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 County results Congressional district results Precinct results
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The2008 United States presidential election in Alabama took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose nine representatives, or electors, to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
Alabama was won by Republican nomineeJohn McCain by a 21.58% margin of victory. Prior to the election, 17 news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or a safered state. Located in the Deep South, Alabama is one of the mostconservative states in the country. Republicans have won every presidential election in Alabama since1980, and the 2008 election was no exception. McCain carried 54 of the state's 67counties and easily prevailed in Alabama.
Despite McCain's expected victory, Obama did manage to improve on Kerry's performance by two points and was able to reduce his margin of defeat by four points which is attributed to the higher African-American turnout. In addition, Obama's raw vote total was the highest obtained by a Democrat in the state of Alabama until his running mate, Biden, broke his record 12 years later in a historically high turnout election. Obama also managed to flipJefferson County, the state's most populous county and home toBirmingham, which had not gone Democratic since1952 and was won by incumbent SenatorJeff Sessions inthe concurrent U.S. Senate election.Marengo County also split tickets for Obama and Sessions.
There were 16 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day:
| Source | Ranking |
|---|---|
| D.C. Political Report[1] | Likely R |
| Cook Political Report[2] | Solid R |
| The Takeaway[3] | Solid R |
| Electoral-vote.com[4] | Solid R |
| Washington Post[5] | Solid R |
| Politico[6] | Solid R |
| RealClearPolitics[7] | Solid R |
| FiveThirtyEight[5] | Solid R |
| CQ Politics[8] | Solid R |
| The New York Times[9] | Solid R |
| CNN[10] | Safe R |
| NPR[5] | Solid R |
| MSNBC[5] | Solid R |
| Fox News[11] | Likely R |
| Associated Press[12] | Likely R |
| Rasmussen Reports[13] | Safe R |
Opinion polls taken in Alabama prior to the election consistently showed John McCain to be leading Barack Obama by double digits.RealClearPolitics gave the state an average of 56.8% for McCain, compared to 33.5% for Obama.[14] The state was not seriously contested by either campaign.
John McCain raised a total of $1,846,574 in the state. Barack Obama raised $1,734,629.[15]
Obama spent almost $264,945. McCain and his interest groups spent just $850.[16] Barack Obama, made at least one stop in the state, a brief visit to the Heritage Club for a Democratic Fundraiser in Huntsville, AL[17]
Alabama is one of the mostconservative states in the country and one of the most reliablyRepublican strongholds inpresidential elections. Alabama is located in the lowerBible Belt, where many people are values voters who tend to oppose social issues likeabortion,gay rights, andimmigration. Like mostSouthern states,Alabama was a one-party state dominated by conservativeDemocrats for the better part of a century after Reconstruction. However, it swung dramatically to the Republicans in1964 in opposition tocivil rights legislation. Since then, Democrats have carried the state only once, whenJimmy Carter of neighboringGeorgia swept most of theSouth andEast Coast. Although Democrats still nominally have a majority of registered voters, the Democrats have only seriously contested the state two other times sinceBarry Goldwater carried it in 1964;1976 (a double-digit victory) and1980. As in much of theDeep South,Alabama Democrats began splitting their tickets as early as the 1940s when the national party became more receptive toward theCivil Rights Movement, and the rise of thereligious right in the 1970s only accelerated this trend.
At the time of the election, Alabama had a Republican Governor (Bob Riley), two Republicans in theU.S. Senate (Richard Shelby andJeff Sessions), and five of its seven seats in theU.S. House of Representatives were held by Republicans.
On November 4, 2008, Democratic presidential nomineeBarack Obama predictably lost by a landslide. However, he performed 2% better in 2008 thanJohn Kerry did in2004 (both by popular vote and by the number of carried counties). In large part, this can be attributed to high turnout ofAfrican American voters in Alabama. Notably, Obama carriedJefferson County, which contains the state's largest city ofBirmingham,[18] which last supported the official Democratic candidate for president in1956. Strangely, many news organizations did not project the state's outcome immediately after the polls closed, possibly due to a waveringAfrican American turnout.
