2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts explained

Election Name:2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Country:Massachusetts
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2012 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Next Year:2012
Election Date:November 4, 2008
Image1:Obama portrait crop.jpg
Nominee1:Barack Obama
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:Illinois
Running Mate1:Joe Biden
Electoral Vote1:12
Popular Vote1:1,904,098
Percentage1:61.80%
Nominee2:John McCain
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:Arizona
Running Mate2:Sarah Palin
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:1,108,854
Percentage2:35.99%
President
Before Election:George W. Bush
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:Barack Obama
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place, as in all 50 states and D.C., as part of the 2008 United States presidential election of November 4, 2008. Voters chose 12 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who, in turn, voted for the office of president and vice president.

Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama won the state by a 25.8% margin of victory: slightly better than John Kerry's 25.2% margin in 2004. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations forecast that Obama would win Massachusetts, or otherwise considered it to be a safe blue state. Massachusetts had been a Democratic-leaning state since 1928, and a Democratic stronghold since 1960, and has maintained extremely large Democratic margins since 1996. No Republican presidential nominee has won a single county in the state, nor obtained more than 40% of the vote, since George H. W. Bush in 1988.[1] [2] In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama captured the state's 12 electoral votes winning 61.80% of the popular vote to Republican John McCain's 35.99%. Massachusetts was also 1 of only 6 states in which neither Obama nor McCain won during the primary season.

To date, this is the last time that the towns of Berkley, Brimfield, Brookfield, Carver, Dighton, Dudley, Holland, Oxford, Phillipston, Rehoboth, Spencer, and Warren voted Democratic.

Primaries

Democratic

See also: Results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

Election Name:2008 Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary
Country:Massachusetts
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2012 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Next Year:2012
Image1:Hillary_Rodham_Clinton-cropped.jpg
Candidate1:Hillary Clinton
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:New York
Popular Vote1:705,185
Percentage1:56.01%
Delegate Count1:55
Candidate2:Barack Obama
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:Illinois
Popular Vote2:511,680
Percentage2:40.64%
Delegate Count2:38

The Massachusetts Democratic primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, and had a total of 93 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Massachusetts's 10 congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 61. Another 32 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Hillary Clinton. The 93 delegates represented Massachusetts at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. 26 other unpledged delegates, known as superdelegates, also attended the convention and cast their votes as well.

Polls indicated that Clinton was leading Barack Obama in the days leading up to the contest in Massachusetts.[3]

Hillary Rodham Clinton won a convincing victory in Massachusetts over Barack Obama due to a number of factors. According to exit polls, 85% of voters in the Massachusetts Democratic Primary were Caucasians and they opted for Clinton by a margin of 58–40% compared to the 6% of African American voters who backed Obama by a margin of 66–29. Hispanics/Latinos, which comprised 5% of the total voters, backed Clinton by a margin of 56–36%. Clinton narrowly won the youth vote (those ages 18–29) by a margin of 49–48 and tied the vote among voters ages 30–44; she also won all voters over the age of 45 by a margin of 60.5–38. Pertaining to socioeconomic class, Clinton won all levels of family income except highly affluent voters making $200,000 or more a year, as they backed Obama by a narrow margin of 53–47%. As for educational attainment levels, Clinton won all categories except those with postgraduate degrees who backed Obama by a margin of 51–47%. Among self-identified Democrats in the primary, which made up 65% of the total electorate, they went for Clinton by a 58–41 margin while Independents, which comprised a healthy 33% of the electorate, also went for Clinton by a 54–42 margin. She also won all ideological groups. Clinton also won most major religious denominations – Protestants 53–46; Roman Catholics 64–33; other Christians 51–47; and other religions 49–46. Obama won Jews by a margin of 52–48 as well as atheists/agnostics by a margin of 53–45.

Clinton performed extremely well statewide, carrying a majority of counties and sweeping most of the major urban areas and cities. Obama won Boston by fewer than 10,000 votes, while Clinton won other urban and conservative towns[4] such as Springfield and Worcester.

Obama had picked up major endorsements from the Massachusetts Democratic establishment prior to Super Tuesday. Both U.S. Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry threw their support behind Obama, along with Governor Deval Patrick. Clinton also picked up a number of top-tier endorsements from Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Salvatore DiMasi along with U.S. Representatives Richard Neal and Barney Frank, one of the three openly gay members of the U.S. Congress.

PartyCandidateVotesPercentageDelegates
DemocraticHillary Clinton705,18556.01%55
DemocraticBarack Obama511,68040.64%38
DemocraticJohn Edwards20,1011.60%0
DemocraticUncommitted8,0410.64%0
DemocraticWrite-ins3,2790.26%0
DemocraticJoe Biden3,2160.26%0
DemocraticDennis Kucinich2,9920.24%0
DemocraticBill Richardson1,8460.15%0
DemocraticMike Gravel1,4630.12%0
DemocraticChristopher Dodd1,1200.09%0
Totals1,258,923100.00%93
Voter turnout%—

Republican

See also: 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries.

