The 2008 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
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Turnout | 84.61% (of registered voters) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The State of Washington was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama by a 17.1% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safe blue state. No Republican presidential nominee had won the State of Washington since Ronald Reagan won the state in 1984. Continuing on that trend, Washington stayed in the Democratic column as Obama carried the state with over 57% of the vote.
As of the 2024 presidential election[update], this is the last election in which Skamania County, Klickitat County, and Wahkiakum County voted for the Democratic candidate. This is also the last time the Democrat carried more counties than the Republican. Obama became the first ever Democrat to win the White House without carrying Ferry County, as well as the first to do so without carrying Asotin County since Woodrow Wilson in 1912.
Primaries
Democratic primary
The 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. Delegates were selected in a four-tier process that began with precinct caucuses, was further refined in legislative district caucuses and/or county conventions, concluded for some delegates in the congressional district caucuses, and finally concluded for the remaining delegates at the state convention.
Washington also held a Democratic primary on February 19, 2008, but the Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.
Delegate breakdown
The Washington State Democratic Party sent a total of 97 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Of those delegates, 78 were pledged and 19 were unpledged. The 78 pledged delegates were allocated (pledged) to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention according to the results of Washington's four-step caucus process. The 19 unpledged delegates were popularly called "superdelegates" because their vote represented their personal decisions, whereas the regular delegates' votes represented the collective decision of many voters. The superdelegates were free to vote for any candidate at the national convention and were selected by the Washington State Democratic Party's officials and the pledged delegates.
The 78 pledged delegates were further divided into 51 district delegates and 27 statewide delegates. The 51 district delegates were divided among Washington's 9 congressional districts and were allocated to the presidential candidates based on the caucus results in each district. The 27 statewide delegates were divided into 17 at-large delegates and 10 party leaders and elected officials (abbreviated PLEOs). They were allocated to the presidential candidates at the state convention based on the preference of the 51 district delegates on June 13–15.
Of the 19 unpledged delegates, 17 were selected in advance and 2 were selected at the state convention. The delegates selected in advance were 7 Democratic National Committee members, the 2 Democratic U.S. senators from Washington, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, the 6 Democratic U.S. representatives from Washington, and the Democratic governor of Washington, Christine Gregoire.
Delegate selection process
Precinct caucuses
The precinct caucuses took place on February 9, 2008. Washington's two senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton earlier in the nomination season. The week before the caucuses, Washington's governor, Christine Gregoire, endorsed Senator Barack Obama.
The caucuses were open to all voters who would be 18 years old by November 4, 2008. To vote, participants completed a form with their contact information and candidate preference. The form also asked voters to sign an oath stating: "I declare that I consider myself to be a DEMOCRAT and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2008 Presidential election." In some caucus groups, members split into smaller groups according to the candidate they supported. Voters supporting non-viable candidates had the option of moving into viable groups, and voters in viable groups could change their preference. Unlike other state Democratic Party caucuses, Washington does not require a 15% threshold for allocation of delegates at the precinct level. Rules state that any fractional delegates remaining are awarded to the candidate with the most votes that do not have delegates.
Legislative district caucuses and county conventions

The second tier of the delegate selection process involved choosing 2,000 legislative district delegates (and 1,000 alternates) to send to the congressional district conventions on May 17 and the state convention on June 13–15. There are 49 legislative districts in Washington State. Each district was allocated a certain number of delegates. Delegates were elected at either legislative district caucuses or county conventions. Each of Washington's 39 counties has a local Democratic Party organization that determined the event at which delegate selection would take place. Most counties chose to select delegates at legislative district caucuses on April 5. The remaining counties selected delegates at sub-caucuses during their county conventions, most of which were held on either April 12 or April 19. The breakdown of events by date is listed below.
April 5
Legislative district caucuses:
- 1st through 6th
- 8th
- 11th
- 12th
- 16th (Benton County portion only, held at the 8th LD caucus)
- 21st
- 25th through 34th
- 36th through 39th
- 40th (San Juan County portion only)
- 41st through 48th
County convention:
- Whatcom (40th LD)
April 12
County conventions:
- Clallam (24th LD)
- Franklin (9th & 16th LDs)
- Grays Harbor (19th, 24th & 35th LDs)
- Kitsap (23rd & 35th LDs)
- Kittitas (13th LD)
- Pend Oreille (7th LD)
- Skagit (10th & 40th LDs)
April 13
County convention:
- Snohomish (10th LD)
April 19
County conventions:
- Asotin (9th LD)
- Chelan (13th LD)
- Clark (15th, 17th, 18th & 49th LDs)
- Cowlitz (18th & 19th LDs)
- Ferry (7th LD)
- Grant (13th LD)
- Island (10th LD)
- Klickitat (15th LD)
- Lewis (20th LD)
- Lincoln (7th LD)
- Mason (35th LD)
- Okanogan (7th LD)
- Pacific (19th LD)
- Skamania (15th LD)
- Spokane (7th & 9th LDs)
- Stevens (7th LD)
- Thurston (20th, 22nd & 35th LDs)
- Wahkiakum (19th LD)
- Whitman (9th LD)
- Yakima (13th, 14th & 15th LDs)
April 20
County convention:
- Walla Walla (16th LD)
April 26
County convention:
- Jefferson (24th LD)
Unknown date
County conventions:
- Adams (9th LD)
- Garfield (9th LD)
- Columbia (16th LD)
Congressional district caucuses
Fifty-one delegates were chosen at the nine congressional district caucuses. Each district was allotted a different number of delegates:
- CD 1: 6
- CD 2: 6
- CD 3: 5
- CD 4: 3
- CD 5: 5
- CD 6: 6
- CD 7: 9
- CD 8: 6
- CD 9: 5
State convention
Twenty-nine delegates were chosen at the state convention, twenty-seven of which were pledged to vote for a particular candidate. Seventeen of these pledged delegates were "at-large" delegates that did not represent a specific Washington congressional district, and ten were party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs).
Polls
Results
Precinct caucuses
Caucus date: February 9, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78)
2008 Washington Democratic presidential precinct caucuses 96.4% of precincts reporting | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Precinct delegates | Percentage | Estimated national delegates |
Barack Obama | 21,768 | 67.56% | 52 |
Hillary Clinton | 10,038 | 31.15% | 26 |
Other | 50 | 0.16% | 0 |
Uncommitted | 364 | 1.13% | 0 |
Totals | 32,220 | 100.00% | 78 |
Primary
The Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.
Primary date: February 19, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78)
Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
2008 Washington Democratic presidential primary | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
Barack Obama | 354,112 | 51.22% | |
Hillary Clinton | 315,744 | 45.67% | |
John Edwards | 11,892 | 1.72% | |
Dennis Kucinich | 4,021 | 0.58% | |
Bill Richardson | 2,040 | 0.30% | |
Joe Biden | 1,883 | 0.27% | |
Mike Gravel | 1,071 | 0.15% | |
Christopher Dodd | 618 | 0.09% | |
Totals | 691,381 | 100.00% |
Legislative district caucuses and county conventions
Dashes indicate districts for which results are unavailable.
