Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign

Obama for America

2008 Obama–Biden campaign logo
Campaign2008 Democratic primaries
2008 U.S. presidential election
CandidateBarack Obama
U.S. Senator from Illinois
(2005–2008)
Joe Biden
U.S. Senator from Delaware
(1973–2009)
AffiliationDemocratic Party
StatusAnnounced: February 10, 2007
Presumptive nominee: June 3, 2008
Official nominee: August 27, 2008
Won election: November 4, 2008
Inaugurated: January 20, 2009
Headquarters233 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Key peopleDavid Plouffe (manager)
Penny Pritzker (finance)
David Axelrod (media)
Michael Slaby (chief technology officer)
Robert Gibbs (communications)
Bill Burton (spokesman)
Henry De Sio (chief operating officer)
Claire McCaskill (co-chair)
Tim Kaine (co-chair)
Paul Hodes (co-chair)
ReceiptsUS$670.7 million (November 24, 2008)
Slogan
ChantYes We Can
Website
www.barackobama.com (Web Archive)

Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois.[1] After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 2008, on August 23, leading up to the convention, the campaign announced that Senator Joe Biden of Delaware would be the vice presidential nominee.[2] At the 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, Barack Obama was formally selected as the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in 2008.[3] He was the first African American in history to be nominated on a major party ticket.[4]

On November 4, 2008, Obama defeated the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, making him the President-elect and the first African American elected president.[5][6] He was the third sitting U.S. Senator, after Warren G. Harding and John F. Kennedy, to be elected president. Upon the vote of the Electoral College on December 15, 2008, and the subsequent certification thereof by a Joint Session of the United States Congress on January 8, 2009, Barack Obama was elected as President of the United States and Joe Biden as Vice President of the United States, with 365 of 538 electors.[7][8] He also became the first president to not be born in the contiguous United States, as he was born in Hawaii.

Obama's campaign is considered one of the most successful in US history. His victory over Hillary Clinton was considered by many to be an upset due to Clinton's early lead in the polls.[9] In the general election, overwhelming backing by two-thirds of voters aged 18-29 and minority voters (66% of Hispanic voters and 95% of Black voters) were considered the most crucial demographic victories.[10] Analysts also praised his campaign's effective use of the Internet in general and social media in particular, and considered their utilization of both a crucial factor in Obama's victory.[11]

  1. ^ "Obama Launches Presidential Bid," BBC News, February 10, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2008. Video Archived July 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine at Brightcove.TV.
  2. ^ "Joe Biden!". BarackObama.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2008. Breaking news: the text message is out and it's official ... Barack Obama has selected Joe Biden to be his running mate!
  3. ^ Adam Nagourney (August 28, 2008). "Obama Wins Nomination; Biden and Bill Clinton Rally Party". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  4. ^ Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Clinches Nomination; First Black Candidate to Lead a Major Party Ticket," The New York Times, June 4, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  5. ^ "Barack Obama wins presidential election". CNN. November 4, 2008. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
  6. ^ Nagourney, Adam (November 5, 2008). "Obama Wins Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
  7. ^ "Congress meets to count electoral votes". NBC News. January 8, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  8. ^ Nagourney, Adam (November 4, 2008). "Obama Wins Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
  9. ^ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/2008-clinton-obama-epic-duel-n1029626
  10. ^ https://www.pewresearch.org/2008/11/05/inside-obamas-sweeping-victory/
  11. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20150602041135/http://www.wired.com/2008/11/the-obama-campa