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Apresidential election was held inIndiana 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.
Indiana was won by Democratic nomineeBarack Obama by 28,391 votes, a 1.03% margin of victory. Prior to the election, major news organizations considered the state as leaning toward Republican nomineeJohn McCain or as a toss-up. On election day, Obama narrowly carried Indiana, which marked what is to date the last time aDemocratic presidential nominee has won Indiana.
As of the2024 presidential election[update], this is the last time that the Democratic nominee won any of the following counties:Madison,Spencer,Starke,Vanderburgh, andVermillion, and the last time the state was decided by a single digit margin. Obama's 1,374,039 votes is the most received by a Democratic presidential candidate in the state's history. While both states went to the Democratic nominee, Indiana voted more Democratic in this election thanNorth Carolina, a modern-day swing state whereas Indiana would return to its Republican roots just four years later. Indiana also voted more Democratic thanMissouri did Republican, even though Obama would go on to lose Missouri by nearly 10 percentage points in the very next election. This was also the last time the state voted for the winner of the national popular vote until2024.
On May 6, 2008, Indiana held its presidential primaries:
There were 16 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Their last predictions before election day were:
| Source | Ranking |
|---|---|
| D.C. Political Report[1] | Likely R |
| Cook Political Report[2] | Toss-up |
| The Takeaway[3] | Lean R |
| Electoral-vote.com[4] | Lean R |
| Washington Post[5] | Lean R |
| Politico[6] | Lean R |
| RealClearPolitics[7] | Toss-up |
| FiveThirtyEight[5] | Lean R |
| CQ Politics[8] | Toss-up |
| The New York Times[9] | Toss-up |
| CNN[10] | Toss-up |
| NPR[5] | Lean R |
| MSNBC[5] | Toss-up |
| Fox News[11] | Toss-up |
| Associated Press[12] | Toss-up |
| Rasmussen Reports[13] | Toss-up |
Pre-election polling was always tight, although McCain generally had a slight lead in 3 poll averages throughout the entire general election, including the final weeks of the election.Rasmussen Reports never had Obama winning a state poll. In the last opinion polling before the election, conducted byPublic Policy Polling (October 31-November 2, 2008),Barack Obama ledJohn McCain 49% to 48%. The final 3 poll average gave McCain the lead 49% to 46%, with undecided voters deciding the election.[14]
John McCain raised a total of $1,758,471 in the state. Barack Obama raised $3,400,475.[15]
Obama massively outspent McCain in this state. Obama and his interest groups spent $17,796,704. McCain and his interest groups spent $3,160,264.[16] The Democratic ticket visited this state 8 times. The Republican ticket visited 5 times.[17]
Historically, Indiana has been the mostRepublican state in the Great Lakes region. However, polling in September and October showed that Indiana was possibly turning into aswing state in 2008.George W. Bush easily captured Indiana's 11 electoral votes in2004, defeating DemocratJohn Kerry by more than 20%. In contrast, most polls from the summer of 2008 onward showed only single-digit margins.[18]
The race was as close as expected. Indiana's polls closed at 6 p.m. local time. The state has often been among the first to be called for the Republican candidate; in 2004, for instance, the state was called for Bush almost as soon as the polls in theCentral Time Zone portion of the state closed.[19] However, the race for the state was too close to call at 6pm, sending an early signal of potential upset to voters throughout the rest of the country. Indiana still had not been decided when most media outlets declared Obama president-elect at 11 p.m.Eastern time. Indiana was finally called for Senator Obama at around 6 a.m. Eastern on November 5. Ultimately, Obama ended up carrying Indiana with 1,374,039 votes toJohn McCain's 1,345,648 votes, a difference of 28,391 votes (approximately 1.03% of the total votes cast). The Libertarian candidate polled 29,257 votes - more than the margin of Obama's win. The result was widely seen as an upset considering Indiana's status as atraditionally Republican state. Obama won the contest with a mixture of excellent ground game and internet-powered outreach to potential voters. The efficient use of social media on a scale never seen before in presidential politics also played a role.
At the same time as Obama captured Indiana's 11 electoral votes, incumbent RepublicanGovernorMitch Daniels wasreelected to a second term with 57.84% of the vote over DemocratJill Long Thompson who received 40.04%.Libertarian Andy Horning received 2.12%. At the state level, Democrats picked up one seat in theIndiana House of Representatives.
