2008 United States presidential election in Idaho
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Main|2008 United States presidential election}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2008 United States presidential election in Idaho
| country = Idaho
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 2004 United States presidential election in Idaho
| previous_year = 2004
| next_election = 2012 United States presidential election in Idaho
| next_year = 2012
| election_date = November 4, 2008
| image_size = x200px
| image1 = John McCain 2009 Official.jpg
| nominee1 = John McCain
| party1 = Republican Party (United States)
| home_state1 = Arizona
| running_mate1 = Sarah Palin
| electoral_vote1 = 4
| popular_vote1 = 403,012
| percentage1 = 61.21%
| image2 = Obama portrait crop.jpg
| nominee2 = Barack Obama
| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
| home_state2 = Illinois
| running_mate2 = Joe Biden
| electoral_vote2 = 0
| popular_vote2 = 236,440
| percentage2 = 35.91%
| map_image = {{Switcher
| 200px
| County results
| 200px
| Congressional district results
| 200px
| Precinct results
}}
| map_size = 300px
| map_caption =
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
McCain
{{legend|#F2B3BE|40–50%}}
{{legend|#e27f90|50-60%}}
{{legend|#cc2f4a|60-70%}}
{{legend|#d40000|70-80%}}
{{legend|#aa0000|80-90%}}
{{legend|#800000|90-100%}}
{{col-3}}
Obama
{{legend|#b9d7ff|40-50%}}
{{legend|#86b6f2|50-60%}}
{{legend|#4389e3|60-70%}}
{{legend|#1666CB|70–80%}}
{{legend|#0645B4|80–90%}}
{{col-3}}
Baldwin
{{legend|#9955FF|60–70%}}
{{legend|#7A44CC|70–80%}}
{{col-end}}
| title = President
| before_election = George W. Bush
| before_party = Republican Party (United States)
| after_election = Barack Obama
| after_party = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Elections in Idaho sidebar}}
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
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|Statewide opinion polling for the 2008 United States presidential election#Idaho|l1=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.[http://uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/PRESIDENT/2008/pollsa.php?fips=16 Election 2008 Polls – Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]
=Fundraising=
Obama raised $874,523. McCain raised $441,338.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=ID&cand_id=P00000001 |title=Presidential Campaign Finance |access-date=2009-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324090225/http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=ID&cand_id=P00000001 |archive-date=2009-03-24 |url-status=dead }}
=Advertising and visits=
Obama spent $268. McCain spent $434.{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/ad.spending/ | work=CNN | title=Map: Campaign Ad Spending – Election Center 2008 from CNN.com | access-date=2010-05-26}} Neither campaign visited the state.{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/candidate.visits/ | work=CNN | title=Map: Campaign Candidate Visits – Election Center 2008 from CNN.com | access-date=2010-05-26}}
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,[http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1988&fips=16&f=1&off=0&elect=0 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; [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/ID/TE-votes.html Teton County, Idaho]{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-idaho.html|title=Idaho Election Results|newspaper=The New York Times|date=3 November 2020}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/stats.php?year=2008&f=0&off=0&elect=0|title=2008 Presidential Election Statistics|publisher=Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|access-date=2018-03-05}}
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
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| colspan="7" | 2008 United States presidential election in Idaho{{cite web |url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2008&fips=16&f=0&off=0&elect=0 |title=Atlas of U.S. Presidential Election Results 2008 – Idaho |access-date=2013-01-12}} |
|---|
| colspan="2" style="width: 15em" |Party
! style="width: 17em" |Candidate ! style="width: 17em" |Running mate ! style="width: 5em" |Votes ! style="width: 7em" |Percentage ! style="width: 5em" |Electoral votes |
| style="background-color:#FF3333; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | Republican | align="right" | 403,012 | align="right" | 61.21% | align="right" | 4 |
| style="background-color:#3333FF; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | Democratic | align="right" | 236,440 | align="right" | 35.91% | align="right" | 0 |
| style="background-color:#DDDDDD; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | Independent | align="right" | 7,175 | align="right" | 1.09% | align="right" | 0 |
| style="background-color:#A356DE; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | Constitution | Darrell Castle | align="right" | 4,747 | align="right" | 0.72% | align="right" | 0 |
| style="background-color:#FFCC00; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | Libertarian | Bob Barr | align="right" | 3,658 | align="right" | 0.56% | align="right" | 0 |
| style="background-color:#800080; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | American Independent (Write-in) | Alan Keyes (Write-in) | Brian Rohrbough | align="right" | 40{{efn|name="None"|None of these designated write-in candidate votes were separated by county.}} | align="right" | 0.01% | align="right" | 0 |
| style="background-color:#0BDA51; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | Green (Write-in) | Cynthia McKinney (Write-in) | align="right" | 39{{efn|name="None"}} | align="right" | 0.01% | align="right" | 0 |
| style="background-color:#EC5050; width: 3px" |
| style="width: 130px" | Socialist (Write-in) | Brian Moore (Write-in) | align="right" | 3{{efn|name="None"}} | align="right" | 0.00% | align="right" | 0 |
| bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
| colspan="4" align="right" | Write-ins | align="right" | 8 | align="right" | 0.00% | align="right" | 0 |
| bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
| colspan="4" align="right" | Totals | align="right" | 658,454 | align="right" | 100.00% | align="right" | 4 |
| bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
| colspan="6" align="right" | Voter turnout (Voting age population) | colspan="1" align="right" | 60.1% |
=By county=
| width="60%" class="wikitable sortable"
! rowspan="2" |County ! colspan="2" |John McCain ! colspan="2" |Barack Obama ! colspan="2" |Ralph NaderOur Campaigns; [https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=191868 ID US President Race, November 04, 2008] ! colspan="2" |Charles Baldwin ! colspan="2" |Bob Barr ! colspan="2" |Margin ! rowspan="2" |Total | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| #
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Ada | {{party shading/Republican}} | 93,328 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 51.63% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 82,236 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 45.49% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1,978 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.09% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 777 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.43% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 1,083 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.60% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 11,092 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 6.14% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 180,760 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Adams | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,517 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 65.39% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 728 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 31.38% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 36 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.55% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 20 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.86% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 19 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.82% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 789 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 34.01% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,320 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Bannock | {{party shading/Republican}} | 19,356 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 54.62% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 14,792 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 41.74% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 485 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.37% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 257 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.73% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 215 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.61% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,564 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 12.88% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 35,437 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Bear Lake | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,377 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 80.77% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 502 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 17.06% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 26 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.88% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 27 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.92% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 11 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.37% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,875 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 63.71% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,943 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Benewah | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,646 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 63.54% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,407 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 33.79% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 48 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.15% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 38 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.91% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 25 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.60% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,239 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 29.75% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,164 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Bingham | {{party shading/Republican}} | 12,230 