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[[Image:Gp_ppl_obama_mccain_flag-capitol.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Barack Obama and John McCain]] {{move|United States presidential election, 2008}}[[Image:2008 US Electoral College Polling Map.png|right|300px|thumb|Election Results]]The '''2008 United States Presidential Election''' is scheduled for took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.,<ref>http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/calendar/</ref> The primary season for both with Barack Obama being voted in as the [[Republican Party]] and next President of the [[Democratic Party]] officially began on January 3, 2008 with the [[Iowa Caucus]]es and ended on June 3, 2008United States.<ref>http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/calendar/</ref> The 2008 election cycle has seen a major shift to the primary election calendar, frontloading many primaries into early February.<ref>http://www.miamiherald.com/515/story/43160.html</ref> [[Barack Obama|Senator Barack Obama]] of [[Illinois]] is , the [[Democratic Party]] nominee, with Senator [[Joe Biden]] of [[Delaware]] being as his Vice Presidential running mate. defeated Senator [[John McCain]] of [[Arizona]]is , the Republican candidate. His , and his Vice Presidential nominee is , [[Alaska]] Governor [[Sarah Palin]]. Obama held a 5 to 7 point lead most of the summer, but faded steadily in August. After the selection of Palin, the first woman on a GOP ticket, McCain leapfrogged Obama in the national polls and holds a slim 2.5 point lead in mid September. Nationwide polls all year showed a massive defeat for GOP candidates for Congress. With the GOP running 10 points behind, the Democrats stood a good chance of gaining 5-9 Senate seats and 15-20 House seats. However the McCain surge has pulled up the GOP numbers; by Sept. 12 the GOP deficit was only 3.6 points. indicating small losses.<ref>Poll results from [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/ RealClearPolitics]</ref> ==First election without incumbents since 1928== If eligible to do so, the President of the United States often runs for reelection. If the President does not run, the [[Vice President of the United States]] will often run to replace the President after he leaves office. 2008 will mark the first time since the 1928 election in which there is neither an incumbent President nor an incumbent Vice President running for his party's presidential nomination and thus not running in the Presidential election. In the [[United States presidential election of 1952]], the race was between Republican candidate [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] and Democratic candidate [[Adlai Stevenson]]. Vice President [[Alben Barkley]] sought but failed to win the Democratic nomination. Current Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] has repeatedly stated he will not run for President. "I will say just as hard as I possibly know how to say... If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve," Cheney said on ''[[Fox News]] Sunday''.

== Fewer Uncommitted Electorate ==

Fewer people were undecided this election than in most previous elections. As of July 30ththe beginning of October, 2008 14approximately 6-8% of poll respondents are were undecided, almost twice as high an amount that continued to decline as the 8% at a similar time period in 2004.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreportselection drew closer.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/in_white_house_race_twice_as_many_voters_uncommitted_compared_to_four_years_ago Uncommitted numbers]</ref>

==Opinion polling==

| 0911/30 01 - 1011/0203

| '''5152'''| 4446 

|-|[httphttps://www.realclearpoliticsgallup.com/articlespoll/docs111661/Hotline_100308Gallup-Daily-Obama-52-McCain-42-Among-Likely-Voters.htm Hotline/FD aspx Gallup TrackingTraditional]| 0910/30 31 - 1011/02| 909 RV2516 LV| '''4853'''

|[httphttps://www.gallup.com/poll/110944111661/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Leading52-PointsMcCain-42-Among-Likely-Voters.aspx Gallup TrackingExpanded]| 0910/30 31 - 1011/02| 2728 RV2480 LV| '''4953'''

McCain had the early edge, wrapping up the Republican nomination before Obama was known to be the choice of the Democrats, but this was one of the few advantages he has had. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama raised far more money than McCain , and the Democratic primary saw a surge of new voters coming out leading to a large increase in the rolls of Democrats. From the historical position of a generally equal number of Republicans and Democrats, the numbers have now tilted 41% Democrat to only 32% Republican. From the time that Obama was declared the nominee, opinion polling showed him with a modest advantage over McCain in terms of who the voters would choose to be their next President.

On paper, the nomination would seem to The trends heavily favor favored the Democrats, especially after their major gains in 2006. Overall, Democrat candidates have a +10% advantage over Republicans in a 'generic' election. The - the current unpopular President is a Republican, and the economy is treading water. Also, based on statistical percentages of articles on each candidate, Obama was being focused on with by the press coverage far more than McCain. When McCain chastised Obama for his lack of foreign policy experience and that he hadn't been to Iraq or Afghanistan in years, Obama's campaign set up for him to take a trip to both countries. While this is expected in politics, the decision of every major network to send a team of reporters to follow him was unprecedented. Obama spoke to 200,000 people in Berlin in a highly covered speech. McCain spoke to 50,000 in Buffalo shortly thereafter and barely got a whisper. Obama's numbers started to rise, but a good deal of the populace was noticing the disparity as 48% of those polled felt the press was trying to help Obama win.

Obama seemed pleased to coast on his advantages, but McCain realized he needed to shake things up. He scored by pushing offshore drilling for oil during a time when oil prices were climbing almost daily. Obama rejected the idea, but the poll numbers started to show a greater percentage of Americans warming to the concept<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/61_say_congress_should_vote_on_offshore_drilling_right_now Offshore Drilling poll]</ref> and McCain's numbers started to improve. Obama announced he would accept some measure of offshore drilling, and McCain's momentum was halted and his gains retreated by a couple of points. McCain started an ad campaign that acknowledged Obama's celebrity status, but asking what it meant. A few days later at the start of August he called out Obama for 'playing the race card' when Obama made a reference to McCain and Bush trying to scare people because he (Obama) doesn't look like other Presidents on dollar bills. The Democrats fired back, but quickly let the issue drop when poll numbers showed that most voters did consider Obama's statement to be racist.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/only_22_say_mccain_ad_racist_but_over_half_53_see_obama_dollar_bill_comment_that_way]</ref>. The bounce for Obama after the Berlin speech shrank back to pre-trip levels. While Obama continued to enjoy a slight lead in the polls, McCain continued to keep the race close without either candidate breaking away.

In mid-August , both candidates came together at the invitation of Pastor [[Rick Warren]] where each was asked a series of the same questions dealing both with political and personal views. While not a debate, it was the first televised forum where both candidates had a chance to express themselves and their positions. Obama hoped to appeal to Christian conservatives by expressing a religious side while McCain hoped to solidify the conservative base by sharing his own conservative and religious credentials. The difference in style between the two was evident as Obama spent more time explaining and expounding on his positions while McCain was more straight-forward straightforward and received more laughs with his candid speaking style. The polling numbers continued as they had been.

There was a bounce at the start of the Democratic convention, but not what was expected as McCain suddenly drew even in the race. The friction between Hillary Clinton and Obama as well as the perceived slight of Hillary when Biden was chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate hurt Obama at a time when his approval was expected to climb. McCain then made a mistake by airing an ad of Hillary Clinton that 'supported' him. Clinton was set to speak at the convention and it was no secret that there was bad blood between her and Obama and it was widely believed that her support for Obama would be lukewarm at best. Instead, apparently galvanized by McCain's hubris before her speech, she came out strongly for Obama and rallied those who supported her. Obama's pre-convention edge returned. Obama followed it up with a very strong speech the next day in a huge stadium with fireworks and a Greek temple. [[Dick Morris]], a former Bill Clinton political pundit usually giving strategist who gave advice to the Republicans in 2008, felt that Obama had done such a good job reaching out to the groups that he needed that he would pull ahead by double-digits. In order to suppress the bounce from the convention, McCain announced his Vice Presidential candidate the next day, a woman, Alaskan governor [[Sarah Palin]]. The bounce for Obama was muted at first, but increased in the following days to surpass pre-convention levels, especially as Sarah Palin came under heavy attack in the media.