Caucus/Convention dates: April 5–26, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 0 (of 78)
Washington Democratic Legislative District Caucuses and County Conventions, 2008 61% of districts reporting | |||
---|---|---|---|
Legislative District | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Total State Delegates from this LD |
LD1 | 32 | 12 | 44 |
LD2 | 26 | 14 | 40 |
LD3 | – | – | 33 |
LD4 | – | – | 38 |
LD5 | 36 | 12 | 48 |
LD6 | 29 | 15 | 44 |
LD7 | – | – | 34 |
LD8 | – | – | 33 |
LD9 | – | – | 33 |
LD10 | – | – | 43 |
LD11 | 26 | 10 | 36 |
LD12 | – | – | 31 |
LD13 | – | – | 28 |
LD14 | – | – | 27 |
LD15 | – | – | 26 |
LD16 | – | – | 28 |
LD17 | – | – | 39 |
LD18 | – | – | 44 |
LD19 | – | – | 38 |
LD20 | 25 | 13 | 38 |
LD21 | – | – | 40 |
LD22 | 36 | 13 | 49 |
LD23 | 34 | 11 | 45 |
LD24 | 28 | 10 | 47 |
LD25 | 26 | 15 | 41 |
LD26 | 28 | 14 | 42 |
LD27 | 27 | 12 | 39 |
LD28 | – | – | 34 |
LD29 | – | – | 30 |
LD30 | – | – | 35 |
LD31 | 22 | 16 | 38 |
LD32 | 36 | 14 | 50 |
LD33 | 23 | 12 | 35 |
LD34 | 38 | 13 | 51 |
LD35 | 15 | 8 | 41 |
LD36 | 52 | 15 | 67 |
LD37 | 38 | 9 | 47 |
LD38 | 23 | 11 | 34 |
LD39 | 27 | 12 | 39 |
LD40 | 36 | 9 | 47 |
LD41 | 36 | 13 | 49 |
LD42 | 33 | 10 | 43 |
LD43 | 53 | 14 | 67 |
LD44 | 30 | 13 | 43 |
LD45 | 33 | 12 | 45 |
LD46 | 45 | 15 | 60 |
LD47 | 27 | 11 | 38 |
LD48 | 30 | 11 | 41 |
LD49 | – | – | 38 |
Totals | 950 | 369 | 2,000 |
Estimated national delegates | 0 | 0 | 78 |
Congressional district caucuses
Caucus date: May 17, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 51 (of 78)
Washington Democratic Congressional District Caucuses, 2008 0% of districts reporting | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Congressional District | National Delegates Obama | National Delegates Clinton | National Delegates Total | ||
CD1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
CD2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
CD3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
CD4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
CD5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
CD6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
CD7 | 7 | 2 | 9 | ||
CD8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
CD9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
Totals | 34 | 17 | 51 |
State convention
Convention date: June 13–15, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 27 (of 78)
2008 Washington Democratic State Convention | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | At-Large and PLEO delegates | Percentage | National delegates |
Barack Obama | 18 | 66.67% | 52 |
Hillary Clinton | 9 | 33.33% | 26 |
Totals | 27 | 100.00% | 78 |
Republican caucuses and primary
The Republican caucuses were held on Saturday February 9 and the primary on February 19, 2008, to compete 40 total delegates, of which 18 tied to the caucuses, 19 tied to the primary, and 3 unpledged RNC member delegates.
Candidates
All following candidates appeared on the ballot for voters in Washington:
- Mike Huckabee
- John McCain
- Ron Paul
- Mitt Romney (candidate suspended his campaign)
Caucuses
Voting in Washington's caucuses closed at 9:00 pm EST February 9.
The Washington Republican Party declared John McCain the winner on the night of the election, after 87% of the votes were counted. Mike Huckabee disputed the results and accused the state party of calling the election prematurely. He demanded a statewide caucus recount. However, by Tuesday, February 12, the Washington Republicans again declared McCain the winner after 96% of the votes were tallied, and never counted the rest of the votes.
Candidate | State delegate | Percentage | Delegates | Counties carried |
---|---|---|---|---|
John McCain | 3,228 | 25.9% | 16 | 11 |
Mike Huckabee | 2,959 | 23.52% | 8 | 11 |
Ron Paul | 2,740 | 21.64% | 5 | 9 |
Mitt Romney | 1,903 | 15.45% | 0 | 4 |
Uncommitted | 1,662 | 13.49% | 0 | 2 |
Total | 12,320 | 100% | 29 | 37 |
Primary
The primary took place on February 19, 2008.
Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
---|---|---|---|
John McCain | 262,304 | 49.50% | 16 |
Mike Huckabee | 127,657 | 24.09% | 8 |
Mitt Romney* | 86,140 | 16.25% | 0 |
Ron Paul | 40,539 | 7.65% | 5 |
Rudy Giuliani* | 5,145 | 0.97% | 0 |
Fred Thompson* | 4,865 | 0.92% | 0 |
Alan Keyes | 2,226 | 0.42% | 0 |
Duncan Hunter* | 799 | 0.19% | 0 |
Total | 529,932 | 100% | 29 |
* Candidate stopped campaign before primary
Money raised
The following table shows the amount of money each Republican Party candidate raised in the state of Washington.
Campaign
Predictions
Source | Ranking |
---|---|
D.C. Political Report | Likely D |
Cook Political Report | Solid D |
The Takeaway | Solid D |
Electoral-vote.com | Solid D |
Washington Post | Solid D |
Politico | Solid D |
RealClearPolitics | Solid D |
FiveThirtyEight | Solid D |
CQ Politics | Solid D |
The New York Times | Solid D |
CNN | Safe D |
NPR | Solid D |
MSNBC | Solid D |
Fox News | Likely D |
Associated Press | Likely D |
Rasmussen Reports | Safe D |
Since February 28, Obama won every pre-election poll. Since September 22, he won each poll with a double-digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged Obama leading 54% to 40%.
Fundraising
McCain raised a total of $2,697,999 in the state. Obama raised $16,518,208.
Advertising and visits
Obama and his interest groups spent $312,869. McCain and his interest groups spent just $2,264. The Democratic ticket visited the state once, while the Republican ticket did not visit at all.
Analysis
Washington once leaned Republican, like most of the Pacific Northwest. From 1952 to 1984, it only went Democratic twice—in 1964 and 1968. However, it has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every presidential election since 1988. Neither candidate seriously contested the state as it was viewed as a safe blue state. Like Oregon, the state is divided politically by the urban/rural divide and geographically by the Cascade Mountains. The two are related in that nearly all of the major cities lie west of the Cascades. Most of the state's population resides in Western Washington along the Pacific Coast and in highly urbanized areas like Seattle. The Seattle area, home to almost two-thirds of the state's population, is overwhelmingly Democratic. The rest of Western Washington leans Democratic as well, though the lean is not as pronounced as in the greater Seattle area. In contrast, Eastern Washington is very rural, and in many ways more similar to Idaho than Seattle. Republicans have had an edge here for many years, in part to its strong tinge of social conservatism. As a result, while Republicans typically win more counties, the overwhelming Democratic trend in the more-heavily populated western portion is enough to swing the whole state to the Democrats.
On Election Day, Obama won the state by 17.18%. Washington was called for Obama as soon as the polls in the state closed. He swept the more urban counties along the Western Seaboard, which compose the Democratic base. More than two-thirds of the state's population lives in this area; this makes it very difficult for a Republican to win the state because of this region's liberal tilt. Obama would have been assured a victory in any event due to his performance in the Seattle area. He carried King County, home to Seattle itself and its close suburbs and just over a third of the state's population, with 69.97 percent of the vote—almost three-fifths of his statewide majority. Obama also swept the two other big counties in Western Washington, Pierce (home to Tacoma) and Snohomish (home to Everett) by decisive margins. His combined majority in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties would have been more than enough to carry the state. McCain only won one county in the western part of the state, Lewis County, traditionally the most socially conservative county west of the Cascades.
On the other hand, McCain did extremely well in Eastern Washington. Neither Al Gore or John Kerry was able to take a single county in Eastern Washington; in 2008, Obama only won one small county, Whitman County, home to Washington State University in Pullman. Nevertheless, as with Oregon, McCain's margins in the eastern part of the state were far outweighed by Obama's landslides in the more populated coastal regions and cities in the western part of the state. Obama did, however, improve substantially in Eastern Washington, especially in the region's largest county, Spokane County, home to the city of Spokane.
During the same election, incumbent Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire was reelected to a second term with 53.00% of the vote over Republican Dino Rossi who took 46.55% in a rematch of their controversial race from four years earlier. At the state level, Democrats picked up one seat in the Washington House of Representatives while Republicans picked up a seat in the Washington Senate.
Results
2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Democratic | Barack Obama | Joe Biden | 1,750,848 | 57.65% | 11 | |
Republican | John McCain | Sarah Palin | 1,229,216 | 40.48% | 0 | |
Independent | Ralph Nader | Matt Gonzalez | 29,489 | 0.97% | 0 | |
Libertarian | Bob Barr | Wayne Allyn Root | 12,728 | 0.42% | 0 | |
Constitution | Chuck Baldwin | Darrell Castle | 9,432 | 0.31% | 0 | |
Green | Cynthia McKinney | Rosa Clemente | 3,819 | 0.13% | 0 | |
Others | Others | 1,036 | 0.04% | 0 | ||
Totals | 3,036,878 | 100.00% | 11 | |||
Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 62.2% |
By county
County | Barack Obama Democratic | John McCain Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 1,552 | 31.95% | 3,222 | 66.32% | 84 | 1.73% | -1,670 | -34.37% | 4,858 |
Asotin | 4,139 | 42.32% | 5,451 | 55.74% | 190 | 1.94% | -1,312 | -13.42% | 9,780 |
Benton | 26,288 | 35.84% | 45,345 | 61.83% | 1,708 | 2.33% | -19,057 | -25.99% | 73,341 |
Chelan | 13,781 | 42.85% | 17,605 | 54.74% | 777 | 2.41% | -3,824 | -11.89% | 32,163 |
Clallam | 19,470 | 50.55% | 18,199 | 47.25% | 851 | 2.21% | 1,271 | 3.30% | 38,520 |
Clark | 95,356 | 51.85% | 84,212 | 45.79% | 4,357 | 2.37% | 11,144 | 6.06% | 183,925 |
Columbia | 686 | 30.38% | 1,499 | 66.39% | 73 | 3.24% | -813 | -36.01% | 2,258 |
Cowlitz | 24,597 | 54.05% | 19,554 | 42.96% | 1,361 | 2.99% | 5,043 | 11.09% | 45,512 |
Douglas | 5,848 | 38.26% | 9,098 | 59.52% | 339 | 2.22% | -3,250 | -21.26% | 15,285 |
Ferry | 1,467 | 41.49% | 1,916 | 54.19% | 153 | 4.33% | -449 | -12.70% | 3,536 |
Franklin | 7,361 | 37.19% | 12,037 | 60.81% | 397 | 2.01% | -4,676 | -23.62% | 19,795 |
Garfield | 385 | 28.04% | 968 | 70.50% | 20 | 1.46% | -583 | -42.46% | 1,373 |
Grant | 9,601 | 34.74% | 17,153 | 62.07% | 880 | 3.18% | -7,552 | -27.33% | 27,634 |
Grays Harbor | 16,354 | 56.04% | 12,104 | 41.47% | 726 | 2.49% | 4,250 | 14.57% | 29,184 |
Island | 22,058 | 52.31% | 19,426 | 46.07% | 680 | 1.61% | 2,632 | 6.24% | 42,164 |
Jefferson | 13,252 | 65.85% | 6,330 | 31.46% | 541 | 2.69% | 6,922 | 34.39% | 20,123 |
King | 648,230 | 69.97% | 259,716 | 28.03% | 18,511 | 2.00% | 388,514 | 41.94% | 926,457 |
Kitsap | 68,624 | 54.89% | 53,297 | 42.63% | 3,090 | 2.47% | 15,327 | 12.26% | 125,011 |
Kittitas | 8,030 | 44.67% | 9,471 | 52.68% | 476 | 2.65% | -1,441 | -8.01% | 17,977 |
Klickitat | 4,965 | 48.85% | 4,944 | 48.64% | 255 | 2.51% | 21 | 0.21% | 10,164 |
Lewis | 13,624 | 38.96% | 20,278 | 57.99% | 1,067 | 3.05% | -6,654 | -19.03% | 34,969 |
Lincoln | 2,032 | 33.82% | 3,803 | 63.30% | 173 | 2.88% | -1,771 | -29.48% | 6,008 |
Mason | 15,050 | 52.78% | 12,600 | 44.19% | 863 | 3.03% | 2,450 | 8.59% | 28,513 |
Okanogan | 7,613 | 44.82% | 8,798 | 51.79% | 576 | 3.39% | -1,185 | -6.97% | 16,987 |
Pacific | 6,094 | 55.12% | 4,555 | 41.20% | 406 | 3.67% | 1,539 | 13.92% | 11,055 |
Pend Oreille | 2,562 | 38.79% | 3,717 | 56.28% | 326 | 4.94% | -1,155 | -17.49% | 6,605 |
Pierce | 181,824 | 54.88% | 141,673 | 42.76% | 7,839 | 2.37% | 40,151 | 12.12% | 331,336 |
San Juan | 7,374 | 69.66% | 2,958 | 27.94% | 254 | 2.40% | 4,416 | 41.72% | 10,586 |
Skagit | 30,053 | 53.42% | 24,687 | 43.89% | 1,513 | 2.69% | 5,366 | 9.53% | 56,253 |
Skamania | 2,817 | 51.31% | 2,524 | 45.97% | 149 | 2.71% | 293 | 5.34% | 5,490 |
Snohomish | 187,294 | 58.13% | 126,722 | 39.33% | 8,183 | 2.54% | 60,572 | 18.80% | 322,199 |
Spokane | 105,786 | 47.87% | 108,314 | 49.01% | 6,907 | 3.13% | -2,528 | -1.14% | 221,007 |
Stevens | 8,499 | 37.62% | 13,132 | 58.13% | 960 | 4.25% | -4,633 | -20.51% | 22,591 |
Thurston | 75,882 | 59.57% | 48,366 | 37.97% | 3,142 | 2.47% | 27,516 | 21.60% | 127,390 |
Wahkiakum | 1,121 | 48.61% | 1,105 | 47.92% | 80 | 3.47% | 16 | 0.69% | 2,306 |
Walla Walla | 10,081 | 40.52% | 14,182 | 57.01% | 614 | 2.47% | -4,101 | -16.49% | 24,877 |
Whatcom | 58,236 | 57.71% | 40,205 | 39.84% | 2,465 | 2.44% | 18,031 | 17.87% | 100,906 |
Whitman | 9,070 | 51.57% | 8,104 | 46.07% | 415 | 2.36% | 966 | 5.50% | 17,589 |
Yakima | 33,792 | 43.58% | 41,946 | 54.10% | 1,796 | 2.32% | -8,154 | -10.52% | 77,534 |
Totals | 1,750,848 | 57.34% | 1,229,216 | 40.26% | 73,197 | 2.40% | 521,632 | 17.08% | 3,036,878 |

Democratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold |
- Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Clallam (largest community: Port Angeles)
- Clark (largest city: Vancouver)
- Island (largest city: Coupeville)
- Klickitat (largest community: Goldendale)
- Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon)
- Skamania (largest community: Carson)
- Wahkhiakum (largest community: Puget Island)
- Whitman (largest city: Pullman)
By congressional district
Barack Obama carried 7 of the state's 9 congressional districts, including one district held by a Republican.
