2008 United States presidential election in Oklahoma
November 4, 2008
 
Nominee John McCain Barack Obama
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Arizona Illinois
Running mate Sarah Palin Joe Biden
Electoral vote 7 0
Popular vote 960,165 502,496
Percentage 65.65% 34.35%
President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

 Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic

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

Oklahoma was won by Republican nominee John McCain with a 31.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. A strongly conservative state located in the Bible Belt where evangelical Christianity plays a large role, Oklahoma has trended heavily Republican in recent years. Having voted for the Republican presidential nominee in every election since 1968, Oklahoma once again showcased its status as a Republican stronghold in 2008 with Republican John McCain capturing 65.65% of the vote.[1] It was also the only state where McCain won every county and was even one of the 5 states along with Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia in which McCain outperformed Bush's margin of victory from 4 years earlier, albeit slightly.

This was also only the second election since its statehood in which Oklahoma supported a different candidate than Virginia, with 1920 being the first. However, this has happened in all elections since, as Oklahoma has voted consistently Republican while Virginia has voted consistently Democratic.

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[2] Likely R
Cook Political Report[3] Solid R
The Takeaway[4] Solid R
Electoral-vote.com[5] Solid R
Washington Post[6] Solid R
Politico[7] Solid R
RealClearPolitics[8] Solid R
FiveThirtyEight[6] Solid R
CQ Politics[9] Solid R
The New York Times[10] Solid R
CNN[11] Safe R
NPR[6] Solid R
MSNBC[6] Solid R
Fox News[12] Likely R
Associated Press[13] Likely R
Rasmussen Reports[14] Safe R

Polling

McCain won every single pre-election poll, and each with a double-digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged McCain leading 62% to 34%.[15]

Fundraising

John McCain raised a total of $2,050,335 in the state. Barack Obama raised $1,711,069.[16]

Advertising and visits

Obama spent $613,515. McCain and his interest groups spent just $6,565.[17] Neither campaign visited the state.[18]

Analysis

Oklahoma gave John McCain his strongest showing in Election 2008 with a rounded percentage of 66% (65.65%) going to him.[19] The Sooner State was also the only state in the country where every single county voted for McCain. Although the results were similar to 2004 in which George W. Bush swept every county in the state with 65.57% of the vote, McCain's margin of victory was slightly better - 0.08% more - in 2008.[20] Oklahoma was one of five states where McCain outperformed George W. Bush, the other four being Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Oklahoma, despite the large concentration of Native Americans in the state, remains one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. Although Democrats still had a majority of registered voters (as well as the governorship) at the time, the state's Democrats are very conservative by national standards. Oklahoma is part of the Bible Belt, and voters in the state have a strong penchant for being values voters; that is, they are strongly and deeply conservative on social issues such as abortion and gay rights. McCain's selection of the socially conservative Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska proved to be an excellent fit for the Sooner State. Obama was at a disadvantage beforehand in Oklahoma during the primary season when voters in the Sooner State backed Hillary Rodham Clinton with 54.76% of the vote compared to Obama's 31.19% and a significant amount (10.24%) going to John Edwards. Clinton won every county in the Oklahoma Democratic Primary except for Oklahoma County, home of Oklahoma City which Obama just narrowly carried. Most of Oklahoma's Democratic establishment were early endorsers of Hillary Clinton as well. Another setback for Obama was that U.S. Representative Dan Boren, the only Democrat from Oklahoma's five-member delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, refused to endorse Obama.

Another key to McCain's victory was the highly populated counties of Tulsa County, which he won with over 62%, and Oklahoma County, which he won with over 58%. He also dominated the heavily Republican Oklahoma Panhandle by an almost four-to-one margin. Despite the Republican landslide, Obama did improve upon John Kerry's performance in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. However, this was more than canceled out by his extremely weak showing in Southeast Oklahoma, historically the most Democratic region in the state. This socially conservative but fiscally liberal area, known as "Little Dixie," still votes Democratic at the local level and state levels. It also warmly supported Bill Clinton of neighboring Arkansas in 1992 and 1996; Clinton's populism struck a chord among the region's voters. Democratic nominees from John Kerry on, on the other hand, have proven spectacularly bad fits for the region and the state as a whole. Obama lost many counties in Southeast Oklahoma by more than two-to-one margins.

Also, Oklahoma was the only state in the country that didn't have a third-party candidate on the ballot, mostly because the state has the toughest ballot access laws in the country. Obama became the first Democrat to win without winning a single county in Oklahoma.

During the same election, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James Inhofe was solidly reelected over Democratic State Senator Andrew Rice. Inhofe received 56.68% while Rice took in 39.18% and Independent Stephen P. Wallace received the remaining 4.14%. At the state level, Republicans made gains in the Oklahoma Legislature, picking up four seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and two seats in the Oklahoma Senate which gave the GOP control of the state legislature for the first time since statehood.