The edge continued as the Republican convention began. Losing a day to the hurricane, their shortened convention came out strong as well, emphasizing John McCain as a patriot and a maverick for change who is tested and will do what is right for the country regardless of political affiliation. It was notable for the secondary role that the sitting President played, talking only briefly and barely being mentioned after that. The convention tied McCain to [[Ronald Reagan]], a popular Republican President who was able to gain the support of a good number of conservative Democrats, an ability that McCain would badly need to emulate. While the convention had very high ratings starting with Palin's well received speech, it was unclear what the impact would be in the polls. Indeed , Obama continued to lead directly afterward, but that soon changed with a turn of about 8 points and a slim lead for McCain. The Republican convention had actually more than balanced out the powerful Democratic convention.

While Obama had stated that his campaign would avoid negative advertising, as it became clear that the bounce from the convention was continuing to last and he might lose the election, his campaign turned more forcefully to negative advertising. In ads aired since the Republican convention through mid September, McCain's ads were about Obama 56% of the time, but Obama's ads were about his opponents 77% of the time.<ref>http://news.aol.com/article/campaign-ads-not-getting-much-air-time/142625</ref> Obama also received a large boost from the press which vigorously attacked McCain, but even more so Palin. Obama appeared on ''[[O'Reilly Factor|The O'Reilly Factor]]'' and was treated with civility and respect, even if not with agreement. McCain and his wife appeared on ''The View'' and were treated like last week's gutter trashto openly antagonistic attacks. The constant negative barrage and reporting slowly moved the numbers back to even.

== State by State Breakdown ==[[Image:Presidential election map.gif|right|thumb|350px|Battleground states]] The United States As the negative articles on Palin continued to intensify, some of which just quoted celebrities who had become so regionally polarized that never met her calling her "whacko" or a "hater of women", her first major interview with Gibson was a turning point. Gibson asked Palin about the Bush Doctrine, but wouldn't define it for her even though as she asked questions for clarifications. When she then answered with her understanding, Gibson rebuked her by implying that she misunderstood the 2004 presidential election was close nationwidedoctrine. In truth, since the term is only nine states a press invention, it has taken on different meanings at different times and the definition that Palin gave matched one that Gibson himself had outcomes having less than 4% margin between used years earlier. Nevertheless, it was a moment and was jumped on by the candidates:press. Those who saw the interview voted heavily that they were now less likely to vote for Palin. The attack on her had muted her effectiveness, even if it was unjustified.

StateStemming the tide of the McCain campaign's lead became a strong swing for Obama with a series of events that went to the Democratic nominee's favor. The polls began to tack to Obama's favor with the collapse of Lehman Brothers and a subsequent 500-point drop in the Dow Jones Index. Then, margin President Bush sounded a major alarm on the economy and proposed a huge 700 billion dollar rescue plan for the mortgage industry, which sent shock waves through the American populace and swept them with even more fear on the economic picture. Bush called both Presidential nominees to meet with him and Congress. It gave Obama a boost in legitimacy, his previous Achilles' heel. While he had a weak record in accomplishments and showing leadership, the chance to be propelled to a position of victoryprominence handed it to him on a silver platter. Moreover, party that won the state plan was more problematic among Republicans than it was among Democrats, giving Obama another boost merely by supporting it while putting McCain on more shaky ground. Both candidates supported it once again blurring McCain's advantage in experience if both men were seen as interchangeable in 2004their reaction.

#WisconsinMcCain chose to suspend his campaign until a deal on the rescue package was reached, 0a mistake.38% (Dem)#Iowa The Democrats could add pork to the plan and make it even more unpalatable to the Republicans, 0and they did.67% (Repub)#New Mexico As the first debate loomed and no deal had been reached, 0McCain was in a quandary.79% (Repub)#New Hampshire, 1 He chose to attend the debate under the view that the plan was well under way to being passed.37% (Dem)#Ohio, 2.11% (Repub)#Pennsylvania, 2.50% (Dem)#NevadaAfter the debate the plan was actually defeated and wouldn't be adopted, 2.59% (Repub)#Michigan, 3.42% (Dem)#Minnesotawith more changes, 3until the following week.48% (Dem)

It is assumed McCain's debate with Obama went well and he was viewed as having done better than expected. Unfortunately for him, Obama was also viewed as doing better than expected and was seen as looking Presidential, further cementing his standing and locking in a lead in the polls that had become rather substantial. The Vice Presidential debate was the 2008 election will be similar where close battles most watched in a few states could determine history and Palin was given high marks for her performance, but unfortunately for the outcomeRepublican ticket, Biden was also on his game that night and also came across well. Individual state There were no changes in the polling numbers for and the 2008 election so far:number of undecided voters began to quickly dwindle. The second and third debates caused little change as well.

