Results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
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This article contains the results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries and caucuses.
The 2008 Democratic primaries are the selection process by which members of the United States Democratic Party choose their candidates for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. The Democratic candidate for President will be selected through a series of primaries and caucuses designating delegates, culminating in the 2008 Democratic National Convention scheduled from Monday, August 25, through Thursday, August 28, 2008, in Denver, Colorado.
A total of 4,047 delegates are chosen with the winning candidate needing a majority, or 2,024.[1]
If no candidate receives the required majority, the nominee will be determined by a brokered convention.
Candidates
Candidates with national campaigns are Hillary Clinton, Mike Gravel and Barack Obama. Candidates who had national campaigns but withdrew their candidacy are Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson and Tom Vilsack.
Overview of results
Notes for the following table:
- Except where noted otherwise, the source for all data comes from each state's primary or caucus article, available by clicking on a state's name.
- The data contained in the row entitled Actual pledged delegates is a subset of the data in the row entitled Estimated pledged delegates. It represents delegates won in contests where the final apportionment of delegates has already been decided, but does not include delegates from contests where the final apportionment depends upon the outcome of further caucuses or conventions.[2]
- Dashes indicate that a candidate was not on the ballot. For contests that are in progress or upcoming, all candidates have dashes.
- A These delegate numbers are estimates. Delegates will be officially allocated during later caucuses, primaries, or state conventions.
- B These delegations use multiple caucus, primary, or state convention processes to choose national delegates on different days. These processes are explained on each state's caucus article.
Key:
| 1st place delegates earned |
Withdrew prior to contest |
| Candidates | Uncommitted/ Undetermined |
Hillary Clinton | Mike Gravel | Barack Obama | John Edwards | Dennis Kucinich | Bill Richardson | Joe Biden | Chris Dodd | |
| Estimated total delegates[A] (3,041½ of 4,047, 75%; 2,024 to win) |
392 10% |
1,451½ 36% |
– | 1,564 39% |
(26) 1% |
– | – | – | – | |
| Estimated superdelegates[3] (446 of 794, 56% of 20%) |
348 44% |
243 30% |
– | 203 25% |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| Estimated pledged delegates[4][A] (2,595½ of 3,253, 80% of 80%) |
44 1% |
1,208½ 37% |
– | 1,361 42% |
(26) 1% |
– | – | – | – | |
| Actual pledged delegates[2] (1,900 of 2,178, 87% of 54%) |
278 13% |
911 42% |
– | 977 45% |
(12) 1% |
– | – | – | – | |
| January 3 | Iowa Delegates: 45[A] |
– | 15 29% |
0% | 16 38% |
(14) 30% |
0% | 2% | 1% | 0% |
| January 8 | New Hampshire Delegates: 22 |
– | 9 39% |
0% | 9 36% |
(4) 17% |
1% | 5% | 0% | 0% |
| January 15 | Michigan Delegates: 0 (was 128) due to penalty from DNC |
40% |
55% |
0% | – | – | 4% | – | – | 1% |
| January 19 | Nevada Delegates: 25[A] |
0% | 12 51% |
0% | 13 45% |
4% | 0% | – | – | – |
| January 26 | South Carolina Delegates: 45 |
– | 12 27% |
0% | 25 55% |
(8) 18% |
0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| January 29 | Florida Delegates: 0 (was 185) due to penalty from DNC |
– | 50% |
0% | 33% |
( 14% |
1% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| February 5 Super Tuesday |
Alabama Delegates: 52 |
0% | 25 42% |
– | 27 56% |
1% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Alaska Delegates: 13[A] |
0% | 4 25% |
– | 9 75% |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| American Samoa Delegates: 3 |
– | 2 57% |
0% | 1 42% |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| Arizona Delegates: 56 |
– | 31 50% |
0% | 25 42% |
5% | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | |
| Arkansas Delegates: 35 |
1% | 27 70% |
0% | 8 26% |
2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| California Delegates: 370 |
– | 203 52% |
0% | 167 43% |
4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Colorado Delegates: 55[A] |
(9) 1% |
13 32% |
0% | 33 67% |
0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Connecticut Delegates: 48 |
1% | 22 47% |
0% | 26 51% |
1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Delaware Delegates: 15 |
– | 6 42% |
– | 9 53% |
1% | 0% | – | 3% | 0% | |
| Georgia Delegates: 87 |
– | 26 31% |
0% | 61 66% |
2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Idaho county caucuses Delegates: 12 (of 18)[B] |
3% | 2 17% |
– | 10 80% |
1% | – | – | – | – | |
| Illinois Delegates: 153 |
– | 49 33% |
– | 104 65% |
2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Kansas Delegates: 32[B] |
– | 9 26% |
– | 23 74% |
0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | |
| Massachusetts Delegates: 93 |
– | 55 57% |
0% | 38 41% |
2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Minnesota Delegates: 72 |
1% | 24 32% |
– | 48 66% |
0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Missouri Delegates: 72 |
0% | 36 48% |
0% | 36 49% |
2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| New Jersey Delegates: 107 |
– | 59 54% |
– | 48 44% |