Voting inAlabama, like in other states of theDeep South, was heavily polarized by race. According to exit polls, 98% of black Alabamians voted Democratic while 88% of white Alabamians voted Republican.[19] Obama's 12 percent showing among white Alabamians was easily his worst in the nation, and prevented him from having any realistic chance of carrying the state.[20] Ultimately, McCain won by running up massive landslides in the state's suburban areas; severalBirmingham,Montgomery andMobile suburbs gave McCain over 70 percent of the vote. The old-lineDixiecrats in these areas began splitting their tickets as early as the 1940s; apart from Carter, some of these areas haven't supported a Democrat for president sinceAdlai Stevenson II in 1952.
Racial polarization was why Obama generally improved on Kerry's performance inCentral Alabama, where more African Americans live. Conversely, Obama did much worse than Kerry inNorth Alabama, where fewer blacks live. Racial polarization was also responsible forAlabama's electoral geography: Obama, like other Democrats, won landslides in theBlack Belt while losing badly everywhere else. With 60.32% of the popular vote,Alabama proved to be McCain's fifth strongest state in the 2008 election afterOklahoma,Wyoming,Utah andIdaho.[21]
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John McCain | Sarah Palin | 1,266,546 | 60.32% | 9 | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama | Joe Biden | 813,479 | 38.74% | 0 | |
| Independent | Ralph Nader | Matt Gonzalez | 6,788 | 0.32% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Bob Barr | Wayne Allyn Root | 4,991 | 0.24% | 0 | |
| Constitution | Chuck Baldwin | Darrell Castle | 4,310 | 0.21% | 0 | |
| Write-in candidates | 3,705 | 0.18% | 0 | |||
| Totals | 2,099,819 | 100.00% | 9 | |||
| [22] | ||||||
| County | John McCain Republican | Barack Obama Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Autauga | 17,403 | 73.61% | 6,093 | 25.77% | 145 | 0.61% | 11,310 | 47.84% | 23,641 |
| Baldwin | 61,271 | 75.26% | 19,386 | 23.81% | 756 | 0.93% | 41,885 | 51.45% | 81,413 |
| Barbour | 5,866 | 50.44% | 5,697 | 48.99% | 67 | 0.58% | 169 | 1.45% | 11,630 |
| Bibb | 6,262 | 72.44% | 2,299 | 26.60% | 83 | 0.96% | 3,963 | 45.84% | 8,644 |
| Blount | 20,389 | 84.02% | 3,522 | 14.51% | 356 | 1.46% | 16,867 | 69.51% | 24,267 |
| Bullock | 1,391 | 25.69% | 4,011 | 74.07% | 13 | 0.24% | -2,620 | -48.38% | 5,415 |
| Butler | 5,485 | 56.49% | 4,188 | 43.14% | 36 | 0.37% | 1,297 | 13.35% | 9,709 |
| Calhoun | 32,348 | 65.69% | 16,334 | 33.17% | 560 | 1.14% | 16,014 | 32.52% | 49,242 |
| Chambers | 8,067 | 53.94% | 6,799 | 45.46% | 90 | 0.60% | 1,268 | 8.48% | 14,956 |
| Cherokee | 7,298 | 74.89% | 2,306 | 23.66% | 141 | 1.44% | 4,992 | 51.23% | 9,745 |
| Chilton | 13,960 | 78.49% | 3,674 | 20.66% | 151 | 0.85% | 10,286 | 57.83% | 17,785 |
| Choctaw | 4,223 | 53.50% | 3,636 | 46.06% | 35 | 0.44% | 587 | 7.44% | 7,894 |
| Clarke | 7,466 | 55.57% | 5,914 | 44.02% | 55 | 0.41% | 1,552 | 11.55% | 13,435 |
| Clay | 4,984 | 73.09% | 1,760 | 25.81% | 75 | 1.10% | 3,224 | 47.28% | 6,819 |