After 2008, Indiana quickly returned to being a solidly red state, voting Republican by double-digit margins in every presidential election since. This set it apart fromVirginia andNorth Carolina, the other two states that Obama was the first Democrat to win in several decades. Although, this was also the last election that the Democratic nominee heavily invested or even campaigned in Indiana to this extent. Virginia continued to vote Democratic in presidential elections and to become increasingly Democratic at the state level as well. North Carolina returned to supporting Republican candidates in subsequent elections, but only by relatively narrow margins, with it being considered a key battleground in every presidential election thereafter.
Obama won only 15 ofIndiana's counties compared to 77 for McCain.[20] However those 15 counties make up 44% of the state's population. Obama carried the state largely by trouncing McCain inMarion County, home to increasingly DemocraticIndianapolis, by over 106,000 votes. Kerry narrowly won Marion County in 2004; prior to that it last supported a Democrat in 1964. Obama also won inVigo County, home toTerre Haute and a notedbellwether; it had voted for the winner of every presidential election all but twice since 1892 (the streak ended in2020).[21] Not a single county in Indiana voted more Republican in the 2008 election than in 2004. Although Obama lostAllen County, home to Indiana's second largest city,Fort Wayne, by four points, he won in Fort Wayne city proper by 6 points. Nevertheless, Obama became the first Democrat sinceMartin Van Buren in1836 to win the White House without carryingScott County in Southern Indiana.
Obama also dominatedGary and northwestern Indiana, traditionally the most Democratic region of the state. Many of the voters in this area already knew Obama, as this region makes up most of the Indiana side of theChicago metropolitan area and the Chicago media market; Obama is from Chicago and has aired ads here for over a decade (dating to his tenure in theIllinois Senate). He also did very well in counties wherecolleges and universities are located, includingSt. Joseph (home toSouth Bend andNotre Dame), Vigo (home to Terre Haute andIndiana State University,Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology, andSaint Mary-of-the-Woods College)Monroe (home toBloomington andIU),Delaware (home toMuncie andBall State),Tippecanoe (home toWest Lafayette andPurdue), andPorter (home toValparaiso andValparaiso University).[22]
McCain dominated Indianapolis's traditionally heavily Republican suburbs, although Obama reduced the Republican margin from past presidential elections.[23] McCain also did well in traditionally DemocraticSouthern Indiana. Obama only managed to win three counties in this region, one of which wasVanderburgh County, where the city ofEvansville is located.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barack H. Obama andJoseph R. Biden Jr. | 1,374,039 | 49.95% | +10.59% | |
| Republican | John S. McCain andSarah Palin | 1,345,648 | 48.91% | −11.13% | |
| Libertarian | Bob Barr | 29,257 | 1.06% | +0.36% | |