1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | |
| New Mexico Delegates: 26 |
0% | 14 49% |
– | 12 48% |
1% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | |
| New York Delegates: 232 |
– | 139 58% |
– | 93 41% |
1% | – | – | – | – | |
| North Dakota Delegates: 13[A] |
– | 5 37% |
– | 8 62% |
2% | – | – | – | – | |
| Oklahoma Delegates: 38 |
– | 24 57% |
– | 14 32% |
11% | – | – | – | – | |
| Tennessee Delegates: 68 |
1% | 40 54% |
0% | 28 41% |
4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Utah Delegates: 23 |
– | 9 39% |
0% | 14 57% |
3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| February 9 | Louisiana Delegates: 56 |
– | 22 38% |
– | 34 62% |
– | – | – | – | – |
| Nebraska Delegates: 24 |
0% | 8 32% |
– | 16 68% |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands Delegates: 3 |
– | 0 8% |
– | 3 92% |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| Washington precinct caucuses Delegates: 0 (of 78)[A][B] |
1% | 25 31% |
– | 53 68% |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| February 10 | Maine Delegates: 24 |
1% | 9 40% |
– | 15 60% |
– | – | – | – | – |
| February 5 – February 12 | Democrats Abroad primary Deleg.votes: 4½ (of 7)[5][B] |
0% | 1½ 33% |
– | 3 66% |
1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | – |
| February 12 Potomac Primaries |
District of Columbia Delegates: 15 |
0% | 3 24% |
– | 12 75% |
0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Maryland Delegates: 70 |
1% | 27 36% |
0% | 43 60% |
1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Virginia Delegates: 83 |
– | 29 35% |
– | 54 64% |
1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | |
| February 19 | Hawaii Delegates: 20 |
0% | 6 24% |
– | 14 76% |
0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Washington primary Delegates: 0 (of 78)[B] |
– | 47% | 0% | 50% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Wisconsin Delegates: 74 |
0% | 32 41% |
0% | 42 58% |
1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| March 4 | Ohio Delegates: 141 |
– | 75 54% |
– | 66 44% |
2% | – | – | – | – |
| Rhode Island Delegates: 21 |
1% | 13 58% |
– | 8 40% |
1% | – | – | – | – | |
| Texas primary Delegates: 126 (of 193)[B] |
– | 65 51% |
– | 61 47% |
1% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Texas 41% in precinct conventions Delegates: 0 (of 193)[A][B] |
(35) 52% |
14 21% |
– | 18 27% |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| Vermont Delegates: 15 |
– | 6 39% |
– | 9 59% |
1% | 1% | – | – | – | |
| March 8 | Wyoming county caucuses Delegates: 7 (of 12)[A][B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| March 11 | Mississippi Delegates: 33 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| March 29 | Texas county and senatorial district conventions Delegates: 0 (of 193)[A][B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| April 5 | Washington legislative district caucuses Delegates: 0 (of 78)[A][B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| April 12 – April 13 | Democrats Abroad global convention Deleg.votes: 2½ (of 7)[5][B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| April 19 | Washington county conventions Delegates: 0 (of 78)[A][B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| April 22 | Pennsylvania Delegates: 158[A][B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 3 | Guam Delegates: 4 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 6 | Indiana Delegates: 72 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| North Carolina Delegates: 115 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| May 13 | West Virginia Delegates: 28 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 17 | Washington congressional district caucuses Delegates: 51 (of 78)[B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 20 | Kentucky Delegates: 51 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Oregon Delegates: 52 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| May 24 | Wyoming state convention Delegates: 5 (of 12)[B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May 27 | Idaho state convention Delegates: 6 (of 18)[B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| June 1 | Puerto Rico Delegates: 55 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| June 3 | Montana Delegates: 16 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| South Dakota Delegates: 15 |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| June 6 – June 7 | Texas state convention Delegates: 67 (of 193)[B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| June 15 | Washington state convention Delegates: 27 (of 78)[B] |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Popular vote
This table contains popular vote data for the two remaining viable contenders, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The source is RealClearPolitics,[6] which aggregates data from official state results and news sources. Officially, the popular vote count does not matter in the Democratic presidential nomination. However, political experts sometimes look to the popular vote as an indicator of candidate support and momentum, and it may affect voter enthusiasm and press coverage about the race. News organizations frequently report the popular vote on election night, declaring states "won" on this basis. Most importantly, superdelegates may take the popular vote into consideration when making their decision about whom to support.
