| Election Name: | 2008 California Republican presidential primary |
| Country: | California |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2004 California Republican primary |
| Previous Year: | 2004 |
| Next Election: | United States presidential election in California, 2012#Republican primary |
| Next Year: | 2012 |
| Election Date: | February 5, 2008 |
| Color1: | ce5c17 |
| Nominee1: | John McCain |
| Home State1: | Arizona |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,238,988 |
| Percentage1: | 42.25% |
| Color2: | 85bb65 |
| Nominee2: | Mitt Romney |
| Home State2: | Massachusetts |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,013,471 |
| Percentage2: | 34.56% |
| Color3: | 990000 |
| Nominee3: | Mike Huckabee |
| Home State3: | Arkansas |
| Popular Vote3: | 340,669 |
| Percentage3: | 11.62% |
| Outgoing Members: | AZ |
| Elected Members: | CO |
| Votes For Election: | 173 delegates to the Republican National Convention (170 pledged, 3 unpledged) |
| Delegate Count1: | 155 |
| Delegate Count3: | 0 |
| Delegate Count2: | 15 |
The 2008 California Republican presidential primary was held on February 5, 2008, with a total of 173 national delegates at stake.
The delegates represented California at the Republican National Convention. There were three delegates to every congressional district and fourteen bonus delegates. The winner in each of the 53 congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates. The statewide winner was awarded 11 of the 14 statewide delegates, with the 3 remaining delegates assigned to party leaders.[1] [2] Voting in the primary was restricted to registered Republican voters.[3]
Early polls showed Rudy Giuliani in the lead. Polls taken closer to the primary either showed Mitt Romney or John McCain as the favored candidate.[4]
See also: Results of the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries.
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
| California Republican presidential primary, 2008[5] [6] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | National delegates | |
| John McCain | 1,238,988 | 42.25% | 155 | |
| Mitt Romney | 1,013,471 | 34.56% | 15 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 340,669 | 11.62% | 0 | |
| Rudy Giuliani | 128,681 | 4.39% | 0 | |
| Ron Paul | 125,365 | 4.27% | 0 | |
| Fred Thompson | 50,275 | 1.71% | 0 | |
| Duncan Hunter | 14,021 | 0.48% | 0 | |
| Alan Keyes | 11,742 | 0.40% | 0 | |
| John Cox | 3,219 | 0.11% | 0 | |
| Tom Tancredo | 3,884 | 0.13% | 0 | |
| Sam Brownback | 2,486 | 0.08% | 0 | |
| Karen Irish (write-in) | 6 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Michael Shaw (write-in) | 2 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Edward Marshall (write-in) | 1 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Joel Neuberg (write-in) | 1 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Robert Brickell (write-in) | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Brian Calef (write-in) | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| David Frey (write-in) | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Walter Rothnie (write-in) | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| John Sutherland (write-in) | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Uncommitted delegates | 3 | |||
| Totals | 2,932,811 | 100.00% | 173 | |
| Voter turnout | 56.08% | — | ||