2008 Presidential Election Coverage

Barack Obama has opted out of public financing for the general election stating “the public financing of presidential elections, as it exists today, is broken — and the Republican Party apparatus has mastered the art of gaming this broken system” in his USA Today Op-Ed. John McCain will likely try to make this an […]

The websites, FiveThirtyEight.com and Electoral-Vote.com, are dedicated to predicting the electoral vote outcome of the upcoming presidential election and as of June 17th, both have Barack Obama headed for a 317 to 221 electoral vote win against John McCain.
- FiveThirtyEight.com Electoral Vote Prediction
- Electoral-Vote.com Electoral Vote Prediction

The Christian Science Monitor’s Patchwork Nation project has grouped every US county into one of eleven community types and is following how the political climate develops during the presidential campaign in representative communities. more on the 11 community types below

Patchwork Nation consists of America’s 3,142 counties, divided into 11 community types on the basis […]

Senator Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton to become the Democratic presidential nominee after one of the longest and closest primaries in history. More than 35 million voters took part in this historic election, yet Obama only had a small margin over Clinton (in both delegates and the popular vote).
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Here are a collection of maps highlighting how Obama won. These will no doubt be analyzed in great detail between now and the general election, with John McCain looking to take advantage of Obama’s geographic weaknesses that became apparent during the primary, such as Appalachia and the rural rust belt.

2008 Presidential Election Prediction - 5/22/2008
With the longest and most divisive Democratic primary since 1980, Democratic chances slimmer than the last prediction posted in November. The map below assumes Obama holds all the states Kerry won in 2004 except New Hampshire and picks up Iowa, New Mexico, and Colorado resulting both McCain and Obama […]

Karl Rove, Bush’s political strategist, has been sharing these hypothetical electoral maps recently that show the differences in an Obama/McCain election and a Clinton/McCain election.
Hillary Clinton has been touting these as evidence of her electability and was recently quoted as saying “I found some curious support for that position when one of […]

As of May 22nd, Barack Obama has 1,962 of the 2,025 delegates needed to win and only needs 63 more to be able to declare victory (this may change some after the DNC decides how to seat the Florida and Michigan delegates). Hillary Clinton trails by 187 delegates and does not appear to have any opportunities left to win the required number of delegates to win the nomination.

Senator Barack Obama appears to have clinched the Democratic presidential nomination with his 14 point win in the May 6th North Carolina primary and his narrow loss in Indiana.

Upcoming Primaries

* June 2008 June 1 - Puerto Rico
* June 3 - Montana, South Dakota

North Carolina, like Indiana which also votes May 6th, offers Barack Obama an opportunity to clinch the nomination while also providing Hillary Clinton a final opportunity to cast doubt on Obama’s electability. If Obama beats Clinton in both Indiana and North Carolina on May 6th, then Clinton will be left without a reason to […]

Indiana’s primary on May 6th is a pivotal primary providing Hillary Clinton a final chance to derail Barack Obama’s path to the nomination and offering Barack Obama an opportunity to clinch the nomination. If Obama beats Clinton in both Indiana and North Carolina on May 6th, then Clinton will be left without a reason […]

Senator Hillary Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary with 54.6% of the vote to Senator Barack Obama’s 45.4%. Preliminary results show that Clinton will receive 82 delegates and Obama will receive 73 delegates. Barack Obama currently leads with 1,723 delegates and Hillary Clinton follows with 1,592 delegates (according to the A.P. 4/23 ). For those keeping score, the Democratic nominee is determined by which candidate receives 2,025 delegates and Obama’s lead in delegates appears to be insurmountable.
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Next to vote:
- May 3rd: Guam (9 delegates)
- May 6th: North Carolina (134 delegates) and Indiana (83 delegates)

All eyes are on Pennsylvania as voters go to the polls to cast the first ballots in the Democratic presidential primary in nearly six weeks. News and Maps in the links below. Be sure to check back, as this page will be updated through out the day and night as more news breaks and election results come in.
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- New York Times: Pennsylvania Primary Map
- 538: Pennsylvania Scorecard
- Washington Post: Pennsylvania Political Geography
- The Electoral Map: Pennsylvania Primary Predictions
- Cogitamus: More Pennsylvania Registration Maps

Looking for exit polls for Pennsylvania Democratic Primary exit polls?

* CNN
* CBS
* ABC

Pollster.com has a good summary of how exit polls work.

Electoral-Vote.com has a preview of the 2008 Electoral Map based on recent polling data. Hillary Clinton currently has the edge over Barack Obama in the contest against John McCain as she has a better chance of winning Florida and Ohio.

With Obama as the nominee, the electoral college at the moment is […]

Collection of interesting links and news stories from the past week with a focus on the political and geographic:

358: Pennsylvania Prediction: Clinton to net 12 delegates, 120K popular votes
New York Times: Obama v. Clinton county decision tree based on demographics
Electoral Vote: 2008 Electoral Map based on recent polling: Obama v. […]

USA Today Delegate Tracker

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FiveThirtyEight.com is a new political blog that has a wealth of information on what the 2008 electoral map will look like in November. 538 represents the total number of presidential electors that make up the United States Electoral College and meet every four years to cast the official votes for President of the United […]

Dave Liep’s US Election Atlas recently released some nice maps of the primaries that show not just who won the state, but by how much (a sliding color scale is used). They are interactive and you can zoom in to see the county and congressional district results for individual states.