* Red = McCain leading* Blue = With Obama leading {| class="wikitable"|-! State! Obama (D)! spending 110 million dollars on TV advertising in October alone, including 30 minute specials on each of the major networks, McCain (R)! Source! Updated|- style="background:white; color:red"|Alabama|37%|55%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/alabama/election_2008_alabama_presidential_election Rasmussen]|9/09/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Alaska|33%|64%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/alaska/election_2008_alaska_presidential_election Rasmussen]| 7/31/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Arkansas|37%|47%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/arkansas/election_2008_arkansas_presidential_election Rasmussen]|7/17/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Arizona|40%|52%|[http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_Arizona_804.pdf PPP]|7/31/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|California|51%|37%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/california/election_2008_california_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/20/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Colorado|49%|48%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/colorado/election_2008_colorado_presidential_election Fox News]|9/28/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Connecticut|52%|35%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/connecticut/election_2008_connecticut_presidential_election Rasmussen]|6/30/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Delaware|50%|41%|[http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/delaware.html SurveyUSA]|was hard pressed to make up the necessary ground to win the election after being outspent by 3/06/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Florida|51%|47%|[http://wwwto 1 for TV adds over that time period.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/battleground.polls/index.html CNN/Time]|9/30/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Georgia|43%|50%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/georgia/election_2008_georgia_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/14/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Hawaii|61%|31%|[http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/hawaii.html SurveyUSA]|3/06/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Idaho|37%|53%|[http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/idaho.html DailyKos.com]| He couldn't count on regular TV to help put in a good word for him either, as late night political jokes are running at a pace of 7jokes against McCain/30Palin for every 1 joke against Obama/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Illinois|53Biden and a study of news stories on McCain and Obama since the end of the conventions found that 57%|38%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/illinois/election_2008_illinois_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/14/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Indiana|42%|46%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/indiana/election_2008_indiana_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/19/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Iowa|55%|40%|[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/03/states.poll/index.html CNN/Time]|9/02/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Kansas|37%|52%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/kansas/election_2008_kansas_presidential_election Rasmuseen]|8/11/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Kentucky|39%|49%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/kentucky/election_2008_kentucky_presidential_election Rasmussen]|7/of news stories about McCain were negative while only 29/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Louisiana|34%|54%|[http://wwwwere for Obama.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/maine/election_2008_maine_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/12/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Maine|49%|36%|[<ref>http://wwwelections.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/maine/election_2008_maine_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/12/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Maryland|53%|40%|[http://www.usaelectionpollsfoxnews.com/2008/maryland.html SurveyUSA]|3/06/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Massachusetts|51%|36%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/massachusetts/election_2008_massachusetts_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/5/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Michigan|51% |41%|[http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_Michigan_1002685.pdf PPP]|10/01/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Minnesota|53% |41%|[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/03/states.poll/index.html CNN/Time]|9/02/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Mississippi|41%|52%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/mississippi/election_2008_mississippi_presidential_election Rasmussen]|7/28/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Missouri|49%|48%|[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/battleground.polls/index.html CNN/Time]|9/30/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Montana|42%|53%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/montana/election_2008_montana_presidential_election Rasmussen]|9/09/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Nebraska|32%|50%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/nevada/election_2008_nevada_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/11/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Nevada|49%|44%|[http://www.time.com/time/2008/poll_main.pdf CNN/Time]|8/26/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|New Hampshire|53%|43%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/new_hampshire/election_2008_new_hampshire_presidential_election Rasmussen]|10/01/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|New Jersey|48%|40%|[http://beta.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/new_jersey/election_2008_new_jersey_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/04/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|New Mexico|49%|44%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/new_mexico/election_2008_new_mexico_presidential_election Rasmussen]|10/01/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|New York|52%|32%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/north_carolina/election_2008_north_carolina_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/13/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|North Carolina|42%|45%|[http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NC_826.pdf PPP]|8/23/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|North Dakota|41%|55%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/north_dakota/election_2008_north_dakota_presidential_election Rasmussen]|9/08/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Ohio|50%|42%|[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x2882.xml?ReleaseID=1218 Quinnipiac]|9/29/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Oklahoma|38%|52%|[http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/oklahoma.html SurveyUSA]|6/13/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Oregon|47%|37%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/oregon/election_2008_oregon_presidential_election Rasmussen]|8/7/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Pennsylvania|54%|39%|[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x2882.xml?ReleaseID=1218 Quinnipiac]|9/29/08|- style="background:white; color:blue"|Rhode Island |55%|31%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/rhode_island/election_2008_rhode_island_presidential_election Rasmussen]|7/04/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|South Carolina|39%|48%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/south_carolina/election_2008_south_carolina_presidential_election Rasmussen]|6/07/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|South Dakota|40%|44%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/south_dakota/election_2008_south_dakota_presidential_election2 Rasmussen]|7/09/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Tennessee|36%|51%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/tennessee/election_2008_tennessee_presidential_election Rasmussen]|6/24/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Texas|41%|50%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/texas/election_2008_texas_presidential_election Rasmussen]|7/30/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Utah|33%|52%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/utah/election_2008_utah_presidential_election Rasmussen]|6/22/08|study- style="background:white; color:blue"|Vermont|63%|29%|[http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/vermont.html SurveyUSA]|3/06/08|shows- style="background:white; color:red"|Virginia|46%|50%|[http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1840327,00.html?cnn=yes Time]|9/09/08|mccain- style="background:white; color:blue"|Washington|48%|37%|[http://strategicvision.biz/political/wa_poll_083008.htm Strategic Vision]|7/27/08|media- style="background:white; color:red"|West Virginia|38%|45%|[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/west_virginia/election_2008_west_virginia_presidential_election Rasmussen]|6/05/08|coverage- style="background:white; color:blue"|Wisconsin|49%|40%|[http:negative/</strategicvision.biz/political/wisconsin_poll_100208.htm Strategic Vision]|9/29/08|- style="background:white; color:red"|Wyoming|40%|53%|[http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/wyoming.html Research2000]|5/29/08|} == Analysis of States ref> A later study by Region ==Because of the [[electoral college]] system in the United States, it is important to analyze the presidential election by each state. These states are grouped into regions. === New England ===[[Barack Obama]] is almost certain to win almost every state in this region, which tend to be very [[liberal]]. The only exception is in New Hampshire, where [[John McCain]] is well liked and George Bush won in 2000. This state is expected to be competitive. On the other hand, with only four electoral votes, the impact on the election will not be as great as some other battleground states.  === Mid-Atlantic ===[[New York]], [[Delaware]], and [[Maryland]] are solidly Democrat and will vote for Obama this election. [[New Jersey]] is less so, but still has Democratic leanings, and will probably go for Obama. [[Pennsylvania]] is a very important swing state for both candidates, as it has 21 electoral votes, fifth most in the nation, and has both liberal and conservative elements. In recent years, the state has moved toward becoming Democrat. However, it is not yet at the point independent Pew Research Center found that is safely in the Democratic camp, and will still be focused on heavily by both candidates during this election cyclediscrepancy had grown even worse. McCain still has a very good chance because Obama was unable to connect with the working-class citizens had 57% of Pennsylvania during the Democratic primary.  === South-Atlantic ===[[Washingtonarticles about him negative while only 14% were positive, D.C.]] is overwhelmingly liberal and will vote for while Obama; however, with three electoral votes its significance is limited. Although [[Virginia]] has usually been Republican territory in Presidential elections, this year it has become a competitive statehad more positive articles than negative. Democrats will work on increasing the voter turnout in the northern part of the state, with a high population of D.C. transplants. McCain's strength is in the southern regions and among the military. In the Carolinas, which usually votes Republican, McCain is seen as having the edge, but Obama may be competitive in these states if he mobilizes the African-American population. [[Georgia]] is a state where a third-party candidate [[Bob Barr]] could make a difference. While most voters favor McCain, he could lose enough votes The only network to Barr to lose the state, especially if there is a large black turnout. [[Florida]] is achieve a very close swing statebalance, most famously known 40% negative for its role in [[United States presidential electionboth, 2000|Election 2000]]. An important constituency in this state is the was [[JewishFox News]] population, who are continuing to support Obama over McCain. Cuban-Americans, who are most upset with Obama's statements that he would meet with Fidel Castro, back McCain<ref>https://www. === Deep South ===John McCain will do well in the deep southfoxnews. This includes the states of [[Texas]]com/story/0, [[Alabama]]2933, [[Mississippi]]445846, [[Louisiana]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Arkansas]], [[Tennessee]], [[Kentucky]] and [[West Virginia]]. This area is generally [[conservative]], and consistently vote Republican in Presidential elections. Although Obama believes in a fifty-state strategy, it is unlikely that such a strategy will be helpful in getting out the vote in these states apart from the black population.  ===Swing States (Great Lakes Region)===Strategists believe that the Republican presidential nominee must win Wisconsin or Minnesota, and hold Iowa but that the outcome in New Mexico, which has only 5 electoral votes, is irrelevant. Minnesota's margin of victory for the Democrats in 2004 probably places it out of reach for Republicans in 2008. This is confirmed by recent polling. However, due to the location of the Republican Convention in Minnesota, the state, with ten electoral votes, can come back into play. === West ===Barack Obama is almost certainly guaranteed a win in the coastal states of California, Oregon and Washington, while John McCain is favored in Arizona, Idaho, Utah and Texas. Nevada, which voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, may turn to Obama if Bob Barr manages to pull enough votes from McCain. ===Other Important Swing States===Moreover, it is very important for republicans to hold Ohio and Florida. Fortunately, both states have tended to lean republican in the last two presidential elections. Although Florida was disputed in election 2000, it went to Bush undeniably in 2004. Virginia will also be heavily contested this year00.html</ref>

McCain's team wants emphasized to convince the electorate of the long-term leadership and experience that John McCain has shown in two decades of government service while emphasizing the relative untested nature of Barak Barack Obama.

Obama's team wants to convince the electorate stressed that Obama is the candidate of fresh ideas while downplaying his relative inexperience compared to the more seasoned McCain. When possible, McCain is lumped together with George Bush, an unpopular President.