Election Name:2008 Massachusetts Republican presidential primary
Country:Massachusetts
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 Massachusetts Republican presidential primary
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2012 Massachusetts Republican presidential primary
Next Year:2012
Image1:Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 6.jpg
Candidate1:Mitt Romney
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:Massachusetts
Popular Vote1:255,892
Percentage1:51.92%
Delegate Count1:21
Candidate2:John McCain
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:Arizona
Popular Vote2:204,779
Percentage2:41.68%
Delegate Count2:17

The Massachusetts Republican Primary took place on February 5, 2008, with 40 national delegates.[5] Polls indicated that former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney was leading rival John McCain;[6] Romney ended up defeating McCain by roughly 10% of the vote.

Official Results[7]
CandidateVotesPercentageDelegates
Mitt Romney 255,892 51.12% 21
204,779 40.91% 17
19,103 3.82% 0
13,251 2.65% 0
Rudy Giuliani2,707 0.54% 0
Fred Thompson916 0.18% 0
Duncan Hunter258 0.05% 0
All Others 1,685 0.34% 0
Uncommitted 1,959 0.39% 0
Total 500,550 100% 38

* Candidate dropped out of the race before the primary

Green-Rainbow

See also: 2008 Green Party presidential primaries.

Election Name:2008 Massachusetts Green-Rainbow presidential primary
Country:Massachusetts
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 Massachusetts Green-Rainbow presidential primary
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2012 Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party presidential primary
Next Year:2012
Image1:Ralph Nader headshot (1).jpg
Candidate1:Ralph Nader
Party1:Green Party (United States)
Home State1:District of Columbia
Popular Vote1:744
Percentage1:39.91%
Delegate Count1:32
Candidate2:Cynthia McKinney
Party2:Green Party (United States)
Home State2:Georgia
Popular Vote2:474
Percentage2:25.43%
Delegate Count2:0

The Massachusetts Green-Rainbow primary took place on February 5. Six candidates appeared on the ballot. Ralph Nader won, despite not running for the nomination of the party.

Massachusetts Green-Rainbow presidential primary, February 5, 2008[8] [9]
CandidateVotesPercentageNational delegates
Ralph Nader74439.91%32
Cynthia McKinney47425.43%-
Kat Swift603.22%-
Jared Ball422.25%-
Kent Mesplay392.09%-
Elaine Brown382.04%-
Others27325.1%-
No preference19410.41%-
Blank votes (not tallied)
Total1,941100%32

Working Families Party

The Working Families Party did not have any candidates run in its presidential primary.[10]

Campaign

Predictions

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[11]
Cook Political Report[12]
The Takeaway[13]
Electoral-vote.com[14]
The Washington PostWashington Post[15]
Politico[16]
RealClearPolitics[17]
FiveThirtyEight
CQ Politics[18]
The New York Times[19]
CNN[20]
NPR
MSNBC
Fox News[21]
Associated Press[22]
Rasmussen Reports[23]

Polling

Very early on the election polls were tight,[24] with McCain even leading by 5 in one poll on January 21 and a tie in a poll on March 16, but Obama won every poll after March 18. He won each by a double-digit margin since August 8. The final 3 polls averaged Obama leading 56% to 36%.[25]

Fundraising

John McCain raised $4,072,206 in the state. Barack Obama raised $24,358,264.[26]

Advertising and visits

Obama spent $46,839 while the Republican ticket spent nothing.[27] Neither campaign visited the state.[28]

Analysis

In terms of voting in presidential elections, Massachusetts is one of the most heavily Democratic states in the nation. Massachusetts is ethnically diverse, highly educated, and less religious. The Bay State has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1960 except for Ronald Reagan's landslide victories of 1980 and 1984. In 1972, only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia voted for Democratic U.S. Senator George McGovern as Republican Richard M. Nixon won reelection.

Barack Obama won the state's 12 electoral votes with 61.80% of the vote to John McCain's 35.99%. This is slightly higher than Kerry's victory in 2004. Despite that, 4 counties in the state trended away from the Democratic party: Bristol, Plymouth, Norfolk, and Worcester.

Both of Massachusetts's U.S. Senators and all 10 of its U.S. Representatives were Democrats, and Democrats held supermajorities in the Massachusetts Legislature. At the same time in 2008, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry was reelected with 65.86% of the vote over Republican Jeff Beatty's 30.93% as were all of the state's delegates in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the state level, Democrats picked up three seats in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and one seat in the Massachusetts Senate.

