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2008 United States presidential election in Georgia

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2008 United States presidential election in Georgia

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →
Turnout51.8%[1] Decrease 5 pp
 
Nominee John McCain Barack Obama
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Arizona Illinois
Running mate Sarah Palin Joe Biden
Electoral vote 15 0
Popular vote 2,048,759 1,844,123
Percentage 52.10% 46.90%


President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic

The 2008 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 4, 2008. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Georgia was won by Republican nominee John McCain with a 5.2% margin of victory. Prior to the election, 15 of 17 news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or otherwise a red state. It is situated in the Deep South, entrenched in the Bible Belt (the city of Atlanta being an exception). By 2008 it was considered a Republican stronghold, not having been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since 1992, and having given double-digit victories to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. McCain was able to keep Georgia in the GOP column in 2008 despite the large African American turnout that helped keep his margin of victory within single digits.

In this election, Georgia voted 12.48% to the right of the nation at-large.[2]

Georgia was 1 of only 2 states that voted against Obama in both 2008 and 2012 that Joe Biden won in the 2020 presidential race, the other being Arizona.

With its 15 electoral votes, Georgia was the second-largest prize for McCain in 2008, behind only Texas. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Chattahoochee County voted Democratic.

Primaries

[edit]

Campaign

[edit]

An ambitious Barack Obama targeted Georgia as a potential state he could flip from red to blue, albeit as a relatively long-shot target. Democrats hoped libertarian candidate Bob Barr – whose home state was Georgia – might take away votes for John McCain and play the role of a spoiler. In the early months, Obama bought ads and even appeared in person to campaign in the state.[3]

However, polling consistently showed McCain with a double-digit lead.[4] Over the summer, Obama's campaign stumbled, and the Illinois senator even fell behind McCain for a short while in September. In light of these difficulties, the Democratic campaign started shifting resources to North Carolina, which they regarded as more competitive.[5] Obama stopped advertising in the state and moved away staff, although he retained a large volunteer force. As the campaign neared the end, Obama jumped to a national lead, helped by the September financial crisis, but remained behind in Georgia polling.

Predictions

[edit]

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

Source Ranking
D.C. Political Report[6] Likely R
Cook Political Report[7] Toss-up
The Takeaway[8] Lean R
Electoral-vote.com[9] Lean R
Washington Post[10] Lean R
Politico[11] Solid R
RealClearPolitics[12] Toss-up
FiveThirtyEight[10] Lean R
CQ Politics[13] Lean R
The New York Times[14] Lean R
CNN[15] Lean R
NPR[10] Lean R
MSNBC[10] Lean R
Fox News[16] Likely R
Associated Press[17] Likely R
Rasmussen Reports[18] Safe R

Polling

[edit]

McCain won almost every pre-election poll. The final 3 poll average gave the Republican the lead with 50% to 47%.[19]

Fundraising

[edit]

McCain raised $4,835,902. Obama raised $8,568,716.[20]

Advertising and visits

[edit]

Obama spent over $4,105,888. McCain and his interest groups spent just $49,507.[21] Both McCain and Obama visited Atlanta once.[22]

Analysis

[edit]

In terms of the margin, McCain won a quite narrow victory, capturing 52.23% of the popular vote to Democrat Barack Obama's 47.02% popular vote. This margin was significantly lower than that in 2004 when George W. Bush carried this state by a 17% margin, winning 58% of the popular vote to John Kerry's 41%. Obama won huge victories in the two most populous counties, DeKalb County and Fulton County which contains the state capital and largest city of Atlanta, which contributed to his popular vote percentage. He also made significant inroads in Atlanta's normally heavily Republican suburbs. For instance, Obama lost Cobb County by nine points compared to Kerry's 25-point loss. Obama lost Gwinnett County by 11 points compared to a 33-point loss for Kerry. Aside from native son Jimmy Carter sweeping every county in the state in 1976, a Democrat hadn't won either county since 1960, and would not do so until Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, McCain piled up the votes in the more rural northern and southeastern parts of the state (well over 70% in some cases) which gave him the edge and ultimate win. These two areas were among the first regions of Georgia to turn Republican; the old-line Southern Democrats in these areas began splitting their tickets as early as the 1950s, and some areas of north Georgia are among the few ancestrally Republican areas of the South.

