# 2008 United States presidential election in Oklahoma

"none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in Oklahoma :
Federal government
Presidential elections
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
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Senate elections
1907
1909
1913
1914
1918
1920
1924
1926
1930
1932
1936
1938
1942
1944
1948
1950
1954
1956
1960
1962
1964 sp
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1994 sp
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2014 sp
2016
2020
2022
2022 sp
2026
2028
House of Representatives elections
1907
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1919
5th sp
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1937
5th sp
1938
1940
1941
7th sp
1942
1944
2nd sp
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1st sp
6th sp
1996
1998
2000
2002
1st sp
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
State elections
1907
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
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
Gubernatorial elections
1907
1910
1914
1918
1922
1926
1930
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Attorney General elections
2022
Treasurer elections
2022
Senate elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
House of Representatives elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026 :
Ballot measures
2004Question 711
2016Question 777
2018Question 788
2020Question 802
2023Question 820 :
Norman
Mayoral elections
2022 :
Oklahoma City
Mayoral elections
1911
2014
2018
2022 :
Tulsa
Municipal elections
2022
2024
Mayoral elections
2002
2006
2009
2013
2016
2020
2024 :
Government :
vte :
The 2008 United States presidential election in Oklahoma took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose seven representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Oklahoma was won by Republican nominee John McCain with a 31.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state McCain would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. A strongly conservative state located in the Bible Belt where evangelical Christianity plays a large role, Oklahoma has trended heavily Republican in recent years. Having voted for the Republican presidential nominee in every election since 1968, Oklahoma once again showcased its status as a Republican stronghold in 2008 with Republican John McCain capturing 65.65% of the vote. It was also the only state where McCain won every county and was even one of the 5 states along with Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia in which McCain outperformed Bush's margin of victory from 4 years earlier, albeit slightly.

## Primaries

* 2008 Oklahoma Republican presidential primary
* 2008 Oklahoma Democratic presidential 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 R |
| Cook Political Report | Solid R |
| The Takeaway | Solid R |
| Electoral-vote.com | Solid R |
| Washington Post | Solid R |
| Politico | Solid R |
| RealClearPolitics | Solid R |
| FiveThirtyEight | Solid R |
| CQ Politics | Solid R |
| The New York Times | Solid R |
| CNN | Safe R |
| NPR | Solid R |
| MSNBC | Solid R |
| Fox News | Likely R |
| Associated Press | Likely R |
| Rasmussen Reports | Safe R |

### Polling

McCain won every single pre-election poll, and each with a double-digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged McCain leading 62% to 34%.

### Fundraising

John McCain raised a total of $2,050,335 in the state. Barack Obama raised $1,711,069.

### Advertising and visits

Obama spent $613,515. McCain and his interest groups spent just $6,565. Neither campaign visited the state.