District | McCain | Obama | Representative |
---|---|---|---|
1st | 35.93% | 62.44% | Jay Inslee |
2nd | 42.00% | 55.60% | Rick Larsen |
3rd | 45.66% | 52.37% | Brian Baird |
4th | 57.84% | 40.30% | Doc Hastings |
5th | 51.54% | 45.97% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
6th | 40.51% | 57.43% | Norm Dicks |
7th | 14.96% | 83.54% | Jim McDermott |
8th | 41.83% | 56.62% | Dave Reichert |
9th | 39.47% | 58.72% | Adam Smith |
Electors
Technically the voters of Washington cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Washington is allocated 11 electors because it has 9 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 11 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and their running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 11 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 their 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 11 were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden:
- Jeff Siddiqui
- Maggie Hanson
- Jane Buchanan-Banks
- Pat M. Notter
- Marcus Riccelli
- Bradford Donovan
- Lesley Ahmed
- Di A. Irons
- Calvin Edwards
- Kristine Fallstone
- John Daniels
See also
- United States presidential elections in Washington (state)
- Presidency of Barack Obama
References
- Secretary of State: Kim Wyman. "Voter Turnout by Election". www.sos.wa.gov. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- Yardley, William (February 18, 2008). "In Washington State Vote, Relevance Is an Issue". The New York Times.
- "Washington State Delegate Selection Plan For The 2008 Democratic National Convention". Washington State Democratic Party. August 23, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- Berg-Andersson, Richard (March 1, 2008). "Washington Democrat Presidential Nominating Process". The Green Papers. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
- "Murray endorses Clinton". Seattle Times Company. January 31, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
- McGann, Chris (February 8, 2008). "Gregoire endorses Obama". Seattle PI. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
- "Washington State Democratic Party". Washington State Democratic Party.
- "The 2008 Washington State Democratic Caucus-Convention Cycle" (PDF). 46th District Democrats. December 2, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 27, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- Ravens, Jaxon. "Delegates and Alternates Allocated to each County and Legislative District for the Congressional District Caucuses and the State Convention" (PDF). 34th District Democrats. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 9, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- "Washington State Democrats - Legislative District Caucuses". Washington State Democratic Party. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- "Washington State Democrats - County Conventions". Washington State Democratic Party. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- "Caucus Results by Jurisdiction". Washington State Democratic Party. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
- "President - Democratic Party Federal (Statewide)". Washington Secretary of State. March 7, 2008. Archived from the original on May 7, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
- DeGolier, Cheryl (April 6, 2008). "LD Caucus Results and Observations". Snohomish County Democrats. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- "Yelm Starts Democrat Caucuses". The Olympian Online. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
- "2008 Legislative District Caucuses". 5th District Democrats. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
- Brewer, Andrew. "Final Credentials Report April 5th 6th LD Caucus". 6th Legislative District Democrats. Retrieved April 28, 2008. [dead link]
- Brede, Alene. "April 5th 11th LD Preliminary Caucus Results". 11th Legislative District Democrats. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- "Caucus Results". Thurston County Democrats. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
- "Caucus Results". Thurston County Democrats. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- "LD Caucus Results were". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
- The 24th LD met at 3 different places: the Clallam, Grays Harbor, and Jefferson County Conventions. Clallam County portion "2008 Elected Delegates". Clallam Democrats. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008. Jefferson County Portion "Results of the Jefferson County Convention, April 26, 2008". Jefferson County Democrats. Retrieved May 15, 2008. Grays Harbor portion (still waiting)
- Stokes, Charley. "HUNDREDS OF ENTHUSIASTIC DEMOCRATS FILL PHS AUDITORIUM" (PDF). 25th Legislative District Democrats. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
- "26th Legislative District Democrats". www.26dems.org. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- "27th LD CD Caucus and WS Convention Del and Alt 2008" (PDF). 27th Legislative District Democrats. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 9, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- "LD Caucus Delegates". www.31stdistrictdemocrats.org. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- "Snohomish County Democrats". Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
- http://www.33rddems.org/caucus2008.php[dead link]
- "34th Dems 2008 LD Caucus Results". www.34dems.org. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- The 35th LD met at 4 different places: the Mason, Thurston, Grays Harbor, and Kitsap County Conventions. Mason County portion "Results". Mason County Democratic Central Committee. Retrieved April 28, 2008. Thurston County portion: "Caucus Results". Thurston County Democrats. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- "Welcome to the 37th District Democrats". 37th District Democrats. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- "Working On A Better Life". www.snohomishdemocrats.org. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- "Home". wa-democrats-39ld.org. September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- The 40th LD met at 3 different places: the Whatcom County Convention, the Skagit County Convention, and San Juan county's 40th LD caucus. Skagit County portion: "Delegates by the Numbers". Skagit Valley Herald. April 13, 2008. pp. A–6. Whatcom County portion: McClendon, Natalie (April 12, 2008). "Local Democrats Elect Delegates to Congressional District Caucus". Whatcom County Democrats. Retrieved April 28, 2008. San Juan portion: "San Juan 2008 Results of the 40th Legislative District Caucus". Democrats of San Juan County Washington. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- "41st Legislative District Caucus Results". 41st District Democrats. April 11, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- McClendon, Natalie (April 12, 2008). "Local Democrats Elect Delegates to Congressional District Caucus". Whatcom County Democrats. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- "Caucus Results". 43rd District Democrats of Washington. Archived from the original on August 23, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- DeWitt, Rick. "Legislative District Caucus". 44th Legislative District Democrats of Washington State. Archived from the original on August 19, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- "45th LD Democrats - Caucus Information". 45th District Democrats. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- "WA46Dems - LD Caucus Results". 46th District Democrats. Archived from the original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- "LD Caucus Results". 47th District Democrats. Archived from the original on June 26, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- "LD Caucus Results". 48th District Democrats. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
- "WA National Delegate List". Obama Campaign. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
- Derived by deducting reported Obama numbers from total delegates for each CD.
- DeGolier, Cheryl (May 19, 2008). "1st Congressional District Caucus Results". 1st District Democrats. Retrieved May 20, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- "CD Caucus Results". 46th District Democrats. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
- "RESULTS: Washington". CNN. February 9, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
- "Mike Huckabee wants retraction, caucus recount". The Seattle Times. February 11, 2008.
- "Washington Caucus Updates Show McCain is Still GOP Winner, Despite Huckabee Challenge". FoxNews.com. February 12, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2009.[dead link]
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- "CNN Map: Campaign money race".
- "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.
- "Presidential". May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- "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.
