2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries

2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries

← 2004 January 3 – June 3, 2008 2012 →

Candidate Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Home state Illinois New York Delegate count 2,272.5 1,978 Contests won 33 23 Popular vote 17,535,458[1][a] 17,493,836[1][a] Percentage 48.1% [1] 48.0%[1]

First place by first-instance vote Popular vote margins First place by first-instance vote   Barack Obama (33)   Hillary Clinton (23) Popular vote margins Clinton   0–10%   10–20%   20–30%   30–85% Obama   0–10%   10–20%   20–30%   30–85% (popular vote winners and delegate winners differ in five contests: NH, NV, MO, TX, GU)

Previous Democratic nominee John Kerry Democratic nominee Barack Obama

2008 U.S. presidential election
Timeline General election debates National polling Statewide polling Parties
Democratic Party
Candidates Debates and forums Primaries National polling Statewide polling Results Nominee Convention superdelegates
Republican Party
Candidates Debates and forums Primaries National polling Statewide polling Results Nominee Convention
Minor parties
Libertarian Party primaries convention Green Party primaries convention Constitution Party All candidates
Related races
House Senate Governors Vice President Democratic Republican
← 2004 2008 2012 →
v t e

This article is part of a series about Barack Obama
Political positions Electoral history Early life and career Family Public image Honors Pre-presidency Illinois State Senator 2004 DNC keynote address U.S. Senator from Illinois 2004 election sponsored bills 44th President of the United States Presidency timeline Transition Inaugurations first second Trips foreign '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16–'17 Policies Economy Energy Foreign policy Arctic Europe East Asia Middle East South Asia Obama Doctrine Pardons Social Space Appointments Cabinet Judiciary Sotomayor Kagan Garland Supreme Court candidates First term First 100 days Recovery Act Russia nuclear treaty Affordable Care Act Dodd–Frank Iraq withdrawal Killing of Osama bin Laden 2011 debt-ceiling crisis Libya intervention Afghanistan withdrawal Benghazi attack Timeline '09 '10 '11 '12 Second term 2013 debt-ceiling crisis Anti-ISIL campaign Iraq Syria Iran nuclear deal Cuban thaw Sanctions against Russia Selma 50th anniversary speech Paris Agreement Timeline '13 '14 '15 '16–'17 Presidential campaigns 2008 primaries convention debates election 2012 primaries convention debates election Post-presidency Planned presidential library Obama Foundation One America Appeal Dreams from My Father The Audacity of Hope A Promised Land Nobel Peace Prize Others Thanks, Obama Tan suit controversy
v t e

This article is part of a series about Hillary Clinton
Political positions Electoral history First Lady of the United States Tenure Health care plan Children's Health Insurance Program Adoption and Safe Families Act Foster Care Independence Act Vital Voices "Vast right-wing conspiracy" Save America's Treasures White House Millennium Council Hillaryland Whitewater controversy White House travel office controversy White House FBI files controversy Hillary Clinton cattle futures controversy Response to Lewinsky scandal U.S. Senator from New York Tenure 2000 election 2006 re-election U.S. Secretary of State Tenure Foreign trips Benghazi attack Obama's foreign policy QDDR Email controversy Hillary Doctrine Presidential campaigns 2008 Primaries Convention Endorsements 2016 Primaries Convention Debates Election Vice Presidential Selection Basket of deplorables Endorsements political non-political celebrities screen and stage performers Organizations Clinton Foundation State Department controversy Onward Together Honors and awards Bibliography Legal career Career in corporate governance Tenures as First Lady of Arkansas Activities after 2016 Public image
v t e

This article is part of a series about Joe Biden
Political positions Electoral history Early life and career Eponyms Family Honors Public image U.S. Senator from Delaware Judiciary Committee Bork hearings Thomas hearings 1994 Crime Bill Violence Against Women Act Foreign Relations Committee Elections: 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 47th Vice President of the United States Transition Tenure Obama administration first inauguration second inauguration Economic policy Great Recession response 2010 Tax Relief Act 2011 debt-ceiling crisis fiscal cliff Foreign policy Task forces Gun Violence Protect Students from Sexual Assault 46th President of the United States Incumbent Presidency first 100 days timeline Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board Inauguration Efforts to impeach inquiry Tenure Executive actions proclamations Trips foreign '21 '22 '23 Geneva summit COVID-19 pandemic Afghanistan withdrawal Classified documents incident Chinese balloon incident 2023 debt-ceiling crisis Policies COVID-19 WH Response Team Economy ARP Jobs IRA Electoral/ethics Environment Foreign policy AUKUS Camp David Principles IPEF War in Ukraine Immigration Border crisis Social issues Guns Cannabis Marriage Appointments Cabinet Ambassadors Judges Supreme Court candidates Jackson Executive Office U.S. attorneys Presidential campaigns 1988 primaries 2008 primaries 2020 primaries sexual assault allegation Ukraine conspiracy theory convention debates election endorsements VP selection 2024 primaries endorsements Vice presidential campaigns 2008 selection convention election 2012 convention election Published works Promises to Keep Promise Me, Dad
v t e

From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Democratic Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was selected as the nominee, becoming the first African American to secure the presidential nomination of any major political party in the United States. However, due to a close race between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, the contest remained competitive for longer than expected; neither candidate received enough pledged delegates from state primaries and caucuses to achieve a majority, without endorsements from unpledged delegates (superdelegates).

The presidential primaries actually consisted of both primary elections and caucuses, depending upon what the individual state chose. The goal of the process was to elect the majority of the 4,233 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, which was held from Sunday, August 25, through Wednesday, August 28, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. To secure the nomination, a candidate needed to receive at least 2,117 votes at the convention—or a simple majority of the 4,233 delegate votes. This total included half-votes from American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, in addition to Democrats Abroad, as well as 'superdelegates'—party leaders and elected officials who were not chosen through a primary or caucus. The race was further complicated by a controversy over the scheduling of the Michigan and Florida state primaries, which had been scheduled earlier than party rules permitted, affecting the number of delegates that those states sent to the national convention.

The popular vote tally from most news organizations did not include Iowa, Maine, Nevada and Washington. These states did not release the results of the popular vote from their caucuses. The media reports did include Florida, which neither Clinton nor Obama contested, as well as Michigan. Both states were penalized by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for violating party rules. Michigan proved a source of controversy due to the change in the date of the primary election. Consequently, Obama and other candidates removed their names from the ballot yet Clinton did not. The DNC did not count the popular vote from Michigan, and evenly split the state's delegates between Clinton and Obama. As a result, without the Michigan vote, Obama won the popular vote; whereas with the votes from Michigan, Clinton won the popular vote.^[3] Nevertheless, regardless of how votes were counted, the candidates' totals were within less than one percent of each other.^[4]

Obama received enough superdelegate endorsements on June 3 to claim that he had secured the simple majority of delegates necessary to win the nomination, before Clinton conceded the nomination four days later.^[5][6] Obama was nominated on the first ballot, at the August convention. He went on to win the general election, and became the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. Clinton went on to serve as Obama's Secretary of State for his first term as president, and the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, although she lost to Donald Trump.

These primaries included the nominees for the next three elections (Obama again in 2012, Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020). Joe Biden is running for reelection in the 2024 election. Should he secure renomination, it would match the amount of eventual nominees produced by the 1980 Republican primaries (Reagan in 1984, Bush in 1988 and 1992, Dole in 1996). It currently matches the amount of eventual nominees involved in the 1988 Democratic primaries at three (Michael Dukakis in 1988, Al Gore in 2000, Biden in 2020).

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).