## Analysis

Oklahoma gave John McCain his strongest showing in Election 2008 with a rounded percentage of 66% (65.65%) going to him. Oklahoma was also the only state in the country where every single county voted for McCain. Although the results were similar to 2004 in which George W. Bush swept every county in the state with 65.57% of the vote, McCain's margin of victory was slightly better - 0.08% more - in 2008. Oklahoma was one of five states where McCain outperformed George W. Bush, the other four being Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Oklahoma, despite the large concentration of Native Americans in the state, remains one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. Although Democrats still had a majority of registered voters (as well as the governorship) at the time, the state's Democrats are very conservative by national standards. Oklahoma is part of the Bible Belt, and voters in the state have a strong penchant for being values voters; that is, they are strongly and deeply conservative on social issues such as abortion and gay rights. McCain's selection of the socially conservative Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska proved to be an excellent fit for Oklahoma. Obama was at a disadvantage beforehand in Oklahoma during the primary season when voters in Oklahoma backed Hillary Rodham Clinton with 54.76% of the vote compared to Obama's 31.19% and a significant amount (10.24%) going to John Edwards. Clinton won every county in the Oklahoma Democratic Primary except for Oklahoma County, home of Oklahoma City which Obama just narrowly carried. Most of Oklahoma's Democratic establishment were early endorsers of Hillary Clinton as well. Another setback for Obama was that U.S. Representative Dan Boren, the only Democrat from Oklahoma's five-member delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, refused to endorse Obama.
Another key to McCain's victory was the highly populated counties of Tulsa County, which he won with over 62%, and Oklahoma County, which he won with over 58%. He also dominated the heavily Republican Oklahoma Panhandle by an almost four-to-one margin. Despite the Republican landslide, Obama did improve upon John Kerry's performance in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. However, this was more than canceled out by his extremely weak showing in Southeast Oklahoma, historically the most Democratic region in the state. This socially conservative but fiscally liberal area, known as "Little Dixie," still votes Democratic at the local level and state levels. It also warmly supported Bill Clinton of neighboring Arkansas in 1992 and 1996; Clinton's populism struck a chord among the region's voters. Democratic nominees from John Kerry on, on the other hand, have proven spectacularly bad fits for the region and the state as a whole. Obama lost many counties in Southeast Oklahoma by more than two-to-one margins.
Also, Oklahoma was the only state in the country that didn't have a third-party candidate on the ballot, mostly because the state has the toughest ballot access laws in the country. Obama became the first Democrat to win without winning a single county in Oklahoma.
During the same election, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James Inhofe was solidly reelected over Democratic State Senator Andrew Rice. Inhofe received 56.68% while Rice took in 39.18% and Independent Stephen P. Wallace received the remaining 4.14%. At the state level, Republicans made gains in the Oklahoma Legislature, picking up four seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and two seats in the Oklahoma Senate which gave the GOP control of the state legislature for the first time since statehood.

## Results

2008 United States presidential election in Oklahoma :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes |
| | Republican | John McCain | Sarah Palin | 960,165 | 65.65% | 7 |
| | Democratic | Barack Obama | Joe Biden | 502,496 | 34.35% | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 1,462,661 | 100.00% | 7 |
| Voter turnout (Voting age population) | Voter turnout (Voting age population) | Voter turnout (Voting age population) | Voter turnout (Voting age population) | Voter turnout (Voting age population) | Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 54.8% |

### By county

| County | John McCain Republican | John McCain Republican | Barack Obama Democratic | Barack Obama Democratic | Margin | Margin | Total |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total |
| Adair | 4,638 | 69.33% | 2,052 | 30.67% | 2,586 | 38.66% | 6,690 |
| Alfalfa | 2,023 | 83.11% | 411 | 16.89% | 1,612 | 66.22% | 2,434 |
| Atoka | 3,511 | 71.93% | 1,370 | 28.07% | 2,141 | 43.86% | 4,881 |
| Beaver | 2,199 | 89.25% | 265 | 10.75% | 1,934 | 78.50% | 2,464 |
| Beckham | 5,772 | 78.03% | 1,625 | 21.97% | 4,147 | 56.06% | 7,397 |
| Blaine | 3,101 | 75.41% | 1,011 | 24.59% | 2,090 | 50.82% | 4,112 |
| Bryan | 9,307 | 67.77% | 4,426 | 32.23% | 4,881 | 35.54% | 13,733 |
| Caddo | 6,413 | 65.33% | 3,404 | 34.67% | 3,009 | 30.66% | 9,817 |
| Canadian | 36,428 | 76.12% | 11,426 | 23.88% | 25,002 | 52.24% | 47,854 |
| Carter | 13,241 | 70.27% | 5,603 | 29.73% | 7,638 | 40.54% | 18,844 |
| Cherokee | 9,186 | 56.08% | 7,194 | 43.92% | 1,992 | 12.16% | 16,380 |
| Choctaw | 3,730 | 66.73% | 1,860 | 33.27% | 1,870 | 33.46% | 5,590 |
| Cimarron | 1,119 | 88.04% | 152 | 11.96% | 967 | 76.08% | 1,271 |
| Cleveland | 64,749 | 62.00% | 39,681 | 38.00% | 25,108 | 24.00% | 104,430 |
| Coal | 1,672 | 73.59% | 600 | 26.41% | 1,072 | 47.18% | 2,272 |
| Comanche | 20,127 | 58.77% | 14,120 | 41.23% | 6,007 | 17.54% | 34,247 |
| Cotton | 1,793 | 72.21% | 690 | 27.79% | 1,103 | 44.42% | 2,483 |
| Craig | 3,858 | 65.05% | 2,073 | 34.95% | 1,785 | 30.10% | 5,931 |
| Creek | 20,187 | 70.82% | 8,318 | 29.18% | 11,869 | 41.64% | 28,505 |
| Custer | 7,842 | 74.67% | 2,660 | 25.33% | 5,182 | 49.34% | 10,502 |
| Delaware | 10,277 | 66.90% | 5,085 | 33.10% | 5,192 | 33.80% | 15,362 |
| Dewey | 1,857 | 84.29% | 346 | 15.71% | 1,511 | 68.58% | 2,203 |
| Ellis | 1,627 | 85.23% | 282 | 14.77% | 1,345 | 70.46% | 1,909 |
| Garfield | 17,067 | 75.48% | 5,545 | 24.52% | 11,522 | 50.96% | 22,612 |
| Garvin | 7,710 | 71.80% | 3,028 | 28.20% | 4,682 | 43.60% | 10,738 |
| Grady | 15,195 | 73.35% | 5,520 | 26.65% | 9,675 | 46.70% | 20,715 |
| Grant | 1,836 | 78.13% | 514 | 21.87% | 1,322 | 56.26% | 2,350 |
| Greer | 1,548 | 73.23% | 566 | 26.77% | 982 | 46.46% | 2,114 |
| Harmon | 757 | 69.45% | 333 | 30.55% | 424 | 38.90% | 1,090 |
| Harper | 1,342 | 85.86% | 221 | 14.14% | 1,121 | 71.72% | 1,563 |
| Haskell | 3,207 | 68.51% | 1,474 | 31.49% | 1,733 | 37.02% | 4,681 |
| Hughes | 3,134 | 64.71% | 1,709 | 35.29% | 1,425 | 29.42% | 4,843 |
| Jackson | 6,719 | 74.80% | 2,264 | 25.20% | 4,455 | 49.60% | 8,983 |
| Jefferson | 1,652 | 67.24% | 805 | 32.76% | 847 | 34.48% | 2,457 |
| Johnston | 2,708 | 68.44% | 1,249 | 31.56% | 1,459 | 36.88% | 3,957 |
| Kay | 13,230 | 70.78% | 5,463 | 29.22% | 7,767 | 41.56% | 18,693 |
| Kingfisher | 5,372 | 84.19% | 1,009 | 15.81% | 4,363 | 68.38% | 6,381 |
| Kiowa | 2,537 | 67.42% | 1,226 | 32.58% | 1,311 | 34.84% | 3,763 |
