116 | 24 | 25 | 46 |
||||||
| Montgomery | 145,997 | 128,679 | 1,434 | 971 | 368 | 762 |
||||||
| Morgan | 2,966 | 3,440 | 106 | 34 | 12 | 50 |
||||||
| Morrow | 6,177 | 10,067 | 179 | 79 | 42 | 99 |
||||||
| Muskingum | 17,730 | 20,549 | 364 | 138 | 89 | 201 |
||||||
| Noble | 2,474 | 3,450 | 141 | 31 | 28 | 48 |
||||||
| Ottawa | 12,049 | 10,618 | 194 | 99 | 28 | 81 |
||||||
| Paulding | 4,165 | 5,317 | 127 | 50 | 25 | 85 |
||||||
| Perry | 7,261 | 7,721 | 206 | 58 | 40 | 118 |
||||||
| Pickaway | 9,077 | 14,228 | 210 | 84 | 38 | 89 |
||||||
| Pike | 6,033 | 6,162 | 143 | 52 | 30 | 86 |
||||||
| Portage | 41,856 | 34,822 | 664 | 289 | 155 | 420 |
||||||
| Preble | 6,999 | 13,562 | 227 | 105 | 40 | 69 |
||||||
| Putnam | 5,281 | 13,072 | 163 | 80 | 23 | 61 |
||||||
| Richland | 25,727 | 34,034 | 579 | 238 | 113 | 431 |
||||||
| Ross | 14,455 | 16,759 | 289 | 127 | 63 | 147 |
||||||
| Sandusky | 15,601 | 14,190 | 299 | 122 | 51 | 110 |
||||||
| Scioto | 14,926 | 16,994 | 348 | 117 | 46 | 140 |
||||||
| Seneca | 13,087 | 13,823 | 289 | 96 | 47 | 107 |
||||||
| Shelby | 7,317 | 15,924 | 230 | 62 | 46 | 89 |
||||||
| Stark | 96,990 | 86,743 | 1,784 | 663 | 347 | 1,018 |
||||||
| Summit | 155,105 | 110,499 | 1,718 | 780 | 316 | 641 |
||||||
| Trumbull | 64,145 | 40,164 | 1,285 | 433 | 245 | 639 |
||||||
| Tuscarawas | 21,498 | 20,454 | 465 | 178 | 89 | 266 |
||||||
| Union | 8,761 | 15,744 | 173 | 114 | 34 | 102 |
||||||
| Van Wert | 5,178 | 9,168 | 139 | 79 | 28 | 60 |
||||||
| Vinton | 2,463 | 3,021 | 94 | 21 | 21 | 26 |
||||||
| Warren | 33,398 | 71,691 | 488 | 352 | 83 | 204 |
||||||
| Washington | 12,368 | 17,019 | 285 | 91 | 44 | 125 |
||||||
| Wayne | 21,712 | 29,342 | 433 | 173 | 108 | 374 |
||||||
| Williams | 8,174 | 9,880 | 153 | 64 | 44 | 82 |
||||||
| Wood | 34,285 | 29,648 | 513 | 301 | 95 | 181 |
||||||
| Wyandot | 4,461 | 6,270 | 134 | 39 | 18 | 55 |
||||||
| Total | 2,933,388 | 2,674,491 | 42,288 | 19,888 | 8,513 | 19,692 |
By congressional district
Although Barack Obama won the state of Ohio, John McCain carried 10 of the state’s 18 congressional districts, including two districts held by Democratic incumbents and one district that simultaneously elected a Democrat. Obama carried 8 districts, including one district held by a Republican incumbent.| District | McCain | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44.30% | 54.66% | Steve Chabot Steve Chabot Steven Joseph "Steve" Chabot is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009.-Early life, education and career:... (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... ) |
|
| Steve Driehaus Steve Driehaus Steven L. "Steve" Driehaus is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party... (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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| 58.61% | 40.02% | Jean Schmidt Jean Schmidt Jeannette Marie Hoffman Schmidt, is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from eastern Cincinnati to Portsmouth.... |
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| 51.14% | 47.39% | Mike Turner Mike Turner Michael R. Turner is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district covers most of the city of Dayton and includes most of Montgomery County, much of Warren County, and is home to all of Highland and Clinton Counties.-Early life, education... |
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| 59.84% | 38.16% | Jim Jordan Jim Jordan (Ohio politician) James Daniel "Jim" Jordan is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party... |
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| 52.95% | 45.05% | Paul E. Gillmor (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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| Bob Latta Bob Latta Robert Edward 'Bob' Latta is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district, the second-largest in the state, includes most of Toledo's suburbs, including Fremont and Bowling Green.... (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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| 50.30% | 47.60% | Charlie Wilson Charlie Wilson (Ohio politician) Charles A. "Charlie" Wilson is the former U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives... |
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| 53.80% | 44.57% | Dave Hobson Dave Hobson David Lee Hobson is an American politician of the Republican Party who served as a U.S. representative from the seventh congressional district of Ohio.Hobson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Withrow High School in 1954... (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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| Steve Austria Steve Austria Stephen Clement "Steve" Austria is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from Springfield to the southern suburbs of Columbus.... (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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| 60.38% | 37.87% | John Boehner John Boehner John Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he is the U.S. Representative from , serving since 1991... |