McCain's choice of [[Alaska]] [[Governor]] [[Sarah Palin]] as his Vice Presidential nominee was a departure from what was expected and helped to show that he would go down paths that the Republican party had not done in the past. McCain has touted Palin's record of standing up to the Alaska Republican party when she resigned from an Ethics Commission in protest over a lack of ethics of fellow commissioners, as well as when she ran against, and beat, then-incumbent Governor [[Frank Murkowski]] in the Republican primary in 2006. McCain will continue to tout her as a "maverick" to complement his own maverick image that he is trying to emphasize. Last, by choosing a female running mate, McCain hoped to pick up the votes of female voters disaffected with the perceived slight of Hillary Clinton by Obama. Prior to the start of the Democratic convention, 30% of Hillary's supporters had still not backed Obama and there was a good deal of bad blood between the two.

Democrats are confident that the low popularity of [[President]] [[George W. Bush]] and particularly [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]], which John McCain supports, puts them in a highly favorable position for 2008. They have been cautious in the Iraq arena realizing that 'The Surge' worked and they were on the wrong end of that issue. Focus is being put on a timeline for troops coming home, a position that most of the American population favors.

Democats Democrats believe it is their race to lose, but also realize they had a good chance to win the last two Presidential elections and came up short each time. General wisdom also states that a poor economy favors Obama, so they will try to point a emphasize the dire picture times in this area. As in past elections, differences between those who have obtained a high income level and those who have not will be emphasized. In fact, the Democratic strategy in many ways mirrors that of their strategy in 1992 when the Democrat-controlled Congress deliberately caused economic disruption, knowing full well that the public would blame sitting president [[George H.W. Bush]], and thereby allowing [[Bill Clinton]] to win that year's presidential race.

Favored by the young, Democrats will try hard to encourage and get out the young vote, a task that has proven more difficult than expected in the last two election cycles. To their advantage, Obama made his vice presidential pick via text message to cell phone numbers registered on the site. The announcement went to 3 million cell phones, a useful database for "[[Get Out The Vote]]" (GOTV) efforts, when voters may not be home or reachable on their [[landline]].

Barack Obama had a significant edge over Hillary Clinton in the fundraiser fundraising department during their contest for the Democratic nomination, but both actually set records for raising money and both raised far more money than John McCain. McCain didn’t didn't have to spend us as much since he locked up the Republican nomination much earlier than Barack Obama locked up the Democratic. Both Obama and McCain said they would accept government funds which funds—which would also cap how much the candidates could raise on their own, but own—but Obama, who could presumably raise more through his own sources, changed his mind and later declined. Much of McCain’s McCain's war chest will come from the Republican Party in general, which has more money to spend than their Democratic counterparts. McCain’s McCain's campaign raised $47 million in August, a very sizeable sizable figure for him so far and a personal record, but not as strong as Obama’s Obama's best months. In the same time period, Obama set a record with $66 million. Obama, still having an edge in fundraising that has continued throughout his run for the Presidency, saw $10 million collected the day after Sarah Palin’s Palin's strongly received convention speech, a new one day record.<ref>[http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/04/after-palin-speech-obama-has-record-10-million-day/ After Palin speech, Obama has record $10 million day]</ref> The Palin announcement has been good for John McCain's fundraising as well. Obama set a new record of $150 million raised in September and over $600 million overall.<ref>http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/20/obama-raises-record-breaking-m/</ref> Obama's camp does not release information on who contributes to the campaign.  

The {{Main|2008 Republican National Convention was held in [[Saint Paul]], [[Minnesota]] from September 1 ([[Labor Day]]) until September 4. The presumptive nominee was Senator McCain. The location has political significance in that [[Minnesota]] will likely be a close state during the general election, as will it's neighboring states [[Wisconsin]] and [[Iowa]].}}

The 2008 Republican National Convention was held in [[Saint Paul]], [[Minnesota]] from September 1 ([[Labor Day]]) until September 4. The presumptive nominee was Senator McCain. The location has political significance in that [[Minnesota]] will likely be a close state during the general election, as will its neighboring states [[Wisconsin]] and [[Iowa]].[[File:SDS at the RNC.jpg|right|thumb|290px|Poster circulated by [[community organizer]]s. Other posters depicted rock throwers with the caption, "Shut Down the RNC!," dead elephants, and derogatory and demeaning comments about gay Republicans. [https://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=4893988286&view=all] ]] The convention schedule had to be altered due to the upcoming landfall of [[Hurricane Gustav]]. The first day almost entirely focused on raising money for Hurricane relief. This led to a shortened three day convention instead of four and there was some shuffling of who was speaking on which day to accomodate accommodate the suddenly shortened time span. In a surprise, George W. Bush was only delivered an eight -minute speech by satellite. In another surprise Sarah Palin's speech was watched by as many people as saw Obama give his acceptance speech on the closing night of the Democratic convention, as over 40 million people tuned in.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26548482/</ref> She was considered the highlight of the convention, even surpassing John McCain's speech the next day, and was noted for doing an exceptional job. Recognizing the strong asset that they have in her, the Republicans made reference to her many times on the last day of the convention. McCain, not known for being comfortable reading prepared speeches in a convention hall, delivered a solid speech. While Obama continued to enjoy a lead in the polls, it changed quickly thereafter to a slight McCain-Palin edge. The Republican convention more than cancelled canceled out a very powerful Democratic convention.

===Convention Schedule=Leftist violence====

'''Monday 9/1 (Theme: Service):''' *RNC Chairman Mike Duncan *[[First LadyProgressives for Obama]] shares a huge membership overlap with the Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS), a group of former [[Laura BushStudents for a Democratic Society]] *[[Cindy McCain]] '''Tuesday 9/2 (Theme: ReformSDS):members and sympathisers. MDS re-founded SDS in 2006 for a new generation of college students and functions as a support group for SDS'''*Former s 130 college chapters. Independent researcher Trevor Louden refers to MDS as "the brains behind the SDS brawn." The reconstituted SDS was very prominent in the violence at the Republican National Convention at St Paul.<ref>[[New York City]] Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]], Keynote speaker *Governor Jon Huntsman, Rhttp://newzeal.blogspot.com/2008/09/obama-[[Utah]] *Governor [[Linda Lingle]], Rfile-[[Hawaii]] *Governor [[Sarah Palin]], R30-[[Alaska]] *Former Gov. [[Mike Huckabee]], Rformer-[[Arkansas]] *Former Gov. and Homeland Security Secretary [[Tom Ridge]], Rterrorists-[[Pennsylvania]] *Former Ltbill. Governor [[Michael Steele]], R-[[Maryland]] *Senator [[Tom Coburn]], R-[[Oklahoma]] *html Obama File 30: Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Terrorists [[TennesseeBill Ayers]] *House Minority Leader and [[John BoehnerBernardine Dohrn]], RInvolved in Key Pro-[[Ohio]] *Congressman Marsha BlackburnObama Organisation, R-[[Tennessee]] *Congressman Luis FortuñoTrevor Louden, R-[[Puerto Rico]] *Congressman Adam PutnamNew Zeal blog, R-[[Florida]] *State Sen. Dennis HollingsworthSeptember 21, R-[[California]] *Rosario Marin, California Secretary of the State *Chris Collins *Carolyn Dunn *Phil Hayes *Lisa Keegan *Ruth Novodor *Dr2008. Elena Rios  *Shirley Sadler *Joe Watkins '''Wednesday 9</3 (Theme: Prosperity):''' *ref> The founder of [[Cindy McCain]] *Republican Party’s Vice Presidential Nominee *Governor [[Bobby JindalACORN]], R-Wade Rathke, denouncd<ref>[[Louisiana]]  *Former Govhttp://chieforganizer. [[Mitt Romney]], Rorg/2009/01/31/common-[[Massachusetts]]  *Senator [[Norm Coleman]], Rground-[[Minnesota]] *Senator [[Kay Bailey Hutchison]]infiltrator/ Common Ground Infiltrator, R-[[Texas]] *Congressman [[Mike Pence]]Wade Rathke: Chief Organizer Blog, R-[[Indiana]] *Mayor Mick CornettJanuary 31, R-Oklahoma City  *State Sen2009. Abel MaldonadoRetrieved March 14, R-2010.</ref> an FBI informer who foiled a [[Californiaterrorist]] *Carly Fiorina, Victory ‘08 Chairman for plot to kill delegates at the RNC, former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard CoRepublican Convention. *Meg Whitman, National Co-Chair for McCain 2008 and former President and CEO of <ref>[[eBay]] *Renee Amoore* *Anne Beiler* *Jessica Colon* *Christy Swanson* *Raul “Danny” Vargas*  '''Thursday 9http://spectator.org/blog/4 (Theme: Peace):''' *[[John McCain]] *Governor [[Charlie Crist]], R2009/09/13/acorn-[[Florida]] *Governor [[Tim Pawlenty]], Rfounder-[[Minnesota]] *Senator [[Sam Brownback]], Rwade-[[Kansas]] *Senator [[Lindsey Graham]], Rrathke-[[South Carolina]] *Senator [[Mel Martinez]]want ACORN Founder Wade Rathke Wanted Terrorist Attack on Republican Convention to Succeed, R-[[Florida]] *Former Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]]Matthew Vadum, R-[[Tennessee]] *Congressman Mary FallinAmerican Spectator, R-[[Oklahoma ]] *Michael Williams, Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission *David Flau *Christopher Fussner *Lt9. General Carol Mutter, U13.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) *Charlie Smith09</ref>

===Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate=== In Mid-January 2008, '''Larry Sinclair'''<brref>[https://youtu.be/AnZPATsaLtM Tucker Carlson Tonight 9/6/23 Full Show - Barack Obama, Exposed - Episode 22]<br/ref>posted a video on [[YouTube]] regarding specific allegations of sex and drug use with candidate Barack Obama. On February 8, 2008, Delaware Attorney General [[Beau Biden]], son of Sen. Joseph Biden, filed an [[sham indictment]] against Larry Sinclair charging him with theft of less than $1,000 and, anomalously, for an extradition warrant. In early March Larry Sinclair contacted an attorney for advice as he was receiving death threats after the murder of a [[homosexual]] member of Obama's church, Donald Young.<brref>https://patri-x.com/another-former-obama-gay-lover-donald-young-assassinated/<br/ref> On June 18, 2008, Sinclair held a press conference at the National Press Club in [[Washington, D.C.]], alleging a sexual encounter and drug use with Barack Obama in 1999.<brref>https://youtu.be/3QK0eGp3N6A<br/ref> Sinclair was arrested when leaving the National Press Club on the Delaware warrant<brref>https://www.thepostemail.com/2020/09/09/delaware-refuses-to-release-criminal-records-related-to-joe-biden/<br/ref>and extradited to Delaware five days later. Two months later, on August 23, Joe Biden was named by Barack Obama as his choice for the vice-presidential candidate. Five days after Biden was selected for VP, Beau Biden dropped the charges against Larry Sinclair on insufficient evidence and Sinclair was released from custody.<brref>http://montgomeryblairsibley.com/library/SinclairDocket.pdf<br/ref>Biden became Barack Obama's pick for VP in a return favor. Other's claim Obama was [[blackmail]]ed by the [[Biden family]].[[Image:Sarah Palin.jpg|thumb|left|100px|thumb|Sarah Palin]]

Governor [[Sarah Palin]] of [[Alaska]] was announced as John McCain's choice early on Friday, August 29, the day after the Democratic convention ended. A surprise choice not even considered by the press to be on McCain's short list, her selection caught the political world off guard. It had been expected that [[Mitt Romney]] would earn the honor, but McCain had other ideas. At first denigrated by the people in the Obama campaign, Obama's own statement was one of cautious neutrality to feel out what impact her selection would have on the race. In an interesting twist, the selection of the Vice Presidential candidates changed the complexion dynamics of the race. By Obama picking Biden, he helped to fill the hole that McCain had been attacking dealing with a lack of foreign policy experience. McCain's strongest point, experience, would lose some of its luster. But the selection of Biden, and the passing over of Hillary Clinton, left another opening. By aligning himself with someone who has been a Democratic stalwart, Obama's claim to change became less pronounced. McCain seized upon that to select a Vice President that no one expected, and a woman, and steal some of the Democratic thunder. Her lack of foreign policy experience would further cut into the experience angle that had been in play earlier, but her own maverick streak in becoming governor by ousting another Republican, combined with John McCain's maverick choice in selecting her led to a new emphasis on McCain's own maverick past. Palin arguably had more "executive" / managerial experience than either McCain, Biden or, notably, Obama. Suddenly he saw an opportunity to steal the moniker of change that Obama had been wearing, and he went for it. Such a change in position occurring from the Vice Presidential selection in is rare in Presidential politics.

[[Image:Debate1.jpg{{Main|right|thumb|300px|John McCain and Barack Obama during the first Presidential debate, 09/26/08]] ''Main Article: [[2008 Presidential Debates]]''}}

There will be have been three [[Presidential Debates|presidential debates]] for the 2008 election season. The first debate was held on September 26th, at the University of Mississippi. The topic for the debate was 26 discussed "Foreign Policy & National Security." The debate and also talked in dealt at length about with the economy. It was moderated by Jim Lehrereconomic crisis. The debate result was a podium debate, broken into 9 nine-minute segmentsstatistical draw where both candidates did better than expected in the eyes of the public. The moderator introduced longer term impact worked out well for Obama who already had a topiclead going in, and then each candidate had 2 minutes to comment. Following their answers, there was 5 minutes of open discussion on the topic, facilitated by the moderatorbenefited from solidifying that position.

The second debate will be held on October 7th7, at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. The moderator will be Tom Brokaw, and the debate will be in followed a town hall-style. The questions will come came from audience members and the Internet, as chosen by the moderator. After each question, Again the candidates will have two minutes each to respond, result was a statistical draw as well far as a one-minute followup who was considered to be the opposing candidate's responsewinner. But with time running out for McCain, he needed something to make the people move his way, and that required a clear breakthrough that never happened

The final debate will be was held on October 15th, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. The topic for the debate is 15 concerned "Domestic and Economic Policy." and will be moderated by Bob Schieffer. The Both candidates will be seated at were again viewed as having done well, which was a table, tactical defeat for McCain as opposed to behind a podium, and the format will follow that of the first debate. In addition, though, the candidates will be given an opportunity to present a 90-second closing argumentpoll numbers showed only small changes.

There will be was one vice presidential debate held on October 2nd2. Palin did much better than expected, at Washington University but Biden was also in Saint Louistop form. No clear winner emerged and the poll numbers remained largely unchanged, MOa strategic win for the Democratic ticket that only had to maintain their lead to win the election. The number of people who watched the debate will be moderated by Gwen Ifill, with was an alltime record for a format to be determinedVice Presidential debate, and was viewed by more people than any of the three Presidential debates.

