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| Turnout | 84.61% (of registered voters) 2.56%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district results
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The2008 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
The State ofWashington was won by Democratic nomineeBarack Obama by a 17.2% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safeblue state. No Republican presidential nominee had won the State of Washington sinceRonald Reagan won the state in1984. Continuing on that trend, Washington stayed in the Democratic column as Obama carried the state with nearly 58% of the vote.
As of the2024 presidential election[update], this is the last election in whichSkamania County,Klickitat County, andWahkiakum County voted for the Democratic candidate. This is also the last time the Democrat carried a majority of Washington’s counties. Obama became the first ever Democrat to win theWhite House without carryingFerry County, as well as the first to do so without carryingAsotin County sinceWoodrow Wilson in1912.
The Democratic caucuses were a series of events held by theWashington State Democratic Party to determine the delegates that the Party sent to the2008 Democratic National Convention. Delegates were selected in a four-tier process that began with precinct caucuses, was further refined in legislative district caucuses and/or county conventions, concluded for some delegates in the congressional district caucuses, and finally concluded for the remaining delegates at the state convention.
Washington also held a Democratic primary on February 19, 2008, but the Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.[2]
The Washington State Democratic Party sent a total of 97 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Of those delegates, 78 were pledged and 19 were unpledged. The 78 pledged delegates were allocated (pledged) to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention according to the results of Washington's four-step caucus process. The 19 unpledged delegates were popularly called "superdelegates" because their vote represented their personal decisions, whereas the regular delegates' votes represented the collective decision of many voters. The superdelegates were free to vote for any candidate at the national convention and were selected by the Washington State Democratic Party's officials and the pledged delegates.[3][4]
The 78 pledged delegates were further divided into 51 district delegates and 27 statewide delegates. The 51 district delegates were divided among Washington's 9 congressional districts and were allocated to the presidential candidates based on the caucus results in each district. The 27 statewide delegates were divided into 17 at-large delegates and 10 party leaders and elected officials (abbreviated PLEOs). They were allocated to the presidential candidates at the state convention based on the preference of the 51 district delegates on June 13–15.[3][4]
Of the 19 unpledged delegates, 17 were selected in advance and 2 were selected at the state convention. The delegates selected in advance were 7 Democratic National Committee members, the 2 Democratic U.S. senators from Washington,Maria Cantwell andPatty Murray, the 6 Democratic U.S. representatives from Washington, and the Democratic governor of Washington,Christine Gregoire.[3][4]
The precinct caucuses took place on February 9, 2008. Washington's two senators,Patty Murray andMaria Cantwell, endorsed SenatorHillary Clinton earlier in the nomination season.[5] The week before the caucuses,Washington's governor,Christine Gregoire, endorsed SenatorBarack Obama.[6]
The caucuses were open to all voters who would be 18 years old by November 4, 2008. To vote, participants completed a form with their contact information and candidate preference. The form also asked voters to sign an oath stating: "I declare that I consider myself to be a DEMOCRAT and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2008 Presidential election." In some caucus groups, members split into smaller groups according to the candidate they supported. Voters supporting non-viable candidates had the option of moving into viable groups, and voters in viable groups could change their preference.[7] Unlike other state Democratic Party caucuses, Washington does not require a 15% threshold for allocation of delegates at the precinct level. Rules state that any fractional delegates remaining are awarded to the candidate with the most votes that do not have delegates.
The second tier of the delegate selection process involved choosing 2,000 legislative district delegates (and 1,000 alternates) to send to the congressional district conventions on May 17 and the state convention on June 13–15.[8] There are 49 legislative districts in Washington State. Each district was allocated a certain number of delegates.[9] Delegates were elected at either legislative district caucuses or county conventions. Each ofWashington's 39 counties has a local Democratic Party organization that determined the event at which delegate selection would take place. Most counties chose to select delegates at legislative district caucuses on April 5. The remaining counties selected delegates at sub-caucuses during their county conventions, most of which were held on either April 12 or April 19. The breakdown of events by date is listed below.[10][11]
Legislative district caucuses:
County convention:
County conventions:
County convention:
County conventions:
County convention:
County convention:
County conventions:
Fifty-one delegates were chosen at the nine congressional district caucuses. Each district was allotted a different number of delegates:
Twenty-nine delegates were chosen at the state convention, twenty-seven of which were pledged to vote for a particular candidate. Seventeen of these pledged delegates were "at-large" delegates that did not represent a specific Washington congressional district, and ten were party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs).
