2008 United States presidential election in Idaho

The 2008 United States presidential election in Idaho took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Main article: 2008 United States presidential election
2008 United States presidential election in Idaho
November 4, 2008
 
Nominee John McCain Barack Obama
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Arizona Illinois
Running mate Sarah Palin Joe Biden
Electoral vote 4 0
Popular vote 403,012 236,440
Percentage 61.21% 35.91%
County Results
President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

 Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic

Elections in Idaho
Federal government
Presidential elections
Idaho presidential caucuses/primaries
Democratic
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
Republican
2008
2020
United States Senate elections
United States House elections
State government
General elections
Gubernatorial elections
Idaho Legislature elections
Idaho Senate elections
Idaho House elections
Ballot measures
Ballot Measures
Boise
Mayoral elections

Idaho was won by Republican nominee John McCain by a 25.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Polling in the state gave a very comfortable lead to Republican John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama, sometimes by a margin of at least 30% the most being 43%. Idaho was largely considered a safely Republican state, as it has not gone Democratic since being won by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Primaries

Campaign

Predictions

There were 16 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day:

Polling
Main article: Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election: Idaho

McCain won every pre-election poll with a double-digit margin and with at least 52 percent of the vote. The final three poll average gave the Republican 66 percent to Obama}s 29 percent.[14]

Fundraising

Obama raised $874,523. McCain raised $441,338.[15]

Advertising and visits

Obama spent $268. McCain spent $434.[16] Neither campaign visited the state.[17]

Analysis

With a substantial Mormon population, Idaho is one of the most reliably GOP bastions in the country. Although Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate since Michael Dukakis in 1988 to eclipse 35 percent of the vote in solidly red state Idaho,[18] the state was still won handily by John McCain by a margin of approximately 25.34 percent. McCain carried 41 of the state's 44 counties, with Obama winning Blaine County, home to Sun Valley and several other prime ski resorts; Latah County, home to the college town of Moscow, and Teton County, a highly affluent suburb of Teton County, Wyoming, and the last until Joe Biden won it in 2020 United States presidential election in Idaho. Obama was the first Democrat to carry Teton County since Harry S. Truman in 1948.[19] [20] While Obama did not carry Ada County, he did carry the state capital and city of Boise. McCain's victory in Idaho, however, was less than that of George W. Bush who carried the state with 68.38 percent of the vote in 2004, a 12.78-point swing to the Democrats in Idaho.

With 61.21 percent of the popular vote, Idaho proved to be McCain's fourth strongest state in 2008 election after Oklahoma, Wyoming and Utah.[21]

During the same election, Republicans held onto the open U.S. Senate seat vacated by Republican Larry Craig who reluctantly retired after it was revealed that he had solicited a man for sex in the men's restroom at an airport in Minneapolis. Former Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch, a Republican, was elected with 57.65% of the vote over Democrat Larry LaRocco who received 34.11%. A pro-life independent candidate received 5.35 point while Libertarian Kent Marmon received 1.54% and Rex Rammell, a far right-wing candidate who also ran as an Independent, received 1.34%.

At the state level, Republicans expanded their supermajority status in the Idaho state legislature as they picked up one seat in the Idaho House of Representatives.

Results
2008 United States presidential election in Idaho[22]
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 403,012 61.21% 4
Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 236,440 35.91% 0
Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 7,175 1.09% 0
Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 4,747 0.72% 0
Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 3,658 0.56% 0
Write-ins Write-ins 3,340[lower-alpha 1] 0.51% 0
American Independent (Write-in) Alan Keyes (Write-in) Brian Rohrbough 40[lower-alpha 2] 0.01% 0
Green (Write-in) Cynthia McKinney (Write-in) Rosa Clemente 39[lower-alpha 2] 0.01% 0
Socialist (Write-in) Brian Moore (Write-in) Stewart Alexander 3[lower-alpha 2] 0.00% 0
Totals 658,454 100.00% 4
Voter turnout (Voting age population) 60.1%