Results

2008 United States presidential election in Oklahoma
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 960,165 65.65% 7
Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 502,496 34.35% 0
Totals 1,462,661 100.00% 7
Voter turnout (Voting age population) 54.8%

By county

County John McCain
Republican		 Barack Obama
Democratic		 Margin Total
# % # % # %
Adair 4,638 69.33% 2,052 30.67% 2,586 38.66% 6,690
Alfalfa 2,023 83.11% 411 16.89% 1,612 66.22% 2,434
Atoka 3,511 71.93% 1,370 28.07% 2,141 43.86% 4,881
Beaver 2,199 89.25% 265 10.75% 1,934 78.50% 2,464
Beckham 5,772 78.03% 1,625 21.97% 4,147 56.06% 7,397
Blaine 3,101 75.41% 1,011 24.59% 2,090 50.82% 4,112
Bryan 9,307 67.77% 4,426 32.23% 4,881 35.54% 13,733
Caddo 6,413 65.33% 3,404 34.67% 3,009 30.66% 9,817
Canadian 36,428 76.12% 11,426 23.88% 25,002 52.24% 47,854
Carter 13,241 70.27% 5,603 29.73% 7,638 40.54% 18,844
Cherokee 9,186 56.08% 7,194 43.92% 1,992 12.16% 16,380
Choctaw 3,730 66.73% 1,860 33.27% 1,870 33.46% 5,590
Cimarron 1,119 88.04% 152 11.96% 967 76.08% 1,271
Cleveland 64,749 62.00% 39,681 38.00% 25,108 24.00% 104,430
Coal 1,672 73.59% 600 26.41% 1,072 47.18% 2,272
Comanche 20,127 58.77% 14,120 41.23% 6,007 17.54% 34,247
Cotton 1,793 72.21% 690 27.79% 1,103 44.42% 2,483
Craig 3,858 65.05% 2,073 34.95% 1,785 30.10% 5,931
Creek 20,187 70.82% 8,318 29.18% 11,869 41.64% 28,505
Custer 7,842 74.67% 2,660 25.33% 5,182 49.34% 10,502
Delaware 10,277 66.90% 5,085 33.10% 5,192 33.80% 15,362
Dewey 1,857 84.29% 346 15.71% 1,511 68.58% 2,203
Ellis 1,627 85.23% 282 14.77% 1,345 70.46% 1,909
Garfield 17,067 75.48% 5,545 24.52% 11,522 50.96% 22,612
Garvin 7,710 71.80% 3,028 28.20% 4,682 43.60% 10,738
Grady 15,195 73.35% 5,520 26.65% 9,675 46.70% 20,715
Grant 1,836 78.13% 514 21.87% 1,322 56.26% 2,350
Greer 1,548 73.23% 566 26.77% 982 46.46% 2,114
Harmon 757 69.45% 333 30.55% 424 38.90% 1,090
Harper 1,342 85.86% 221 14.14% 1,121 71.72% 1,563
Haskell 3,207 68.51% 1,474 31.49% 1,733 37.02% 4,681
Hughes 3,134 64.71% 1,709 35.29% 1,425 29.42% 4,843
Jackson 6,719 74.80% 2,264 25.20% 4,455 49.60% 8,983
Jefferson 1,652 67.24% 805 32.76% 847 34.48% 2,457
Johnston 2,708 68.44% 1,249 31.56% 1,459 36.88% 3,957
Kay 13,230 70.78% 5,463 29.22% 7,767 41.56% 18,693
Kingfisher 5,372 84.19% 1,009 15.81% 4,363 68.38% 6,381
Kiowa 2,537 67.42% 1,226 32.58% 1,311 34.84% 3,763
Latimer 2,860 68.54% 1,313 31.46% 1,547 37.08% 4,173
LeFlore 11,605 69.32% 5,136 30.68% 6,469 38.64% 16,741
Lincoln 10,470 74.92% 3,504 25.08% 6,966 49.84% 13,974
Logan 12,556 68.71% 5,717 31.29% 6,839 37.42% 18,273
Love 2,589 67.32% 1,257 32.68% 1,332 34.64% 3,846
Major 2,956 85.16% 515 14.84% 2,441 70.32% 3,471
Marshall 3,730 69.42% 1,643 30.58% 2,087 38.84% 5,373
Mayes 10,234 64.03% 5,749 35.97% 4,485 28.06% 15,983
McClain 11,193 75.92% 3,551 24.08% 7,642 51.84% 14,744
McCurtain 7,745 73.49% 2,794 26.51% 4,951 46.98% 10,539
McIntosh 4,903 59.63% 3,320 40.37% 1,583 19.26% 8,223
Murray 3,746 70.18% 1,592 29.82% 2,154 40.36% 5,338
Muskogee 15,289 57.51% 11,294 42.49% 3,995 15.02% 26,583
Noble 3,881 76.78% 1,174 23.22% 2,707 53.56% 5,055
Nowata 3,031 68.24% 1,411 31.76% 1,620 36.48% 4,442
Okfuskee 2,643 64.10% 1,480 35.90% 1,163 28.20% 4,123
Oklahoma 163,172 58.41% 116,182 41.59% 46,990 16.82% 279,354
Okmulgee 8,727 58.50% 6,191 41.50% 2,536 17.00% 14,918
Osage 12,160 61.86% 7,498 38.14% 4,662 23.72% 19,658
Ottawa 6,905 61.80% 4,268 38.20% 2,637 23.60% 11,173
Pawnee 4,533 68.72% 2,063 31.28% 2,470 37.44% 6,596
Payne 18,435 63.49% 10,601 36.51% 7,834 26.98% 29,036
Pittsburg 11,752 68.29% 5,457 31.71% 6,295 36.58% 17,209
Pontotoc 9,750 68.36% 4,512 31.64% 5,238 36.72% 14,262
Pottawatomie 17,753 69.18% 7,910 30.82% 9,843 38.36% 25,663
Pushmataha 3,208 71.72% 1,265 28.28% 1,943 43.44% 4,473
Roger Mills 1,502 83.96% 287 16.04% 1,215 67.92% 1,789
Rogers 27,743 72.03% 10,772 27.97% 16,971 44.06% 38,515
Seminole 5,600 65.29% 2,977 34.71% 2,623 30.58% 8,577
Sequoyah 9,466 68.00% 4,454 32.00% 5,012 36.00% 13,920
Stephens 14,394 76.03% 4,538 23.97% 9,856 52.06% 18,932
Texas 5,336 85.25% 923 14.75% 4,413 70.50% 6,259
Tillman 2,195 67.81% 1,042 32.19% 1,153 35.62% 3,237
Tulsa 158,363 62.23% 96,133 37.77% 62,230 24.46% 254,496
Wagoner 21,441 70.88% 8,810 29.12% 12,631 41.76% 30,251
Washington 16,457 72.29% 6,308 27.71% 10,149 44.58% 22,765
Washita 3,724 77.97% 1,052 22.03% 2,672 55.94% 4,776
Woods 3,043 77.71% 873 22.29% 2,170 55.42% 3,916
Woodward 6,404 82.59% 1,350 17.41% 5,054 65.18% 7,754
Totals960,16565.65%502,49634.35%457,66931.30%1,462,661

