2008 United States presidential election in South Dakota explained

Election Name:2008 United States presidential election in South Dakota
Country:South Dakota
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 United States presidential election in South Dakota
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota
Next Year:2012
Election Date:November 4, 2008
Image1:File:John McCain 2009 Official.jpg
Nominee1:John McCain
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:Arizona
Running Mate1:Sarah Palin
Electoral Vote1:3
Popular Vote1:203,054
Percentage1:53.16%
Nominee2:Barack Obama
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:Illinois
Running Mate2:Joe Biden
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:170,924
Percentage2:44.75%
Map Size:300px
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 South Dakota took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

South Dakota was won by Republican nominee John McCain by an 8.4 point margin of victory. Prior to the election, 16 of 17 news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or otherwise considered as a red state. Like the other states located in the Great Plains region, South Dakota is a predominantly rural and sparsely populated state with conservative voting tendencies which favors the Republicans, who dominate elections at the state and federal level. Although South Dakota stayed in the GOP column in 2008 as Republican John McCain carried the state with 53.16% of the popular vote, Obama greatly improved upon John Kerry's performance from four years earlier., this is the last time a Democrat won more than 40% of the vote in South Dakota, the last time the victory margin was within single digits and the last time in which Brown County, Lake County, Miner County, Minnehaha County, Moody County, and Brookings County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[1]

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:

!Source!Ranking
D.C. Political Report[2]
Cook Political Report[3]
The Takeaway[4]
Electoral-vote.com[5]
The Washington PostWashington Post[6]
Politico[7]
RealClearPolitics[8]
FiveThirtyEight
CQ Politics[9]
The New York Times[10]
CNN[11]
NPR
MSNBC
Fox News[12]
Associated Press[13]
Rasmussen Reports[14]

Polling

McCain won two pre-election polls, and never polled less than 47%. The highest Obama ever polled was 50%; the final poll showed McCain leading 50% to 42%.[15]

Fundraising

John McCain raised a total of $287,533 in the state. Barack Obama raised $337,053.

Advertising and visits

Obama and his interest groups spent $639,435. McCain and his interest groups spent just $1,531.[16] Obama did not visit the state, while McCain visited once, going to Sturgis.[17]

Analysis

South Dakota, a predominantly Republican state, has not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon B. Johnson won the state in the landslide election of 1964. A sparsely populated state whose population largely tends towards a rural and conservative lifestyle, the state has been won handily by the Republicans in every election since then.

McCain was able to keep South Dakota in the GOP column in 2008, taking in 53.16% of the total statewide vote over Obama who received 44.75%, an 8.41-percent margin of victory. This margin of victory was considerably smaller compared to 2004 when George W. Bush carried South Dakota with 59.91% of the vote over John Kerry who received 38.44%, a 21.47% margin of victory, resulting in a 13.06% swing to the Democrats in 2008.

While McCain did well throughout the state, his main strength was in Western South Dakota, where he often won by landslide margins.[18] He was able to carry Pennington County, which contains the state's second largest city of Rapid City. In contrast, Obama ran best in Eastern South Dakota, losing most counties by fairly close margins. He also did well among Native Americans; in Western South Dakota, the only counties Obama won were majority Native American.

Obama was able to substantially improve upon John Kerry's showing in South Dakota in 2004 by a number of factors. First, it helped that South Dakota received media attention during the course of the 2008 Democratic Primary, being the last state to vote in the historic and contentious primary that gave Hillary Rodham Clinton an 11-point victory over Obama; it was Clinton's last victory in the primary. In the general election, Obama was able to cut the margin significantly by narrowly carrying Minnehaha County, which contains the state's largest city of Sioux Falls. He was also able to win Brown County, which contains Aberdeen, as well as Brookings County which contains Brookings, home of South Dakota State University. He did much better than Kerry in Eastern South Dakota, which is where most of the people live, but McCain's margins throughout the state were too large to overcome.