| Cleburne | 5,216 | 80.35% | 1,168 | 17.99% | 108 | 1.66% | 4,048 | 62.36% | 6,492 |
| Coffee | 14,919 | 74.12% | 5,079 | 25.23% | 130 | 0.65% | 9,840 | 48.89% | 20,128 |
| Colbert | 14,739 | 59.33% | 9,703 | 39.06% | 401 | 1.61% | 5,036 | 20.27% | 24,843 |
| Conecuh | 3,470 | 49.98% | 3,429 | 49.39% | 44 | 0.63% | 41 | 0.59% | 6,943 |
| Coosa | 3,248 | 58.39% | 2,273 | 40.86% | 42 | 0.76% | 975 | 17.53% | 5,563 |
| Covington | 12,444 | 78.82% | 3,240 | 20.52% | 103 | 0.65% | 9,204 | 58.30% | 15,787 |
| Crenshaw | 4,319 | 68.65% | 1,938 | 30.81% | 34 | 0.54% | 2,381 | 37.84% | 6,291 |
| Cullman | 28,896 | 81.85% | 5,864 | 16.61% | 545 | 1.53% | 23,032 | 65.24% | 35,305 |
| Dale | 13,886 | 71.87% | 5,270 | 27.28% | 164 | 0.85% | 8,616 | 44.59% | 19,320 |
| Dallas | 6,798 | 32.60% | 13,986 | 67.07% | 68 | 0.33% | -7,188 | -34.47% | 20,852 |
| DeKalb | 17,957 | 74.77% | 5,658 | 23.56% | 400 | 1.67% | 12,299 | 51.21% | 24,015 |
| Elmore | 25,777 | 75.12% | 8,301 | 24.19% | 237 | 0.69% | 17,476 | 50.93% | 34,315 |
| Escambia | 9,375 | 63.89% | 5,188 | 35.36% | 111 | 0.76% | 4,187 | 28.53% | 14,674 |
| Etowah | 30,595 | 68.39% | 13,497 | 30.17% | 645 | 1.44% | 17,098 | 38.22% | 44,737 |
| Fayette | 5,883 | 73.93% | 1,994 | 25.06% | 80 | 1.01% | 3,889 | 48.87% | 7,957 |
| Franklin | 8,048 | 68.83% | 3,469 | 29.67% | 176 | 1.51% | 4,579 | 39.16% | 11,693 |
| Geneva | 9,417 | 80.78% | 2,134 | 18.31% | 106 | 0.90% | 7,283 | 62.47% | 11,657 |
| Greene | 876 | 16.51% | 4,408 | 83.09% | 21 | 0.40% | -3,532 | -66.58% | 5,305 |
| Hale | 3,200 | 38.96% | 4,982 | 60.65% | 32 | 0.39% | -1,782 | -21.69% | 8,214 |
| Henry | 5,585 | 64.58% | 3,018 | 34.90% | 45 | 0.52% | 2,567 | 29.68% | 8,648 |
| Houston | 29,254 | 70.09% | 12,225 | 29.29% | 256 | 0.61% | 17,029 | 40.80% | 41,735 |
| Jackson | 14,083 | 67.47% | 6,374 | 30.54% | 417 | 1.99% | 7,709 | 36.93% | 20,874 |
| Jefferson | 149,921 | 47.07% | 166,121 | 52.15% | 2,482 | 0.78% | -16,200 | -5.08% | 318,524 |
| Lamar | 5,419 | 76.59% | 1,614 | 22.81% | 42 | 0.60% | 3,805 | 53.78% | 7,075 |
| Lauderdale | 24,068 | 63.16% | 13,329 | 34.98% | 707 | 1.86% | 10,739 | 28.18% | 38,104 |
| Lawrence | 9,277 | 63.19% | 5,164 | 35.18% | 239 | 1.63% | 4,113 | 28.01% | 14,680 |
| Lee | 32,230 | 59.33% | 21,498 | 39.57% | 597 | 1.09% | 10,732 | 19.76% | 54,325 |
| Limestone | 23,598 | 70.33% | 9,536 | 28.42% | 417 | 1.24% | 14,062 | 41.91% | 33,551 |
| Lowndes | 1,809 | 24.86% | 5,449 | 74.87% | 20 | 0.27% | -3,640 | -50.01% | 7,278 |
| Macon | 1,396 | 12.83% | 9,450 | 86.88% | 31 | 0.29% | -8,054 | -74.05% | 10,877 |
| Madison | 86,965 | 56.88% | 64,117 | 41.93% | 1,817 | 1.19% | 22,848 | 14.95% | 152,899 |
| Marengo | 5,516 | 48.09% | 5,926 | 51.66% | 29 | 0.29% | -410 | -3.57% | 11,471 |
| Marion | 9,536 | 77.18% | 2,600 | 21.04% | 219 | 1.78% | 6,936 | 56.14% | 12,355 |
| Marshall | 25,727 | 77.57% | 7,038 | 21.22% | 401 | 1.21% | 18,689 | 56.35% | 33,166 |
| Mobile | 98,049 | 54.04% | 82,181 | 45.30% | 1,194 | 0.66% | 15,868 | 8.74% | 181,424 |
| Monroe | 6,175 | 54.88% | 5,025 | 44.66% | 52 | 0.46% | 1,150 | 10.22% | 11,252 |
| Montgomery | 42,031 | 40.13% | 62,166 | 59.35% | 546 | 0.52% | -20,135 | -19.22% | 104,743 |