The large African American turnout was widely attributed to the narrow margin by which McCain carried the state. However, Obama was unable to improve his percentage amongst white voters.[23] According to exit polls, 77% of white voters supported the Republican candidate - the same as in 2004. This effectively eliminated Obama's chances of winning the state.

Of the several independent and third-party candidates who ran for president in 2008, two were from Georgia: former Republican Representative Bob Barr running on the Libertarian Party (who placed third overall in the popular vote in Georgia), and former Democratic Representative Cynthia McKinney running on the Green Party.

During the same election, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss was held below 50% of the popular vote in a contentious U.S. Senate race against Democrat Jim Martin and Libertarian Allen Buckley. Abiding by Georgia law, this led to a runoff election in December between Chambliss and Martin. Chambliss brought in 2008 vice presidential nominee Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska to campaign for him and rally the base of the GOP. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned on behalf of Martin. Turnout was lower than in the general election and African Americans didn't turn out as large as they did in November for Obama, all factors that led up to Chambliss's victory. The incumbent was reelected with 57.44% of the vote while Martin received 42.56%.

During the 2008 U.S. House elections, incumbent Democratic Representatives Jim Marshall (GA-8) and John Barrow (GA-12), each of whom was narrowly re-elected by 1% or less in 2006 despite the pro-Democratic political environment that year, were both re-elected by unexpectedly wide margins despite efforts by Republicans to win both of the districts. At the state level, during the same election, Republicans picked up four seats in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Results

[edit]
United States presidential election in Georgia, 2008[24]
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 2,048,759 52.10% 15
Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 1,844,123 46.90% 0
Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 28,731 0.73% 0
Write-ins Write-ins 6,998 0.18% 0
Constitution Chuck Baldwin (write-in) Darrell Castle 1,404 0.04% 0
Independent Ralph Nader (write-in) Matt Gonzalez 1,165 0.03% 0
Independent Ron Paul (write-in) 695 0.02% 0
Green Cynthia McKinney (write-in) Rosa Clemente 250 0.01% 0
Socialist Workers James Harris (write-in) Alyson Kennedy 24 0.00% 0
Constitution Michael Peroutka* (write-in) n/a 23 0.00% 0
HeartQuake '08 Jonathan Allen (write-in) Jeffrey Stath 9 0.00% 0
Independent Frank Moore (write-in) Susan Block 6 0.00% 0
Write-in David C. Byrne n/a 4 0.00% 0
Write-in Brian R. Brown n/a 2 0.00% 0
Write-in Bryan A. Schivera n/a 2 0.00% 0
Totals 3,932,193 100.00% 15
Voter turnout 75.7%

(*Peroutka was not the Constitution Party's nominee in 2008.)

By county

[edit]
County John McCain
Republican
Barack Obama
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Appling 5,085 72.62% 1,846 26.36% 71 1.02% 3,239 46.26% 7,002
Atkinson 1,941 66.77% 938 32.27% 28 0.96% 1,003 34.50% 2,907
Bacon 3,089 78.36% 817 20.73% 36 0.92% 2,272 57.63% 3,942
Baker 828 49.02% 846 50.09% 71 1.02% -18 -1.07% 1,689
Baldwin 7,823 47.23% 8,587 51.84% 154 0.93% -764 -4.61% 16,564
Banks 5,120 81.93% 1,027 16.43% 102 1.63% 4,093 65.50% 6,249
Barrow 17,625 71.55% 6,657 27.02% 351 1.43% 10,968 44.53% 24,633
Bartow 25,976 71.81% 9,662 26.71% 537 1.48% 16,314 45.10% 36,175
Ben Hill 3,417 56.46% 2,590 42.80% 45 0.74% 827 13.66% 6,052
Berrien 4,901 75.95% 1,471 22.80% 81 1.26% 3,430 53.15% 6,453
Bibb 27,037 40.69% 38,987 58.67% 424 0.64% -11,950 -17.98% 66,448
Bleckley 3,657 71.93% 1,380 27.14% 47 0.93% 2,277 44.79% 5,084
Brantley 5,080 80.79% 1,119 17.80% 89 1.41% 3,961 62.99% 6,288
Brooks 3,507 56.52% 2,669 43.01% 29 0.47% 838 13.51% 6,205
Bryan 9,112 70.82% 3,636 28.26% 119 0.92% 5,476 42.56% 12,867
Bulloch 14,174 59.12% 9,586 39.98% 216 0.90% 4,588 19.14% 23,976
Burke 4,344 45.08% 5,233 54.30% 60 0.63% -889 -9.22% 9,637
Butts 5,947 65.32% 3,065 33.67% 92 1.01% 2,882 31.65% 9,104
Calhoun 862 38.97% 1,342 60.67% 8 0.37% -480 -21.70% 2,212
Camden 10,502 61.39% 6,482 37.89% 124 0.73% 4,020 23.50% 17,108
Candler 2,286 64.91% 1,209 34.33% 27 0.77% 1,077 30.58% 3,522
Carroll 28,661 65.76% 14,334 32.89% 588 1.34% 14,327 32.87% 43,583
Catoosa 18,218 74.04% 6,025 24.49% 362 1.46% 12,193 49.55% 24,605
Charlton 2,466 66.70% 1,197 32.38% 34 0.92% 1,269 34.32% 3,697
Chatham 46,829 42.40% 62,755 56.82% 858 0.77% -15,926 -14.42% 110,442
Chattahoochee 811 48.97% 830 50.12% 15 0.90% -19 -1.15% 1,656
Chattooga 5,572 66.83% 2,596 31.14% 169 2.03% 2,976 35.69% 8,337
Cherokee 70,279 74.79% 22,350 23.78% 1,344 1.43% 47,929 51.01% 93,973
Clarke 15,333 33.58% 29,591 64.80% 742 1.62% -14,258 -31.22% 45,666
Clay 558 38.75% 879 61.04% 3 0.21% -321 -22.29% 1,440
Clayton 16,506 16.59% 82,527 82.93% 481 0.48% -66,021 -66.34% 99,514
Clinch 1,678 62.10% 989 36.60% 35 1.29% 689 25.50% 2,702
Cobb 170,957 54.08% 141,216 44.67% 3,951 1.25% 29,741 9.41% 316,124
Coffee 8,872 64.49% 4,811 34.97% 75 0.54% 4,061 29.52% 13,758
Colquitt 9,185 68.27% 4,139 30.76% 130 0.97% 5,046 37.51% 13,454
Columbia 39,322 70.89% 15,703 28.31% 441 0.80% 23,619 42.58% 55,466
Cook 3,782 64.00% 2,075 35.12% 52 0.88% 1,707 28.88% 5,909
Coweta 37,571 70.05% 15,521 28.94% 543 1.01% 22,050 41.11% 53,635
Crawford 3,358 63.99% 1,832 34.91% 58 1.11% 1,526 29.08% 5,248
Crisp 4,424 58.56% 3,085 40.84% 45 0.60% 1,339 17.72% 7,554
Dade 4,703 73.01% 1,612 25.02% 127 1.97% 3,091 47.99% 6,442
Dawson 8,242 82.54% 1,632 16.34% 112 1.12% 6,610 66.20% 9,986
Decatur 5,890 56.72% 4,424 42.60% 71 0.68% 1,466 14.12% 10,385
DeKalb 65,581 20.31% 254,594 78.86% 2,671 0.83% -189,013 -58.55% 322,846
Dodge 5,543 67.40% 2,595 31.55% 86 1.04% 2,948 35.85% 8,224
Dooly 1,991 47.85% 2,138 51.38% 32 0.77% -147 -3.53% 4,161
Dougherty 12,547 32.27% 26,135 67.21% 204 0.53% -13,588 -34.94% 38,886
Douglas 26,812 48.58% 27,825 50.41% 560 1.02% -1,013 -1.83% 55,197
Early 2,711 50.74% 2,603 48.72% 29 0.54% 108 2.02% 5,343
Echols 981 82.58% 201 16.92% 6 0.50% 780 65.66% 1,188
Effingham 15,230 74.87% 4,936 24.27% 175 0.86% 10,294 50.60% 20,341
Elbert 4,868 58.43% 3,366 40.40% 98 1.18% 1,502 18.03% 8,332
Emanuel 5,110 61.92% 3,068 37.18% 74 0.90% 2,042 24.74% 8,252
Evans 2,462 63.85% 1,374 35.63% 20 0.52% 1,088 28.22% 3,856
Fannin 7,807 73.35% 2,611 24.53% 225 2.11% 5,196 48.82% 10,643
Fayette 38,501 64.77% 20,313 34.17% 627 1.05% 18,188 30.60% 59,441
Floyd 23,132 67.40% 10,691 31.15% 499 1.46% 12,441 36.25% 34,322
Forsyth 59,166 78.36% 15,406 20.40% 931 1.23% 43,760 57.96% 75,503
Franklin 6,069 74.90% 1,914 23.62% 120 1.48% 4,155 51.28% 8,103
Fulton 130,136 32.08% 272,000 67.06% 3,489 0.86% -141,864 -34.98% 405,625
Gilmer 8,408 75.17% 2,614 23.37% 164 1.47% 5,794 51.80% 11,186
Glascock 1,202 84.17% 210 14.71% 16 1.12% 992 69.46% 1,428
Glynn 20,479 61.31% 12,676 37.95% 248 0.74% 7,803 23.36% 33,403
Gordon 13,113 74.27% 4,268 24.17% 274 1.55% 8,845 50.10% 17,655
Grady 5,775 61.63% 3,539 37.77% 57 0.61% 2,236 23.86% 9,371
Greene 4,532 57.21% 3,339 42.15% 50 0.63% 1,193 15.06% 7,921
Gwinnett 158,746 54.56% 129,025 44.35% 3,167 1.09% 29,721 10.21% 290,938
Habersham 11,766 79.18% 2,900 19.52% 193 1.29% 8,866 59.66% 14,859
Hall 44,962 74.77% 14,457 24.04% 711 1.19% 30,505 50.73% 60,130
Hancock 795 18.28% 3,535 81.30% 18 0.41% -2,740 -63.02% 4,348
Haralson 8,658 77.79% 2,248 20.20% 224 2.01% 6,410 57.59% 11,130
Harris 10,648 71.25% 4,184 28.00% 113 0.76% 6,464 43.25% 14,945
Hart 6,537 65.21% 3,365 33.57% 122 1.22% 3,172 31.64% 10,024
Heard 3,133 74.05% 1,042 24.63% 56 1.32% 2,091 49.42% 4,231
Henry 47,157 53.29% 40,567 45.85% 762 0.87% 6,590 7.44% 88,486
Houston 33,392 59.59% 22,094 39.43% 548 0.98% 11,298 20.16% 56,034
Irwin 2,605 67.84% 1,197 31.17% 38 0.99% 1,408 36.67% 3,840
Jackson 17,776 77.23% 4,950 21.51% 290 1.26% 12,826 55.72% 23,016
Jasper 3,916 66.25% 1,935 32.74% 60 1.02% 1,981 33.51% 5,911
Jeff Davis 3,867 73.16% 1,356 25.65% 63 1.20% 2,511 47.51% 5,286
Jefferson 3,061 42.31% 4,149 57.35% 25 0.34% -1,088 -15.04% 7,235
Jenkins 1,936 56.25% 1,482 43.06% 24 0.70% 454 13.19% 3,442
Johnson 2,426 66.47% 1,198 32.82% 26 0.71% 1,228 33.65% 3,650
Jones 7,782 62.46% 4,572 36.69% 106 0.85% 3,210 25.77% 12,460
Lamar 4,873 63.24% 2,752 35.72% 80 1.04% 2,121 27.52% 7,705
Lanier 1,787 62.05% 1,062 36.88% 31 1.08% 725 25.17% 2,880
Laurens 12,052 60.37% 7,769 38.92% 142 0.71% 4,283 21.45% 19,963
Lee 9,925 75.69% 3,100 23.64% 87 0.67% 6,825 52.05% 13,112
Liberty 5,828 35.54% 10,474 63.87% 98 0.60% -4,646 -28.33% 16,400
Lincoln 2,731 61.73% 1,650 37.30% 43 0.97% 1,081 24.43% 4,424
Long 2,119 61.24% 1,288 37.23% 53 1.53% 831 24.01% 3,460
Lowndes 21,269 54.19% 17,597 44.83% 384 0.98% 3,672 9.36% 39,250
Lumpkin 8,326 74.95% 2,586 23.28% 196 1.77% 5,740 51.67% 11,108
Macon 1,712 34.35% 3,251 65.23% 21 0.42% -1,539 -30.88% 4,984
Madison 8,226 72.38% 2,965 26.09% 174 1.53% 5,261 46.29% 11,365
Marion 1,772 55.58% 1,381 43.32% 35 1.10% 391 12.26% 3,188
McDuffie 5,400 57.11% 3,989 42.19% 66 0.70% 1,411 14.92% 9,455
McIntosh 3,282 52.63% 2,905 46.58% 49 0.79% 377 6.05% 6,236
Meriwether 4,982 52.34% 4,465 46.91% 71 0.75% 517 5.43% 9,518
Miller 1,899 69.31% 818 29.85% 23 0.84% 1,081 39.46% 2,740
Mitchell 4,201 51.66% 3,872 47.61% 59 0.72% 329 4.05% 8,132
Monroe 7,933 65.31% 4,106 33.80% 108 0.89% 3,827 31.51% 12,147
Montgomery 2,521 70.16% 1,045 29.08% 27 0.75% 1,476 41.08% 3,593
Morgan 5,987 65.32% 3,091 33.73% 87 0.95% 2,896 31.59% 9,165
Murray 8,180 71.46% 3,026 26.43% 241 2.10% 5,154 45.03% 11,447
Muscogee 29,568 39.87% 44,158 59.54% 436 0.58% -14,590 -19.67% 74,162
Newton 20,337 49.03% 20,827 50.21% 318 0.77% -490 -1.18% 41,482
Oconee 12,120 70.57% 4,825 28.09% 229 1.33% 7,295 42.48% 17,174
Oglethorpe 4,144 64.12% 2,232 34.54% 87 1.35% 1,912 29.58% 6,463
Paulding 39,192 68.67% 17,229 30.19% 655 1.15% 21,963 38.48% 57,076
Peach 5,173 46.20% 5,927 52.94% 96 0.86% -754 -6.74% 11,196
Pickens 10,004 78.08% 2,595 20.25% 214 1.67% 7,409 57.83% 12,813
Pierce 5,500 80.92% 1,253 18.43% 44 0.65% 4,247 62.49% 6,797
Pike 6,547 79.64% 1,575 19.16% 99 1.21% 4,972 60.48% 8,221
Polk 9,850 69.60% 4,052 28.63% 251 1.77% 5,798 40.97% 14,153
Pulaski 2,553 64.44% 1,377 34.76% 32 0.81% 1,176 29.68% 3,962
Putnam 5,966 65.28% 3,102 33.94% 71 0.78% 2,864 31.34% 9,139
Quitman 509 45.61% 597 53.49% 10 0.90% -88 -7.88% 1,116
Rabun 5,487 71.89% 2,001 26.22% 145 1.91% 3,486 45.67% 7,633
Randolph 1,370 42.59% 1,833 56.98% 14 0.43% -463 -14.39% 3,217
Richmond 26,842 33.80% 52,100 65.60% 480 0.60% -25,258 -31.80% 79,422
Rockdale 16,921 44.78% 20,526 54.32% 337 0.89% -3,605 -9.54% 37,784
Schley 1,252 72.00% 479 27.54% 8 0.47% 773 44.46% 1,739
Screven 3,423 52.77% 3,024 46.62% 40 0.61% 399 6.15% 6,487
Seminole 2,315 57.77% 1,660 41.43% 32 0.79% 655 16.34% 4,007
Spalding 14,885 58.85% 10,141 40.09% 269 1.06% 4,744 18.76% 25,295
Stephens 7,689 72.87% 2,705 25.63% 158 1.50% 4,984 47.24% 10,552
Stewart 783 37.13% 1,305 61.88% 21 1.00% -522 -24.75% 2,109
Sumter 5,717 46.65% 6,454 52.66% 84 0.68% -737 -6.01% 12,255
Talbot 1,301 35.15% 2,369 64.01% 31 0.84% -1,068 -28.86% 3,701
Taliaferro 339 34.24% 643 64.95% 8 0.81% -304 -30.71% 990
Tattnall 4,730 70.32% 1,932 28.72% 64 0.95% 2,798 41.60% 6,726
Taylor 2,021 56.34% 1,536 42.82% 30 0.83% 485 13.52% 3,587
Telfair 2,486 56.81% 1,862 42.55% 28 0.64% 624 14.26% 4,376
Terrell 1,890 42.75% 2,501 56.57% 30 0.68% -611 -13.82% 4,421
Thomas 10,642 57.54% 7,720 41.74% 132 0.71% 2,922 15.80% 18,494
Tift 9,431 66.09% 4,749 33.28% 89 0.62% 4,682 32.81% 14,269
Toombs 6,658 68.61% 2,964 30.54% 82 0.84% 3,694 38.07% 9,704
Towns 4,292 74.46% 1,391 24.13% 81 1.40% 2,901 50.33% 5,764
Treutlen 1,826 61.65% 1,112 37.54% 24 0.81% 714 24.11% 2,962
Troup 15,391 59.04% 10,455 40.11% 222 0.85% 4,936 18.93% 26,068
Turner 2,096 58.94% 1,427 40.13% 33 0.93% 669 18.81% 3,556
Twiggs 2,087 46.15% 2,402 53.12% 33 0.73% -315 -6.97% 4,522
Union 8,013 74.96% 2,486 23.26% 191 1.78% 5,527 51.70% 10,690
Upson 7,291 63.77% 4,061 35.52% 82 0.71% 3,230 28.25% 11,434
Walker 17,110 72.33% 6,095 25.77% 449 1.89% 11,015 46.56% 23,654
Walton 27,253 75.54% 8,469 23.47% 357 0.98% 18,784 52.07% 36,079
Ware 8,311 66.83% 4,034 32.44% 91 0.73% 4,277 34.39% 12,436
Warren 1,087 40.83% 1,554 58.38% 21 0.79% -467 -17.55% 2,662
Washington 4,216 47.49% 4,607 51.89% 55 0.62% -391 -4.40% 8,878
Wayne 7,601 71.88% 2,858 27.03% 116 1.10% 4,743 44.85% 10,575
Webster 588 52.93% 515 46.35% 8 0.72% 73 6.58% 1,111
Wheeler 1,408 63.60% 794 35.86% 12 0.54% 614 27.74% 2,214
White 8,467 78.41% 2,174 20.13% 158 1.46% 6,293 58.28% 10,799
Whitfield 19,230 69.20% 8,167 29.39% 394 1.41% 11,063 39.81% 27,791
Wilcox 2,159 68.24% 978 30.91% 27 0.85% 1,181 37.33% 3,164
Wilkes 2,705 53.46% 2,315 45.75% 40 0.79% 390 7.71% 5,060
Wilkinson 2,349 50.21% 2,298 49.12% 31 0.66% 51 1.09% 4,678
Worth 5,780 68.96% 2,542 30.33% 60 0.71% 3,238 38.63% 8,382
Totals 2,048,759 52.10% 1,844,123 46.90% 39,276 1.00% 204,636 5.20% 3,932,158
County Flips:

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

[edit]

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

[edit]

By congressional district

[edit]
Congressional District Results:

John McCain carried 8 of 13 districts in Georgia, including one district held by a Democrat.

District McCain Obama Representative
1st 62.81% 36.39% Jack Kingston
2nd 45.91% 53.55% Sanford Bishop
3rd 63.87% 35.27% Lynn Westmoreland
4th 20.65% 78.61% Hank Johnson
5th 20.01% 79.12% John Lewis
6th 62.26% 36.56% Tom Price
7th 59.68% 39.28% John Linder
8th 56.34% 42.98% Jim Marshall
9th 75.33% 23.46% Nathan Deal
10th 61.12% 37.96% Paul Broun
11th 65.60% 33.12% Phil Gingrey
12th 45.25% 54.09% John Barrow
13th 28.38% 70.85% David Scott

Electors

[edit]

Technically the voters of Georgia cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Georgia is allocated 15 electors because it has 13 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 15 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 15 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 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 15 were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin:[25]

  1. Esther Clark
  2. Dennis Coxwell
  3. Norma Edenfield
  4. Randy Evans
  5. Sue P. Everhart
  6. Leigh Ann Gillis
  7. Judy Goddard
  8. Linda Herren
  9. Rufus Montgomery
  10. Clint Murphy
  11. Sunny Park
  12. Alec Poitevint
  13. John Sours
  14. Allan Vigil
  15. John White

References

[edit]
  1. ^ ("Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2008". United States Census Bureau. July 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2020.)
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