Election in New Jersey
2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey
|
|
|
County Results
Municipality Results
Congressional District Results
Obama
40?50%
50?60%
60?70%
70?80%
80?90%
90?100%
|
McCain
40?50%
50?60%
60?70%
70?80%
90?100%
| |
|
The
2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey
took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the
2008 United States presidential election
. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the
Electoral College
, who voted for
president
and
vice president
.
New Jersey
was won by Democratic nominee
Barack Obama
with a 15.53% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safe
blue state
. No fundraising money was spent by either campaign, as the state has trended towards the
Democratic Party
in recent years. A highly affluent and predominantly
urban
state with an ethnically diverse population, New Jersey has become a reliably
blue state
, and this was evident again when Democrat
Barack Obama
comfortably won the state's 15 electoral votes with 57.14% of the vote.
New Jersey weighed in for this election as 8.3% more Democratic than the national average.
Primary elections
[
edit
]
Democratic primary
[
edit
]
The Democratic primary took place February 5, 2008, also known as
Super Tuesday
.
Hillary Clinton
won this primary.
Key:
|
Withdrew
prior to contest
|
Republican primary
[
edit
]
The Republican primary took place on February 5, 2008, with 52 national delegates who were allocated on a winner takes all basis.
[3]
* Candidate dropped out of the race before the primary
Campaign
[
edit
]
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
[5]
|
Likely D
|
Cook Political Report
[6]
|
Solid D
|
The Takeaway
[7]
|
Solid D
|
Electoral-vote.com
[8]
|
Solid D
|
Washington Post
[9]
|
Solid D
|
Politico
[10]
|
Solid D
|
RealClearPolitics
[11]
|
Solid D
|
FiveThirtyEight
[9]
|
Solid D
|
CQ Politics
[12]
|
Solid D
|
The New York Times
[13]
|
Solid D
|
CNN
[14]
|
Safe D
|
NPR
[9]
|
Solid D
|
MSNBC
[9]
|
Solid D
|
Fox News
[15]
|
Likely D
|
Associated Press
[16]
|
Likely D
|
Rasmussen Reports
[17]
|
Safe D
|
Polling
[
edit
]
Pre-election polling was tight early on. However, since October 12, Obama won each poll with a double-digit margin of victory and with at least 52%. McCain didn't reach over 42% in that stretch. The final 3 polls found Obama leading with 55% to 39%.
[18]
Fundraising
[
edit
]
John McCain raised a total of $4,761,251 in the state. Barack Obama raised $13,624,081.
[19]
Advertising and visits
[
edit
]
Neither candidate spent anything here.
[20]
The Republican ticket visited the state twice. Obama visited the state once.
[21]
Analysis
[
edit
]
New Jersey was once one of the most reliably Republican states in the Northeast. From
1948
to
1988
, it voted Republican in all but two elections:
John F. Kennedy
in his narrow victory over
Richard Nixon
in
1960
, and
Lyndon Johnson
's 44-state landslide of
1964
. However, the brand of Republicanism practiced in New Jersey has historically been a moderate one. As the national party tilted more to the right, the state's voters became more friendly to Democrats. The state narrowly went for
Bill Clinton
in
1992
and has voted Democratic in every election since then. In all but one election since
1996
, the Democrats have carried it by double digits. While Republicans remain competitive at the state and local level, at the presidential level New Jersey is now reckoned as part of the solid bloc of blue states in the Northeast.
Democrats have several structural advantages in New Jersey during presidential elections. The northeastern portion, including
Newark
,
Jersey City
,
Elizabeth
and
Paterson
, contains more than half the state's population and is heavily Democratic. The southwestern portion, including
Camden
,
Cherry Hill
, and
Atlantic City
is also heavily Democratic. These regions have a total of over 2,000,000 voters between them, making it extremely difficult for a Republican to carry the state. For instance, in
2004
George W. Bush
held
John Kerry
to only a 7-point margin of victory, but was completely shut out in the northeast and southwest. Additionally, the state is split almost down the middle between the largest and fourth-largest markets in the country,
New York City
and
Philadelphia
. As a result, statewide races often feature some of the most expensive advertising budgets in the country.
Unlike in 2004, New Jersey was called for Obama almost as soon as the polls closed.
[22]
Obama dominated the urban areas of the state, winning
Essex County
by over 50%,
Hudson County
by 47%,
Camden
and
Mercer
counties by 35%. Obama also won
Somerset County
, which had voted Republican in every election from
1968
to 2004. Most of the southern portion of the state voted Democratic. McCain won most of Northwestern New Jersey, winning in Republican strongholds like
Morris County
and
Sussex County
(which McCain won by 21%). McCain also won most of the
Jersey Shore
counties.
