# 2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey

"none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in New Jersey :
Federal government
U.S. President
1788-89
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
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
Dem
2008
Rep
Dem
2012
2016
Dem
2020
Dem
2024
Dem
Rep
U.S. Senate
1788
1790
1790 (sp)
1792
1796
1796 (sp)
1798
1799 (sp)
1801 (sp)
1803 (sp)
1804
1808
1809
1809 (sp)
1810
1815
1816 (sp)
1817
1820
1823
1823 (sp)
1826
1826 (sp)
1829
1829 (sp)
1833
1835
1839
1840
1845
1846
1851
1853 (sp)
1857
1858
1863 (sp)
1864
1866 (sp)
1867 (sp)
1869
1875
1877
1881
1883
1886
1889
1893
1895
1899
1901
1902 (sp)
1905
1907
1911
1913
1916
1918
1918 (sp)
1922
1924
1928
1930
1930 (sp)
1932 (sp)
1934
1936
1938 (sp)
1940
1942
1944 (sp)
1948
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2013 (sp)
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House of Representatives
1789
1791
1792
1794
1795 (sp AL)
1797
1798
1800
1803
1804
1806
1808 (sp AL)
1808
1810 (sp AL)
1810
1814 (sp 3rd)
1813
1814
1816
1818
1820
1821 (sp AL)
1822
1824
1826
1828
1828 (sp AL)
1830
1832
1834
1836
1836
1838
1840
1842
1844
1846
1850
1852
1854
1856
1858
1860
1862
1864
1866
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1913 (sp 6th)
1914
1916
1920
1924
1926
1928
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1948
1950
1951 (sp 9th)
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1968
1972
1980
1984
1988
1988 (sp 3rd)
1990
1990 (sp 1st)
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2006
2006 (5th)
2006 (12th)
2008
2010
2012
2012 (sp 10th)
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2024 (sp 10th)
2026 :
State government
General elections
2009
2010
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025
Gubernatorial elections
1843
1844
1847
1850
1853
1856
1859
1862
1865
1868
1871
1874
1877
1880
1883
1886
1889
1892
1895
1898
1901
1904
1907
1910
1913
1916
1919
1922
1925
1928
1931
1934
1937
1940
1943
1946
1949
1953
1957
1961
1965
1969
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025
Senate elections
1873
1957
1959
1961
1963
1965
1967
1971
1973
1977
1981
1983
1987
1991
1993
1997
2001
2003
2007
2011
2013
2017
2021
2023
General Assembly elections
1985
1987
1989
1991
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025 :
Newark
Mayoral elections
1970
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
Jersey City
Mayoral elections
2001
2004
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Hoboken
Mayoral elections
2005
2017
2021
2025 :
Atlantic City
Mayoral elections
2017
2021 :
vte :
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
### Democratic primary

The Democratic primary took place February 5, 2008, also known as Super Tuesday. Hillary Clinton won this primary.
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
2008 New Jersey Democratic presidential primary :
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | National delegates |
| Hillary Clinton | 613,500 | 53.76% | 59 |
| Barack Obama | 501,372 | 43.93% | 48 |
| John Edwards | 15,728 | 1.38% | 0 |
| Joe Biden | 4,081 | 0.36% | 0 |
| Bill Richardson | 3,366 | 0.29% | 0 |
| Dennis Kucinich | 3,152 | 0.28% | 0 |
| Totals | 1,141,199 | 100.00% | 107 |

### Republican primary

The Republican primary took place on February 5, 2008, with 52 national delegates who were allocated on a winner takes all basis.
Official Results :
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
| John McCain | 313,459 | 55.36% | 52 |
| Mitt Romney | 160,388 | 28.33% | 0 |
| Mike Huckabee | 46,284 | 8.17% | 0 |
| Ron Paul | 27,184 | 4.06% | 0 |
| Rudy Giuliani* | 15,516 | 2.74% | 0 |
| Fred Thompson* | 3,253 | 0.57% | 0 |
| Total | 566,201 | 100% | 52 |
* Candidate dropped out of the race before the primary

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

### Polling

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%.

### Fundraising

John McCain raised a total of $4,761,251 in the state. Barack Obama raised $13,624,081.

### Advertising and visits

Neither candidate spent anything here. The Republican ticket visited the state twice. Obama visited the state once.

## Analysis

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 two elections 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. 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

2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey :
| Party | 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 | 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 | Róger Calero | Alyson Kennedy | 523 | 0.01% | 0 |
| | Socialism and Liberation | Gloria La Riva | Eugene Puryear | 416 | 0.01% | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 3,877,323 | 100.00% | 15 |
| Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) | Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) | Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) | Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) | Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) | 60%/73% |

### By county

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

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Salem (largest municipality: Pennsville Township)
* Somerset (largest municipality: Franklin Township)

### By congressional district

Barack Obama carried 10 of New Jersey's 13 congressional districts, including two that elected Republicans.
| District | Obama | McCain | Representative |
| 1st | 65% | 34% | Rob Andrews |
| 2nd | 54% | 45% | Frank LoBiondo |
| 3rd | 52% | 47% | Jim Saxton (110th Congress) |
| 3rd | 52% | 47% | John Adler (111th Congress) |
| 4th | 46% | 52% | Chris Smith |
| 5th | 45% | 54% | Scott Garrett |
| 6th | 59% | 39% | Frank Pallone Jr. |
| 7th | 51% | 48% | Mike Ferguson (110th Congress) |
| 7th | 51% | 48% | Leonard Lance (111th Congress) |
| 8th | 63% | 36% | Bill Pascrell |
| 9th | 61% | 38% | Steve Rothman |
| 10th | 87% | 13% | Donald M. Payne |
| 11th | 45% | 54% | Rodney Frelinghuysen |
| 12th | 58% | 41% | Rush Holt Jr. |
| 13th | 75% | 24% | Albio Sires |

## Electors

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. 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:
* 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