Results

2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
DemocraticBarack ObamaJoe Biden1,904,09861.80%12
RepublicanJohn McCainSarah Palin1,108,85435.99%0
IndependentRalph NaderMatt Gonzalez28,8410.94%0
IndependentOthers (Write-In)14,4830.47%0
LibertarianBob BarrWayne Allyn Root13,1890.43%0
Green-RainbowCynthia McKinneyRosa Clemente6,5500.21%0
ConstitutionChuck BaldwinDarrell Castle4,9710.16%0
Totals3,080,985100.00%12
Voter turnout (Voting age population)62.1%

Results by County

CountyBarack Obama
Democratic		John McCain
Republican		Various candidates
Other parties		MarginTotal votes cast
%%%%
Barnstable74,26456.11%55,69442.08%2,3951.81%18,57014.03%132,353
Berkshire49,55874.94%14,87622.50%1,6962.56%34,68252.44%66,130
Bristol146,86160.41%90,53137.24%5,7282.36%56,33023.17%243,120
Dukes7,91374.98%2,44223.14%1981.88%5,47151.84%10,553
Essex208,97659.12%137,12938.80%7,3572.08%71,84720.32%353,462
Franklin27,91972.46%9,54524.77%1,0652.76%18,37447.69%38,529
Hampden121,45461.43%71,35036.09%4,9162.49%50,10425.34%197,720
Hampshire56,86971.47%20,61825.91%2,0832.62%36,25145.56%79,570
Middlesex464,48463.98%245,76633.85%15,7812.17%218,71830.13%726,031
Nantucket4,07367.30%1,86330.78%1161.92%2,21036.52%6,052
Norfolk200,67558.18%136,84139.67%7,4002.15%63,83418.51%344,916
Plymouth131,81752.77%112,90445.19%5,0962.04%18,9137.58%249,817
Suffolk207,12876.94%57,19421.24%4,9001.82%149,93455.70%269,222
Worcester202,10755.59%152,10141.83%9,3862.58%50,00613.76%363,594
Totals1,904,09861.80%1,108,85435.99%68,1172.21%795,24425.81%3,081,069

Results by Congressional district

Barack Obama swept all 10 congressional districts in Massachusetts.

DistrictRepresentative
re-elected		McCainObama
John Olver (D)33.54%64.17%
Richard Neal (D)38.88%59.04%
Jim McGovern (D)39.39%58.74%
Barney Frank (D)34.67%63.66%
Niki Tsongas (D)39.41%58.92%
John F. Tierney (D)40.71%57.65%
Ed Markey (D)33.34%64.96%
Mike Capuano (D)13.74%85.58%
Stephen Lynch (D)38.50%60.37%
William Delahunt (D)43.60%54.87%

