# 2008 United States presidential election in Georgia

"none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in Georgia :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1788–89
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1789
1792
1793
1794
1795
1798
1799
1800
1804
1806
1813
1816
1818
1819
1823
1824
1825
1828
1834
1837
1840
1843
1846
1847
1852
1858
1867
1871
1873
1877
1879
1883
1885
1888
1891
1894
1896
1900
1902
1909
1913
1914
1918
1920
1924
1926
1930
1932
1936
1938
1942
1944
1948
1950
1954
1956
1960
1962
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House elections
1789
1791
1792
1794
1796
1798
1800
1802
1804
1806
1808
1810
1812
1814
1816
1818
1820
1822
1824
1826
1828
1830
1832
1834
1836
1838
1840
1842
1844
1846
1848
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
6
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
4
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Special elections
Senate
1796
1806
1807
1809
1813
1816
1818
1819
1821
1824
1828
1829
1833
1835
1837
1845
1880
1882
1894
1907
1911
1914
1922
1932
1972
2000
2020
House
At-large
1801
1802
1803
1806
1812
1813
1816
1819
1824
1829
1831
1835
1836
1837
1841
1843
1844
1st
1792
1827
1879
1906
1931
2nd
1827
1910
1913
1953
3rd
1846
1896
1932
4th
1871
1872
1918
1939
5th
1870
1929
1946
1977
2020
6th
1870
1932
1999
2017
7th
1958
1983
8th
1873
1882
1917
1940
9th
1875
1877
2010
10th
1895
1933
2007 :
State government
State elections
2000
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1868
1871 (sp)
1872
1876
1880
1882
1883 (sp)
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1946
1948
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
1990
1994
1998
2002
2018
2022
Secretary of State elections
2018
2022
Attorney General elections
2014
2018
2022
State Senate elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Judicial elections
2024
Special elections
Governor
1871
1883
1948 :
Ballot measures
2004
Flag referendum
Amendment 1
2020
Amendment 1
Amendment 2
Tax referendum :
Atlanta
City elections
2009
Mayoral elections
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Savannah
Mayoral elections
2015
2019
2023 :
Mableton
Mayoral elections
2023 :
vte :
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.
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 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Chattahoochee County voted Democratic.

## Primaries

* Georgia Democratic primary, 2008
* Georgia Republican primary, 2008

## Campaign

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.
However, polling consistently showed McCain with a double-digit lead. 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. 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

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 | Likely R |
| Cook Political Report | Toss-up |
| The Takeaway | Lean R |
| Electoral-vote.com | Lean R |
| Washington Post | Lean R |
| Politico | Solid R |
| RealClearPolitics | Toss-up |
| FiveThirtyEight | Lean R |
| CQ Politics | Lean R |
| The New York Times | Lean R |
| CNN | Lean R |
| NPR | Lean R |
| MSNBC | Lean R |
| Fox News | Likely R |
| Associated Press | Likely R |
| Rasmussen Reports | Safe R |

### Polling

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

### Fundraising

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

### Advertising and visits

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

## Analysis

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. Webster County in the southwest of the state flipped to McCain, making Obama the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying the county.
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. 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

United States presidential election in Georgia, 2008 :
| Party | 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 |
| | Constitution | Chuck Baldwin (write-in) | Darrell Castle | 1,404 | 0.04% | 0 |
| | Independent | Ralph Nader (write-in) | Matt Gonzalez | 1,165 | 0.03% | 0 |
| | Green | Cynthia McKinney (write-in) | Rosa Clemente | 250 | 0.01% | 0 |
| | Constitution | Michael Peroutka* (write-in) | n/a | 23 | 0.00% | 0 |
| | Socialist Workers | James Harris (write-in) | Alyson Kennedy | 20 | 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 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 3,932,193 | 100.00% | 15 |
| Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | 75.7% |
(*Peroutka was not the Constitution Party's nominee in 2008.)

### By county

| County | John McCain Republican | John McCain Republican | Barack Obama Democratic | Barack Obama Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | 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 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Webster (largest town: Preston)

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Baldwin (largest town: Milledgeville)
* Burke (largest town: Waynesboro)
* Chattahoochee (largest town: Cusseta)
* Douglas (largest town: Douglasville)
* Newton (largest town: Covington)
* Peach (largest town: Fort Valley)
* Rockdale (largest town: Conyers)
* Sumter (largest town: Americus)
* Washington (largest town: Sandersville)

### By congressional district

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

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:
* Esther Clark
* Dennis Coxwell
* Norma Edenfield
* Randy Evans
* Sue P. Everhart
* Leigh Ann Gillis
* Judy Goddard
* Linda Herren
* Rufus Montgomery
* Clint Murphy
* Sunny Park
* Alec Poitevint
* John Sours
* Allan Vigil
* John White