Barr has, on his campaign website, linked to As usual there were a proposed Libertarian strategy laid out by a member number of his campaign staffthird party candidates, but none made much of an impact. Although Briefly the Libertarian [[Bob Barr has not officially claimed this as his strategy, the link appears ]] had enough strength to be become a tacit endorsementspoiler for McCain. The strategy is called the "gold states" strategy He faded quickly. Instead of waging a 50-state campaign with the aim of securing 270 electoral votes and an outright electoral college winSee [[United States Presidential Election, Barr would focus on about 182008 -20 states where neither Obama or McCain has strong support. Winning that number of states could net Barr from 180-200 electoral votes, and would exceed either Obama or McCain's number and prevent either of them from reaching 270. Under US Constitution Amendment 12, with no candidate having an electoral vote majority, the election would be thrown into the House of Representatives, which would have to choose the president from the top three electoral vote getters. At this stage, Barr could argue that as the top electoral vote recipient, he should become the President, and might draw support from conservative Democrats displeased with Obama's positions, and from Republicans who dislike McCainThird Party Candidates]].

The House of Representatives currently has a Democratic majority''For expanded primary information, but it is important to note that under the US Constitution Amendment 12see [[United States Presidential Election, the vote is not a straight vote of the members of the House. Instead, each 2008 - Primaries]]''State'' gets one single vote, and that vote is determined by the members from that State. Although many large states like California and New York have large Democratic majorities, these will be balanced by the many smaller Southern and Midwestern states with Republican majorities. A handful of states have an even number of House members, and are split down the middle for control.

===Constitution Party===The primary season for both the [[Constitution Republican Party]] held its convention in Kansas City, Kansas, on April 24 through April 27. The party nominated Pastor and the [[Chuck BaldwinDemocratic Party]] over former U.N. Ambassador and Republican presidential candidate officially began on January 3, 2008 with the [[Alan KeyesIowa Caucus]]es and ended on June 3, 2008.<ref> http://www.constitutionpartyboston.com/news/politics/2008/calendar/</ref> The 2008 election cycle saw a major shift in the primary election calendar, frontloading many primaries into early February.php?aid=751 <ref>http://www.miamiherald.com/515/story/43160.html</ref> John McCain had to get his footing at first, but was pretty much assured the Republican nomination after [[Super Tuesday]]. Barack Obama had a much tougher road, but rode out a string of victories in February to eventually outlast Clinton and take the nomination. During that time he had raised more money than any other candidate in history giving him a huge boost, a trend that would continue into the general election.

===Green Party=See also==*[[Cynthia McKinneyPrevious Breaking News/2008 Presidential Election|Articles about the '''2008 Presidential Election''' from previous "Breaking News"]], who was defeated in her bid for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives after voting against the *[[Iraq WarBarack Hussein Obama 2008 Presidential campaign]] and being arrested on battery charges after striking a Capitol Hill police officer, won the *[[environmentalistJohn McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign]] *[[Green PartyHillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign]]'s nomination for president at the party convention July 12, 2008. Running for Vice President on the Green ticket is "Hip-Hop activist and journalist" Rosa Clemente.<ref>http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=79</ref>