| Other | Write-ins | 2,110 | 0.08% | — | |
| Total votes | 2,751,054 | 100.00% | |||
| Turnout | 58.8% | ||||
| County | Barack Obama Democratic | John McCain Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 4,928 | 36.40% | 8,404 | 62.07% | 207 | 1.53% | -3,476 | -25.67% | 13,539 |
| Allen | 71,263 | 47.34% | 77,793 | 51.67% | 1,491 | 0.99% | -6,530 | -4.33% | 150,547 |
| Bartholomew | 13,567 | 43.64% | 17,067 | 54.90% | 455 | 1.46% | -3,500 | -11.26% | 31,089 |
| Benton | 1,563 | 40.95% | 2,183 | 57.19% | 71 | 1.86% | -620 | -16.24% | 3,817 |
| Blackford | 2,677 | 49.12% | 2,690 | 49.36% | 83 | 1.53% | -13 | -0.24% | 5,450 |
| Boone | 9,752 | 36.54% | 16,622 | 62.27% | 318 | 1.19% | -6,870 | -25.73% | 26,692 |
| Brown | 3,854 | 47.85% | 4,060 | 50.40% | 141 | 1.75% | -206 | -2.55% | 8,055 |
| Carroll | 3,736 | 42.77% | 4,858 | 55.61% | 142 | 1.62% | -1,122 | -12.84% | 8,736 |
| Cass | 7,011 | 44.79% | 8,346 | 53.32% | 296 | 1.89% | -1,335 | -8.53% | 15,653 |
| Clark | 21,953 | 45.85% | 25,326 | 52.89% | 605 | 1.27% | -3,373 | -7.04% | 47,884 |
| Clay | 4,954 | 43.48% | 6,267 | 55.00% | 174 | 1.52% | -1,313 | -11.52% | 11,395 |
| Clinton | 5,307 | 42.79% | 6,919 | 55.79% | 175 | 1.41% | -1,612 | -13.00% | 12,401 |
| Crawford | 2,286 | 48.19% | 2,393 | 50.44% | 65 | 1.37% | -107 | -2.25% | 4,744 |
| Daviess | 3,370 | 31.83% | 7,098 | 67.05% | 118 | 1.12% | -3,728 | -35.22% | 10,586 |
| Dearborn | 7,123 | 32.06% | 14,886 | 67.00% | 208 | 0.94% | -7,763 | -34.94% | 22,217 |
| Decatur | 3,892 | 37.06% | 6,449 | 61.40% | 162 | 1.54% | -2,557 | -24.34% | 10,503 |
| DeKalb | 7,175 | 41.78% | 9,780 | 56.95% | 219 | 1.26% | -2,605 | -15.17% | 17,174 |
| Delaware | 28,384 | 56.80% | 20,916 | 41.85% | 676 | 1.36% | 7,468 | 14.95% | 49,976 |
| Dubois | 8,748 | 47.05% | 9,526 | 51.23% | 319 | 1.72% | -778 | -4.18% | 18,593 |
| Elkhart | 31,398 | 43.83% | 39,396 | 55.00% | 840 | 1.17% | -7,998 | -11.17% | 71,634 |
| Fayette | 4,389 | 46.30% | 4,917 | 51.87% | 173 | 1.82% | -528 | -5.57% | 9,479 |
| Floyd | 16,263 | 44.35% | 19,957 | 54.43% | 447 | 1.21% | -3,694 | -10.08% | 36,667 |
| Fountain | 3,094 | 41.66% | 4,158 | 55.99% | 174 | 2.35% | -1,064 | -14.33% | 7,426 |
| Franklin | 3,404 | 31.99% | 7,018 | 65.95% | 220 | 2.06% | -3,614 | -33.96% | 10,642 |
| Fulton | 3,702 | 41.11% | 5,147 | 57.15% | 157 | 1.74% | -1,445 | -16.04% | 9,006 |
| Gibson | 6,455 | 42.57% | 8,449 | 55.72% | 260 | 1.72% | -1,994 | -13.15% | 15,164 |
| Grant | 11,293 | 42.87% | 14,734 | 55.93% | 317 | 1.20% | -3,441 | -13.06% | 26,344 |
| Greene | 5,709 | 41.82% | 7,691 | 56.34% | 250 | 1.83% | -1,982 | -14.52% | 13,650 |
| Hamilton | 49,704 | 38.45% | 78,401 | 60.64% | 1,174 | 0.91% | -28,697 | -22.19% | 129,279 |
| Hancock | 11,874 | 34.67% | 22,008 | 64.25% | 371 | 1.08% | -10,134 | -29.58% | 34,253 |
| Harrison | 7,288 | 40.10% | 10,551 | 58.06% | 335 | 1.84% | -3,263 | -17.96% | 18,174 |
| Hendricks | 24,548 | 37.73% | 39,728 | 61.07% | 778 | 1.20% | -15,180 | -23.34% | 65,054 |
| Henry | 10,059 | 47.18% | 10,896 | 51.11% | 364 | 1.70% | -837 | -3.93% | 21,319 |
| Howard | 17,871 | 46.02% | 20,248 | 52.14% | 714 | 1.84% | -2,377 | -6.12% | 38,833 |
| Huntington | 5,843 | 35.72% | 10,291 | 62.91% | 223 | 1.36% | -4,448 | -27.19% | 16,357 |
| Jackson | 7,354 | 42.17% | 9,726 | 55.77% | 360 | 2.07% | -2,372 | -13.60% | 17,440 |
| Jasper | 5,044 | 39.06% | 7,669 | 59.39% | 200 | 1.54% | -2,625 | -20.33% | 12,913 |
| Jay | 3,748 | 45.03% | 4,401 | 52.88% | 174 | 2.09% | -653 | -7.85% | 8,323 |
| Jefferson | 6,255 | 46.30% | 7,053 | 52.21% | 202 | 1.50% | -798 | -5.91% | 13,510 |
| Jennings | 5,312 | 44.87% | 6,261 | 52.88% | 266 | 2.24% | -949 | -8.01% | 11,839 |
| Johnson | 21,553 | 36.66% | 36,487 | 62.07% | 746 | 1.26% | -14,934 | -25.41% | 58,786 |
| Knox | 7,569 | 46.08% | 8,639 | 52.60% | 216 | 1.31% | -1,070 | -6.52% | 16,424 |
| Kosciusko | 9,236 | 30.60% | 20,488 | 67.87% | 461 | 1.53% | -11,252 | -37.27% | 30,185 |
| LaGrange | 3,663 | 38.42% | 5,702 | 59.80% | 170 | 1.78% | -2,039 | -21.38% | 9,535 |
| Lake | 139,301 | 66.64% | 67,742 | 32.41% | 1,996 | 0.95% | 71,559 | 34.23% | 209,039 |
| LaPorte | 28,258 | 60.10% | 17,918 | 38.11% | 842 | 1.79% | 10,340 | 21.99% | 47,018 |
| Lawrence | 7,208 | 38.89% | 11,018 | 59.45% | 308 | 1.66% | -3,810 | -20.56% | 18,534 |
| Madison | 30,152 | 52.49% | 26,403 | 45.96% | 889 | 1.55% | 3,749 | 6.53% | 57,444 |
| Marion | 241,987 | 63.67% | 134,313 | 35.34% | 3,790 | 1.00% | 107,674 | 28.33% | 380,090 |
| Marshall | 7,889 | 42.48% | 10,406 | 56.03% | 276 | 1.48% | -2,517 | -13.55% | 18,571 |
| Martin | 1,706 | 34.80% | 3,122 | 63.68% | 75 | 1.53% | -1,416 | -28.88% | 4,903 |
| Miami | 5,564 | 39.30% | 8,312 | 58.72% | 280 | 1.98% | -2,748 | -19.42% | 14,156 |
| Monroe | 41,450 | 65.39% | 21,118 | 33.32% | 819 | 1.29% | 20,332 | 32.07% | 63,387 |
| Montgomery | 6,013 | 39.34% | 9,060 | 59.27% | 212 | 1.39% | -3,047 | -19.93% | 15,285 |
| Morgan | 10,330 | 35.85% | 18,129 | 62.92% | 352 | 1.22% | -7,799 | -27.07% | 28,811 |
| Newton | 2,625 | 43.36% | 3,301 | 54.53% | 128 | 2.12% | -676 | -11.17% | 6,054 |
| Noble | 7,064 | 41.54% | 9,673 | 56.88% | 270 | 1.58% | -2,609 | -15.34% | 17,007 |
| Ohio | 1,158 | 39.68% | 1,713 | 58.70% | 47 | 1.61% | -555 | -19.02% | 2,918 |
| Orange | 3,390 | 41.81% | 4,536 | 55.94% | 182 | 2.24% | -1,146 | -14.13% | 8,108 |
| Owen | 3,570 | 43.70% | 4,415 | 54.04% | 185 | 2.26% | -845 | -10.34% | 8,170 |
| Parke | 2,924 | 41.83% | 3,909 | 55.92% | 157 | 2.25% | -985 | -14.09% | 6,990 |
| Perry | 5,141 | 60.55% | 3,202 | 37.71% | 147 | 1.73% | 1,939 | 22.84% | 8,490 |
| Pike | 2,700 | 44.79% | 3,221 | 53.43% | 107 | 1.78% | -521 | -8.64% | 6,028 |
| Porter | 39,178 | 52.77% | 33,857 | 45.60% | 1,211 | 1.63% | 5,321 | 7.17% | 74,246 |
| Posey | 5,828 | 45.63% | 6,804 | 53.28% | 139 | 1.09% | -976 | -7.65% | 12,771 |
| Pulaski | 2,466 | 41.35% | 3,388 | 56.81% | 110 | 1.84% | -922 | -15.46% | 5,964 |
| Putnam | 6,334 | 43.16% | 8,086 | 55.10% | 255 | 1.74% | -1,752 | -11.94% | 14,675 |
| Randolph | 4,839 | 44.71% | 5,788 | 53.48% | 195 | 1.81% | -949 | -8.77% | 10,822 |
| Ripley | 4,187 | 34.22% | 7,794 | 63.71% | 253 | 2.08% | -3,607 | -29.49% | 12,234 |
| Rush | 3,229 | 42.33% | 4,271 | 55.98% | 129 | 1.69% | -1,042 | -13.65% | 7,629 |