Results by Municipality

Town/CityBarack ObamaDemocraticJohn McCainRepublicanOthersTotal Votes County
%%%
Abington50.6%4,09446.5%3,7652.9%2388,097
Acton67.8%7,89429.9%3,4772.3%26411,635
Acushnet57.8%3,23237.7%2,1104.5%2515,593
Adams74.8%3,06621.8%8933.4%1404,099
Agawam52.3%7,59544.3%6,4283.4%48714,510
Alford80.8%26117.6%571.5%5323
Amesbury59.6%5,11137.6%3,2222.8%2388,571
Amherst86.6%11,19810.1%1,3073.3%43212,937
Andover55.5%10,17742.5%7,7982.0%36918,344
Aquinnah89.5%2808.3%262.2%7313
Arlington72.1%18,36525.1%6,4072.8%71625,488
Ashburnham52.7%1,78743.8%1,4863.5%1173,390
Ashby47.0%88549.5%9323.4%641,881
Ashfield79.5%90317.4%1983.1%351,136
Ashland59.7%5,06037.5%3,1842.8%2368,480
Athol55.5%2,64741.0%1,9563.5%1684,771
Attleboro55.1%10,52341.9%8,0032.9%55919,085
Auburn53.6%4,79443.0%3,8493.4%3078,950
Avon48.4%1,17347.8%1,1593.8%922,424
Ayer55.8%1,89541.2%1,3973.0%1023,394
Barnstable53.8%13,55944.0%11,0842.2%56625,209
Barre52.0%1,40944.5%1,2053.5%952,709
Becket70.1%67226.6%2553.3%32959
Bedford60.7%4,51636.6%2,7182.7%2017,435
Belchertown62.4%4,82934.7%2,6832.9%2217,733
Bellingham51.9%4,36445.0%3,7833.2%2668,413
Belmont68.1%9,40428.8%3,9823.1%42613,812
Berkley48.4%1,58547.6%1,5584.0%1323,275
Berlin52.6%87043.1%7124.3%711,653
Bernardston68.2%84928.4%3543.4%421,245
Beverly59.4%12,24737.7%7,7802.8%58720,614
Billerica49.6%9,70047.5%9,2802.9%56619,546
Blackstone52.2%2,22944.1%1,8853.7%1564,270
Blandford48.4%33949.1%3442.6%18701
Bolton55.2%1,59841.9%1,2142.9%832,895
Boston78.6%185,97619.3%45,5482.1%5001236,525
Bourne49.9%5,07647.7%4,8592.4%24410,179
Boxborough62.7%1,79834.8%9962.5%722,866
Boxford45.9%2,28651.9%2,5862.2%1094,981
Boylston51.0%1,35245.9%1,2153.1%822,649
Braintree49.4%9,29847.6%8,9643.0%57018,832
Brewster58.5%3,90338.0%2,5353.4%2296,667
Bridgewater48.6%5,88948.4%5,8613.0%36012,110
Brimfield48.0%98447.8%9794.2%862,049
Brockton69.0%23,29928.6%9,6462.4%80833,753
Brookfield49.4%87546.8%8293.7%661,770
Brookline80.4%22,48417.3%4,8422.3%64527,971
Buckland72.8%78523.1%2494.1%441,078
Burlington53.1%6,82244.4%5,7032.6%33012,855
Cambridge87.5%40,87610.1%4,6972.5%115446,727
Canton53.2%6,46044.4%5,3962.4%28812,144
Carlisle65.2%2,11632.4%1,0532.4%773,246
Carver47.5%2,93747.0%2,9015.5%3396,177
Charlemont70.0%48625.2%1754.8%33694
Charlton44.4%2,88352.6%3,4113.0%1926,486
Chatham53.8%2,58544.1%2,1162.1%1014,802
Chelmsford52.9%10,36044.5%8,7122.6%51119,583
Chelsea73.4%5,92622.5%1,8204.1%3288,074
Cheshire69.5%1,31826.8%5083.7%701,896
Chester52.0%36943.7%3104.2%30709
Chesterfield60.3%44436.0%2653.7%27736
Chicopee60.4%14,17235.2%8,2684.4%103823,478
Chilmark80.5%59716.8%1252.7%20742
Clarksburg70.2%63526.1%2363.8%34905
Clinton56.9%3,70139.4%2,5633.7%2426,506
Cohasset51.5%2,38346.6%2,1561.9%904,629
Colrain69.4%65426.0%2454.7%44943
Concord70.3%7,43527.4%2,9032.3%24410,582
Conway75.7%95221.7%2732.6%331,258
Cummington69.5%37627.4%1483.1%17541
Dalton71.7%2,55925.7%9162.6%923,567
Danvers53.8%7,55843.4%6,0932.8%39914,050
Dartmouth62.1%10,44235.0%5,8762.9%49216,810
Dedham55.3%7,10841.7%5,3613.0%38812,857
Deerfield71.5%2,19825.6%7863.0%913,075
Dennis54.4%5,20942.8%4,0982.8%2669,573
Dighton48.1%1,73247.8%1,7194.1%1473,598
Douglas45.4%1,96251.7%2,2352.9%1254,322
Dover50.8%1,74147.1%1,6142.1%733,428
Dracut48.5%7,21648.9%7,2842.6%38414,884
Dudley49.9%2,52546.7%2,3663.4%1745,065
Dunstable49.1%91647.8%8923.1%581,866
Duxbury50.5%4,77647.4%4,4792.1%1959,450
East Bridgewater46.1%3,33251.3%3,7062.6%1867,224
East Brookfield42.7%50655.0%6512.3%271,184
East Longmeadow49.7%4,29647.6%4,1092.7%2358,640
Eastham61.1%2,34936.8%1,4162.0%783,843
Easthampton69.6%6,21427.0%2,4103.4%3058,929
Easton50.7%6,11147.0%5,6672.3%28212,060
Edgartown68.4%1,69229.1%7192.5%612,472
Egremont77.7%65820.1%1702.2%19847
Erving70.1%56526.8%2163.1%25806
Essex55.2%1,22042.9%9471.9%422,209
Everett64.2%8,33831.9%4,1403.9%50512,983
Fairhaven62.3%5,29934.3%2,9143.5%2958,508
Fall River71.0%22,59124.9%7,9334.1%130431,828
Falmouth59.6%11,72538.1%7,5032.3%45819,686
Fitchburg59.6%8,59637.3%5,3783.2%45814,432
Florida62.1%26734.2%1473.7%16430
Foxborough51.4%4,70246.1%4,2162.5%2319,149
Framingham65.9%17,83931.2%8,4642.9%78227,085
Franklin52.4%8,80044.9%7,5352.7%45816,793
Freetown49.7%2,40546.1%2,2284.2%2054,838
Gardner58.6%4,93637.6%3,1713.8%3218,428
Georgetown49.7%2,35847.9%2,2712.5%1174,746
Gill73.1%67223.9%2202.9%27919
Gloucester63.5%9,96732.6%5,1133.9%60415,684
Goshen65.8%40330.2%1853.9%24612
Gosnold65.0%5232.5%262.5%280
Grafton52.3%4,72244.9%4,0572.7%2489,027
Granby54.9%1,96741.9%1,5023.2%1153,584
Granville43.3%38152.6%4624.1%36879
Great Barrington81.5%3,07415.2%5743.3%1263,774
Greenfield72.9%6,24523.2%1,9874.0%3398,571
Groton56.2%3,45039.7%2,4394.0%2486,137
Groveland49.1%1,89848.3%1,8672.6%1023,867
Hadley68.9%2,13828.2%8762.9%893,103
Halifax47.1%1,92849.5%2,0263.5%1434,097
Hamilton52.7%2,49444.8%2,1202.4%1144,728
Hampden48.4%1,45048.7%1,4572.9%872,994
Hancock62.2%24833.1%1324.8%19399
Hanover44.1%3,60054.0%4,4112.0%1618,172
Hanson46.9%2,57150.3%2,7582.8%1535,482
Hardwick54.8%77641.1%5824.0%571,415
Harvard63.2%2,20633.2%1,1583.6%1253,489
Harwich55.7%4,53840.7%3,3143.6%2918,143
Hatfield66.2%1,40531.0%6582.8%592,122
Haverhill57.3%15,55239.8%10,8142.8%77227,138
Hawley57.4%10136.9%655.7%10176
Heath66.7%29630.6%1362.7%12444
Hingham52.9%7,12945.2%6,0991.9%26013,488
Hinsdale65.4%72330.0%3324.6%511,106
Holbrook52.6%2,85844.0%2,3913.4%1825,431
Holden51.2%5,36045.9%4,8052.9%30010,465
Holland48.8%65447.4%6363.8%511,341
Holliston58.4%4,83038.9%3,2192.7%2218,270
Holyoke71.1%11,03425.8%4,0003.2%48915,523
Hopedale54.4%1,84742.8%1,4512.8%963,394
Hopkinton53.1%4,45544.7%3,7532.2%1868,394
Hubbardston46.5%1,18849.8%1,2723.8%962,556
Hudson57.4%5,63938.9%3,8263.7%3619,826
Hull58.9%3,51137.9%2,2583.3%1945,963
Huntington53.2%60842.2%4824.6%531,143
Ipswich56.0%4,57341.4%3,3812.6%2138,167
Kingston48.7%3,27949.0%3,3032.3%1546,736
Lakeville42.8%2,45653.4%3,0603.8%2175,733
Lancaster48.3%1,77548.2%1,7703.5%1293,674
Lanesborough69.2%1,16428.8%4842.0%341,682
Lawrence79.5%15,63218.4%3,6242.1%40419,660
Lee72.1%2,19224.6%7483.3%1003,040
Leicester51.1%2,82145.4%2,5033.5%1945,518
Lenox75.5%2,30521.7%6622.8%843,051
Leominster54.8%10,06342.0%7,7093.2%58018,352
Leverett83.8%1,05313.4%1682.8%351,256
Lexington72.3%12,98425.6%4,5932.1%38517,962
Leyden72.4%34423.6%1124.0%19475
Lincoln75.1%2,62722.6%7912.2%783,496
Littleton57.0%2,96340.5%2,1062.4%1275,196
Longmeadow57.0%5,51740.8%3,9462.2%2119,674
Lowell64.7%20,64632.6%10,3932.7%86631,905
Ludlow56.5%5,63840.5%4,0383.0%3009,976
Lunenburg50.2%2,88947.0%2,7062.8%1615,756
Lynn67.7%20,27629.1%8,7193.2%96129,956
Lynnfield43.2%3,01854.6%3,8112.2%1556,984
Malden67.2%13,86529.5%6,0753.3%68820,628
Manchester-by-the-Sea59.8%2,04637.7%1,2902.5%853,421
Mansfield51.8%6,05244.3%5,1763.9%45411,682
Marblehead60.3%7,51337.4%4,6592.3%28812,460
Marion57.6%1,80440.4%1,2662.0%643,134
Marlborough57.2%9,36739.8%6,5203.1%50016,387
Marshfield49.7%7,25548.1%7,0262.2%32314,604
Mashpee52.7%4,29743.7%3,5643.5%2888,149
Mattapoisett53.8%2,17742.8%1,7333.4%1374,047
Maynard62.5%3,54934.7%1,9672.8%1585,674
Medfield52.8%3,84844.8%3,2642.5%1817,293
Medford65.0%17,59832.0%8,6553.0%81127,064
Medway53.2%3,73644.4%3,1222.4%1687,026
Melrose59.3%9,13937.9%5,8462.7%42015,405
Mendon46.6%1,51350.5%1,6412.9%943,248
Merrimac53.6%1,91843.3%1,5513.1%1123,581
Methuen53.4%11,26344.1%9,3032.6%54321,109
Middleborough45.1%5,15551.2%5,8573.7%42911,441
Middlefield64.7%19432.7%982.7%8300
Middleton45.4%1,98251.9%2,2662.7%1204,368
Milford57.1%7,07340.0%4,9582.9%36312,394
Millbury51.6%3,44044.9%2,9963.5%2336,669
Millis54.1%2,49443.3%1,9962.6%1184,608
Millville47.4%73349.9%7722.7%421,547
Milton60.8%9,48636.9%5,7532.3%35215,591
Monroe66.7%4031.7%191.7%160
Monson53.7%2,41842.9%1,9313.4%1514,500
Montague74.4%3,26122.1%9673.6%1574,385
Monterey79.0%46418.6%1092.4%14587
Montgomery45.8%23649.9%2574.3%22515
Mount Washington77.1%9117.8%215.1%6118
Nahant58.0%1,34338.3%8873.6%842,314
Nantucket67.0%4,07330.6%1,8632.4%1456,081
Natick62.8%11,40633.3%6,0503.9%69918,155
Needham65.4%11,33132.6%5,6522.0%35317,336
New Ashford66.2%9627.6%406.2%9145
New Bedford72.5%24,88123.9%8,2013.6%124534,327
New Braintree52.2%28944.8%2483.1%17554
New Marlborough71.7%60125.4%2132.9%24838
New Salem63.9%39530.7%1905.3%33618
Newbury53.7%2,32643.5%1,8832.8%1204,329
Newburyport65.0%7,11832.1%3,5172.8%30910,944
Newton74.6%33,36023.0%10,2832.4%107744,720
Norfolk46.7%2,50850.7%2,7232.5%1365,367
North Adams76.0%4,51920.2%1,2033.8%2265,948
North Andover51.6%7,77746.1%6,9392.3%34615,062
North Attleborough49.7%7,09947.0%6,7133.3%47114,283
North Brookfield45.5%1,09151.0%1,2243.5%832,398
North Reading47.9%4,05650.0%4,2332.0%1718,460
Northampton82.1%13,41214.6%2,3873.3%54216,341
Northborough55.4%4,51641.7%3,4012.8%2328,149
Northbridge47.6%3,62549.2%3,7483.2%2427,615
Northfield70.4%1,22826.5%4633.1%541,745
Norton50.7%4,54246.8%4,1942.5%2278,963
Norwell46.5%2,94751.4%3,2632.1%1346,344
Norwood55.1%7,94441.8%6,0333.1%44014,417
Oak Bluffs71.8%1,93126.3%7061.9%512,688
Oakham46.0%52049.7%5624.2%481,130
Orange56.2%1,90340.3%1,3663.5%1183,387
Orleans57.4%2,67740.1%1,8702.5%1174,664
Otis58.7%50437.0%3184.3%37859
Oxford49.7%3,23747.0%3,0613.3%2136,511
Palmer54.4%3,22941.8%2,4813.8%2265,936
Paxton48.7%1,26346.0%1,1945.4%1392,596
Peabody56.0%14,81840.8%10,8003.1%82326,441
Pelham83.9%75313.9%1252.1%19897
Pembroke48.8%4,67248.7%4,6602.5%2389,570
Pepperell47.8%3,02949.2%3,1163.0%1916,336
Peru65.0%30531.6%1483.4%16469
Petersham56.6%46640.2%3313.2%26823
Phillipston52.0%50144.3%4273.7%36964
Pittsfield75.5%15,66521.2%4,4043.2%66820,737
Plainfield74.4%29422.5%893.0%12395
Plainville49.2%2,11447.4%2,0363.4%1474,297
Plymouth52.3%15,18045.2%13,1392.5%72229,041
Plympton45.9%78751.6%8842.5%421,713
Princeton50.8%1,13845.0%1,0084.2%952,241
Provincetown86.9%2,06710.8%2562.4%562,379
Quincy57.2%22,81039.0%15,5463.8%150939,865
Randolph71.5%10,42426.1%3,8112.4%34714,582
Raynham47.1%3,33649.8%3,5243.1%2167,076
Reading55.5%7,69442.1%5,8312.4%33513,860
Rehoboth50.0%3,14746.7%2,9453.3%2086,300
Revere58.7%9,94136.9%6,2424.4%73916,922
Richmond73.8%72022.9%2233.3%32975
Rochester47.0%1,46749.8%1,5553.2%1013,123
Rockland49.9%4,31846.6%4,0353.4%2988,651
Rockport65.9%3,08831.4%1,4692.7%1284,685
Rowe53.0%14039.4%1047.6%20264
Rowley48.7%1,68149.0%1,6902.3%783,449
Royalston57.4%39937.3%2595.3%37695
Russell50.1%40945.3%3704.5%37816
Rutland48.2%2,02749.5%2,0812.3%984,206
Salem67.7%13,08029.0%5,6013.3%63519,316
Salisbury53.8%2,27043.2%1,8233.1%1294,222
Sandisfield61.2%27432.1%1446.7%30448
Sandwich49.0%6,12647.5%5,9423.5%44012,508
Saugus50.1%6,76946.8%6,3143.1%42113,504
Savoy67.8%27427.5%1114.7%19404
Scituate52.1%5,85045.6%5,1212.3%26311,234
Seekonk54.8%4,06741.3%3,0613.9%2907,418
Sharon65.1%6,62231.2%3,1793.7%37310,174
Sheffield72.3%1,37823.7%4523.9%751,905
Shelburne75.6%91620.3%2464.1%501,212
Sherborn59.5%1,60938.0%1,0292.5%672,705
Shirley51.2%1,60945.2%1,4213.6%1143,144
Shrewsbury56.1%10,00040.9%7,2963.0%53317,829
Shutesbury84.3%1,03812.5%1543.2%401,232
Somerset61.8%6,36834.3%3,5373.9%39810,303
Somerville80.7%26,66515.8%5,2153.6%118133,061
South Hadley62.3%5,67135.1%3,1992.6%2409,110
Southampton55.7%1,91141.3%1,4162.9%1013,428
Southborough55.8%3,20141.5%2,3792.7%1525,732
Southbridge63.4%4,46633.3%2,3463.3%2327,044
Southwick46.3%2,26750.4%2,4673.3%1604,894
Spencer49.4%2,79947.6%2,6973.1%1735,669
Springfield75.8%39,51621.7%11,3312.4%127452,121
Sterling45.8%2,15951.4%2,4232.8%1324,714
Stockbridge79.6%99817.1%2143.3%411,253
Stoneham54.5%6,62543.0%5,2312.5%30012,156
Stoughton58.0%7,91538.8%5,2963.1%42513,636
Stow57.6%2,31939.6%1,5922.8%1134,024
Sturbridge52.6%2,73844.6%2,3222.8%1485,208
Sudbury63.0%6,50235.0%3,6132.1%21210,327
Sunderland76.2%1,43320.4%3833.4%641,880
Sutton44.8%2,36251.9%2,7363.3%1765,274
Swampscott62.3%5,10334.7%2,8443.0%2448,191
Swansea57.1%4,88739.8%3,4083.1%2688,563
Taunton58.3%13,24338.2%8,6773.6%81222,732
Templeton50.9%1,90945.3%1,7013.8%1423,752
Tewksbury48.4%7,62848.8%7,6832.8%43515,746
Tisbury75.0%1,83022.2%5412.8%692,440
Tolland46.4%12850.0%1383.6%10276
Topsfield47.3%1,82447.6%1,8375.1%1983,859
Townsend46.0%2,32650.8%2,5723.2%1625,060
Truro73.0%1,05624.4%3532.6%371,446
Tyngsborough48.0%2,95550.1%3,0852.0%1216,161
Tyringham69.3%19428.2%792.5%7280
Upton50.2%2,07746.6%1,9273.2%1314,135
Uxbridge48.1%3,47648.8%3,5323.1%2267,234
Wakefield54.4%7,74342.9%6,1182.7%38514,246
Wales52.6%53743.7%4463.6%371,020
Walpole48.3%6,60049.2%6,7122.5%34313,655
Waltham62.6%15,27634.3%8,3833.1%74624,405
Ware56.0%2,55240.0%1,8214.0%1824,555
Wareham56.8%6,19940.3%4,3982.9%31710,914
Warren50.5%1,18445.3%1,0624.1%972,343
Warwick72.4%32824.3%1103.3%15453
Washington73.5%25823.4%823.1%11351
Watertown71.1%11,52026.2%4,2492.7%43116,200
Wayland67.2%5,48830.3%2,4762.5%2048,168
Webster51.6%3,46144.4%2,9754.0%2696,705
Wellesley63.7%9,27033.6%4,8852.8%40514,560
Wellfleet70.0%1,55027.0%5973.0%662,213
Wendell83.5%47412.1%694.4%25568
Wenham50.4%1,18247.2%1,1082.3%552,345
West Boylston50.3%2,01947.1%1,8912.6%1044,014
West Bridgewater42.6%1,70154.2%2,1633.2%1283,992
West Brookfield49.7%1,01046.0%9364.3%872,033
West Newbury54.4%1,50843.4%1,2022.2%622,772
West Springfield54.9%6,75141.7%5,1283.3%41012,289
West Stockbridge79.7%72016.8%1523.4%31903
West Tisbury81.7%1,53116.0%2992.3%441,874
Westborough58.6%5,30838.6%3,4962.9%2599,063
Westfield52.6%9,30443.9%7,7623.5%62217,688
Westford54.0%6,79543.7%5,5012.3%28612,582
Westhampton61.1%68137.2%4141.7%191,114
Westminster49.8%2,14446.3%1,9923.9%1664,302
Weston60.0%3,90237.6%2,4462.4%1556,503
Westport61.3%5,31935.6%3,0873.0%2648,670
Westwood52.0%4,56445.4%3,9852.6%2268,775
Weymouth52.7%14,72744.2%12,3583.0%84527,930
Whately66.4%66029.2%2904.4%44994
Whitman48.3%3,50448.7%3,5313.0%2147,249
Wilbraham49.3%4,23047.3%4,0623.4%2928,584
Williamsburg77.0%1,30919.5%3313.5%601,700
Williamstown79.1%2,95718.9%7072.0%743,738
Wilmington48.3%5,81249.2%5,9232.5%30712,042
Winchendon53.1%2,29443.2%1,8663.8%1634,323
Winchester59.0%7,38138.7%4,8462.2%28112,508
Windsor71.5%39825.5%1423.1%17557
Winthrop57.7%5,28439.2%3,5843.1%2849,152
Woburn53.2%10,23744.0%8,4662.7%52619,229
Worcester66.9%41,35229.9%18,4743.2%198261,808
Worthington67.3%51029.3%2223.4%26758
Wrentham47.2%2,91149.8%3,0733.0%1876,171
Yarmouth53.4%7,54743.8%6,1872.9%40514,139

