2008 United States elections

2008 United States elections
2006          2007          2008          2009          2010
Presidential election year
Election dayNovember 4
Incumbent presidentGeorge W. Bush (Republican)
Next Congress111th
Presidential election
Partisan controlDemocratic gain
Popular vote marginDemocratic +7.2%
Electoral vote
Barack Obama (D)365
John McCain (R)173
2008 United States presidential election in California2008 United States presidential election in Oregon2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state)2008 United States presidential election in Idaho2008 United States presidential election in Nevada2008 United States presidential election in Utah2008 United States presidential election in Arizona2008 United States presidential election in Montana2008 United States presidential election in Wyoming2008 United States presidential election in Colorado2008 United States presidential election in New Mexico2008 United States presidential election in North Dakota2008 United States presidential election in South Dakota2008 United States presidential election in Nebraska2008 United States presidential election in Kansas2008 United States presidential election in Oklahoma2008 United States presidential election in Texas2008 United States presidential election in Minnesota2008 United States presidential election in Iowa2008 United States presidential election in Missouri2008 United States presidential election in Arkansas2008 United States presidential election in Louisiana2008 United States presidential election in Wisconsin2008 United States presidential election in Illinois2008 United States presidential election in Michigan2008 United States presidential election in Indiana2008 United States presidential election in Ohio2008 United States presidential election in Kentucky2008 United States presidential election in Tennessee2008 United States presidential election in Mississippi2008 United States presidential election in Alabama2008 United States presidential election in Georgia2008 United States presidential election in Florida2008 United States presidential election in South Carolina2008 United States presidential election in North Carolina2008 United States presidential election in Virginia2008 United States presidential election in West Virginia2008 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia2008 United States presidential election in Maryland2008 United States presidential election in Delaware2008 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey2008 United States presidential election in New York2008 United States presidential election in Connecticut2008 United States presidential election in Rhode Island2008 United States presidential election in Vermont2008 United States presidential election in New Hampshire2008 United States presidential election in Maine2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts2008 United States presidential election in Hawaii2008 United States presidential election in Alaska2008 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia2008 United States presidential election in Maryland2008 United States presidential election in Delaware2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey2008 United States presidential election in Connecticut2008 United States presidential election in Rhode Island2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts2008 United States presidential election in Vermont2008 United States presidential election in New Hampshire
2008 Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states/districts won by Democrat Barack Obama, and Red denotes those won by Republican John McCain. Numbers indicate electoral votes won by each candidate.
Senate elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contested35 of 100 seats
(33 seats of Class II + 2 special elections)
Net seat changeDemocratic +8
2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi2008 United States Senate special election in Wyoming2008 United States Senate election in Alabama2008 United States Senate election in Alaska2008 United States Senate election in Arkansas2008 United States Senate election in Colorado2008 United States Senate election in Delaware2008 United States Senate election in Georgia2008 United States Senate election in Idaho2008 United States Senate election in Illinois2008 United States Senate election in Iowa2008 United States Senate election in Kansas2008 United States Senate election in Kentucky2008 United States Senate election in Louisiana2008 United States Senate election in Maine2008 United States Senate election in Massachusetts2008 United States Senate election in Michigan2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota2008 United States Senate election in Mississippi2008 United States Senate election in Montana2008 United States Senate election in Nebraska2008 United States Senate election in New Hampshire2008 United States Senate election in New Jersey2008 United States Senate election in New Mexico2008 United States Senate election in North Carolina2008 United States Senate election in Oklahoma2008 United States Senate election in Oregon2008 United States Senate election in Rhode Island2008 United States Senate election in South Carolina2008 United States Senate election in South Dakota2008 United States Senate election in Tennessee2008 United States Senate election in Texas2008 United States Senate election in Virginia2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia2008 United States Senate election in Wyoming
2008 Senate election results map
     Democratic hold      Republican hold
     Democratic gain
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contestedAll 435 voting seats
Popular vote marginDemocratic +10.6%
Net seat changeDemocratic +21
2008 House election results map
2008 House election results map
     Democratic hold      Republican hold
     Democratic gain      Republican gain
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested13 (11 states, 2 territories)
Net seat changeDemocratic +1
2008 Delaware gubernatorial election2008 Indiana gubernatorial election2008 Missouri gubernatorial election2008 Montana gubernatorial election2008 New Hampshire gubernatorial election2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election2008 North Dakota gubernatorial election2008 Utah gubernatorial election2008 Vermont gubernatorial election2008 Washington gubernatorial election2008 West Virginia gubernatorial election2008 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election2008 American Samoa gubernatorial election
2008 Gubernatorial election results map
     Democratic hold      Republican hold
     Democratic gain
     New Progressive gain      Nonpartisan

The 2008 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, during the war on terror and the onset of the Great Recession. It was a considered a Democratic wave election, with Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeating Senator John McCain of Arizona by a wide margin, and the Democrats bolstering their majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Obama won his party's presidential nomination after defeating Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries. With Republican President George W. Bush term-limited, Senator John McCain of Arizona won the Republican nomination in the 2008 Republican primaries. Obama won the general election with 52.9 percent of the popular vote and 365 of the 538 electoral votes.

Democrats picked up net gains of eight Senate seats and 21 seats in the House of Representatives on the back of Obama's coattail effect. They also won a net gain of one gubernatorial seat. The 2006 elections and 2008 elections represented the first time since 1936 that Democrats or any party made substantial gains in Congress in two consecutive elections.[1][2] This would be the last election until 2020 in which the Democrats won the Presidency and unified control of Congress.

This was the first presidential election year since 1964 when the Democratic Party won the White House and had coattails in the Senate and House of Representatives. The major theme during the campaign was the American public's general desire for change and reform from both Washington and the policies of President Bush. The economy and other domestic policies were also dominant issues, especially during the last months of the campaign after the onset of the 2008 economic crisis.

  1. ^ Barbara Bradley Hagerty & Deborah Tedford (November 4, 2008). "Democrats Poised For Landslide Wins In House". NPR.
  2. ^ Matt Bai (June 8, 2010). "Democrat in Chief?". New York Times.