Caucus date: February 9, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 0(of 78)
| 2008 Washington Democratic presidential precinct caucuses 96.4% of precincts reporting[12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Precinct delegates | Percentage | Estimated national delegates[7] |
| Barack Obama | 21,768 | 67.56% | 52 |
| Hillary Clinton | 10,038 | 31.15% | 26 |
| Other | 50 | 0.16% | 0 |
| Uncommitted | 364 | 1.13% | 0 |
| Totals | 32,220 | 100.00% | 78 |
The Washington State Democratic Party did not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.[2]
Primary date: February 19, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 0(of 78)
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
| 2008 Washington Democratic presidential primary[13] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Barack Obama | 354,112 | 51.22% | |
| Hillary Clinton | 315,744 | 45.67% | |
| John Edwards | 11,892 | 1.72% | |
| Dennis Kucinich | 4,021 | 0.58% | |
| Bill Richardson | 2,040 | 0.30% | |
| Joe Biden | 1,883 | 0.27% | |
| Mike Gravel | 1,071 | 0.15% | |
| Christopher Dodd | 618 | 0.09% | |
| Totals | 691,381 | 100.00% | |
Dashes indicate districts for which results are unavailable.
Caucus/Convention dates: April 5–26, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 0(of 78)
| Washington Democratic Legislative District Caucuses and County Conventions, 2008 61% of districts reporting | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative District | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Total State Delegates from this LD[9] |
| LD1[14] | 32 | 12 | 44 |
| LD2[15] | 26 | 14 | 40 |
| LD3 | – | – | 33 |
| LD4 | – | – | 38 |
| LD5[16] | 36 | 12 | 48 |
| LD6[17] | 29 | 15 | 44 |
| LD7 | – | – | 34 |
| LD8 | – | – | 33 |
| LD9 | – | – | 33 |
| LD10 | – | – | 43 |
| LD11[18] | 26 | 10 | 36 |
| LD12 | – | – | 31 |
| LD13 | – | – | 28 |
| LD14 | – | – | 27 |
| LD15 | – | – | 26 |
| LD16 | – | – | 28 |
| LD17 | – | – | 39 |
| LD18 | – | – | 44 |
| LD19 | – | – | 38 |
| LD20[19] | 25 | 13 | 38 |
| LD21 | – | – | 40 |
| LD22[20] | 36 | 13 | 49 |
| LD23[21] | 34 | 11 | 45 |
| LD24[22] | 28 | 10 | 47 |
| LD25[23] | 26 | 15 | 41 |
| LD26[24] | 28 | 14 | 42 |
| LD27[25] | 27 | 12 | 39 |
| LD28 | – | – | 34 |
| LD29 | – | – | 30 |
| LD30 | – | – | 35 |
| LD31[26] | 22 | 16 | 38 |
| LD32[27] | 36 | 14 | 50 |
| LD33[28] | 23 | 12 | 35 |
| LD34[29] | 38 | 13 | 51 |
| LD35[30] | 15 | 8 | 41 |
| LD36[31] | 52 | 15 | 67 |
| LD37[31] | 38 | 9 | 47 |
| LD38[32] | 23 | 11 | 34 |
| LD39[33] | 27 | 12 | 39 |
| LD40[34] | 36 | 9 | 47 |
| LD41[35] | 36 | 13 | 49 |
| LD42[36] | 33 | 10 | 43 |
| LD43[37] | 53 | 14 | 67 |
| LD44[38] | 30 | 13 | 43 |
| LD45[39] | 33 | 12 | 45 |
| LD46[40] | 45 | 15 | 60 |
| LD47[41] | 27 | 11 | 38 |
| LD48[42] | 30 | 11 | 41 |
| LD49 | – | – | 38 |
| Totals | 950 | 369 | 2,000 |
| Estimated national delegates | 0 | 0 | 78 |
Caucus date: May 17, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 51(of 78)
| Washington Democratic Congressional District Caucuses, 2008 0% of districts reporting | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congressional District | National Delegates Obama[43] | National Delegates Clinton[44] | National Delegates Total | ||
| CD1[45] | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
| CD2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
| CD3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| CD4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| CD5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| CD6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
| CD7[46] | 7 | 2 | 9 | ||
| CD8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||
| CD9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Totals | 34 | 17 | 51 | ||
Convention date: June 13–15, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 27(of 78)
| 2008 Washington Democratic State Convention[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | At-Large and PLEO delegates | Percentage | National delegates |
| Barack Obama | 18 | 66.67% | 52 |
| Hillary Clinton | 9 | 33.33% | 26 |
| Totals | 27 | 100.00% | 78 |
The Republican caucuses were held on Saturday February 9 and the primary on February 19, 2008, to compete 40 total delegates, of which 18 tied to the caucuses, 19 tied to the primary, and 3 unpledged RNC member delegates.[47]
All following candidates appeared on the ballot for voters inWashington:
Voting in Washington's caucuses closed at 9:00 pmEST February 9.
