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.

Idaho was won by Republican nominee John McCain by a 25.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 major news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or a red state. Polling in the state gave a sizable lead to McCain over Democrat Barack Obama, with most polling predicting a McCain win of at least 30 percentage points. Despite his landslide defeat in the state, Obama over-performed his polls and greatly improved on Kerry's performance four years earlier. Idaho has not gone Democratic for President since Lyndon B. Johnson narrowly won it in 1964.

Primaries 2008 Idaho Democratic presidential caucuses 2008 Idaho Republican presidential primary

Campaign

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

+SourceRankingD.C. Political ReportCook Political ReportThe TakeawayElectoral-vote.comWashington PostBased on TakeawayPoliticoRealClearPoliticsFiveThirtyEightCQ PoliticsThe New York TimesCNNNPRMSNBCFox NewsAssociated PressRasmussen Reports

Polling

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.Election 2008 Polls – Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections

Fundraising Obama raised $874,523. McCain raised $441,338.

Advertising and visits Obama spent $268. McCain spent $434. Neither campaign visited the state.

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,1988 Presidential General Election Results – Idaho 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.The Political Graveyard; Teton County, Idaho He also narrowed the Republican margins of victory in Ada County, and in the state capital and city of Boise to single digits. 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.

Obama became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying Nez Perce County since Grover Cleveland in 1892.

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. Then-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 IdahoPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral 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 American Independent (Write-in) Alan Keyes (Write-in) Brian Rohrbough 40 0.01% 0 Green (Write-in) Cynthia McKinney (Write-in) Rosa Clemente 39 0.01% 0 Socialist (Write-in) Brian Moore (Write-in) Stewart Alexander 3 0.00% 0 Write-ins 8 0.00% 0 Totals 658,454 100.00% 4 Voter turnout (Voting age population) 60.1%

By county CountyJohn McCainRepublicanBarack ObamaDemocraticRalph NaderOur Campaigns; ID US President Race, November 04, 2008IndependentCharles BaldwinConstitutionBob BarrLibertarianMarginTotal # % # % # % # % # % # %Ada 93,328 51.63% 82,236 45.49% 1,978 1.09% 777 0.43% 1,083 0.60% 11,092 6.14% 180,760Adams 1,517 65.39% 728 31.38% 36 1.55% 20 0.86% 19 0.82% 789 34.01% 2,320Bannock 19,356 54.62% 14,792 41.74% 485 1.37% 257 0.73% 215 0.61% 4,564 12.88% 35,437Bear Lake 2,377 80.77% 502 17.06% 26 0.88% 27 0.92% 11 0.37% 1,875 63.71% 2,943Benewah 2,646 63.54% 1,407 33.79% 48 1.15% 38 0.91% 25 0.60% 1,239 29.75% 4,164Bingham 12,230 71.29% 4,424 25.79% 207 1.21% 203 1.18% 91 0.53% 7,806 45.50% 17,156Blaine 3,439 32.53% 6,947 65.71% 106 1.00% 16 0.15% 63 0.60% -3,508 -33.18%10,573Boise 2,433 64.48% 1,240 32.87% 48 1.27% 25 0.66% 27 0.72% 1,193 31.61% 3,773Bonner 11,145 57.01% 7,840 40.10% 259 1.32% 195 1.00% 108 0.55% 3,305 16.91% 19,550Bonneville 29,334 70.34% 11,417 27.38% 334 0.80% 362 0.87% 256 0.61% 17,917 42.96% 41,703Boundary 3,078 65.02% 1,484 31.35% 67 1.42% 77 1.63% 27 0.57% 1,594 33.67% 4,734Butte 1,056 75.11% 318 22.62% 18 1.28% 7 0.50% 7 0.50% 738 52.49% 1,406Camas 422 68.28% 187 30.26% 5 0.81% 1 0.16% 3 0.49% 235 38.02% 618Canyon 42,752 66.07% 20,147 31.14% 639 0.99% 387 0.60% 321 0.50% 22,605 34.93% 64,706Caribou 2,656 80.44% 553 16.75% 56 1.70% 23 0.70% 14 0.42% 2,103 63.69% 3,302Cassia 6,309 79.93% 1,332 16.88% 86 1.09% 72 0.91% 43 0.54% 4,977 63.05% 7,893Clark 305 81.33% 64 17.07% 2 0.53% 3 0.80% 1 0.27% 241 64.26% 375Clearwater 2,569 65.77% 1,211 31.00% 60 1.54% 35 0.90% 31 0.79% 1,358 34.77% 3,906Custer 1,694 71.99% 611 25.97% 18 0.76% 17 0.72% 12 0.51% 1,083 46.02% 2,353Elmore 5,665 66.76% 2,591 30.53% 110 1.30% 37 0.44% 33 0.39% 3,074 36.23% 8,486Franklin 4,246 83.68% 600 11.82% 48 0.95% 142 2.80% 37 0.73% 3,646 71.86% 5,074Fremont 4,700 79.92% 1,065 18.11% 46 0.78% 44 0.75% 25 0.43% 3,635 61.81% 5,881Gem 5,585 70.27% 2,166 27.25% 112 1.41% 52 0.65% 32 0.40% 3,419 43.02% 7,948Gooding 3,765 69.84% 1,489 27.62% 75 1.39% 35 0.65% 27 0.50% 2,276 42.22% 5,391Idaho 5,895 71.79% 2,017 24.56% 77 0.94% 167 2.03% 54 0.66% 3,878 47.23% 8,212Jefferson 8,540 81.79% 1,641 15.72% 72 0.69% 138 1.32% 50 0.48% 6,899 66.07% 10,441Jerome 4,897 71.52% 1,794 26.20% 74 1.08% 36 0.53% 46 0.67% 3,103 45.32% 6,847Kootenai 38,387 61.38% 22,120 35.37% 592 0.95% 565 0.90% 268 0.43% 16,267 26.01% 62,535Latah 7,988 44.59% 9,195 51.32% 199 1.11% 204 1.14% 128 0.71% -1,207 -6.73%17,916Lemhi 2,938 71.57% 1,061 25.85% 29 0.71% 45 1.10% 32 0.78% 1,877 45.72% 4,105Lewis 1,275 70.68% 479 26.55% 20 1.11% 23 1.27% 7 0.39% 796 44.13% 1,804Lincoln 1,232 65.88% 545 29.14% 77 4.12% 10 0.53% 6 0.32% 687 36.74% 1,870Madison 11,131 85.24% 1,627 12.46% 81 0.62% 149 1.14% 69 0.53% 9,504 72.78% 13,058Minidoka 5,087 73.83% 1,630 23.66% 79 1.15% 52 0.75% 42 0.61% 3,457 50.17% 6,890Nez Perce 10,357 58.11% 7,123 39.97% 189 1.06% 82 0.46% 72 0.40% 3,234 18.14% 17,823Oneida 1,724 79.74% 381 17.62% 11 0.51% 27 1.25% 19 0.88% 1,343 62.12% 2,162Owyhee 3,024 74.52% 944 23.26% 37 0.91% 29 0.71% 24 0.59% 2,080 51.26% 4,058Payette 5,988 68.88% 2,415 27.78% 105 1.21% 66 0.76% 39 0.45% 3,573 41.10% 8,693Power 1,754 61.72% 1,027 36.14% 28 0.99% 13 0.46% 20 0.70% 727 25.58% 2,842Shoshone 2,953 52.11% 2,521 44.49% 111 1.96% 42 0.74% 39 0.69% 432 7.62% 5,667Teton 2,263 48.57% 2,302 49.41% 61 1.31% 13 0.28% 19 0.41% -39 -0.84%4,659Twin Falls 19,032 66.52% 8,621 30.13% 358 1.25% 181 0.63% 152 0.53% 10,411 36.39% 28,613Valley 2,772 52.33% 2,405 45.40% 65 1.23% 21 0.40% 33 0.62% 367 6.93% 5,297Washington 3,168 70.31% 1,241 27.54% 41 0.91% 28 0.62% 28 0.62% 1,927 42.77% 4,506Totals403,01261.21%236,44035.91%7,1751.09%4,7470.72%3,6580.56%166,57225.30%658,454

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Latah (largest city: Moscow) Teton (largest city: Victor)

By congressional district John McCain solidly swept both Idaho's congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat. District McCain Obama Representative61.82%35.88%Bill Sali (110th Congress)Walt Minnick (111th Congress) 61.19% 36.34%Mike Simpson

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 their 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. An elector who votes for someone other than their 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:U. S. Electoral College 2008 Election – Certificates Darlene Bramon Ben Doty John Erickson Melinda Smyser

See also United States presidential elections in Idaho Presidency of Barack Obama

Notes

References