| Scott | 4,271 | 47.80% | 4,445 | 49.75% | 219 | 2.45% | -174 | -1.95% | 8,935 |
| Shelby | 6,987 | 39.69% | 10,333 | 58.70% | 282 | 1.60% | -3,346 | -19.01% | 17,602 |
| Spencer | 5,039 | 49.42% | 5,001 | 49.05% | 156 | 1.53% | 38 | 0.37% | 10,196 |
| St. Joseph | 68,710 | 57.87% | 48,510 | 40.85% | 1,519 | 1.28% | 20,200 | 17.02% | 118,739 |
| Starke | 4,778 | 50.41% | 4,473 | 47.19% | 228 | 2.41% | 305 | 3.22% | 9,479 |
| Steuben | 6,284 | 44.29% | 7,674 | 54.09% | 230 | 1.62% | -1,390 | -9.80% | 14,188 |
| Sullivan | 4,284 | 48.78% | 4,343 | 49.45% | 155 | 1.76% | -59 | -0.67% | 8,782 |
| Switzerland | 1,638 | 45.00% | 1,940 | 53.30% | 62 | 1.70% | -302 | -8.30% | 3,640 |
| Tippecanoe | 37,781 | 55.05% | 29,822 | 43.45% | 1,033 | 1.50% | 7,959 | 11.60% | 68,636 |
| Tipton | 3,250 | 41.46% | 4,452 | 56.80% | 136 | 1.73% | -1,202 | -15.34% | 7,838 |
| Union | 1,224 | 36.48% | 2,061 | 61.43% | 70 | 2.09% | -837 | -24.95% | 3,355 |
| Vanderburgh | 39,423 | 50.60% | 37,512 | 48.15% | 978 | 1.26% | 1,911 | 2.45% | 77,913 |
| Vermillion | 4,003 | 56.10% | 3,010 | 42.19% | 122 | 1.71% | 993 | 13.91% | 7,135 |
| Vigo | 25,040 | 57.06% | 18,121 | 41.29% | 723 | 1.65% | 6,919 | 15.77% | 43,884 |
| Wabash | 5,456 | 39.27% | 8,238 | 59.30% | 198 | 1.43% | -2,782 | -20.03% | 13,892 |
| Warren | 1,755 | 43.90% | 2,166 | 54.18% | 77 | 1.93% | -411 | -10.28% | 3,998 |
| Warrick | 12,329 | 42.93% | 16,013 | 55.75% | 379 | 1.32% | -3,684 | -12.82% | 28,721 |
| Washington | 4,562 | 40.19% | 6,519 | 57.43% | 271 | 2.38% | -1,957 | -17.24% | 11,352 |
| Wayne | 13,459 | 46.99% | 14,558 | 50.83% | 624 | 2.18% | -1,099 | -3.84% | 28,641 |
| Wells | 4,403 | 33.64% | 8,504 | 64.98% | 181 | 1.38% | -4,101 | -31.34% | 13,088 |
| White | 4,839 | 44.78% | 5,731 | 53.04% | 235 | 2.17% | -892 | -8.26% | 10,805 |
| Whitley | 5,862 | 38.55% | 9,124 | 59.99% | 222 | 1.46% | -3,262 | -21.44% | 15,208 |
| Totals | 1,374,039 | 49.84% | 1,345,648 | 48.81% | 36,971 | 1.34% | 28,391 | 1.03% | 2,756,658 |
| Democratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold |
Although Barack Obama narrowly won the state and its 11 electoral votes, John McCain carried six of nine congressional districts in Indiana, including two held by Democrats.[25]
| District | McCain | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 37.38% | 61.76% | Pete Visclosky |
| 2nd | 44.72% | 54.10% | Joe Donnelly |
| 3rd | 56.22% | 42.84% | Mark Souder |
| 4th | 55.92% | 43.01% | Steve Buyer |
| 5th | 58.84% | 40.24% | Dan Burton |
| 6th | 52.46% | 46.18% | Mike Pence |
| 7th | 28.35% | 70.89% | André Carson |
| 8th | 51.32% | 47.42% | Brad Ellsworth |
| 9th | 50.26% | 48.50% | Baron Hill |
Technically the voters of Indiana cast their ballots for electors: representatives to theElectoral College. Indiana 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 his or her running mate. Whoever wins a plurality 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.[26] 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 11 were pledged toBarack Obama andJoe Biden:[27]
State and district results of the2008 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |