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 71.29% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 4,424 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 25.79% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 207 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.21% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 203 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.18% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 91 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.53% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 7,806 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 45.50% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 17,156 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Blaine | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,439 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 32.53% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 6,947 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 65.71% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 106 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.00% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 16 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.15% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 63 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.60% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | -3,508 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | -33.18% | {{party shading/Democratic}} |10,573 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Boise | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,433 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 64.48% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,240 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 32.87% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 48 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.27% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 25 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.66% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 27 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.72% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,193 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 31.61% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,773 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Bonner | {{party shading/Republican}} | 11,145 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 57.01% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 7,840 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 40.10% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 259 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.32% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 195 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.00% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 108 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.55% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,305 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 16.91% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 19,550 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Bonneville | {{party shading/Republican}} | 29,334 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 70.34% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 11,417 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 27.38% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 334 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.80% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 362 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.87% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 256 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.61% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 17,917 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 42.96% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 41,703 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Boundary | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,078 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 65.02% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,484 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 31.35% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 67 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.42% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 77 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.63% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 27 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.57% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,594 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 33.67% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,734 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Butte | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,056 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 75.11% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 318 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 22.62% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 18 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.28% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 7 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.50% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 7 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.50% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 738 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 52.49% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,406 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Camas | {{party shading/Republican}} | 422 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 68.28% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 187 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 30.26% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 5 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.81% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.16% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 3 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.49% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 235 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 38.02% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 618 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Canyon | {{party shading/Republican}} | 42,752 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 66.07% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 20,147 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 31.14% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 639 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.99% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 387 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.60% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 321 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.50% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 22,605 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 34.93% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 64,706 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Caribou | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,656 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 80.44% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 553 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 16.75% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 56 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.70% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 23 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.70% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 14 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.42% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,103 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 63.69% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,302 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Cassia | {{party shading/Republican}} | 6,309 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 79.93% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,332 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 16.88% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 86 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.09% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 72 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.91% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 43 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.54% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,977 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 63.05% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 7,893 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Clark | {{party shading/Republican}} | 305 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 81.33% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 64 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 17.07% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 2 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.53% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 3 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.80% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 1 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.27% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 241 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 64.26% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 375 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Clearwater | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,569 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 65.77% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,211 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 31.00% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 60 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.54% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 35 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.90% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 31 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.79% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,358 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 34.77% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,906 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Custer | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,694 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 71.99% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 611 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 25.97% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 18 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.76% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 17 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.72% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 12 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.51% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,083 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 46.02% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,353 