By congressional district

John McCain carried every congressional district in Oklahoma, including the one district held by a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives rather strongly.

District McCain Obama Representative
1st 64.21% 35.79% John A. Sullivan
2nd 65.59% 34.41% Dan Boren
3rd 72.82% 27.18% Frank Lucas
4th 66.37% 33.63% Tom Cole
5th 59.32% 40.68% Mary Fallin

Electors

Technically the voters of Oklahoma cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Oklahoma is allocated 7 electors because it has 5 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 7 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 7 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 7 were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin:[22]

  1. Virginia Chrisco
  2. Gail Stice
  3. Pete Katzdorn
  4. Robert Cleveland
  5. Mary Phyllis Gorman
  6. Bunny Chambers
  7. Diane Murphy Gunther

The slate for the Democrats, which was not elected, consisted of Sally Freeman Frasier, Gene A. Wallace, Anita R. Norman, Tim Mauldin, Robert Lemon, David Walters, Walter W. Jenny Jr.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CNN Election Center 2008 - Oklahoma Results". Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "Presidential". May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily". electoral-vote.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Based on Takeaway
  7. ↑ "POLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com". www.politico.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  8. ↑ "RealClearPolitics - Electoral Map". Archived from the original on June 5, 2008.
  9. ↑ "CQ Presidential Election Maps, 2008". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  10. ↑ Nagourney, Adam; Zeleny, Jeff; Carter, Shan (November 4, 2008). "The Electoral Map: Key States". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  11. ↑ "October – 2008 – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs". CNN. October 31, 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Winning The Electoral College". Fox News. April 27, 2010.
  13. ↑ "roadto270". hosted.ap.org. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Election 2008: Electoral College Update - Rasmussen Reports™". www.rasmussenreports.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  15. ↑ David Leip. "Election 2008 Polls - Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Presidential Campaign Finance". Archived from the original on March 24, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  19. ↑ "2008 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  20. ↑ "CNN Election Center 2004 - Oklahoma Results". Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Electoral College". California Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  22. ↑ "U. S. Electoral College 2008 Election - Certificates". Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Presidential Electors General Election - November 4, 2008" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board.
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