2008 Florida Republican presidential primary
The 2008 Florida Republican presidential primary was held on January 29, 2008, with 57 delegates at stake on a winner-take-all basis.[1][2] The Republican National Committee removed half of Florida's delegates because the state committee moved its Republican primary before February 5.[1] Arizona Senator John McCain was the winner of the primary. Third-place finisher Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the race the following day.[3]
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
57 pledged delegates to the Republican National Convention All delegates are awarded to the candidate receiving the most votes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Election results by county.
John McCain
Mitt Romney
Mike Huckabee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg.webp)
_(cropped).jpg.webp)
.jpg.webp)
.jpg.webp)
| Elections in Florida |
|---|
 |
 Government |
Campaign
Rudy Giuliani campaigned quite heavily in Florida, which he expected to use as his "launch pad" for a "strong showing" on Super Tuesday.[4] He campaigned almost entirely in Florida, and largely ignored South Carolina and other states voting before February 5. Polls taken before the primary showed that John McCain was the slight front runner over Mitt Romney.[5] Giuliani had been campaigning with virtually no opposition;[6] however, following the South Carolina Republican primary, 2008, several candidates flew down to Florida to begin campaigning up to January 29 when the primary occurred.[7]
Pre-primary polls
As of January 29, RealClearPolitics reported that the average support from polls taken in the days immediately prior to primary day placed McCain slightly in the lead with 30.7%, followed by Romney with 30.1%, Giuliani with 14.7%, Huckabee with 12.9%, and Paul with 3.6%.[8] Fmr. Sen. Fred Thompson and Rep. Duncan Hunter, though already out of the race, still remained on the ballot in the Florida primary.
Results
On January 29, 2008, McCain prevailed in Florida's Republican presidential primary.[9]
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Counties | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McCain | 701,761 | 36% | 45 | 57 |
| Mitt Romney | 604,932 | 31.03% | 18 | 0 |
| Rudy Giuliani | 286,089 | 14.68% | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Huckabee | 262,681 | 13.47% | 4 | 0 |
| Ron Paul | 62,887 | 3.23% | 0 | 0 |
| Fred Thompson* | 22,668 | 1.16% | 0 | 0 |
| Alan Keyes | 4,060 | 0.21% | 0 | 0 |
| Duncan Hunter* | 2,847 | 0.15% | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Tancredo* | 1,573 | 0.08% | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 1,949,498 | 100% | 67 | 57 |
* Candidate dropped out of the race prior to primary.
See also
References
- "The Primary Season: 2008 Republican Calendar". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- "Winner-take-all: Bonus or bust for Giuliani?". Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- "Republican Giuliani ends presidential campaign". January 30, 2008 – via www.reuters.com.
- Knowlton, Brian (2008-01-20). "Candidates Head for Next Battlegrounds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- "With South Carolina win, McCain is front-runner again". Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- Wheaton, Sarah (2008-01-19). "Giuliani and the G.O.P.'s 11th Commandment". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- Holmes, Elizabeth (2008-01-20). "With a Crowded Republican Field, Candidates Set Sights on Florida". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- "Florida Republican Primary Polling". Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- "January 29, 2008 Presidential Preference Republican Primary". Florida Department of State. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-24.