At the same time, incumbent Democratic
U.S. Senator
Frank Lautenberg
was reelected over Republican
Dick Zimmer
by a 14.08% margin of victory. Lautenberg received 56.03% of the total vote while Zimmer took in 41.95%. Democrats also picked up a vacant
U.S. House
seat in
New Jersey's 3rd congressional district
that was previously held by a Republican; Democrat
John Adler
defeated Republican
Chris Myers
by a 3.30% margin of victory. Adler received 51.65% of the vote while Myers took in 48.35%.
Results
[
edit
]
2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey
|
Party
|
Candidate
|
Running mate
|
Votes
|
Percentage
|
Electoral votes
|
|
Democratic
|
Barack Obama
|
Joe Biden
|
2,215,422
|
57.14%
|
15
|
|
Republican
|
John McCain
|
Sarah Palin
|
1,613,207
|
41.61%
|
0
|
|
Independent
|
Ralph Nader
|
Matt Gonzalez
|
21,298
|
0.55%
|
0
|
|
Libertarian
|
Bob Barr
|
Wayne Allyn Root
|
8,441
|
0.22%
|
0
|
|
Write-ins
|
Write-ins
|
7,718
|
0.20%
|
0
|
|
Constitution
|
Chuck Baldwin
|
Darrell Castle
|
3,956
|
0.10%
|
0
|
|
Green
|
Cynthia McKinney
|
Rosa Clemente
|
3,636
|
0.09%
|
0
|
|
Socialist
|
Brian Moore
|
Stewart Alexander
|
669
|
0.02%
|
0
|
|
Vote Here
|
Jeffrey Boss
|
Andrea Maria Boss
|
639
|
0.02%
|
0
|
|
Socialist Workers
|
Roger Calero
|
Alyson Kennedy
|
523
|
0.01%
|
0
|
|
Socialism and Liberation
|
Gloria La Riva
|
Eugene Puryear
|
416
|
0.01%
|
0
|
Totals
|
3,877,323
|
100.00%
|
15
|
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered)
|
60%/73%
|
By county
[
edit
]
County
|
Barack Obama
Democratic
|
John McCain
Republican
|
Various candidates
Other parties
|
Margin
|
Total votes cast
|
#
|
%
|
#
|
%
|
#
|
%
|
#
|
%
|
Atlantic
|
67,830
|
56.88%
|
49,902
|
41.85%
|
1,517
|
1.27%
|
17,928
|
15.03%
|
119,249
|
Bergen
|
225,367
|
54.19%
|
186,118
|
44.75%
|
4,424
|
1.06%
|
39,249
|
9.44%
|
415,909
|
Burlington
|
131,219
|
58.64%
|
89,626
|
40.05%
|
2,930
|
1.31%
|
41,593
|
18.59%
|
223,775
|
Camden
|
159,259
|
67.37%
|
73,819
|
31.23%
|
3,304
|
1.40%
|
85,440
|
36.14%
|
236,382
|
Cape May
|
22,893
|
44.90%
|
27,288
|
53.52%
|
802
|
1.58%
|
-4,395
|
-8.62%
|
50,983
|
Cumberland
|
34,919
|
60.00%
|
22,360
|
38.42%
|
915
|
1.58%
|
12,559
|
21.58%
|
58,194
|
Essex
|
240,306
|
75.91%
|
74,063
|
23.40%
|
2,181
|
0.69%
|
166,243
|
52.51%
|
316,550
|
Gloucester
|
77,267
|
55.21%
|
60,315
|
43.10%
|
2,364
|
1.69%
|
16,952
|
12.11%
|
139,946
|
Hudson
|
154,140
|
72.84%
|
55,360
|
26.16%
|
2,116
|
1.00%
|
98,780
|
46.68%
|
211,616
|
Hunterdon
|
29,776
|
42.53%
|
39,092
|
55.83%
|
1,147
|
1.64%
|
-9,316
|
-13.30%
|
70,015
|
Mercer
|
107,926
|
67.29%
|
50,223
|
31.32%
|
2,229
|
1.39%
|
57,703
|
35.97%
|
160,378
|
Middlesex
|
193,812
|
60.21%
|
123,695
|
38.43%
|
4,367
|
1.36%
|
70,117
|
21.78%
|
321,874
|
Monmouth
|
148,737
|
47.46%
|
160,433
|
51.19%
|
4,244
|
1.35%
|
-11,696
|
-3.73%
|
313,414
|
Morris
|
112,275
|
45.36%
|
132,331
|
53.46%
|
2,913
|
1.18%
|
-20,056
|
-8.10%
|
247,519
|
Ocean
|
110,189
|
40.07%
|
160,677
|
58.43%
|
4,111
|
1.50%
|
-50,488
|
-18.36%
|
274,977
|
Passaic
|
113,257
|
60.34%
|
72,552
|
38.65%
|
1,904
|
1.01%
|
40,705
|
21.69%
|
187,713
|
Salem
|
16,044
|
50.88%
|
14,816
|
46.99%
|
672
|
2.13%
|
1,228
|
3.89%
|
31,532
|
Somerset
|
79,321
|
52.38%
|
70,085
|
46.28%
|
2,024
|
1.34%
|
9,236
|
6.10%
|
151,430
|
Sussex
|
28,840
|
38.75%
|
44,184
|
59.37%
|
1,393
|
1.88%
|
-15,344
|
-20.62%
|
74,417
|
Union
|
141,417
|
63.58%
|
78,768
|
35.41%
|
2,241
|
1.01%
|
62,649
|
28.17%
|
222,426
|
Warren
|
20,628
|
42.01%
|
27,500
|
56.00%
|
980
|
1.99%
|
-6,872
|
-13.99%
|
49,108
|
Totals
|
2,215,422
|
57.14%
|
1,613,207
|
41.61%
|
48,778
|
1.26%
|
602,215
|
15.53%
|
3,877,407
|
County Flips:
Democratic
Hold
Gain from Republican
| Republican
Hold
|
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[
edit
]
By congressional district
[
edit
]
Barack Obama carried 10 of New Jersey's 13 congressional districts, including two that elected Republicans.
Electors
[
edit
]
Technically the voters of NJ cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the
Electoral College
. NJ 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.
[23]
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
Barack Obama
and
Joe Biden
:
[24]
- Jose Colon
- William Fontanez
- Gina Genovese
- Wilma Grey
- Kevin Halpern
- Victor Herlinsky
- Stacy Lubrecht
- Salaheddin Mustafa
- Peter Nichols
- William W. Northgrave
- Ken Saunders
- Ginger Gold Schnitzer
- Carl Styles
- Shavonda Sumter
- Stephen Weinstein
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"New Jersey Democratic Delegation 2008"
.
www.thegreenpapers.com
. Retrieved
March 23,
2018
.
- ^
"New Jersey Primary Election Results - Election Guide 2008 - Results - The New York Times"
.
politics.nytimes.com
. Retrieved
March 23,
2018
.
- ^
"New Jersey Republican Delegation 2008"
. The Green Papers
. Retrieved
January 28,
2008
.
- ^
"Official Presidential Primary Election Results"
(PDF)
. New Jersey Department of State. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on June 11, 2008
. Retrieved
May 24,
2008
.
- ^
"D.C.'s Political Report: The complete source for campaign summaries"
. January 1, 2009. Archived from
the original
on January 1, 2009
. Retrieved
August 23,
2021
.
- ^
"Presidential"
. May 5, 2015. Archived from
the original
on May 5, 2015
. Retrieved
August 23,
2021
.
- ^
"Vote 2008 - The Takeaway - Track the Electoral College vote predictions"
. April 22, 2009. Archived from
the original
on April 22, 2009
. Retrieved
August 23,
2021
.
- ^
"Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily"
.
electoral-vote.com
. Retrieved
August 23,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Based on Takeaway
- ^
"POLITICO's 2008 Swing State Map - POLITICO.com"
.
www.politico.com
. Retrieved
September 22,
2016
.
- ^
"RealClearPolitics - Electoral Map"
. Archived from
the original
on June 5, 2008.
- ^
"CQ Presidential Election Maps, 2008"
.
CQ Politics
. Archived from
the original
on June 14, 2009
. Retrieved
December 20,
2009
.
- ^
Nagourney, Adam; Zeleny, Jeff; Carter, Shan (November 4, 2008).
"The Electoral Map: Key States"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
May 26,
2010
.
- ^
"October – 2008 – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs"
.
CNN
. October 31, 2008. Archived from
the original
on June 19, 2010
. Retrieved
May 26,
2010
.
- ^
"Winning The Electoral College"
.
Fox News
. April 27, 2010.
- ^
"roadto270"
.
hosted.ap.org
. Retrieved
September 22,
2016
.
- ^
"Election 2008: Electoral College Update - Rasmussen Reports"
.
www.rasmussenreports.com
. Retrieved
September 22,
2016
.
- ^
"Election 2008 Polls - Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections"
.
uselectionatlas.org
. Retrieved
March 23,
2018
.
- ^
"Presidential Campaign Finance"
.
fec.gov
. Archived from
the original
on March 24, 2009
. Retrieved
March 23,
2018
.
- ^
"Map: Campaign Ad Spending - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
May 26,
2010
.
- ^
"Map: Campaign Candidate Visits - Election Center 2008 from CNN.com"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
May 26,
2010
.
- ^
"2008 Election Night Events Timeline"
. US Election Atlas.
- ^
"Electoral College"
.
California Secretary of State
. Archived from
the original
on October 30, 2008
. Retrieved
November 1,
2008
.
- ^
"U. S. Electoral College 2008 Election - Certificates"
.
www.archives.gov
. Retrieved
March 23,
2018
.
External links
[
edit
]
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