Virginia Democratic primary, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Virginia Democratic primary took place on February 12, 2008, an election day nicknamed the "Potomac Primary
" because the District of Columbia
and Maryland
also held Democratic primaries. The Virginia Democratic primary was an open primary
, and was competitive for the first time since 1988
. Barack Obama
won the primary, as he did the other Potomac contests that day.
(68%-32%) , in Washington
(68%-31%) and in Louisiana
(57%-36%) by large margins.
The Clinton Campaign
looked towards the primary in Virginia as well as those in Maryland
and Washington, D.C.
which were held on the same day. Though Hillary Clinton spent more resources in the Maryland Primary
, she also campaigned in Virginia, particularly in Northern Virginia.
divided Virginia into 4 regions in which to campaign: Northern Virginia
, Richmond
, Charlottesville, and the Tidewater region
in the southeast. He was expected to do well with affluent and independent voters, as well as with African-American voters, who could total 25% of the vote on primary day.
The Hillary Clinton campaign said it would focus its efforts on Prince William
and Loudoun
counties, especially older white professional women, and also in the unemployment plagued Southwest Virginia
.
FINAL POLLING
Potomac primary
The Potomac primary , also called Chesapeake Tuesday, the Beltway primary, and the Crabcake primary, was the confluence of three Democratic presidential primaries and three Republican presidential primaries which took place on February 12, 2008.- Republican primaries :*District of Columbia...
" because the District of Columbia
District of Columbia Democratic primary, 2008
The District of Columbia Democratic Presidential Primary took place on February 12, 2008, nicknamed the "Potomac Primary" because Maryland and Virginia, which border the Potomac River, also held Democratic primaries that day...
and Maryland
Maryland Democratic primary, 2008
The Maryland Democratic Presidential Primary took place on February 12, 2008. Nicknamed the "Potomac Primary" or the "Chesapeake Primary" because the District of Columbia and Virginia also held their primaries that day , a total of 70 delegates were up for grabs in Maryland...
also held Democratic primaries. The Virginia Democratic primary was an open primary
Open primary
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted...
, and was competitive for the first time since 1988
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1988
The 1988 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1988 U.S. presidential election...
. 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...
won the primary, as he did the other Potomac contests that day.
Candidates
Six national candidates appeared on the ballot in the Virginia primary. However, all but Obama and Hillary Clinton had withdrawn prior to the primary on February 12.Remaining
- New York Senator Hillary Clinton
- Illinois Senator Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack 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...
Eliminated
- Former North Carolina Senator John EdwardsJohn EdwardsJohnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
Dropped out on January 30, 2008 - Ohio RepresentativeOhio's 10th congressional districtOhio's 10th congressional district is currently represented by Representative Dennis J. Kucinich . The district is based in the western part of Cleveland and surrounding suburbs in Cuyahoga County. Cook PVI rates this district as D+8....
Dennis KucinichDennis KucinichDennis 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....
Dropped out on January 25, 2008 - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Dropped out on January 10, 2008
- Delaware Senator Joe BidenJoe BidenJoseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
Dropped out on January 3, 2008
Background
The prior week, Barack Obama had beaten Hillary Clinton in NebraskaNebraska Democratic caucuses, 2008
The Nebraska Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on February 9, 2008, where 24 of the state's 31 convention delegates were chosen. Like he did throughout many other states that held caucuses instead of primaries, Barack Obama won the Nebraska Democratic Caucus by more than a two-to-one...
(68%-32%) , in Washington
Washington Democratic caucuses, 2008
The 2008 Washington Democratic caucuses were a series of events held by the Washington State Democratic Party to determine the delegates that the Party sent to the 2008 Democratic National Convention...
(68%-31%) and in Louisiana
Louisiana Democratic primary, 2008
The Louisiana Democratic Presidential Primary took place on February 9, 2008, and had 56 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Louisiana's seven congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 37. Another 29 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Barack...
(57%-36%) by large margins.
The Clinton Campaign
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2008
New York junior Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton had expressed interest in the 2008 United States presidential election since at least October 2002, drawing media speculation on whether she would become a candidate. No woman has ever won the nomination of a major party in the...
looked towards the primary in Virginia as well as those in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
which were held on the same day. Though Hillary Clinton spent more resources in the Maryland Primary
Maryland Democratic primary, 2008
The Maryland Democratic Presidential Primary took place on February 12, 2008. Nicknamed the "Potomac Primary" or the "Chesapeake Primary" because the District of Columbia and Virginia also held their primaries that day , a total of 70 delegates were up for grabs in Maryland...
, she also campaigned in Virginia, particularly in Northern Virginia.
Strategy
The Barack Obama campaignBarack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
divided Virginia into 4 regions in which to campaign: Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
, Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Charlottesville, and the Tidewater region
Tidewater region of Virginia
The Tidewater region of Virginia is the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia formally known as Hampton Roads. The term tidewater may be correctly applied to all portions of any area, including Virginia, where the water level is affected by the tides...
in the southeast. He was expected to do well with affluent and independent voters, as well as with African-American voters, who could total 25% of the vote on primary day.
The Hillary Clinton campaign said it would focus its efforts on Prince William
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
and Loudoun
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
counties, especially older white professional women, and also in the unemployment plagued Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or...
.
Polling
Barack Obama had a significant lead over Hillary Clinton in final polling throughout the state.FINAL POLLING
| Candidate | Survey USA | InsiderAdvantage | Rasmussen Rasmussen 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.... |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillary Clinton | 38% | 37% | 37% | 37% |
| Barack Obama | 60% | 53% | 52% | 55% |
Results
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
| Virginia Democratic presidential primary, 2008 99.95% of precincts reporting |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | National delegates |
| 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... |
627,820 | 63.66% | 54 |
| Hillary Clinton | 349,766 | 35.46% | 29 |
| John Edwards John Edwards Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in... |
5,206 | 0.52% | 0 |
| 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.... |
1,625 | 0.16% | 0 |
| Bill Richardson | 991 | 0.10% | 0 |
| 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... |
795 | 0.08% | 0 |
| Totals | 986,203 | 100.00% | 83 |
See also
- Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008The 2008 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
- Virginia Republican primary, 2008Virginia Republican primary, 2008The 2008 Virginia Republican primary took place on February 12, 2008. This was an open primary with 63 delegates at stake in a winner take all format...