During the same election, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Johnson was soundly reelected over Republican State Senator Jim Dykstra by a two-to-one margin, receiving 62.49% of the vote to Dykstra's 37.51%. At the state level, Democrats made gains in the South Dakota Legislature, picking up four seats in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

Results

2008 United States presidential election in South Dakota
PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
RepublicanJohn McCainSarah Palin 203,054 53.16%3
DemocraticBarack ObamaJoe Biden170,92444.75%0
IndependentRalph NaderMatt Gonzalez4,2671.12%0
ConstitutionChuck BaldwinDarrell Castle1,8950.50%0
IndependentBob BarrWayne Allyn Root1,8350.48%0
Totals381,975100.00%3
Voter turnout (Voting age population)64.7%

Results by county

County[19] John McCain
Republican		Barack Obama
Democratic		Ralph Nader
Independent		Charles Baldwin
Constitution		Bob Barr
Independent		MarginTotal votes cast
data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %
Aurora79453.11%65543.81%271.81%50.33%140.94%1399.30%1,495
Beadle4,05452.55%3,49345.28%841.09%390.51%440.57%5617.27%7,714
Bennett61450.83%55746.11%191.57%110.91%70.58%574.72%1,208
Bon Homme1,71253.92%1,36743.06%591.86%210.66%160.50%34510.86%3,175
Brookings6,43146.12%7,20751.68%1561.12%680.49%830.60%-776-5.56%13,945
Brown8,06746.29%9,04151.88%1730.99%720.41%730.42%-974-5.59%17,426
Brule1,40757.69%96539.57%331.35%160.66%180.74%44218.12%2,439
Buffalo15625.20%45473.34%71.13%10.16%10.16%-298-48.14%619
Butte2,82166.28%1,30630.69%511.20%451.06%330.78%1,51535.59%4,256
Campbell59169.20%24328.45%101.17%80.94%20.23%34840.75%854
Charles Mix2,10953.02%1,80745.42%411.03%80.20%130.33%3027.60%3,978
Clark1,06554.90%83042.78%201.03%100.52%150.77%23512.12%1,940
Clay2,29636.78%3,80861.01%831.33%190.30%360.58%-1,512-24.23%6,242
Codington6,37452.31%5,59545.92%1090.89%480.39%590.48%7796.39%12,185
Corson53538.05%83759.53%161.14%90.64%90.64%-302-21.48%1,406
Custer2,90964.54%1,47532.73%571.26%440.98%220.49%1,43431.81%4,507
Davison4,73155.96%3,55442.03%901.06%410.48%390.46%1,17713.93%8,455
Day1,37242.81%1,78555.69%270.84%110.34%100.31%-413-12.88%3,205
Deuel1,08849.05%1,05447.52%401.80%231.04%130.59%341.53%2,218
Dewey65932.64%1,32865.78%140.69%130.64%50.25%-669-33.14%2,019
Douglas1,29373.63%42424.15%211.20%90.51%90.51%86949.48%1,756
Edmunds1,21358.43%81939.45%231.11%120.58%90.43%39418.98%2,076
Fall River2,34861.64%1,33835.13%541.42%431.13%260.68%1,01026.51%3,809
Faulk73962.00%42635.74%181.51%50.42%40.34%31326.26%1,192
Grant1,95150.94%1,78646.63%561.46%160.42%210.55%1654.31%3,830
Gregory1,42363.33%77134.31%291.29%110.49%130.58%65229.02%2,247
Haakon93981.44%18716.22%121.04%80.69%70.61%75265.22%1,153
Hamlin1,66159.60%1,04337.42%501.79%220.79%110.39%61822.18%2,787
Hand1,24762.01%71835.70%301.49%80.40%80.40%52926.31%2,011
Hanson1,42658.66%96139.53%170.70%160.66%110.45%46519.13%2,431
Harding57578.34%13518.39%121.63%70.95%50.68%44059.95%734
Hughes5,29862.56%3,03735.86%820.97%200.24%310.37%2,26126.70%8,468
Hutchinson2,28563.33%1,24234.42%471.30%210.58%130.36%1,04328.91%3,608
Hyde54769.68%22628.79%91.15%10.13%20.25%32140.89%785
Jackson66858.96%43538.39%151.32%90.79%60.53%23320.57%1,133
Jerauld54649.41%54249.05%131.18%40.36%00.00%40.36%1,105
Jones46373.84%14723.44%91.44%10.16%71.12%31650.40%627
Kingsbury1,43551.54%1,27745.87%451.62%100.36%170.61%1585.67%2,784
Lake2,99348.61%3,03349.26%811.32%250.41%250.41%-40-0.65%6,157
Lawrence6,78756.30%4,93240.91%1791.48%720.60%850.71%1,85515.39%12,055
Lincoln11,80356.84%8,64241.61%1660.80%640.31%920.44%3,16115.23%20,767
Lyman89454.48%71043.27%181.10%120.73%70.43%18411.21%1,641
Marshall90041.08%1,26157.55%140.64%60.27%100.46%-361-16.47%2,191
McCook1,64655.89%1,21941.39%401.36%260.88%140.48%42714.50%2,945
McPherson91566.55%44132.07%110.80%50.36%30.22%47434.48%1,375
Meade7,51564.75%3,75132.32%1411.21%1191.03%800.69%3,76432.43%11,606
Mellette44552.79%37344.25%141.66%80.95%30.36%728.54%843
Miner57747.37%60549.67%201.64%110.90%50.41%-28-2.30%1,218
Minnehaha39,25148.73%39,83849.46%7540.94%3810.47%3280.41%-587-0.73%80,552
Moody1,50846.34%1,66351.11%511.57%120.37%200.61%-155-4.77%3,254
Pennington27,60359.64%17,80238.47%4931.07%1620.35%2200.48%9,80121.17%46,280
Perkins1,10265.36%49929.60%301.78%382.25%171.01%60335.76%1,686
Potter93765.07%48233.47%60.42%130.90%20.14%45531.60%1,440
Roberts1,78139.26%2,67258.91%521.15%160.35%150.33%-891-19.65%4,536
Sanborn66955.43%50041.43%262.15%70.58%50.41%16914.00%1,207
Shannon3319.88%2,97188.69%361.07%80.24%40.12%-2,640-78.81%3,350
Spink1,66050.78%1,55047.42%300.92%130.40%160.49%1103.36%3,269
Stanley1,01765.49%51032.84%130.84%50.32%80.52%50732.65%1,553
Sully58169.75%23327.97%101.20%70.84%20.24%34841.78%833
Todd57120.19%2,20878.08%210.74%170.60%110.39%-1,637-57.89%2,828
Tripp1,85965.48%91432.19%301.06%200.70%160.56%94533.29%2,839
Turner2,53858.32%1,68138.63%861.98%310.71%160.37%85719.69%4,352
Union4,31055.97%3,24442.12%811.05%240.31%420.55%1,06613.85%7,701
Walworth1,66862.94%92334.83%301.13%200.75%90.34%74528.11%2,650
Yankton5,03949.72%4,83847.74%1671.65%340.34%560.55%2011.98%10,134
Ziebach31235.02%55462.18%91.01%80.90%80.90%-242-27.16%891
Totals203,05453.16%170,92444.75%4,2671.12%1,8950.50%1,8350.48%32,1308.41%381,975