TheWashington Republican Party declaredJohn McCain the winner on the night of the election, after 87% of the votes were counted.Mike Huckabee disputed the results and accused the state party of calling the election prematurely. He demanded a statewide caucus recount.[48] However, by Tuesday, February 12, the Washington Republicans again declared McCain the winner after 96% of the votes were tallied,[49] and never counted the rest of the votes.[50]
| Candidate | State delegate | Percentage | Delegates | Counties carried |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McCain | 3,228 | 25.9% | 16 | 11 |
| Mike Huckabee | 2,959 | 23.52% | 8 | 11 |
| Ron Paul | 2,740 | 21.64% | 5 | 9 |
| Mitt Romney | 1,903 | 15.45% | 0 | 4 |
| Uncommitted | 1,662 | 13.49% | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 12,320 | 100% | 29 | 37 |
The primary took place on February 19, 2008.
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|
| John McCain | 262,304 | 49.50% | 16 |
| Mike Huckabee | 127,657 | 24.09% | 8 |
| Mitt Romney* | 86,140 | 16.25% | 0 |
| Ron Paul | 40,539 | 7.65% | 5 |
| Rudy Giuliani* | 5,145 | 0.97% | 0 |
| Fred Thompson* | 4,865 | 0.92% | 0 |
| Alan Keyes | 2,226 | 0.42% | 0 |
| Duncan Hunter* | 799 | 0.19% | 0 |
| Total | 529,932 | 100% | 29 |
* Candidate stopped campaign before primary
The following table shows the amount of money eachRepublican Party candidate raised in the state ofWashington.[52]
| Source | Ranking |
|---|---|
| D.C. Political Report[53] | Likely D |
| Cook Political Report[54] | Solid D |
| The Takeaway[55] | Solid D |
| Electoral-vote.com[56] | Solid D |
| Washington Post[57] | Solid D |
| Politico[58] | Solid D |
| RealClearPolitics[59] | Solid D |
| FiveThirtyEight[57] | Solid D |
| CQ Politics[60] | Solid D |
| The New York Times[61] | Solid D |
| CNN[62] | Safe D |
| NPR[57] | Solid D |
| MSNBC[57] | Solid D |
| Fox News[63] | Likely D |
| Associated Press[64] | Likely D |
| Rasmussen Reports[65] | Safe D |
Since February 28, Obama won every pre-election poll. Since September 22, he won each poll with a double-digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged Obama leading 54% to 40%.
McCain raised a total of $2,697,999 in the state. Obama raised $16,518,208.[66]
Obama and his interest groups spent $312,869. McCain and his interest groups spent just $2,264.[67] The Democratic ticket visited the state once, while the Republican ticket did not visit at all.[68]
Washington once leaned Republican, like most of the Pacific Northwest. From1952 to 1984, it only went Democratic twice—in1964 and1968. However, it has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every presidential election since1988. Neither candidate seriously contested the state as it was viewed as a safe blue state. LikeOregon, the state is divided politically by the urban/rural divide and geographically by theCascade Mountains. The two are related in that nearly all of the major cities lie west of the Cascades. Most of the state's population resides in Western Washington along thePacific Coast and in highly urbanized areas likeSeattle. The Seattle area, home to almost two-thirds of the state's population, is overwhelmingly Democratic. The rest of Western Washington leans Democratic as well, though the lean is not as pronounced as in the greater Seattle area. In contrast, Eastern Washington is very rural, and in many ways more similar toIdaho than Seattle. Republicans have had an edge here for many years, in part to its strong tinge ofsocial conservatism. As a result, while Republicans typically win more counties, the overwhelming Democratic trend in the more-heavily populated western portion is enough to swing the whole state to the Democrats.
On Election Day, Obama won the state by 17.18%. Washington was called for Obama as soon as the polls in the state closed. He swept the moreurban counties along the Western Seaboard, which compose the Democratic base. More than two-thirds of the state's population lives in this area; this makes it very difficult for a Republican to win the state because of this region'sliberal tilt. Obama would have been assured a victory in any event due to his performance in the Seattle area. He carriedKing County, home to Seattle itself and its close suburbs and just over a third of the state's population, with 70.30 percent of the vote—almost three-fifths of his statewide majority. Obama also swept the two other big counties in Western Washington,Pierce (home toTacoma) andSnohomish (home toEverett) by decisive margins. His combined majority in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties would have been more than enough to carry the state. McCain only won one county in the western part of the state,Lewis County, traditionally the most socially conservative county west of the Cascades.
On the other hand, McCain did extremely well in Eastern Washington. NeitherAl Gore orJohn Kerry was able to take a single county in Eastern Washington; in 2008, Obama only won one small county,Whitman County, home toWashington State University inPullman. Nevertheless, as with Oregon, McCain's margins in the eastern part of the state were far outweighed by Obama's landslides in the more populated coastal regions and cities in the western part of the state. Obama did, however, improve substantially in Eastern Washington, especially in the region's largest county,Spokane County, home to the city ofSpokane.
During the same election, incumbent DemocraticGovernorChristine Gregoire was reelected to a second term with 53.24% of the vote over RepublicanDino Rossi who took 46.76% in a rematch of theircontroversial race from four years earlier. At the state level, Democrats picked up one seat in theWashington House of Representatives while Republicans picked up a seat in theWashington Senate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barack Obama Joe Biden | 1,750,848 | 57.65% | +4.83% | |
| Republican | John McCain Sarah Palin | 1,229,216 | 40.48% | −5.16% | |
| Independent | Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez | 29,489 | 0.97% | +0.16% | |
| Libertarian | Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root | 12,728 | 0.42% | − | |
| Constitution | Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle | 9,432 | 0.31% | +0.17% | |
| Green | Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente | 3,819 | 0.13% | +0.03% | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Gloria La Riva Eugene Puryear | 705 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Socialist Workers | James Harris Alyson Kennedy | 641 | 0.02% | − | |
| Total votes | 3,036,878 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| County[70] | Barack Obama Democratic | John McCain Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,552 | 31.95% | 3,222 | 66.32% | 84 | 1.73% | -1,670 | -34.38% | 4,858 |
| Asotin | 4,139 | 42.32% | 5,451 | 55.74% | 190 | 1.94% | -1,312 | -13.42% | 9,780 |
| Benton | 26,288 | 36.05% | 45,345 | 62.19% | 1,278 | 1.75% | -19,057 | -26.14% | 72,911 |
| Chelan | 13,781 | 43.12% | 17,605 | 55.09% | 572 | 1.79% | -3,824 | -11.97% | 31,958 |
| Clallam | 19,470 | 50.55% | 18,199 | 47.25% | 850 | 2.21% | 1,271 | 3.30% | 38,519 |
| Clark | 95,356 | 52.17% | 84,212 | 46.08% | 3,196 | 1.75% | 11,144 | 6.10% | 182,764 |
| Columbia | 686 | 30.79% | 1,499 | 67.28% | 43 | 1.93% | -813 | -36.49% | 2,228 |
| Cowlitz | 24,597 | 54.38% | 19,554 | 43.23% | 1,078 | 2.38% | 5,043 | 11.15% | 45,229 |
| Douglas | 5,848 | 38.45% | 9,098 | 59.82% | 263 | 1.73% | -3,250 | -21.37% | 15,209 |
| Ferry | 1,467 | 41.90% | 1,916 | 54.73% | 118 | 3.37% | -449 | -12.82% | 3,501 |
| Franklin | 7,361 | 37.37% | 12,037 | 61.11% | 298 | 1.51% | -4,676 | -23.74% | 19,696 |