Electors

See main article: List of 2008 United States presidential electors. Technically the voters of Massachusetts cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Massachusetts is allocated 12 electors because it has 10 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 12 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 12 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.[29] 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 12 were pledged to Obama and Biden:[30]

  1. Brenda Brathwaite
  2. Mary Ann Dube
  3. Patricia Marcus
  4. Faye Morrison
  5. Carol Pacheco
  6. Corinne Wingard
  7. John Brissette
  8. Raymond Jordan
  9. Joe Kaplan
  10. Melvin Poindexter
  11. Samuel Poulten
  12. Jason Whittet

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
  2. http://www.cookpolitical.com/charts/president/ev_scorecard.php
  3. Web site: Massachusetts Democratic Primary . RealClearPolitics . February 4, 2008.
  4. News: Frank . Phillips . Viser . Matt . Decisive victories in Mass. . Boston Globe . February 6, 2008 . February 6, 2008.
  5. Web site: Massachusetts Republican Delegation 2008 . 2008-01-28 . The Green Papers.
  6. Web site: RESULTS: Massachusetts . CNN . 2008-02-05 . 2008-02-05.
  7. Web site: Massachusetts 2008 Presidential Primary Results - Republican Party . Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth . 2008-02-05 . 2008-05-24.
  8. Web site: The Green Party's Internal Democracy Problem: Presidential Politics . Giese . Chuck . June 20, 2008 . www.dissedentvoice.org . Dissident Voice . April 7, 2008.
  9. Web site: 2008 President Green-rainbow Primary. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Government of Massachusetts. February 5, 2008. February 5, 2012.
  10. Web site: PD43+ » Search Elections . PD43+ . Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . 5 March 2020.
  11. Web site: 2009-01-01. D.C.'s Political Report: The complete source for campaign summaries.. 2021-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20090101161206/http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com/Predictions.html. 2009-01-01.
  12. Web site: 2015-05-05. Presidential. 2021-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20150505003043/http://cookpolitical.com/presidential. 2015-05-05.
  13. Web site: 2009-04-22. Vote 2008 - The Takeaway - Track the Electoral College vote predictions. 2021-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20090422070127/http://vote2008.thetakeaway.org/2008/09/20/track-the-electoral-college-vote-predictions/. 2009-04-22.
  14. Web site: Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily. 2021-08-23. electoral-vote.com.
  15. Based on Takeaway
  16. Web site: POLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com. 2016-09-22. www.politico.com.
  17. Web site: RealClearPolitics - Electoral Map. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080605003612/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=5. 2008-06-05.
  18. Web site: CQ Presidential Election Maps, 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090614004022/http://innovation.cq.com/prezMap08. June 14, 2009. December 20, 2009. CQ Politics.
  19. News: Nagourney. Adam. Zeleny. Jeff. Carter. Shan. 2008-11-04. The Electoral Map: Key States. The New York Times. May 26, 2010.
  20. News: 2008-10-31. October  - 2008  - CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs. CNN. May 26, 2010. 2010-06-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20100619013250/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/. dead.
  21. News: April 27, 2010. Winning The Electoral College. Fox News.
  22. Web site: roadto270. 2016-09-22. hosted.ap.org.
  23. Web site: Election 2008: Electoral College Update - Rasmussen Reports. 2016-09-22. www.rasmussenreports.com.
  24. Web site: 2008 - Massachusetts: McCain vs. Obama | RealClearPolitics.
  25. http://uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/PRESIDENT/2008/pollsa.php?fips=25 Election 2008 Polls - Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
  26. Web site: Presidential Campaign Finance . 2009-08-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090324090148/http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=MA&cand_id=P00000001 . 2009-03-24 . dead .
  27. News: Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com . CNN . May 26, 2010.
  28. News: Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com . CNN . May 26, 2010.
  29. Web site: Electoral College . 2008-11-01 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081030041546/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ec.htm . October 30, 2008 .
  30. http://www.massdems.org/dsc/dscon_resources08.cfm Massachusetts Democratic Party

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