===Independents=Further reading==[[Ralph Nader]] announced his independent candidacy for president on February 24* Abramowitz, 2008, to focus on "stem[ming] corporate crime Allen I. and Pentagon waste and promot[ing] labor rights", issues he feels are ignored by the main partiesLarry J.<ref>http://wwwSabato.foxnews.com/wires/2008Feb24/0,4670,APNader,00.html</ref> His [[running mate]] is former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors [[Matt Gonzalez]].<ref>http://www.votenader.org/about/matt-gonzalez/</ref> New York City Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] has been frequently mentioned as a possible independent candidate for the 2008 presidential election and fueled that speculation when he left the Republican Party in June 2007. However, he declared in a February 28, 2008, op-ed article in ''The New York Times2008 Elections'', "I am not—and will not be—a candidate for president," but added that "[i]f a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach—and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy—I’ll join others in helping that candidate win the White House."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/opinion/28mike.html?_r=1&oref=slogin "I'm Not Running for President, but..."]</ref>  ==Historical Information=====Withdrawn Republican Party Candidates===Senator [[Sam Brownback]], [[Kansas]], withdrew October 19, 2007, citing a lack of funding.<ref>http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ifK7vLWH4aU4urzB-4bSX1u4QF9QD8SC0EI00</ref> Brownback also had done poorly at key conservative milestones, such as the [[Value Voters Debate]].<ref>http://www.valuesvoterdebate.com/pollresults.cfm, Brownback lost sizably to [[Mike Huckabee]].</ref> He endorsed Senator [[John McCain]] of [[Arizona]].  Former Governor [[Jim Gilmore]], [[Virginia]], withdrew July 14, 2007 Former Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani|Rudolph Giuliani]], [[New York City]] He withdrew after a defeat in [[Florida]], on which he had depended on heavily. He endorsed John McCain afterwards.  Former Governor [[Mike Huckabee]], [[Arkansas]]. He withdrew from the race once McCain received the 1,191 delegates needed to win the nomination. He also promised to support McCain as the nominee, thus giving his endorsement to him.  Representative [[Duncan Hunter]], [[California]] 52nd, withdrew January 19, 2008 and endorsed Governor Mike Huckabee. Representative [[Ron Paul]], [[Texas]] 14th, withdrew June 12, 2008. Former Governor [[Mitt Romney]], [[Massachusetts]], suspended his campaign after poor showings on [[Super Tuesday]] and later endorsed John McCain.  Representative [[Tom Tancredo]], [[Colorado]] 6th, withdrew December 20, 2007. He endorsed fmr. Governor [[Mitt Romney]] of [[Massachusetts]].  Former Senator [[Fred Thompson]], [[Tennessee]]. He endorsed [[John McCain]] of Arizona.  Former Governor and HS Secretary [[Tommy Thompson]], withdrew August 12, 2007. He endorsed fmr. Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] of [[New York]]. ===Potential Republican Candidates Who Declined to Run===*Former Senator [[George Allen]], Virginia - endorsed Fred Thompson.*Former Governor [[Jeb Bush]], [[Florida]] - endorsed John McCain. *[[Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]]*Former Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]], Tennessee*Former [[Speaker of the House]] [[Newt Gingrich]], [[Georgia]]*Senator [[Chuck Hagel]], [[Nebraska]]*Former Governor [[George Pataki]], New York*[[Secretary of State]] [[Condoleezza Rice]]*Governor [[Mark Sanford]], [[South Carolina]]*Former Senator [[Rick Santorum]], [[Pennsylvania]]  === Withdrawn Democratic Party candidates ===Senator [[Joseph Biden]], [[Delaware]]<ref> http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/04/chris-dodd-abandons-presidential-campaign-after-poor-showing-in-iowa/ </ref> He withdrew after a disappointing finish in the [[Iowa Caucus]].  Senator [[Hillary Clinton]], [[New York]] Suspended her campaign after Obama reached the number of needed delegates. She endorsed him shortly afterwards.  Senator [[Chris Dodd]], [[Connecticut]]<ref> http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/04/chris-dodd-abandons-presidential-campaign-after-poor-showing-in-iowa/</ref> He withdrew after a disappointing finish in the [[Iowa Caucus]] and later endorsed Senator [[Barack Obama]].  Former Senator [[John Edwards]], [[North Carolina]]. He withdrew after losing in all of the early primary states. He later endorsed Senator Obama after Obama won the North Carolina primary.  Former Senator [[Mike Gravel]], [[Alaska]]. He withdrew to seek the Libertarian party nomination (which he lost to Bob Barr.) He also endorsed Green Party Candidate, Jesse Johnson. <ref> http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/12/democratic-candidate-gravel-endorses-green-party-presidential-hopeful/ </ref>  Representative [[Dennis Kucinich]], [[Ohio]] 10th<ref> http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/24/kucinich-drops-presidential-bid/ </ref> He withdrew to keep his seat in the House of Representatives.  Governor [[Bill Richardson]], [[New Mexico]]<ref>[http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/09/ap-bill-richardson-drops-out-of-democratic-presidential-race/ AP: Bill Richardson Drops Out of Democratic Presidential Race], [[Associated Press]], [[Fox News Channel]], January 9, 2008</ref> He withdrew after twin fourth-place finishes (in Iowa and New Hampshire) that showed his credentials could not compete with his rivals’ star power. He later endorsed Senator Obama.  Former Governor [[Tom Vilsack]], Iowa. He endorsed [[Hillary Clinton]] of [[New York]] ===Potential Democratic Candidates Who Declined to Run===state by state statistical analysis *Senator [[Evan Bayh]]Balz, [[Indiana]] - endorsed Hillary Clinton*[[General]] [[Wesley Clark]] (Ret.) - endorsed Hillary Clinton*Former Senate Minority Leader [[Tom Daschle]]Dan, [[South Dakota]]*Former Governor and current DNC Chairman [[Howard Dean]], [[Vermont]]*Senator [[Russ Feingold]], [[Wisconsin]]*Former Vice President [[Al Gore]], [[Tennessee]]*Senator [[John Kerry]], Massachusetts - endorsed Barack Obama*RevHaynes Johnson. [[Al Sharpton]]*Former Governor [[Mark Warner]], [[Virginia]] ==Primaries and Caucuses=====Iowa Caucus: January 3, 2008===The first caucus in the 2008 presidential election cycle was the [[Iowa Caucus]]. The Democratic winner of the Iowa caucus was [[Barack Obama]], who managed to beat national frontrunner [[Hillary Clinton]] and former [[North Carolina]] Senator, [[John Edwards]]. The official results were:{| style="background:white; color:blue" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ Dem. Iowa caucus results|-! candidates! percentage|-| Barack Obama| 38%|-| John Edwards| 30%|-| Hillary Clinton| 29%|-| Bill Richardson| 2% |-| Joseph Biden| 1%|-|}Other candidates such as, [[Chris Dodd]], [[Dennis Kucinich]] and [[Mike Gravel]] did not gain a significant percentage. Because of the Iowa results, [[Barack Obama]] was expected now to beat [[Hillary Clinton]] in the upcoming [[New Hampshire]] primary. Also, [[Joe Biden]] and [[Chris Dodd]] both withdrew from the race because of their low showings in the Iowa caucus.  On the Republican side, [[Mike Huckabee]] defeated [[Mitt Romney]] by an even closer margin. The results were:{| {| style="background:white; color:red" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ GOP Iowa caucus results|-! Candidate! percentage|-| Mike Huckabee| 34%|-| Mitt Romney| 25%|-| Fred Thompson| 13%|-| John McCain| 13%|-| Ron Paul| 10%|-| Rudy Giuliani| 3%|} Candidates such as [[Duncan Hunter]], [[Alan Keyes]] and [[John H. Cox]] didn't come out with a significant percentage. Romney's loss in [[Iowa]] set him back in the upcoming primary in [[New Hampshire]]. Huckabee's win however gave him surge in [[New Hampshire]] where he had before been very low in the polls. McCain's unexpected high showing in Iowa also gave him a little boost in New Hampshire. ===New Hampshire Primary: January 8, 2008===The next milestone after the Iowa caucus was the New Hampshire primary. (Only the Republican Wyoming primary occurred on January 5, which was won by Romney.) On the Republican side, Mitt Romney's defeat in Iowa helped his most significant opponent, John McCain. Huckabee's victory in Iowa helped boost his campaign and gave him a higher showing than even he had expected. On the Democratic side, Obama's defeat of Clinton and Edwards led to the polls usually predicting a Obama victory in New Hampshire. The winner Battle for the Republicans was John McCain and for the Democrats Hillary Clinton. The Democratic results wereAmerica 2008: {| {| style="background:white; color:blue" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ Dem. NH primary results|-! Candidate! percentage|-| Hillary Clinton| 39%|-| Barack Obama| 36%|-| John Edwards | 17%|-| Bill Richardson | 5%|-| Dennis Kucinich| 1%|} Hillary Clinton's win was a setback for Obama and much-needed victory for Clinton. The polls reliability was most hurt with these results. (Mike Gravel didn't reach a significant percentage.) The Republican results were: {| {| style="background:white; color:red" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ GOP NH primary results|-! Candidate! percentage|-| John McCain| 37%|-| Mitt Romney| 31%|-| Mike Huckabee| 11%|-| Rudy Giuliani| 9%|-| Ron Paul| 8%|-| Fred Thompson| 1%|-| Duncan Hunter| 1%|} These results put the very survival Story of Mitt Romney on the line and intensified the upcoming Michigan primary. John McCain's victory helped boost his campaign and he predicted to go on to victory in Michigan and South Carolina. Huckabee also did well and placed an unusual third place. ===Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina===RomneyExtraordinary Election's second-place defeat in Iowa and New Hampshire, caused his campaign to focus all its attention on the Michigan Primary on January 15th. He managed to defeat his rivals, John McCain and Mike Huckabee. Since the Democrats had taken Michigan's delegates away, most of the candidates didn't even bother to get on the ballot. Clinton won easily, because she was one of the only major candidates to be even on the ballot. Romney and the Democrats turned their attention to the Nevada caucus, while Republicans John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson looked to the South Carolina primary. (The Republicans had the South Carolina primary on the same day as the Nevada caucus, January 19th.2009) The Democratic results were:{| {| style="background:white; color:blue" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ Dem. Nevada caucus results|-! Candidate! Percentage|-| Hillary Clinton| 51%|-| Barack Obama| 45%|-| John Edwards | 4%|} Hillary Clinton probably won because of her strong position on the Yucca Mountain issue, which was critical to Democratic caucus goers. Romney easily won the Republican Nevada caucus, probably because it is close to Utah, a traditionally Mormon state. Duncan Hunter had been hoping for a strong finish in Nevada and decided to leave the race, because of his poor showings.  {| {| style="background:white; color:red" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ GOP SC caucus results|-! Candidate! percentage|-| John McCain| 33%|-| Mike Huckabee| 30%|-| Fred Thompson | 16%|-| Mitt Romney| 15%|-| Ron Paul| 4%|-| Rudy Giuliani| 2%|} McCain’s victory in South Carolina propelled him as the national front-runner. Mike Huckabee’s 2nd place defeat forced him to cut back in expenses due to lack of funds. Fred Thompson’s defeat was irreparable and he withdrew from the race shortly afterwards The Democrats prepared for the primary in South Carolina on January 26th. Obama won the primary by a huge margin over Clinton and Edwards. This was a severe loss for Edwards since he had been born in South Carolina and was Senator for North Carolina. Obama probably won because of the state’s huge black population.leading reporters with inside information ===Florida Primary: January 29* Nelson, 2008===Because Florida moved its date to January 29th the Democratic party stripped Florida of its delegates and the candidates agreed not to campaign thereMichael. The Democratic results were:{| {| style="background:white; color:blue" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ Dem. Florida primary results|-! candidates! percentage|-| Hillary Clinton| 50%|-| Barack Obama| 33%|-| John Edwards| 14%|-| Joe Biden| 1%|-| Bill Richardson| 1%|-| Dennis Kucinich| 1%|} Florida was the last early primary state and after his loss, John Edwards suspended his campaign. (Although they had withdrawn, candidates Biden, Richardson and Kucinich still received votes. Mike Gravel didn't receive a percentage.) 'The Republicans concentrated on Florida more than the Democrats, because the Republican party chose to remove only half Elections of their delegates. Candidate [[Rudy Giuliani]] chose to ignore earlier primaries, hoping that a large win in Florida, with its strong transplanted New Yorkers contingent, would propel him to the nomination. Unfortunately, with earlier wins, John McCain and Mitt Romney both gained momentum and began to lead Giuliani in the polls. The Republican results were:{| {| style="background:white; color:red" border="1" class="wikitable"|+ GOP Florida primary results|-! candidates! percentage|-| John McCain| 36%|-| Mitt Romney| 31%|-| Rudy Giuliani| 15%|-| Mike Huckabee| 13%|-| Ron Paul| 3%|-| Fred Thompson| 1%|} The results caused Giuliani to exit the race the next day and endorse the primary winner, John McCain. (Although Fred Thompson had withdrawn he got some support anyway.) ===Super Tuesday: February 5, 2008===Super Tuesday held the largest number of presidential primary's and caucuses. Twenty-four states were held for one or both parties were held on this date.  *The Democratic results were:*Candidates*Hillary Clinton, 9 states won, ' ([[American Samoa]], [[Arizona]], [[Arkansas]], [[California]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New Jersey]], [[New Mexico]], [[New York]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Tennessee]].2009) Number of delegates won, 826.*Barack Obama, 13 states won, (factual summary [[Alabama]], [[Alaska]], [[Colorado]], [[Connecticut]], [[Delaware]], [[Georgia]], [[Idaho]], [[Illinois]], [[Kansas]], [[Minnesota]], [[Missouri]], [[North Dakota]], [[Utah]].) Number of delegates won, 838. *GOP Super Tuesday primary results*John McCain, 9 states won, (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma). Number of delegates wonhttps: 602//www.*Mitt Romney, 7 states won, (Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Utah)amazon. Number of delegates won: 201.*Mike Huckabee, 5 states won, (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia). Number of delegates won: 152.*Ron Paul, 0 states won. Number of delegates won: 10 com/Elections-2008-Year/dp/0872895696/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=February 9th Primariesbooks&qid===The next major primary after Super Tuesday was on February 9, 2008. The Democrats held contests in [[Louisiana]], [[Nebraska]] 1249801779& [[Washington]]. The Republicans held three other contests in [[Kansas]], [[Louisiana]] & [[Washington]].Governor Huckabee won Kansas and Louisiana, but lost to McCain in Washington by a close margin. Barrack Obama won all three Democratic contests, and also won the Maine caucus, the next day on February 10th.  sr===Potomac Primary: February 12, 2008===The next primary1-date was the Potomac primary on February 12. It is called that because the three states; [[District of Columbia]], [[Maryland]] and [[Virginia]], which all were near the Potomac River, had their primary date on the same date. John McCain won all three Republican contests, while Barrack Obama won all of the Democratic contests.  ===Super Tuesday 2: March 4, 2008===After Obama won his 11th consecutive victory on the February 19th primaries in [[Wisconsin]] except and [[Hawaiitext search]], Clinton was desperate to win the March 4th primaries in [[Ohio]], [[Texas]], [[Rhode Island]] & [[Vermont]]. Huckabee also needed more victories to prevent McCain from reaching the needed 1,191 delegates for the Republican nomination.  Clinton won all of the states except for Vermont* Todd, which Obama won. McCain won all of the primariesChuck, causing Governor Huckabee to leave the race that evening.  ===Pennsylvania Primary===After Clinton's victories on Super Tuesday 2, both Democrats looked ahead to the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd. Obama lost some popularity after video clips were shown of his Pastor, Rev. [[Jeremiah Wright]], saying "God damn America!" during a sermon. Obama also commented about people bitterly clinging to guns and religion because they were upset with Washington policiesSheldon Gawiser. Clinton beat Obama by 9 percentage points, continuing the long drawn-out contest between the two. John McCain was able to easily win the primary as the Republican party's presumptive nominee. ===Guam Caucus===On May 3rd, Guam held its Democratic caucuses. Out of more than 4,500 votes, Senator Obama won by 7 votes. The results gave Obama 2 pledged delegates and Senator Clinton 2 pledged delegates. ===Indiana and North Carolina Primary===Both Indiana and North Carolina held their primaries on May 6th. Heading into the primary, registered African American voters reported receiving "robocalls" telling them they were not registered to vote. The calls were traced back to an organization called "Women's Voices Women Vote". The organization included members close to the Clintons. The calls ended with an order from the state Attorney General. Senator How Barack Obama proceeded to win the primary with 56.1%.  Leading into the Indiana primary, the polls were very close, with neither candidate leading by more than the polls' marginWon: A State-of-error. Senator Clinton was looking for a large win to follow up on the Pennsylvania primary, with much the same demographic as PA and Ohio. Senator Obama, though, surprised many in the news media and the Clinton campaign by losing by only a small margin, 50.56% - 49.44%. With the near-split of the delegates in Indiana, combined with his win in North Carolina, the media began State Guide to declare Senator Obama as the nominee, although he had not yet reached the necessary delegate count. ===West Virginia Primary===With a strong working-class demographic, Senator Clinton was expected to win the West Virginia primary on May 13th. Polls leading into the primary had her up 29 points on Senator Obama. The final vote tally exceeded the polls, with Senator Clinton winning 66.99% - 25.67%. ===Oregon and Kentucky Primaries===The Oregon primary was a mail-only primary--the only such primary in the nation. Democratic voters received ballots in the mail between May 2nd and May 6th, and had to be received by county election officials by May 20th. Polling leading up to the primary showed Senator Obama with a 10-15% lead over Senator Clinton. Obama held a rally on May 18th at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland which drew an estimated 72,000 people. It was the largest rally Obama had held, more than doubling the 35,000 that came out to see him in Pennsylvania. By the end of the vote tally, Obama had won the state primary 58.5% - 40.5%. The Kentucky primary, held the same day, was long believed a lock for Senator Clinton. The voter demographic mirrored the West Virginia primary, with a heavy working-class population. Senator Clinton easily won the primary, 65.5% - 29.9%. The large win, though, was drowned out in the media by Senator ObamaHistoric 2008 Presidential Election''s win in Oregon, and more importantly, by the endorsement (2009) analysis of Senator Obama by former opponent and former vice presidential candidate, John Edwards.  ===Puerto Rico Primary===With Clinton behind in both pledged and superdelegates at this point in the race, every primary and delegate became even more important to forestall Obama reaching the necessary number of delegate to clinch the nomination. Clinton's strategy was to win out the primaries and work to convince superdelegates to support her nomination at the party convention as the best chance to beat McCain. Thus Puerto Rico, usually an afterthought in previous elections, rated visits by both candidates before the June 1st primary. Heading into the primary, Clinton led in two exit polls by 13% for each time. The results beat poll expectations, with Clinton winning the primary 67.7% - 31.27%.  ===Montana and South Dakota Democratic Primaries===The last Democratic primaries were held on June 3rd. Senator Obama needed to win one of the primaries, and merely come close in the other to clinch the nomination. In Montana, Obama got the win he needed, defeating Senator Clinton 56.3%-41.25%. In South Dakota, Senator Clinton won, but with a close enough margin to give Obama the final delegates necessary. The result of the primary was 55.35% - 44.65%. Senator Obama was in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the site of the Republican Nominating Convention, to accept the party's unofficial nomination. <ref>state [httphttps://www.youtubeamazon.com/watch?v=dtLHow-1V3OZ0c Barack -Obama Democratic Nomination Victory Speech]<-State-State/dp/030747366X/ref>  =sr_1_14?ie=See AlsoUTF8&s=books&qid=[[Previous Breaking News/2008 Presidential Election|Articles about the '''2008 Presidential Election''' from previous "Breaking News"]1249801899&sr=1-14 excerpt and text search]

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