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

South Dakota has only one congressional district because of its small population compared to other states. This district, called the At-Large district because it covers the entire state, is equivalent to the statewide election results.

Electors

See main article: List of 2008 United States presidential electors.

Technically the voters of South Dakota cast their ballots for electors, representatives to the Electoral College. The state is allocated three electors because it has one congressional district and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of three electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and the candidate's running mate. In the state's First Past the Post (plurality voting) system, the winner of a plurality of votes in the state is awarded all three 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.[20] 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 capitals.

The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All 3 were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin:[21]

  1. Mike Rounds
  2. Dennis Daugaard
  3. Larry Long

See also

Notes and References

  1. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  2. 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.
  3. Web site: 2015-05-05. Presidential. 2021-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20150505003043/http://cookpolitical.com/presidential. 2015-05-05.
  4. 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.
  5. Web site: Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily. 2021-08-23. electoral-vote.com.
  6. Based on Takeaway
  7. Web site: POLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com. 2016-09-22. www.politico.com.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. News: Nagourney. Adam. Zeleny. Jeff. Carter. Shan. 2008-11-04. The Electoral Map: Key States. The New York Times. May 26, 2010.
  11. 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.
  12. News: April 27, 2010. Winning The Electoral College. Fox News.
  13. Web site: roadto270. 2016-09-22. hosted.ap.org.
  14. Web site: Election 2008: Electoral College Update - Rasmussen Reports. 2016-09-22. www.rasmussenreports.com.
  15. http://uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/PRESIDENT/2008/pollsa.php?fips=46
  16. News: Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com . CNN . May 26, 2010.
  17. News: Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com . CNN . May 26, 2010.
  18. News: Election Results 2008 . New York Times . 2009-05-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20041103020223/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/history/ch13.htm . November 3, 2004 .
  19. Our Campaigns; SD US Presidential Election Race, November 04, 2008
  20. 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 .
  21. Web site: U. S. Electoral College 2008 Election - Certificates . Archives.gov . 2015-05-04.

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