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| 36.17% | 62.26% | Marcy Kaptur Marcy Kaptur Marcia Carolyn "Marcy" Kaptur is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1983. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, anchored by the city of Toledo, includes all of Ottawa and Erie counties, and part of Lucas and Lorain counties.Serving her fourteenth term in the House of... |
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| 38.98% | 59.16% | Dennis Kucinich Dennis Kucinich Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections.... |
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| 14.39% | 84.76% | Stephanie Tubbs Jones Stephanie Tubbs Jones Stephanie "Tubbs" Jones was a Democratic politician and member of the United States House of Representatives. She represented the 11th District of Ohio, which encompasses most of downtown and eastern Cleveland and many of the eastern suburbs in Cuyahoga County, including Euclid, Cleveland Heights,... (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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| Marcia Fudge (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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| 44.62% | 54.15% | Pat Tiberi Pat Tiberi Patrick Joseph "Pat" Tiberi is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party... |
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| 44.62% | 54.15% | Betty Sutton Betty Sutton Betty Sue Sutton is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of the western and southern suburbs of Cleveland, and includes North Royalton, Akron, Lorain, Elyria, Strongsville, Avon and Cuyahoga Falls.-Early life and... |
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| 49.35% | 49.13% | Steven LaTourette | |
| 44.64% | 53.61% | Deborah Pryce Deborah Pryce Deborah D. Pryce is an American politician from Ohio and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Ohio's 15th congressional district, which includes the western half of Columbus and the surrounding suburbs.She is divorced from Randy Walker and now lives in Upper... (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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| Mary Jo Kilroy Mary Jo Kilroy Mary Jo Kilroy is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party from Ohio. In her first term she introduced a bill to lend $20 million per year to small businesses and an amendment to assign liability to credit reporting agencies. She... (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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| 50.32% | 47.69% | Ralph Regula Ralph Regula Ralph Straus Regula was a Representative in the United States Congress from the 16th District of the State of Ohio. He retired in January 2009 after 18 consecutive terms. He is a member of the Republican Party. In the 110th Congress , he was the second longest serving Republican member of the U.S... (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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| John Boccieri John Boccieri John Boccieri is a one-term U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He was defeated by Republican Jim Renacci on November 2, 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives.-Early life and career:Boccieri... (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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| 36.09% | 61.84% | Tim Ryan | |
| 52.81% | 44.79% | Zack Space Zack Space Zachary T. "Zack" Space is an American politician and the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:... |
Electors
Technically the voters of Ohio cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Ohio is allocated 20 electors because it has 18 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 20 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 20 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...
:
- Catherine Barrett
- Barbara Tuckerman
- Wade Kapszukiewicz
- Tamela Lee
- Renee Cafaro
- Victoria Wulsin
- Craig Brown
- Jimmy Cotner
- Janet Carson
- Bruce Johnson
- Nannette Whaley
- Martha Jane Brooks
- Eugene Miller
- Fran Alberty
- Chris Redfern
- John Kosty
- Kelly Gillis
- Charleta Tavares
- Michael Todd
- Ted StricklandTed StricklandTheodore "Ted" Strickland was the 68th Governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ....