United States presidential election in Hawaii, 2008

United States presidential election in Hawaii, 2008

November 4, 2008
Nominee Barack Obama John McCain Party Democratic Republican Home state Illinois Arizona Running mate Joe Biden Sarah Palin Electoral vote 4 0 Popular vote 325,871 120,566 Percentage 71.85% 26.58%
County Results Obama   60-70%   70-80%
President before election George W. Bush Republican Elected President Barack Obama Democratic

Elections in Hawaii
Federal government Presidential elections 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Presidential caucuses Democratic 2008 Republican 2008 2012 U.S. Senate elections 1976 1982 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 U.S. House elections 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Special elections Senate, 1990 2nd district, 2002-2003 1st district, 2010 Senate, 2014
State government Gubernatorial elections 1959 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 State Senate elections 2012 State House of Representatives elections 2012
Ballot measures 1998 Amendment 2
Honolulu Mayoral elections 2010 2012 2016

The 2008 United States presidential election in Hawaii took place on November 4, 2008 throughout all 50 states and D.C., which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 4 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.

Hawaii, the state where Barack Obama was born, gave him 71.9% of the vote with a 45.3% margin of victory in 2008. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safe blue state. Hawaii has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1988. Obama's margin of victory in this state is only surpassed by that of the District of Columbia and is the only actual state that gave either candidate more than 70% of the vote. Turnout here was much higher than previous elections.

Caucuses

• Hawaii Democratic caucuses, 2008
• Hawaii Republican caucuses, 2008

Campaign

Predictions

There were 17 news organizations who made state by state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day:

1. D.C. Political Report: Democrat^[1]
2. Cook Political Report: Solid Democrat^[2]
3. Takeaway: Solid Obama^[3]
4. Election Projection: Solid Obama^[4]
5. Electoral-vote.com: Strong Democrat^[5]
6. Washington Post: Solid Obama^[6]
7. Politico: Solid Obama^[7]
8. Real Clear Politics: Solid Obama^[8]
9. FiveThirtyEight.com: Solid Obama^[6]
10. CQ Politics: Safe Democrat^[9]
11. New York Times: Solid Democrat^[10]
12. CNN: Safe Democrat^[11]
13. NPR: Solid Obama^[6]
14. MSNBC: Solid Obama^[6]
15. Fox News: Democrat^[12]
16. Associated Press: Democrat^[13]
17. Rasmussen Reports: Safe Democrat^[14]

Polling

Just 3 pre-election polls were ever taken in the state, averaging Obama at 64% to McCain at 30%.^[15]

Fundraising

Obama raised $3,098,395. McCain raised $424,368.^[16]

Advertising and visits

Obama spent $113,838 while a conservative interest group spent $31.^[17] Obama visited the state once.^[18]

Analysis

One of the most reliably blue states in the nation, Hawaii has only voted for two Republican candidates since statehood, both in national Republican landslides--Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984. A large concentration of Asian Americans makes the state very favorable to the Democrats. Although moderate Republicans occasionally win at the state level—for instance, then-Governor Linda Lingle and Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona were both Republicans—Hawaii has long been reckoned as a Democratic stronghold.

It came as something of a surprise in 2004 when John Kerry only carried Hawaii with 53 percent of the vote. However, the state reverted to form in dramatic fashion in 2008, with Barack Obama (who was born in Hawaii) winning the state in a landslide over Republican John McCain. During the same election, Democrats picked up one seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives and two seats in the Hawaii Senate, giving them a super-majority in the Hawaii state legislature with 45 out of 51 seats in the Hawaii House and 23 out of 25 seats in the Hawaii Senate.

Results

Results breakdown

By county

By congressional district

Barack Obama swept both of Hawaii’s two congressional districts easily.

Electors

Technically the voters of Hawaii cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Hawaii is allocated 4 electors because it has 2 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 4 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 4 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.^[19] 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 4 were pledged to Barack Obama and Joe Biden:^[20]

1. Joy Kobashigawa
2. Marie Dolores
3. Amefil Agbayani
4. Frances K. Kagawa

See also

References