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Elmore | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,665 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 66.76% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 2,591 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 30.53% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 110 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.30% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 37 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.44% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 33 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.39% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,074 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 36.23% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 8,486 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Franklin | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,246 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 83.68% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 600 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 11.82% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 48 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.95% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 142 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 2.80% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 37 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.73% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,646 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 71.86% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,074 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Fremont | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,700 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 79.92% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,065 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 18.11% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 46 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.78% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 44 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.75% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 25 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.43% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,635 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 61.81% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,881 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Gem | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,585 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 70.27% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 2,166 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 27.25% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 112 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.41% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 52 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.65% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 32 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.40% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,419 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 43.02% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 7,948 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Gooding | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,765 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 69.84% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,489 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 27.62% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 75 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.39% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 35 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.65% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 27 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.50% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,276 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 42.22% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,391 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Idaho | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,895 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 71.79% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 2,017 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 24.56% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 77 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.94% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 167 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 2.03% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 54 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.66% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,878 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 47.23% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 8,212 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Jefferson | {{party shading/Republican}} | 8,540 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 81.79% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,641 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 15.72% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 72 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.69% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 138 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.32% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 50 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.48% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 6,899 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 66.07% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 10,441 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Jerome | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,897 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 71.52% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,794 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 26.20% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 74 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.08% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 36 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.53% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 46 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.67% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,103 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 45.32% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 6,847 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Kootenai | {{party shading/Republican}} | 38,387 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 61.38% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 22,120 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 35.37% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 592 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.95% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 565 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.90% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 268 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.43% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 16,267 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 26.01% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 62,535 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Latah | {{party shading/Republican}} | 7,988 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 44.59% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 9,195 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 51.32% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 199 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.11% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 204 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.14% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 128 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.71% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | -1,207 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | -6.73% | {{party shading/Democratic}} |17,916 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Lemhi | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,938 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 71.57% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,061 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 25.85% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 29 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.71% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 45 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.10% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 32 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.78% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,877 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 45.72% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,105 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Lewis | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,275 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 70.68% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 479 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 26.55% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 20 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.11% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 23 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.27% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 7 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.39% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 796 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 44.13% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,804 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Lincoln | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,232 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 65.88% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 545 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 29.14% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 77 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 4.12% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 10 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.53% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 6 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.32% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 687 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 36.74% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,870 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Madison | {{party shading/Republican}} | 11,131 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 85.24% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,627 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 12.46% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 81 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.62% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 149 