| Morgan | 36,014 | 71.26% | 13,895 | 27.49% | 633 | 1.26% | 22,119 | 43.77% | 50,542 |
| Perry | 1,679 | 27.26% | 4,457 | 72.37% | 23 | 0.37% | -2,778 | -45.11% | 6,159 |
| Pickens | 5,434 | 53.98% | 4,594 | 45.63% | 39 | 0.39% | 840 | 8.35% | 10,067 |
| Pike | 8,004 | 57.36% | 5,879 | 42.13% | 72 | 0.52% | 2,125 | 15.23% | 13,955 |
| Randolph | 7,175 | 69.10% | 3,064 | 29.51% | 145 | 1.39% | 4,111 | 39.59% | 10,384 |
| Russell | 8,705 | 46.02% | 10,085 | 53.32% | 125 | 0.66% | -1,380 | -7.30% | 18,915 |
| Shelby | 69,060 | 76.19% | 20,625 | 22.75% | 958 | 1.06% | 48,435 | 53.44% | 90,643 |
| St. Clair | 27,649 | 81.11% | 6,091 | 17.87% | 348 | 1.02% | 21,558 | 63.24% | 34,088 |
| Sumter | 1,731 | 24.66% | 5,264 | 74.99% | 25 | 0.36% | -3,533 | -50.33% | 7,020 |
| Talladega | 20,112 | 58.80% | 13,779 | 40.28% | 313 | 0.92% | 6,333 | 18.52% | 34,204 |
| Tallapoosa | 13,116 | 67.92% | 6,063 | 31.40% | 132 | 0.68% | 7,053 | 36.52% | 19,311 |
| Tuscaloosa | 45,405 | 57.54% | 32,796 | 41.56% | 711 | 0.90% | 12,609 | 15.98% | 78,912 |
| Walker | 20,722 | 72.32% | 7,420 | 25.90% | 510 | 1.78% | 13,302 | 46.42% | 28,652 |
| Washington | 5,654 | 64.43% | 3,067 | 34.95% | 54 | 0.61% | 2,587 | 29.48% | 8,775 |
| Wilcox | 1,868 | 28.77% | 4,612 | 71.02% | 14 | 0.22% | -2,744 | -42.25% | 6,494 |
| Winston | 8,103 | 80.78% | 1,757 | 17.52% | 171 | 1.71% | 6,346 | 63.26% | 10,031 |
| Totals | 1,266,546 | 60.32% | 813,479 | 38.74% | 19,794 | 0.94% | 453,067 | 21.58% | 2,099,819 |
| Democratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold |
Republican John McCain carried six of the state's seven congressional districts, including two districts that were carried by Democrats.
| District | McCain | Obama | Representative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st |  | 61.01% | 38.38% | Jo Bonner |
| 2nd |  | 63.42% | 36.05% | Terry Everett (110th Congress) |
| Bobby Bright (111th Congress) | ||||
| 3rd |  | 56.21% | 43.04% | Mike D. Rogers |
| 4th |  | 76.32% | 22.48% | Robert Aderholt |
| 5th |  | 60.91% | 37.99% | Bud Cramer (110th Congress) |
| Parker Griffith (111th Congress) | ||||
| 6th |  | 75.91% | 23.28% | Spencer Bachus |
| 7th |  | 27.28% | 72.36% | Artur Davis |
| [23] | ||||
Technically the voters of Alabama cast their ballots for electors: representatives to theElectoral College. Alabama is allocated 9 electors because it has 7congressional districts and 2senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 9 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 9 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.[24] An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as afaithless elector.
The electors of each state and theDistrict 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 9 were pledged toJohn McCain andSarah Palin.[25]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)State and district results of the2008 United States presidential election | ||
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See also:Political party strength in Alabama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