| Garfield | 385 | 28.04% | 968 | 70.50% | 20 | 1.46% | -583 | -42.46% | 1,373 |
| Grant | 9,601 | 34.99% | 17,153 | 62.52% | 684 | 2.49% | -7,552 | -27.52% | 27,438 |
| Grays Harbor | 16,354 | 56.04% | 12,104 | 41.47% | 726 | 2.49% | 4,250 | 14.56% | 29,184 |
| Island | 22,058 | 52.32% | 19,426 | 46.08% | 675 | 1.60% | 2,632 | 6.24% | 42,159 |
| Jefferson | 13,252 | 66.29% | 6,330 | 31.66% | 409 | 2.05% | 6,922 | 34.63% | 19,991 |
| King | 648,230 | 70.30% | 259,716 | 28.17% | 14,086 | 1.53% | 388,514 | 42.14% | 922,032 |
| Kitsap | 68,624 | 55.19% | 53,297 | 42.86% | 2,416 | 1.94% | 15,327 | 12.33% | 124,337 |
| Kittitas | 8,030 | 44.94% | 9,471 | 53.01% | 367 | 2.05% | -1,441 | -8.06% | 17,868 |
| Klickitat | 4,965 | 48.85% | 4,944 | 48.64% | 255 | 2.51% | 21 | 0.21% | 10,164 |
| Lewis | 13,624 | 39.26% | 20,278 | 58.43% | 803 | 2.31% | -6,654 | -19.17% | 34,705 |
| Lincoln | 2,032 | 34.00% | 3,803 | 63.63% | 142 | 2.38% | -1,771 | -29.63% | 5,977 |
| Mason | 15,050 | 53.17% | 12,600 | 44.51% | 656 | 2.32% | 2,450 | 8.66% | 28,306 |
| Okanogan | 7,613 | 45.13% | 8,798 | 52.15% | 459 | 2.72% | -1,185 | -7.02% | 16,870 |
| Pacific | 6,094 | 55.72% | 4,555 | 41.65% | 288 | 2.63% | 1,539 | 14.07% | 10,937 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,562 | 39.10% | 3,717 | 56.73% | 273 | 4.17% | -1,155 | -17.63% | 6,552 |
| Pierce | 181,824 | 55.18% | 141,673 | 42.99% | 6,023 | 1.83% | 40,151 | 12.18% | 329,520 |
| San Juan | 7,374 | 70.02% | 2,958 | 28.09% | 199 | 1.89% | 4,416 | 41.93% | 10,531 |
| Skagit | 30,053 | 53.78% | 24,687 | 44.17% | 1,146 | 2.05% | 5,366 | 9.60% | 55,886 |
| Skamania | 2,817 | 51.31% | 2,524 | 45.97% | 149 | 2.71% | 293 | 5.34% | 5,490 |
| Snohomish | 187,294 | 58.47% | 126,722 | 39.56% | 6,317 | 1.97% | 60,572 | 18.91% | 320,333 |
| Spokane | 105,786 | 48.19% | 108,314 | 49.34% | 5,411 | 2.47% | -2,528 | -1.15% | 219,511 |
| Stevens | 8,499 | 38.04% | 13,132 | 58.78% | 710 | 3.18% | -4,633 | -20.74% | 22,341 |
| Thurston | 75,882 | 59.89% | 48,366 | 38.17% | 2,461 | 1.94% | 27,516 | 21.72% | 126,709 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,121 | 48.87% | 1,105 | 48.17% | 68 | 2.96% | 16 | 0.70% | 2,294 |
| Walla Walla | 10,081 | 40.77% | 14,182 | 57.35% | 464 | 1.88% | -4,101 | -16.59% | 24,727 |
| Whatcom | 58,236 | 58.04% | 40,205 | 40.07% | 1,898 | 1.89% | 18,031 | 17.97% | 100,339 |
| Whitman | 9,070 | 51.57% | 8,104 | 46.07% | 415 | 2.36% | 966 | 5.49% | 17,589 |
| Yakima | 33,792 | 43.85% | 41,946 | 54.43% | 1,324 | 1.72% | -8,154 | -10.58% | 77,062 |
| Totals | 1,750,848 | 57.65% | 1,229,216 | 40.48% | 56,814 | 1.87% | 521,632 | 17.18% | 3,036,878 |
Swing by county
Trend relative to the state by county
County flipsDemocratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold
|
Barack Obama carried seven of the state's nine congressional districts, including one district held by a Republican.[71]
| District | McCain | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 35.93% | 62.44% | Jay Inslee |
| 2nd | 42.00% | 55.60% | Rick Larsen |
| 3rd | 45.66% | 52.37% | Brian Baird |
| 4th | 57.84% | 40.30% | Doc Hastings |
| 5th | 51.54% | 45.97% | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| 6th | 40.51% | 57.43% | Norm Dicks |
| 7th | 14.96% | 83.54% | Jim McDermott |
| 8th | 41.83% | 56.62% | Dave Reichert |
| 9th | 39.47% | 58.72% | Adam Smith |
Technically the voters of Washington cast their ballots for electors: representatives to theElectoral College. Washington is allocated 11 electors because it has 9congressional districts and 2senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 11 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and their running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 11 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them.[72] An elector who votes for someone other than their 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 11 were pledged toBarack Obama andJoe Biden:[73]
State and district results of the2008 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |