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.14% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 69 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.53% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 9,504 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 72.78% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 13,058 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Minidoka | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,087 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 73.83% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,630 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 23.66% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 79 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.15% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 52 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.75% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 42 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.61% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,457 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 50.17% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 6,890 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Nez Perce | {{party shading/Republican}} | 10,357 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 58.11% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 7,123 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 39.97% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 189 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.06% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 82 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.46% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 72 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.40% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,234 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 18.14% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 17,823 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Oneida | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,724 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 79.74% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 381 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 17.62% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 11 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.51% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 27 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 1.25% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 19 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.88% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,343 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 62.12% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,162 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Owyhee | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,024 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 74.52% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 944 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 23.26% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 37 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.91% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 29 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.71% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 24 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.59% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,080 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 51.26% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,058 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Payette | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,988 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 68.88% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 2,415 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 27.78% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 105 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.21% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 66 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.76% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 39 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.45% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,573 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 41.10% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 8,693 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Power | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,754 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 61.72% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,027 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 36.14% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 28 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.99% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 13 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.46% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 20 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.70% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 727 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 25.58% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,842 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Shoshone | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,953 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 52.11% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 2,521 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 44.49% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 111 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.96% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 42 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.74% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 39 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.69% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 432 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 7.62% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,667 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Democratic}} |Teton | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,263 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 48.57% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 2,302 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 49.41% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 61 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.31% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 13 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.28% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 19 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.41% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | -39 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | -0.84% | {{party shading/Democratic}} |4,659 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Twin Falls | {{party shading/Republican}} | 19,032 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 66.52% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 8,621 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 30.13% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 358 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.25% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 181 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.63% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 152 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.53% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 10,411 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 36.39% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 28,613 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Valley | {{party shading/Republican}} | 2,772 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 52.33% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 2,405 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 45.40% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 65 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 1.23% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 21 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.40% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 33 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.62% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 367 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 6.93% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 5,297 | |||||||||||||
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{Party shading/Republican}} |Washington | {{party shading/Republican}} | 3,168 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 70.31% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 1,241 | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 27.54% | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 41 | {{party shading/Independent (United States)}} | 0.91% | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 28 | {{party shading/Constitution}} | 0.62% | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 28 | {{party shading/Libertarian}} | 0.62% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 1,927 | {{party shading/Republican}} | 42.77% | {{party shading/Republican}} | 4,506 | |||||||||||||
| Totals | 403,012 | 61.21% | 236,440 | 35.91% | 7,175 | 1.09% | 4,747 | 0.72% | 3,658 | 0.56% | 166,572 | 25.30% | 658,454 |
[[File:Idaho County Flips 2008.svg|thumb|180px|County Flips: {{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
Democratic
{{legend|#92c5de|Hold}}
{{legend|#0671b0|Gain from Republican}}
{{col-2}}
Republican
{{legend|#f48882|Hold}}
{{col-end}}]]
;Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
=By congressional district=
John McCain solidly swept both Idaho's congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat.
| class=wikitable
! District ! McCain ! Obama ! Representative |
| align=center
! rowspan=2 {{party shading/Republican}}|{{ushr|Idaho|1|1st}} | rowspan=2|61.82% | rowspan=2|35.88% | {{party shading/Republican}}|Bill Sali (110th Congress) |
| align=center
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|Walt Minnick (111th Congress) |
| align=center
! {{party shading/Republican}}|{{ushr|Idaho|2|2nd}} | 61.19% | 36.34% | {{party shading/Republican}}|Mike Simpson |
Electors
{{Main|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.{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ec.htm |title=Electoral College |access-date=2008-11-01 |publisher=California Secretary of State |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030041546/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ec.htm |archive-date=October 30, 2008 }} 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:[https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008-certificates/index.html#id U. S. Electoral College 2008 Election – Certificates]
- Darlene Bramon
- Ben Doty
- John Erickson
- Melinda Smyser
See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{2008 United States elections}}
{{2008 United States presidential election}}
{{State results of the 2008 U.S. presidential election}}