2008 United States presidential election in Mississippi
November 4, 2008
 
Nominee John McCain Barack Obama
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Arizona Illinois
Running mate Sarah Palin Joe Biden
Electoral vote 6 0
Popular vote 724,597 554,662
Percentage 56.17% 43.00%
President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

 Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic

The 2008 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 6 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Mississippi was won by Republican nominee John McCain with a 13.17% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or otherwise a red state. Although the state has the largest African American percentage in the country, Mississippi remains a safe red state at the presidential level, having voted Republican every election year since 1980. While there was comparably high African American turnout compared to previous elections in Mississippi and Obama performed significantly better than Kerry in 2004, it was not enough to overcome the state's strong Republican leanings.

Primaries

Campaign

Predictions

There were 16 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day:

Source Ranking
D.C. Political Report[1] Likely R
Cook Political Report[2] Solid R
The Takeaway[3] Solid R
Electoral-vote.com[4] Solid R
Washington Post[5] Solid R
Politico[6] Solid R
RealClearPolitics[7] Solid R
FiveThirtyEight[5] Solid R
CQ Politics[8] Solid R
The New York Times[9] Solid R
CNN[10] Safe R
NPR[5] Solid R
MSNBC[5] Solid R
Fox News[11] Likely R
Associated Press[12] Likely R
Rasmussen Reports[13] Safe R

Polling

McCain won every single pre-election poll, each with at least 50% of the vote with the exception of the one of them. The final 3 polls average gave the Republican a lead of 51% to 39%.[14]

Fundraising

John McCain raised a total of $1,386,749 in the state. Barack Obama raised $768,981.[15]

Advertising and visits

Obama spent $238,401. McCain and his interest groups spent $139,999.[16] The McCain ticket visited three times. Obama's ticket visited the state once.[17]

Analysis

Mississippi is one of the most racially polarized states in presidential elections. African Americans uniformly vote Democratic while Whites vote Republican nearly as uniformly. In 2004, 14% of Caucasians voted for John Kerry and 10% of African Americans voted for Bush, according to exit polling.[18]

White Democrats began splitting their tickets in national elections as early as the 1940s when the national party became more friendly to the Civil Rights Movement, culminating when Barry Goldwater carried the state with a staggering 87 percent of the vote in 1964. The Republican trend accelerated in the late 1970s with the rise of the religious right, which appealed to its status as a Bible Belt state. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Mississippi was Jimmy Carter in 1976, even then, he only won it by 1.9 points. Due to its status as a safe red state, little campaigning took place in Mississippi by either of the two major party candidates. Indeed, the state was last seriously contested in 1980.

In 2008, Barack Obama was able to improve on Kerry's performance by six percent, mainly due to the higher African American turnout. Obama's main support was in the western delta counties next to the Mississippi River. In contrast, McCain's margins came from the regions bordering the Gulf Coast, the northeast Appalachian area and the Jackson and Memphis suburbs. Voting became even more polarized: nine in ten Whites voted Republican, and nearly all African-Americans voted Democratic in Mississippi, according to exit polls.[18] As expected, McCain carried the Magnolia State by a comfortable 13.17-point margin over Obama. McCain's margin of victory, however, was less than that of George W. Bush's 19.69-point margin of victory over John Kerry in 2004.

Mississippi was also the only state to list the official candidates of the Reform Party on their ballot.[19]

At the same time, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Thad Cochran was reelected with 61.44% of the vote over Democrat Erik Fleming who received 38.56%. Appointed U.S. Senator Roger Wicker stood for election as well in 2008 against former Democratic Governor Ronnie Musgrove. The race was expected to be much closer, but the Republicans ran ads accusing Musgrove of supporting gay rights, not a popular position in this strongly socially conservative state. Wicker defeated Musgrove by almost 10 points, 54.96%-45.04%.

Results

2008 United States presidential election in Mississippi[20]
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 724,597 56.17% 6
Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 554,662 43.00% 0
Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 4,011 0.31% 0
Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 2,551 0.20% 0
Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 2,529 0.20% 0
Green Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente 1,034 0.08% 0
Reform Ted Weill Frank McEnulty 481 0.04% 0
Write-ins Write-ins 74 0.01% 0
Totals 1,289,939 100.00% 6
Voter turnout (Voting age population) 61.2%