Democratic Primary Map
Republican Primary Map

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Collection of the most interesting political and geographic news stories from the past week:

US News: In Terms of Geography, Obama Appeals to Academics and Clinton Appeals to Jacksonians
The Electoral Map: Mapping Strategies - How Candidates Use Maps to Imply Electability
The Huffington Post: Throw Out the Rove-era Election Map For November
Tim Russert / […]

The Democratic primary continues with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigning heavily in Pennsylvania, the next state to hold its primary on April 22nd. After Pennsylvania votes the only remaining states to hold primaries are Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana, and South Dakota.
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Since neither candidate appears able to win enough pledged delegates to clinch the nomination, the Democratic nominee will likely be decided by the Democratic party’s superdelegates and both candidates have been trying to make the case that they are the person best able to defeat the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

With wins in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island on March 4th, John McCain has secured enough delegates to clinch the Republican presidential nomination. Mike Huckabee dropped out of the race after McCain gained the 1,191 delegates needed to claim the Republican nomination.
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John McCain started the Republican primary as the front runner, but began to drop in the polls before the first vote had been cast. McCain won the New Hampshire primary, the second state to vote in the presidential campaign, and has been racking up delegates since then.
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The Republicans have now selected their nominee and can begin to prepare for the general election in November, while the Democratic race continues with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton battling for the delegates needed to secure the nomination.

Barack Obama wins Mississippi primary with 60% of the vote compared to Hillary Clinton’s 37%. Barack Obama picked up more delegates with his victory in Mississippi than Clinton did with her “big” wins in Ohio and Texas last week.

Barack Obama defeats Hillary Clinton in the March 8th, Wyoming Democratic Caucus.

Wyoming Democratic Caucus Map from the New York Times

Hillary Clinton and John McCain win the March 4th Texas Primary. Texas is unique in that it hold both a primary and a caucus for the Democratic campaign. While Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary, Barack Obama leads in the Democratic Caucus with 36% reporting.

Hillary Clinton and John McCain win the March 4th Ohio primary. McCain won every county, while Clinton won almost every county, but lost to Obama in Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati.

John McCain and Barack Obama win the Vermont primary. John McCain wins all the counties, while Barack Obama wins all but one.

Google has put together an interactive map of the presidential primary campaign showing each candidate’s wins by state. Use the drop down menu to zoom into to a particular state for more detailed results.

After thirty seven primaries and caucuses in the Democratic presidential race, Barack Obama has emerged as the leader by winning more states and delegates than Hillary Clinton. With 10 back to back wins since Super Tuesday, Barack Obama appears to be the likely Democratic candidate for president. The next primaries will be held on March 4th in Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island, where Hillary Clinton is hoping that wins in the delegate rich states of Ohio and Texas will allow her to regain the lead. Barack Obama has managed to take the delegate lead from Hillary Clinton.
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To win the nomination 2,0258 delegates are needed and currently the Associated Press (A.P.) has Barack Obama leading with 1,351 delegates trailed by Hillary Clinton with 1,262 delegates.

Barack Obama picked up his ninth straight victory over Hillary Clinton in the February 19th Wisconsin primary, while John McCain closed in on the nomination with another win over Mike Huckabee.

In Virginia’s Democratic primary, Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton by nearly a 2 to 1 margin as part of a sweep of the Potomac Primaries held on February 12th in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.

Both McCain and Obama found their support strongest in the East, while Huckabee and Clinton performed best in the West.

In the Democratic Primaries held in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC on February 12th, Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton by wide margins and has taken the delegate lead.

In the Republican Primaries, John McCain swept Mike Huckabee winning all three states making a Huckabee exit eminent.

Thirty two states have held primaries and caucuses, yet Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama remain virtually tied in the Democratic Presidential Primary. To win the nomination 2,0258 delegates are needed and currently the Associated Press (A.P.) has Hillary Clinton leading with 1,147 delegates followed closely by Barack Obama with 1,124 delegates.
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States won by each candidate:
* Hillary Clinton: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee
* Barack Obama: Alaska , Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington
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Upcoming Elections:
Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC go to the polls February 12th.

Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee win the February 9th, 2008 Louisiana Primary.
Democratic Primary: Barack Obama 57%, Hillaray Clinton 33%
Republican Primary: Mike Huckabee 43%, John McCain 41%, Mitt Romney 6%, Ron Paul 5%
Louisiana Primary Map from the New York Times

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Barack Obama and John McCain win the February 9th, 2008 Washington Caucus.
Washington Caucus Results and Map from the New York Times
In the Democratic race, Barack Obama received more than two votes for every vote Hillary Clinton received and took the state by a wide margin.