Nevertheless, the popular vote count presents many problems and should be interpreted carefully:
- Official numbers have not been released in Iowa, Nevada, Washington, and Maine, so these four states are excluded from the totals in this table. Obama received more delegates in these four states (97 to 61), and it is likely that his lead in the popular vote would increase if these states were included.
- This table treats one caucus participant as equal to one primary participant, but turnout is generally much lower in caucuses than in primary elections. As a result, the popular vote count may overweight the influence of primary states. For example, Hawaii's population is slightly larger than Rhode Island's, but Hawaii votes by caucus and Rhode Island votes by primary, so the opinion of Rhode Islanders has a greater influence on the popular vote count. Obama won the Hawaii caucus 76-24% but received only 19,512 more votes than Clinton. In contrast, Clinton won the Rhode Island primary by a smaller margin, 58-40%, but received 33,635 more votes than Obama. As Obama has done significantly better in most caucus states, his supporters argue that the popular vote count underestimates the true depth of his popular support. Clinton supporters counter that she would have done better in these states if primaries were held. This argument is supported by the results of the two states that have held both primaries and caucuses, Washington and Texas, where Clinton performed better in the primary.
- Florida and Michigan have been penalized by the Democratic party for holding their primaries before February 5, and their delegations will not be seated at the Democratic Convention. In Michigan, only Clinton's name was on the ballot, and she won against "Uncommitted" by 55 to 40%. These results are not included in the popular vote estimate. In Florida, where neither candidate campaigned, Clinton won by 50% to 33%. This is included in a separate column. Clinton's supporters argue that her popular vote total would be increased if the Michigan and Florida numbers were included. Obama's supporters counter that his performance in these states would have improved if the races had been contested normally. This argument is supported by polling data that shows Obama consistently gaining ground in states when he begins to actively campaign in them.
- Finally, it should be noted that the nomination will be decided by delegates, so the candidates have campaigned to maximize their delegate advantage. If the nomination were decided by the popular vote, the candidates would likely campaign differently in order to maximize their popular vote advantage. Thus, some observers argue that any estimate of the popular vote is meaningless under the current rules.
| Popular vote total for top two candidates in the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Not Including FL | Percentage | Including FL | Percentage |
| Barack Obama | 12,992,769 | 51.15% | 13,568,983 | 50.54% |
| Hillary Clinton | 12,406,988 | 48.85% | 13,277,974 | 49.46% |
| Totals | 25,399,757 | 100.00% | 26,846,957 | 100.00% |
See also
References
- ^ "Ultimate Delegate Summary". 2008 Democratic Convention Watch. 2008-03-02. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
- ^ a b "Election Guide 2008 - Primary Season Election Results". The New York Times. 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) The totals displayed above are determined by adding the posted delegate totals for the states listed as "pledged" in the NY Times table. - ^ "2008 Democratic Convention Watch"., DCW estimates.
- ^ Sum of delegates in each contest in the table.
- ^ a b "Obama Wins Democrats Abroad Global Primary" (Press release). Democrats Abroad. 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html