Results by county
County John Sidney McCain III
Republican		 Barack Hussein Obama
Democratic		 Ralph Nader[23]
Independent		 Charles Obadiah Baldwin[23]
Constitution		 Robert Laurence Barr Jr.[23]
Libertarian		 Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Ada 92,879 51.97% 82,023 45.89% 1,970 1.10% 776 0.43% 1,082 0.61% 10,856 6.07% 178,730
Adams 1,515 65.36% 728 31.41% 36 1.55% 20 0.86% 19 0.82% 787 33.95% 2,318
Bannock 19,356 55.14% 14,792 42.14% 485 1.38% 257 0.73% 215 0.61% 4,564 13.00% 35,105
Bear Lake 2,377 80.77% 502 17.06% 26 0.88% 27 0.92% 11 0.37% 1,875 63.71% 2,943
Benewah 2,646 63.54% 1,407 33.79% 48 1.15% 38 0.91% 25 0.60% 1,239 29.76% 4,164
Bingham 12,230 71.29% 4,424 25.79% 207 1.21% 203 1.18% 91 0.53% 7,806 45.50% 17,155
Blaine 3,439 32.53% 6,947 65.72% 106 1.00% 16 0.15% 63 0.60% -3,508 -33.19% 10,571
Boise 2,433 64.48% 1,240 32.87% 48 1.27% 25 0.66% 27 0.72% 1,193 31.62% 3,773
Bonner 11,145 57.02% 7,840 40.11% 259 1.33% 195 1.00% 108 0.55% 3,305 16.91% 19,547
Bonneville 29,333 70.34% 11,417 27.38% 334 0.80% 362 0.87% 256 0.61% 17,916 42.96% 41,702
Boundary 3,078 65.03% 1,484 31.35% 67 1.42% 77 1.63% 27 0.57% 1,594 33.68% 4,733
Butte 1,056 75.11% 318 22.62% 18 1.28% 7 0.50% 7 0.50% 738 52.49% 1,406
Camas 422 68.28% 187 30.26% 5 0.81% 1 0.16% 3 0.49% 235 38.03% 618
Canyon 42,752 66.54% 20,147 31.36% 639 0.99% 387 0.60% 321 0.50% 22,605 35.19% 64,246
Caribou 2,656 80.44% 553 16.75% 56 1.70% 23 0.70% 14 0.42% 2,103 63.69% 3,302
Cassia 6,309 80.45% 1,332 16.99% 86 1.10% 72 0.92% 43 0.55% 4,977 63.47% 7,842
Clark 305 81.33% 64 17.07% 2 0.53% 3 0.80% 1 0.27% 241 64.27% 375
Clearwater 2,569 65.77% 1,211 31.00% 60 1.54% 35 0.90% 31 0.79% 1,358 34.77% 3,906
Custer 1,704 71.87% 620 26.15% 18 0.76% 17 0.72% 12 0.51% 1,084 45.72% 2,371
Elmore 5,665 67.15% 2,591 30.71% 110 1.30% 37 0.44% 33 0.39% 3,074 36.44% 8,436
Franklin 4,231 83.68% 599 11.85% 48 0.95% 141 2.79% 37 0.73% 3,632 71.84% 5,056
Fremont 4,700 79.93% 1,065 18.11% 46 0.78% 44 0.75% 25 0.43% 3,635 61.82% 5,880
Gem 5,585 70.28% 2,166 27.26% 112 1.41% 52 0.65% 32 0.40% 3,419 43.02% 7,947
Gooding 3,764 69.88% 1,485 27.57% 75 1.39% 35 0.65% 27 0.50% 2,279 42.31% 5,386
Idaho 5,895 72.54% 1,935 23.81% 77 0.95% 166 2.04% 54 0.66% 3,960 48.73% 8,127
Jefferson 8,534 81.79% 1,641 15.73% 72 0.69% 138 1.32% 49 0.47% 6,893 66.06% 10,434
Jerome 4,897 69.69% 1,974 28.09% 74 1.05% 36 0.51% 46 0.65% 2,923 41.60% 7,027
Kootenai 38,387 61.98% 22,120 35.72% 592 0.96% 565 0.91% 268 0.43% 16,267 26.27% 61,932
Latah 7,984 45.09% 9,191 51.91% 199 1.12% 204 1.15% 128 0.72% -1,207 -6.82% 17,706
Lemhi 2,938 76.55% 796 20.74% 28 0.73% 44 1.15% 32 0.83% 2,142 55.81% 3,838
Lewis 1,275 70.68% 479 26.55% 20 1.11% 23 1.27% 7 0.39% 796 44.12% 1,804
Lincoln 1,232 65.88% 545 29.14% 77 4.12% 10 0.53% 6 0.32% 687 36.74% 1,870
Madison 11,120 85.24% 1,625 12.46% 81 0.62% 151 1.16% 69 0.53% 9,495 72.78% 13,046
Minidoka 5,085 73.86% 1,627 23.63% 79 1.15% 52 0.76% 42 0.61% 3,458 50.23% 6,885
Nez Perce 10,357 58.11% 7,123 39.97% 189 1.06% 82 0.46% 72 0.40% 3,234 18.15% 17,823
Oneida 1,724 79.74% 381 17.62% 11 0.51% 27 1.25% 19 0.88% 1,343 62.12% 2,162
Owyhee 3,024 74.52% 944 23.26% 37 0.91% 29 0.71% 24 0.59% 2,080 51.26% 4,058
Payette 5,988 69.52% 2,415 28.04% 105 1.22% 66 0.77% 39 0.45% 3,573 41.48% 8,613
Power 1,754 61.72% 1,027 36.14% 28 0.99% 13 0.46% 20 0.70% 727 25.58% 2,842
Shoshone 2,953 52.12% 2,521 44.49% 111 1.96% 42 0.74% 39 0.69% 432 7.62% 5,666
Teton 2,263 48.58% 2,302 49.42% 61 1.31% 13 0.28% 19 0.41% -39 -0.84% 4,658
Twin Falls 19,032 67.15% 8,621 30.42% 358 1.26% 181 0.64% 152 0.54% 10,411 36.73% 28,344
Valley 2,750 52.25% 2,394 45.49% 65 1.24% 21 0.40% 33 0.63% 356 6.76% 5,263
Washington 3,168 70.31% 1,241 27.54% 41 0.91% 28 0.62% 28 0.62% 1,927 42.77% 4,506
Totals403,01261.21%236,44035.91%7,1751.09%4,7470.72%3,6580.56%166,57225.30%658,372[lower-alpha 3]

By congressional district

John McCain solidly swept both Idaho's congressional districts.

District McCain Obama Representative
1st 61.82% 35.88% Bill Sali (110th Congress)
Walt Minnick (111th Congress)
2nd 61.19% 36.34% Mike Simpson


Electors
Main article: List of 2008 United States presidential electors

Technically the voters of Idaho cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Idaho is allocated four electors because it has two congressional districts and two senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of four 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 four 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 a faithless elector.

The electors of each state and the District 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 four were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin:[25]

  1. Darlene Bramon
  2. Ben Doty
  3. John Erickson
  4. Melinda Smyser

Notes
  1. These scattered write-in votes were not separated by county.[23]
  2. None of these designated write-in candidate votes were separated by county.[23]
  3. This total includes 3.658 votes for various write-in candidates that were not separated by county but given only as a statewide total.[23]

References
  1. "D.C.'s Political Report: The complete source for campaign summaries". Archived from the original on 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  2. Presidential | The Cook Political Report Archived May 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Adnaan (2008-09-20). "Track the Electoral College vote predictions". The Takeaway. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
  4. Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily
  5. Based on Takeaway
  6. POLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map – POLITICO.com
  7. RealClearPolitics – Electoral Map
  8. CQ Politics | CQ Presidential Election Maps, 2008 Archived June 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Electoral College Map". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  10. "October – 2008 – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs". CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  11. "Winning the Electoral College". Fox News. 2010-04-27.
  12. roadto270
  13. Election 2008: Electoral College Update – Rasmussen Reports™
  14. Election 2008 Polls – Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
  15. "Presidential Campaign Finance". Archived from the original on 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  16. "Map: Campaign Ad Spending – Election Center 2008 from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  17. "Map: Campaign Candidate Visits – Election Center 2008 from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  18. 1988 Presidential General Election Results – Idaho
  19. The Political Graveyard; Teton County, Idaho
  20. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-idaho.html
  21. "2008 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  22. "Atlas of U.S. Presidential Election Results 2008 – Idaho". Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  23. Our Campaigns; ID US President Race, November 04, 2008
  24. "Electoral College". California Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  25. U. S. Electoral College 2008 Election – Certificates
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