The Republican race was much closer. John McCain 26%, Mike […]

Barack Obama and John McCain win the Connecticut Presidential Primary.
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Democratic Presidential Primary Results: Barack Obama 51%, Hillary Clinton 47%
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Republican Presidential Primary Results: John McCain 52%, Mitt Romney 33%, Mike Huckabee 7%, and Ron Paul 4%

On Super Tuesday, February 5th, 2008, the presidential primary race went national with 43 Primaries and Caucuses held in 24 states.
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Here is a list of states won by each candidate:.
Hillary Clinton: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee
Barack Obama: Alaska , Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah
John McCain: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma
Mitt Romney: Arkansas, Colorado , Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Utah
Mike Huckabee: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia

Hillary Clinton and John McCain win the February 5th, 2008 California Presidential Primary
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California Republican Primary:
John McCain 42%, Mitt Romney 34%, Mike Huckabee 12%, Rudy Giuliani 5%, Ron Paul 4%, and Fred Thompson 2%
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California Democratic Primary:
Hillary Clinton 52%, Barack Obama 42%, John Edwards 4%, and Dennis Kucinich 0%

Barack Obama and John McCain win Illinois Primary.
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Democratic Presidential Campaign: Barack Obama 65% and Hillary Clinton 33%
Republican Presidential Campaign: John McCain 48%, Mitt Romney 28%, Mike Huckabee 17%, and Ron Paul 5%

Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton win Massachusetts Presidential Primary.
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Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney defeated his Republican challengers statewide, but lost several counties and towns to John McCain, including Boston.
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Senator Hillary Clinton defeated Barack Obama by a wide margin statewide, however Obama received pockets of support around the state and managed to win a few counties and towns, including Boston.
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Republican Presidential Campaign: Mitt Romney 51%, John McCain 41%, Mike Huckabee 4%, and Ron Paul 3%.
Democratic Presidential Campaign: Hillary Clinton 57% and Barack Obama 40%

Hillary Clinton and John McCain win in New York
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Democratic Presidential Campaign: Hillary Clinton 57% and Barack Obama 404%
Republican Presidential Campaign: John McCain 51%, Mitt Romney 28%, Mike Huckabee 11%, and Ron Paul 3%

Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee win in Georgia.
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Democratic Presidential Campaign: Barack Obama 64% and Hillary Clinton 33%
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Republican Presidential Campaign: Mike Huckabee 34%, John McCain 32%, Mitt Romney 30%, and Ron Paul 3%

John McCain and Hillary Clinton win New Jersey Presidential Primary.
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Democratic Presidential Campaign: Hillary Clinton 54% and Barack Obama 44%
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Republican Presidential Campaign: John McCain 56%, Mitt Romney 28%, Mike Huckabee 8%, and Ron Paul 5%

Mike Huckabee won the first Super Tuesday race and picked up all 18 delegates awarded at West Virginia’s state GOP convention. Mike Huckabee received 51.5% of the vote, Mitt Romney 47.4%, and John McCain 1.1%.

A recent post on Daily Kos provides a state by state breakdown of Democratic primaries and caucuses held on Super Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Times’ interactive Primary Tracker contains a state by states breakdown of primary schedules, current polling, and election results.

Hillary Clinton has long been considered a front runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Here is a collection of maps and links covering Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Primary Campaign.

Barack Obama campaign for president has been steadily building momentum and with his recent win in Iowa he now has a serious chance of winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Here is a collection of maps and links covering Barack Obama’s Presidential Primary Campaign.

John McClain and Hillary Clinton Win the January 29th, 2008 Florida Presidential Primary.
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John McCain defeated the other Republican presidential candidates to win the Florida primary and in the process knocked Rudy Giuliani out of the race. Giuliani staked his candidacy on winning Florida and his defeat there means that he will drop out of the race soon. The Republican race is now looking like a two way race between John McCain and Mitt Romney with Super Tuesday less than a week away.

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The Democratic National Committee stripped Florida of it’s delegates and as a result the candidates did not campaign in the sate. Hillary Clinton, the winner of Florida, is lobbying to have Florida’s delegates reinstated.

Here is a collection of maps and links covering Rudy Giuliani’s Presidential Primary Campaign.
1/29/2008 Update: Rudy Giuliani’s unconventional campaign strategy was to skip the early states to focus on Florida. The strategy did not pay off and Giuliani did not win a single county in Florida. Expect him to drop out of the […]

Mitt Romney has proven himself a worthy fundraiser and serious Republican candidate with his win in Wyoming. Romney currently trails John McCain and leads Huckabee heading into the New Hampshire primary.
Here is a collection of maps and links covering Mitt Romney’s Presidential Primary Campaign.
Romney wins Nevada Caucus
Romney Wins Michigan Primary
Slate.com Election Score […]

John McCain
Here is a collection of maps and links covering John McCain’s Presidential Primary Campaign.
McCain wins Florida Primary

McCain Wins South Carolina Primary
McCain Wins New Hampshire Primary
Slate.com Election Score Card as of 12/30/2007 - .

Money Track at Political Base.

New York Times Campaign Finance Map view where the money is coming […]