- "Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily". electoral-vote.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Based on Takeaway
- "POLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com". www.politico.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- "Result". www.realclearpolitics.com. 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- "CQ Presidential Election Maps, 2008". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- Nagourney, Adam; Zeleny, Jeff; Carter, Shan (November 4, 2008). "The Electoral Map: Key States". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- "October – 2008 – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs". CNN. October 31, 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
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- "roadto270". hosted.ap.org. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- "Election 2008: Electoral College Update - Rasmussen Reports". www.rasmussenreports.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- "Presidential Campaign Finance". Archived from the original on March 24, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
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- "2008 General Data". sos.wa.gov. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024.
- "Electoral College". California Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
- "Electoral College Democratic Pres Electors" (PDF). www.secstate.wa.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- Gregory Roberts (August 4, 2008). "Lynnwood man may become one of first Muslim presidential electors in U.S". Seattlepi.com. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- "Marcus M. Riccelli - Congressional Staffer Salary Data". www.legistorm.com.
- Regimbal, Alec. "Washington's Muslim electors could help make history". Blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- Roberts, Gregory; Modie, Neil (October 20, 2005). "Irons family feud airs on the Web". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
External links
- Official Washington Presidential election results
Author: www.NiNa.Az
Publication date:
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The 2008 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 4 2008 and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election Voters chose 11 representatives or electors to the Electoral College who voted for president and vice president 2008 United States presidential election in Washington state 2004 November 4 2008 2012 Turnout84 61 of registered voters 2 56 Nominee Barack Obama John McCain Party Democratic Republican Home state Illinois Arizona Running mate Joe Biden Sarah Palin Electoral vote 11 0 Popular vote 1 750 848 1 229 216 Percentage 57 65 40 48 County resultsCongressional district resultsObama 40 50 50 60 60 70 80 90 McCain 40 50 50 60 60 70 70 80 President before election George W Bush Republican Elected President Barack Obama Democratic The State of Washington was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama by a 17 1 margin of victory Prior to the election all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win or otherwise considered as a safe blue state No Republican presidential nominee had won the State of Washington since Ronald Reagan won the state in 1984 Continuing on that trend Washington stayed in the Democratic column as Obama carried the state with over 57 of the vote As of the 2024 presidential election update this is the last election in which Skamania County Klickitat County and Wahkiakum County voted for the Democratic candidate This is also the last time the Democrat carried more counties than the Republican Obama became the first ever Democrat to win the White House without carrying Ferry County as well as the first to do so without carrying Asotin County since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 PrimariesDemocratic primary The 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 Delegates were selected in a four tier process that began with precinct caucuses was further refined in legislative district caucuses and or county conventions concluded for some delegates in the congressional district caucuses and finally concluded for the remaining delegates at the state convention Washington also held a Democratic primary on February 19 2008 but the Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates Delegate breakdown The Washington State Democratic Party sent a total of 97 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention Of those delegates 78 were pledged and 19 were unpledged The 78 pledged delegates were allocated pledged to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention according to the results of Washington s four step caucus process The 19 unpledged delegates were popularly called superdelegates because their vote represented their personal decisions whereas the regular delegates votes represented the collective decision of many voters The superdelegates were free to vote for any candidate at the national convention and were selected by the Washington State Democratic Party s officials and the pledged delegates The 78 pledged delegates were further divided into 51 district delegates and 27 statewide delegates The 51 district delegates were divided among Washington s 9 congressional districts and were allocated to the presidential candidates based on the caucus results in each district The 27 statewide delegates were divided into 17 at large delegates and 10 party leaders and elected officials abbreviated PLEOs They were allocated to the presidential candidates at the state convention based on the preference of the 51 district delegates on June 13 15 Of the 19 unpledged delegates 17 were selected in advance and 2 were selected at the state convention The delegates selected in advance were 7 Democratic National Committee members the 2 Democratic U S senators from Washington Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray the 6 Democratic U S representatives from Washington and the Democratic governor of Washington Christine Gregoire Delegate selection process Precinct caucuses The precinct caucuses took place on February 9 2008 Washington s two senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton earlier in the nomination season The week before the caucuses Washington s governor Christine Gregoire endorsed Senator Barack Obama The caucuses were open to all voters who would be 18 years old by November 4 2008 To vote participants completed a form with their contact information and candidate preference The form also asked voters to sign an oath stating I declare that I consider myself to be a DEMOCRAT and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2008 Presidential election In some caucus groups members split into smaller groups according to the candidate they supported Voters supporting non viable candidates had the option of moving into viable groups and voters in viable groups could change their preference Unlike other state Democratic Party caucuses Washington does not require a 15 threshold for allocation of delegates at the precinct level Rules state that any fractional delegates remaining are awarded to the candidate with the most votes that do not have delegates Legislative district caucuses and county conventions Democrats vote in the 43rd Legislative District Caucus April 5 2008 The second tier of the delegate selection process involved choosing 2 000 legislative district delegates and 1 000 alternates to send to the congressional district conventions on May 17 and the state convention on June 13 15 There are 49 legislative districts in Washington State Each district was allocated a certain number of delegates Delegates were elected at either legislative district caucuses or county conventions Each of Washington s 39 counties has a local Democratic Party organization that determined the event at which delegate selection would take place Most counties chose to select delegates at legislative district caucuses on April 5 The remaining counties selected delegates at sub caucuses during their county conventions most of which were held on either April 12 or April 19 The breakdown of events by date is listed below April 5 Legislative district caucuses 1st through 6th 8th 11th 12th 16th Benton County portion only held at the 8th LD caucus 21st 25th through 34th 36th through 39th 40th San Juan County portion only 41st through 48th County convention Whatcom 40th LD April 12 County conventions Clallam 24th LD Franklin 9th amp 16th LDs Grays Harbor 19th 24th amp 35th LDs Kitsap 23rd amp 35th LDs Kittitas 13th LD Pend Oreille 7th LD Skagit 10th amp 40th LDs April 13 County convention Snohomish 10th LD April 19 County conventions Asotin 9th LD Chelan 13th LD Clark 15th 17th 18th amp 49th LDs Cowlitz 18th amp 19th LDs Ferry 7th LD Grant 13th LD Island 10th LD Klickitat 15th LD Lewis 20th LD Lincoln 7th LD Mason 35th LD Okanogan 7th LD Pacific 19th LD Skamania 15th LD Spokane 7th amp 9th LDs Stevens 7th LD Thurston 20th 22nd amp 35th LDs Wahkiakum 19th LD Whitman 9th LD Yakima 13th 14th amp 15th LDs April 20 County convention Walla Walla 16th LD April 26 County convention Jefferson 24th LD Unknown date County conventions Adams 9th LD Garfield 9th LD Columbia 16th LD Congressional district caucuses Fifty one delegates were chosen at the nine congressional district caucuses Each district was allotted a different number of delegates CD 1 6 CD 2 6 CD 3 5 CD 4 3 CD 5 5 CD 6 6 CD 7 9 CD 8 6 CD 9 5 State convention Twenty nine delegates were chosen at the state convention twenty seven of which were pledged to vote for a particular candidate Seventeen of these pledged delegates were at large delegates that did not represent a specific Washington congressional district and ten were party leaders and elected officials PLEOs Polls Results Precinct caucuses Caucus date February 9 2008 National pledged delegates determined 0 of 78 2008 Washington Democratic presidential precinct caucuses 96 4 of precincts reporting Candidate Precinct delegates Percentage Estimated national delegates Barack Obama 21 768 67 56 52 Hillary Clinton 10 038 31 15 26 Other 50 0 16 0 Uncommitted 364 1 13 0 Totals 32 220 100 00 78 Primary The Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates Primary date February 19 2008 National pledged delegates determined 0 of 78 Key Withdrew prior to contest 2008 Washington Democratic presidential primary Candidate Votes Percentage Barack Obama 354 112 51 22 Hillary Clinton 315 744 45 67 John Edwards 11 892 1 72 Dennis Kucinich 4 021 0 58 Bill Richardson 2 040 0 30 Joe Biden 1 883 0 27 Mike Gravel 1 071 0 15 Christopher Dodd 618 0 09 Totals 691 381 100 00 Legislative district caucuses and county conventions Dashes indicate districts for which results are unavailable Caucus Convention dates April 5 26 2008 National pledged delegates determined 0 of 78 Washington Democratic Legislative District Caucuses and County Conventions 2008 61 of districts reporting Legislative District Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Total State Delegates from this LD LD1 32 12 44 LD2 26 14 40 LD3 33 LD4 38 LD5 36 12 48 LD6 29 15 44 LD7 34 LD8 33 LD9 33 LD10 43 LD11 26 10 36 LD12 31 LD13 28 LD14 27 LD15 26 LD16 28 LD17 39 LD18 44 LD19 38 LD20 25 13 38 LD21 40 LD22 36 13 49 LD23 34 11 45 LD24 28 10 47 LD25 26 15 41 LD26 28 14 42 LD27 27 12 39 LD28 34 LD29 30 LD30 35 LD31 22 16 38 LD32 36 14 50 LD33 23 12 35 LD34 38 13 51 LD35 15 8 41 LD36 52 15 67 LD37 38 9 47 LD38 23 11 34 LD39 27 12 39 LD40 36 9 47 LD41 36 13 49 LD42 33 10 43 LD43 53 14 67 LD44 30 13 43 LD45 33 12 45 LD46 45 15 60 LD47 27 11 38 LD48 30 11 41 LD49 38 Totals 950 369 2 000 Estimated national delegates 0 0 78 Congressional district caucuses Caucus date May 17 2008 National pledged delegates determined 51 of 78 Washington Democratic Congressional District Caucuses 2008 0 of districts reporting Congressional District National Delegates Obama National Delegates Clinton National Delegates Total CD1 4 2 6 CD2 4 2 6 CD3 3 2 5 CD4 2 1 3 CD5 3 2 5 CD6 4 2 6 CD7 7 2 9 CD8 4 2 6 CD9 3 2 5 Totals 34 17 51 State convention Convention date June 13 15 2008 National pledged delegates determined 27 of 78 2008 Washington Democratic State Convention Candidate At Large and PLEO delegates Percentage National delegates Barack Obama 18 66 67 52 Hillary Clinton 9 33 33 26 Totals 27 100 00 78 Republican caucuses and primary The Republican caucuses were held on Saturday February 9 and the primary on February 19 2008 to compete 40 total delegates of which 18 tied to the caucuses 19 tied to the primary and 3 unpledged RNC member delegates Candidates All following candidates appeared on the ballot for voters in Washington Mike Huckabee John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney candidate suspended his campaign Caucuses Voting in Washington s caucuses closed at 9 00 pm EST February 9 The Washington Republican Party declared John McCain the winner on the night of the election after 87 of the votes were counted Mike Huckabee disputed the results and accused the state party of calling the election prematurely He demanded a statewide caucus recount However by Tuesday February 12 the Washington Republicans again declared McCain the winner after 96 of the votes were tallied and never counted the rest of the votes 96 of precincts reporting Candidate State delegate Percentage Delegates Counties carried John McCain 3 228 25 9 16 11 Mike Huckabee 2 959 23 52 8 11 Ron Paul 2 740 21 64 5 9 Mitt Romney 1 903 15 45 0 4 Uncommitted 1 662 13 49 0 2 Total 12 320 100 29 37 Primary The primary took place on February 19 2008 Official results Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates John McCain 262 304 49 50 16 Mike Huckabee 127 657 24 09 8 Mitt Romney 86 140 16 25 0 Ron Paul 40 539 7 65 5 Rudy Giuliani 5 145 0 97 0 Fred Thompson 4 865 0 92 0 Alan Keyes 2 226 0 42 0 Duncan Hunter 799 0 19 0 Total 529 932 100 29 Candidate stopped campaign before primary Money raised The following table shows the amount of money each Republican Party candidate raised in the state of Washington CampaignPredictions Source Ranking D C Political Report Likely D Cook Political Report Solid D The Takeaway Solid D Electoral vote com Solid D Washington Post Solid D Politico Solid D RealClearPolitics Solid D FiveThirtyEight Solid D CQ Politics Solid D The New York Times Solid D CNN Safe D NPR Solid D MSNBC Solid D Fox News Likely D Associated Press Likely D Rasmussen Reports Safe D Since February 28 Obama won every pre election poll Since September 22 he won each poll with a double digit margin of victory The final 3 polls averaged Obama leading 54 to 40 Fundraising McCain raised a total of 2 697 999 in the state Obama raised 16 518 208 Advertising and visits Obama and his interest groups spent 312 869 McCain and his interest groups spent just 2 264 The Democratic ticket visited the state once while the Republican ticket did not visit at all AnalysisWashington once leaned Republican like most of the Pacific Northwest From 1952 to 1984 it only went Democratic twice in 1964 and 1968 However it has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every presidential election since 1988 Neither candidate seriously contested the state as it was viewed as a safe blue state Like Oregon the state is divided politically by the urban rural divide and geographically by the Cascade Mountains The two are related in that nearly all of the major cities lie west of the Cascades Most of the state s population resides in Western Washington along the Pacific Coast and in highly urbanized areas like Seattle The Seattle area home to almost two thirds of the state s population is overwhelmingly Democratic The rest of Western Washington leans Democratic as well though the lean is not as pronounced as in the greater Seattle area In contrast Eastern Washington is very rural and in many ways more similar to Idaho than Seattle Republicans have had an edge here for many years in part to its strong tinge of social conservatism As a result while Republicans typically win more counties the overwhelming Democratic trend in the more heavily populated western portion is enough to swing the whole state to the Democrats On Election Day Obama won the state by 17 18 Washington was called for Obama as soon as the polls in the state closed He swept the more urban counties along the Western Seaboard which compose the Democratic base More than two thirds of the state s population lives in this area this makes it very difficult for a Republican to win the state because of this region s liberal tilt Obama would have been assured a victory in any event due to his performance in the Seattle area He carried King County home to Seattle itself and its close suburbs and just over a third of the state s population with 69 97 percent of the vote almost three fifths of his statewide majority Obama also swept the two other big counties in Western Washington Pierce home to Tacoma and Snohomish home to Everett by decisive margins His combined majority in King Pierce and Snohomish counties would have been more than enough to carry the state McCain only won one county in the western part of the state Lewis County traditionally the most socially conservative county west of the Cascades On the other hand McCain did extremely well in Eastern Washington Neither Al Gore or John Kerry was able to take a single county in Eastern Washington in 2008 Obama only won one small county Whitman County home to Washington State University in Pullman Nevertheless as with Oregon McCain s margins in the eastern part of the state were far outweighed by Obama s landslides in the more populated coastal regions and cities in the western part of the state Obama did however improve substantially in Eastern Washington especially in the region s largest county Spokane County home to the city of Spokane During the same election incumbent Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire was reelected to a second term with 53 00 of the vote over Republican Dino Rossi who took 46 55 in a rematch of their controversial race from four years earlier At the state level Democrats picked up one seat in the Washington House of Representatives while Republicans picked up a seat in the Washington Senate Results2008 United States presidential election in Washington state Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 1 750 848 57 65 11 Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 1 229 216 40 48 0 Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 29 489 0 97 0 Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 12 728 0 42 0 Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 9 432 0 31 0 Green Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente 3 819 0 13 0 Others Others 1 036 0 04 0 Totals 3 036 878 100 00 11 Voter turnout Voting age population 62 2 By county County Barack Obama Democratic John McCain Republican Various candidates Other parties Margin Total Adams 1 552 31 95 3 222 66 32 84 1 73 1 670 34 37 4 858 Asotin 4 139 42 32 5 451 55 74 190 1 94 1 312 13 42 9 780 Benton 26 288 35 84 45 345 61 83 1 708 2 33 19 057 25 99 73 341 Chelan 13 781 42 85 17 605 54 74 777 2 41 3 824 11 89 32 163 Clallam 19 470 50 55 18 199 47 25 851 2 21 1 271 3 30 38 520 Clark 95 356 51 85 84 212 45 79 4 357 2 37 11 144 6 06 183 925 Columbia 686 30 38 1 499 66 39 73 3 24 813 36 01 2 258 Cowlitz 24 597 54 05 19 554 42 96 1 361 2 99 5 043 11 09 45 512 Douglas 5 848 38 26 9 098 59 52 339 2 22 3 250 21 26 15 285 Ferry 1 467 41 49 1 916 54 19 153 4 33 449 12 70 3 536 Franklin 7 361 37 19 12 037 60 81 397 2 01 4 676 23 62 19 795 Garfield 385 28 04 968 70 50 20 1 46 583 42 46 1 373 Grant 9 601 34 74 17 153 62 07 880 3 18 7 552 27 33 27 634 Grays Harbor 16 354 56 04 12 104 41 47 726 2 49 4 250 14 57 29 184 Island 22 058 52 31 19 426 46 07 680 1 61 2 632 6 24 42 164 Jefferson 13 252 65 85 6 330 31 46 541 2 69 6 922 34 39 20 123 King 648 230 69 97 259 716 28 03 18 511 2 00 388 514 41 94 926 457 Kitsap 68 624 54 89 53 297 42 63 3 090 2 47 15 327 12 26 125 011 Kittitas 8 030 44 67 9 471 52 68 476 2 65 1 441 8 01 17 977 Klickitat 4 965 48 85 4 944 48 64 255 2 51 21 0 21 10 164 Lewis 13 624 38 96 20 278 57 99 1 067 3 05 6 654 19 03 34 969 Lincoln 2 032 33 82 3 803 63 30 173 2 88 1 771 29 48 6 008 Mason 15 050 52 78 12 600 44 19 863 3 03 2 450 8 59 28 513 Okanogan 7 613 44 82 8 798 51 79 576 3 39 1 185 6 97 16 987 Pacific 6 094 55 12 4 555 41 20 406 3 67 1 539 13 92 11 055 Pend Oreille 2 562 38 79 3 717 56 28 326 4 94 1 155 17 49 6 605 Pierce 181 824 54 88 141 673 42 76 7 839 2 37 40 151 12 12 331 336 San Juan 7 374 69 66 2 958 27 94 254 2 40 4 416 41 72 10 586 Skagit 30 053 53 42 24 687 43 89 1 513 2 69 5 366 9 53 56 253 Skamania 2 817 51 31 2 524 45 97 149 2 71 293 5 34 5 490 Snohomish 187 294 58 13 126 722 39 33 8 183 2 54 60 572 18 80 322 199 Spokane 105 786 47 87 108 314 49 01 6 907 3 13 2 528 1 14 221 007 Stevens 8 499 37 62 13 132 58 13 960 4 25 4 633 20 51 22 591 Thurston 75 882 59 57 48 366 37 97 3 142 2 47 27 516 21 60 127 390 Wahkiakum 1 121 48 61 1 105 47 92 80 3 47 16 0 69 2 306 Walla Walla 10 081 40 52 14 182 57 01 614 2 47 4 101 16 49 24 877 Whatcom 58 236 57 71 40 205 39 84 2 465 2 44 18 031 17 87 100 906 Whitman 9 070 51 57 8 104 46 07 415 2 36 966 5 50 17 589 Yakima 33 792 43 58 41 946 54 10 1 796 2 32 8 154 10 52 77 534 Totals 1 750 848 57 34 1 229 216 40 26 73 197 2 40 521 632 17 08 3 036 878 County Flips Democratic Hold Gain from Republican Republican Hold Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Clallam largest community Port Angeles Clark largest city Vancouver Island largest city Coupeville Klickitat largest community Goldendale Skagit largest city Mount Vernon Skamania largest community Carson Wahkhiakum largest community Puget Island Whitman largest city Pullman By congressional district Barack Obama carried 7 of the state s 9 congressional districts including one district held by a Republican District McCain Obama Representative 1st 35 93 62 44 Jay Inslee 2nd 42 00 55 60 Rick Larsen 3rd 45 66 52 37 Brian Baird 4th 57 84 40 30 Doc Hastings 5th 51 54 45 97 Cathy McMorris Rodgers 6th 40 51 57 43 Norm Dicks 7th 14 96 83 54 Jim McDermott 8th 41 83 56 62 Dave Reichert 9th 39 47 58 72 Adam SmithElectorsTechnically the voters of Washington cast their ballots for electors representatives to the Electoral College Washington is allocated 11 electors because it has 9 congressional districts and 2 senators All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write in votes must submit a list of 11 electors who pledge to vote for their candidate and their running mate Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 11 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 their 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 11 were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden Jeff Siddiqui Maggie Hanson Jane Buchanan Banks Pat M Notter Marcus Riccelli Bradford Donovan Lesley Ahmed Di A Irons Calvin Edwards Kristine Fallstone John DanielsSee alsoUnited States presidential elections in Washington state Presidency of Barack ObamaReferencesSecretary of State Kim Wyman Voter Turnout by Election www sos wa gov Retrieved May 25 2020 Yardley William February 18 2008 In Washington State Vote Relevance Is an Issue The New York Times Washington State Delegate Selection Plan For The 2008 Democratic National Convention Washington State Democratic Party August 23 2007 Archived from the original PDF on April 23 2008 Retrieved April 29 2008 Berg Andersson Richard March 1 2008 Washington Democrat Presidential Nominating Process The Green Papers Retrieved March 5 2008 Murray endorses Clinton Seattle Times Company January 31 2008 Retrieved February 8 2008 McGann Chris February 8 2008 Gregoire endorses Obama Seattle PI Retrieved February 8 2008 Washington State Democratic Party Washington State Democratic Party The 2008 Washington State Democratic Caucus Convention Cycle PDF 46th District Democrats December 2 2007 Archived from the original PDF on August 27 2008 Retrieved April 25 2008 Ravens Jaxon Delegates and Alternates Allocated to each County and Legislative District for the Congressional District Caucuses and the State Convention PDF 34th District Democrats Archived from the original PDF on September 9 2008 Retrieved April 25 2008 Washington State Democrats Legislative District Caucuses Washington State Democratic Party Archived from the original on April 23 2008 Retrieved April 25 2008 Washington State Democrats County Conventions Washington State Democratic Party Archived from the original on February 7 2012 Retrieved April 25 2008 Caucus Results by Jurisdiction Washington State Democratic Party February 12 2008 Archived from the original on February 27 2008 Retrieved February 12 2008 President Democratic Party Federal Statewide Washington Secretary of State March 7 2008 Archived from the original on May 7 2008 Retrieved March 8 2008 DeGolier Cheryl April 6 2008 LD Caucus Results and Observations Snohomish County Democrats Retrieved April 27 2008 Yelm Starts Democrat Caucuses The Olympian Online Archived from the original on September 13 2014 Retrieved April 26 2008 2008 Legislative District Caucuses 5th District Democrats Archived from the original on April 10 2008 Retrieved April 26 2008 Brewer Andrew Final Credentials Report April 5th 6th LD Caucus 6th Legislative District Democrats Retrieved April 28 2008 dead link Brede Alene April 5th 11th LD Preliminary Caucus Results 11th Legislative District Democrats Retrieved April 28 2008 Caucus Results Thurston County Democrats Archived from the original on May 10 2008 Retrieved May 10 2008 Caucus Results Thurston County Democrats Archived from the original on May 10 2008 Retrieved April 27 2008 LD Caucus Results were YouTube Archived from the original on December 21 2021 Retrieved May 10 2008 The 24th LD met at 3 different places the Clallam Grays Harbor and Jefferson County Conventions Clallam County portion 2008 Elected Delegates Clallam Democrats Archived from the original on May 9 2008 Retrieved May 15 2008 Jefferson County Portion Results of the Jefferson County Convention April 26 2008 Jefferson County Democrats Retrieved May 15 2008 Grays Harbor portion still waiting Stokes Charley HUNDREDS OF ENTHUSIASTIC DEMOCRATS FILL PHS AUDITORIUM PDF 25th Legislative District Democrats Retrieved May 10 2008 26th Legislative District Democrats www 26dems org Archived from the original on May 9 2008 Retrieved December 7 2018 27th LD CD Caucus and WS Convention Del and Alt 2008 PDF 27th Legislative District Democrats Archived from the original PDF on September 9 2008 Retrieved May 15 2008 LD Caucus Delegates www 31stdistrictdemocrats org Archived from the original on September 2 2011 Retrieved December 7 2018 Snohomish County Democrats Archived from the original on July 5 2013 Retrieved October 10 2012 http www 33rddems org caucus2008 php dead link 34th Dems 2008 LD Caucus Results www 34dems org Archived from the original on April 9 2008 Retrieved December 7 2018 The 35th LD met at 4 different places the Mason Thurston Grays Harbor and Kitsap County Conventions Mason County portion Results Mason County Democratic Central Committee Retrieved April 28 2008 Thurston County portion Caucus Results Thurston County Democrats Retrieved April 28 2008 Welcome to the 37th District Democrats 37th District Democrats Retrieved December 7 2018 Working On A Better Life www snohomishdemocrats org Archived from the original on December 9 2018 Retrieved December 7 2018 Home wa democrats 39ld org September 1 2011 Archived from the original on September 1 2011 Retrieved December 7 2018 The 40th LD met at 3 different places the Whatcom County Convention the Skagit County Convention and San Juan county s 40th LD caucus Skagit County portion Delegates by the Numbers Skagit Valley Herald April 13 2008 pp A 6 Whatcom County portion McClendon Natalie April 12 2008 Local Democrats Elect Delegates to Congressional District Caucus Whatcom County Democrats Retrieved April 28 2008 San Juan portion San Juan 2008 Results of the 40th Legislative District Caucus Democrats of San Juan County Washington Retrieved April 28 2008 41st Legislative District Caucus Results 41st District Democrats April 11 2008 Retrieved April 28 2008 McClendon Natalie April 12 2008 Local Democrats Elect Delegates to Congressional District Caucus Whatcom County Democrats Retrieved April 28 2008 Caucus Results 43rd District Democrats of Washington Archived from the original on August 23 2006 Retrieved April 28 2008 DeWitt Rick Legislative District Caucus 44th Legislative District Democrats of Washington State Archived from the original on August 19 2008 Retrieved April 28 2008 45th LD Democrats Caucus Information 45th District Democrats Archived from the original on March 8 2008 Retrieved April 28 2008 WA46Dems LD Caucus Results 46th District Democrats Archived from the original on June 29 2008 Retrieved April 25 2008 LD Caucus Results 47th District Democrats Archived from the original on June 26 2006 Retrieved May 15 2008 LD Caucus Results 48th District Democrats Archived from the original on August 6 2010 Retrieved April 26 2008 WA National Delegate List Obama Campaign Archived from the original on June 9 2008 Retrieved May 20 2008 Derived by deducting reported Obama numbers from total delegates for each CD DeGolier Cheryl May 19 2008 1st Congressional District Caucus Results 1st District Democrats Retrieved May 20 2008 permanent dead link CD Caucus Results 46th District Democrats Archived from the original on August 27 2008 Retrieved May 20 2008 RESULTS Washington CNN February 9 2008 Retrieved February 9 2008 Mike Huckabee wants retraction caucus recount The Seattle Times February 11 2008 Washington Caucus Updates Show McCain is Still GOP Winner Despite Huckabee Challenge FoxNews com February 12 2008 Retrieved January 10 2009 dead link Nate Silver March 2 2012 In Washington Caucus Expect the Unexpected FiveThirtyEight Retrieved March 3 2012 President Republican Party Washington Secretary of State March 7 2008 Archived from the original on May 21 2008 Retrieved May 24 2008 CNN Map Campaign money race 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 Presidential May 5 2015 Archived from the original on May 5 2015 Retrieved August 23 2021 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 Electoral vote com President Senate House Updated Daily electoral vote com Retrieved August 23 2021 Based on Takeaway POLITICO s 2008 Swing State Map POLITICO com www politico com Retrieved September 22 2016 Result www realclearpolitics com 2008 Retrieved November 18 2021 CQ Presidential Election Maps 2008 CQ Politics Archived from the original on June 14 2009 Retrieved December 20 2009 Nagourney Adam Zeleny Jeff Carter Shan November 4 2008 The Electoral Map Key States The New York Times Retrieved May 26 2010 October 2008 CNN Political Ticker CNN com Blogs CNN October 31 2008 Archived from the original on June 19 2010 Retrieved May 26 2010 Winning The Electoral College Fox News April 27 2010 roadto270 hosted ap org Retrieved September 22 2016 Election 2008 Electoral College Update Rasmussen Reports www rasmussenreports com Retrieved September 22 2016 Presidential Campaign Finance Archived from the original on March 24 2009 Retrieved August 18 2009 Map Campaign Ad Spending Election Center 2008 from CNN com CNN Retrieved May 26 2010 Map Campaign Candidate Visits Election Center 2008 from CNN com CNN Retrieved May 26 2010 2008 General Data sos wa gov Archived from the original on May 20 2024 Electoral College California Secretary of State Archived from the original on October 30 2008 Retrieved November 1 2008 Electoral College Democratic Pres Electors PDF www secstate wa gov Archived from the original PDF on January 23 2016 Retrieved November 18 2021 Gregory Roberts August 4 2008 Lynnwood man may become one of first Muslim presidential electors in U S Seattlepi com Retrieved November 18 2021 Marcus M Riccelli Congressional Staffer Salary Data www legistorm com Regimbal Alec Washington s Muslim electors could help make history Blog seattlepi nwsource com Retrieved November 18 2021 Roberts Gregory Modie Neil October 20 2005 Irons family feud airs on the Web Seattle Post Intelligencer External linksOfficial Washington Presidential election results