By county

County John McCain
Republican		 Barack Obama
Democratic		 Various candidates
Other parties		 Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Adams 6,566 41.83% 9,021 57.47% 109 0.70% -2,455 -15.64% 15,696
Alcorn 10,805 71.17% 4,130 27.20% 247 1.63% 6,675 43.97% 15,182
Amite 4,245 55.49% 3,348 43.76% 57 0.75% 897 11.73% 7,650
Attala 5,273 57.42% 3,849 41.91% 61 0.67% 1,424 15.51% 9,183
Benton 2,329 50.22% 2,227 48.02% 82 1.78% 102 2.20% 4,638
Bolivar 4,891 31.80% 10,334 67.19% 156 1.01% -5,443 -35.39% 15,381
Calhoun 4,467 63.51% 2,522 35.85% 45 0.64% 1,945 27.66% 7,034
Carroll 3,902 65.41% 2,037 34.15% 26 0.44% 1,865 31.26% 5,965
Chickasaw 4,395 48.52% 4,588 50.65% 75 0.82% -193 -2.13% 9,058
Choctaw 2,624 63.57% 1,459 35.34% 45 1.09% 1,165 28.23% 4,128
Claiborne 748 13.72% 4,682 85.86% 23 0.42% -3,934 -72.14% 5,453
Clarke 5,229 62.27% 3,121 37.17% 47 0.56% 2,108 25.10% 8,397
Clay 4,466 40.26% 6,558 59.12% 68 0.62% -2,092 -18.86% 11,092
Coahoma 2,917 27.60% 7,597 71.89% 54 0.51% -4,680 -44.29% 10,568
Copiah 6,701 46.21% 7,710 53.17% 91 0.62% -1,009 -6.96% 14,502
Covington 5,523 58.38% 3,852 40.71% 86 0.91% 1,671 17.67% 9,461
DeSoto 44,222 68.75% 19,627 30.51% 474 0.74% 24,595 38.24% 64,323
Forrest 15,296 56.27% 11,622 42.75% 266 0.98% 3,674 13.52% 27,184
Franklin 2,909 62.09% 1,733 36.99% 43 0.92% 1,176 25.10% 4,685
George 7,700 82.49% 1,532 16.41% 103 1.30% 6,168 66.08% 9,335
Greene 4,361 75.33% 1,366 23.60% 62 1.07% 2,995 51.73% 5,789
Grenada 6,234 55.07% 5,029 44.42% 58 0.51% 1,205 10.65% 11,321
Hancock 13,020 76.34% 3,768 22.09% 268 1.57% 9,252 54.25% 17,056
Harrison 38,757 62.55% 22,673 36.59% 527 0.86% 16,084 25.96% 61,957
Hinds 32,949 30.26% 75,401 69.24% 552 0.50% -42,452 -38.98% 108,902
Holmes 1,714 17.96% 7,765 81.37% 64 0.67% -6,051 -63.41% 9,543
Humphreys 1,462 28.52% 3,634 70.89% 30 0.59% -2,172 -42.37% 5,126
Issaquena 364 38.32% 579 60.95% 7 0.73% -215 -22.63% 950
Itawamba 7,663 77.01% 2,084 20.94% 204 2.05% 5,579 56.07% 9,951
Jackson 35,993 66.29% 17,781 32.75% 522 0.96% 18,212 33.54% 54,296
Jasper 4,135 44.90% 5,025 54.56% 50 0.54% -890 -9.66% 9,210
Jefferson 551 12.30% 3,883 86.71% 44 0.89% -3,332 -74.41% 4,478
Jefferson Davis 2,871 38.96% 4,454 60.43% 45 0.61% -1,583 -21.47% 7,370
Jones 20,157 68.86% 8,846 30.22% 270 0.92% 11,311 38.64% 29,273
Kemper 1,935 37.05% 3,256 62.34% 32 0.61% -1,321 -25.29% 5,223
Lafayette 10,278 55.68% 7,997 43.32% 185 1.00% 2,281 12.36% 18,460
Lamar 18,497 77.36% 5,159 21.58% 254 1.06% 13,338 55.78% 23,910
Lauderdale 19,582 59.14% 13,332 40.26% 200 0.60% 6,250 18.88% 33,114
Lawrence 4,369 62.33% 2,587 36.91% 53 0.76% 1,782 25.42% 7,009
Leake 5,148 55.01% 4,151 44.35% 60 0.64% 997 10.66% 9,359
Lee 22,694 64.91% 12,021 34.39% 245 0.70% 10,673 30.52% 34,960
Leflore 4,105 31.38% 8,914 68.14% 62 0.48% -4,809 -36.76% 13,081
Lincoln 10,781 65.73% 5,505 33.56% 116 0.71% 5,276 32.17% 16,402
Lowndes 13,994 50.95% 13,209 48.09% 262 0.96% 785 2.86% 27,465
Madison 27,203 57.55% 19,831 41.95% 235 0.50% 7,372 15.60% 47,269
Marion 8,513 65.43% 4,422 33.99% 75 0.58% 4,091 31.44% 13,010
Marshall 6,683 40.56% 9,685 58.78% 110 0.66% -3,002 -18.22% 16,478
Monroe 10,184 58.21% 7,169 40.98% 143 0.81% 3,015 17.23% 17,496
Montgomery 3,071 53.76% 2,609 45.68% 32 0.56% 462 8.08% 5,712
Neshoba 8,209 72.00% 3,114 27.31% 79 0.69% 5,095 44.69% 11,402
Newton 6,579 66.76% 3,218 32.65% 58 0.59% 3,361 34.11% 9,855
Noxubee 1,525 23.14% 5,030 76.34% 34 0.52% -3,505 -53.20% 6,589
Oktibbeha 9,320 49.60% 9,326 49.63% 146 0.77% -6 -0.03% 18,792
Panola 7,620 46.42% 8,690 52.94% 106 0.64% -1,070 -6.52% 16,416
Pearl River 17,881 79.67% 4,320 19.25% 242 1.08% 13,561 60.42% 22,443
Perry 4,067 71.80% 1,533 27.07% 64 1.13% 2,534 44.73% 5,664
Pike 8,651 47.91% 9,276 51.38% 128 0.71% -625 -3.47% 18,055
Pontotoc 9,727 75.59% 2,982 23.17% 159 1.24% 6,745 52.42% 12,868
Prentiss 7,703 70.39% 3,020 27.60% 221 2.01% 4,683 42.79% 10,944
Quitman 1,334 32.01% 2,803 67.25% 31 0.74% -1,469 -35.24% 4,168
Rankin 48,140 76.20% 14,372 22.75% 665 1.05% 33,768 53.45% 63,177
Scott 6,584 56.41% 5,025 43.06% 62 0.53% 1,559 13.35% 11,671
Sharkey 873 31.23% 1,907 68.23% 15 0.54% -1,034 -37.00% 2,795
Simpson 7,641 60.59% 4,817 38.20% 152 1.21% 2,824 22.39% 12,610
Smith 6,265 75.44% 1,968 23.70% 72 0.86% 4,297 51.74% 8,305
Stone 5,149 71.06% 1,996 27.55% 101 1.39% 3,153 43.51% 7,246
Sunflower 3,245 28.99% 7,838 70.03% 110 0.98% -4,593 -41.04% 11,193
Tallahatchie 2,786 40.13% 4,105 59.12% 52 0.75% -1,319 -18.99% 6,943
Tate 7,678 60.09% 5,003 39.15% 97 0.76% 2,675 20.94% 12,778
Tippah 6,937 71.33% 2,623 26.97% 165 1.70% 4,314 44.36% 9,725
Tishomingo 6,249 74.22% 1,962 23.30% 208 2.48% 4,287 50.92% 8,419
Tunica 1,017 23.48% 3,279 75.69% 36 0.83% -2,262 -52.21% 4,332
Union 9,072 74.39% 2,985 24.48% 138 1.13% 6,087 49.91% 12,195
Walthall 4,253 54.67% 3,456 44.42% 71 0.91% 797 10.25% 7,780
Warren 11,152 51.24% 10,489 48.19% 123 0.57% 663 3.05% 21,764
Washington 6,347 32.41% 13,148 67.14% 88 0.45% -6,801 -34.73% 19,583
Wayne 6,070 60.57% 3,890 38.81% 62 0.62% 2,180 21.76% 10,022
Webster 4,072 74.62% 1,349 24.72% 36 0.66% 2,723 49.90% 5,457
Wilkinson 1,560 30.36% 3,534 68.77% 45 0.87% -1,974 -38.41% 5,139
Winston 5,497 53.78% 4,653 45.52% 71 0.70% 844 8.26% 10,221
Yalobusha 3,628 53.15% 3,151 46.16% 47 0.69% 477 6.99% 6,826
Yazoo 5,290 46.09% 6,116 53.29% 71 0.62% -826 -7.20% 11,477
Totals724,59756.17%554,66243.00%10,6800.83%169,93513.17%1,289,939
County Flips:

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

John McCain carried three of the state’s four congressional districts, including two districts held by Democrats.

District McCain Obama Representative
1st 61.28% 37.74% Roger Wicker (110th Congress)
Travis Childers (111th Congress)
2nd 33.57% 65.86% Bennie Thompson
3rd 61.08% 38.17% Chip Pickering (110th Congress)
Gregg Harper (111th Congress)
4th 67.27% 31.76% Gene Taylor

Electors

Technically the voters of Mississippi cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Mississippi is allocated 6 electors because it has 4 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 6 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 6 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.[21] An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.

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

The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All 6 were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin:[22]

  1. Jim Barksdale
  2. Barry Bridgforth
  3. Fred Carl
  4. Bobby Chain
  5. Charles Doty
  6. Victor Mavar

References

  1. ↑ "D.C.'s Political Report: The complete source for campaign summaries". January 1, 2009. Archived from the original on January 1, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Presidential". May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Vote 2008 - The Takeaway - Track the Electoral College vote predictions". April 22, 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily". electoral-vote.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Based on Takeaway
  6. ↑ "POLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com". www.politico.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  7. ↑ "RealClearPolitics - Electoral Map". Archived from the original on June 5, 2008.
  8. ↑ "CQ Presidential Election Maps, 2008". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  9. ↑ Nagourney, Adam; Zeleny, Jeff; Carter, Shan (November 4, 2008). "The Electoral Map: Key States". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  10. ↑ "October – 2008 – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs". CNN. October 31, 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Winning The Electoral College". Fox News. April 27, 2010.
  12. ↑ "roadto270". hosted.ap.org. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Election 2008: Electoral College Update - Rasmussen Reports™". www.rasmussenreports.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ Election 2008 Polls - Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
  15. ↑ "Presidential Campaign Finance". Archived from the original on March 24, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  18. 1 2 "CNN Election 2004". CNN. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Reform Party of the United States of America". reformpa.web.aplus.net. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Electoral College". California Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  22. ↑ "Presidential Electors" (PDF). Mississippi Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 20, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.