| Latimer | 2,860 | 68.54% | 1,313 | 31.46% | 1,547 | 37.08% | 4,173 |
| LeFlore | 11,605 | 69.32% | 5,136 | 30.68% | 6,469 | 38.64% | 16,741 |
| Lincoln | 10,470 | 74.92% | 3,504 | 25.08% | 6,966 | 49.84% | 13,974 |
| Logan | 12,556 | 68.71% | 5,717 | 31.29% | 6,839 | 37.42% | 18,273 |
| Love | 2,589 | 67.32% | 1,257 | 32.68% | 1,332 | 34.64% | 3,846 |
| Major | 2,956 | 85.16% | 515 | 14.84% | 2,441 | 70.32% | 3,471 |
| Marshall | 3,730 | 69.42% | 1,643 | 30.58% | 2,087 | 38.84% | 5,373 |
| Mayes | 10,234 | 64.03% | 5,749 | 35.97% | 4,485 | 28.06% | 15,983 |
| McClain | 11,193 | 75.92% | 3,551 | 24.08% | 7,642 | 51.84% | 14,744 |
| McCurtain | 7,745 | 73.49% | 2,794 | 26.51% | 4,951 | 46.98% | 10,539 |
| McIntosh | 4,903 | 59.63% | 3,320 | 40.37% | 1,583 | 19.26% | 8,223 |
| Murray | 3,746 | 70.18% | 1,592 | 29.82% | 2,154 | 40.36% | 5,338 |
| Muskogee | 15,289 | 57.51% | 11,294 | 42.49% | 3,995 | 15.02% | 26,583 |
| Noble | 3,881 | 76.78% | 1,174 | 23.22% | 2,707 | 53.56% | 5,055 |
| Nowata | 3,031 | 68.24% | 1,411 | 31.76% | 1,620 | 36.48% | 4,442 |
| Okfuskee | 2,643 | 64.10% | 1,480 | 35.90% | 1,163 | 28.20% | 4,123 |
| Oklahoma | 163,172 | 58.41% | 116,182 | 41.59% | 46,990 | 16.82% | 279,354 |
| Okmulgee | 8,727 | 58.50% | 6,191 | 41.50% | 2,536 | 17.00% | 14,918 |
| Osage | 12,160 | 61.86% | 7,498 | 38.14% | 4,662 | 23.72% | 19,658 |
| Ottawa | 6,905 | 61.80% | 4,268 | 38.20% | 2,637 | 23.60% | 11,173 |
| Pawnee | 4,533 | 68.72% | 2,063 | 31.28% | 2,470 | 37.44% | 6,596 |
| Payne | 18,435 | 63.49% | 10,601 | 36.51% | 7,834 | 26.98% | 29,036 |
| Pittsburg | 11,752 | 68.29% | 5,457 | 31.71% | 6,295 | 36.58% | 17,209 |
| Pontotoc | 9,750 | 68.36% | 4,512 | 31.64% | 5,238 | 36.72% | 14,262 |
| Pottawatomie | 17,753 | 69.18% | 7,910 | 30.82% | 9,843 | 38.36% | 25,663 |
| Pushmataha | 3,208 | 71.72% | 1,265 | 28.28% | 1,943 | 43.44% | 4,473 |
| Roger Mills | 1,502 | 83.96% | 287 | 16.04% | 1,215 | 67.92% | 1,789 |
| Rogers | 27,743 | 72.03% | 10,772 | 27.97% | 16,971 | 44.06% | 38,515 |
| Seminole | 5,600 | 65.29% | 2,977 | 34.71% | 2,623 | 30.58% | 8,577 |
| Sequoyah | 9,466 | 68.00% | 4,454 | 32.00% | 5,012 | 36.00% | 13,920 |
| Stephens | 14,394 | 76.03% | 4,538 | 23.97% | 9,856 | 52.06% | 18,932 |
| Texas | 5,336 | 85.25% | 923 | 14.75% | 4,413 | 70.50% | 6,259 |
| Tillman | 2,195 | 67.81% | 1,042 | 32.19% | 1,153 | 35.62% | 3,237 |
| Tulsa | 158,363 | 62.23% | 96,133 | 37.77% | 62,230 | 24.46% | 254,496 |
| Wagoner | 21,441 | 70.88% | 8,810 | 29.12% | 12,631 | 41.76% | 30,251 |
| Washington | 16,457 | 72.29% | 6,308 | 27.71% | 10,149 | 44.58% | 22,765 |
| Washita | 3,724 | 77.97% | 1,052 | 22.03% | 2,672 | 55.94% | 4,776 |
| Woods | 3,043 | 77.71% | 873 | 22.29% | 2,170 | 55.42% | 3,916 |
| Woodward | 6,404 | 82.59% | 1,350 | 17.41% | 5,054 | 65.18% | 7,754 |
| Totals | 960,165 | 65.65% | 502,496 | 34.35% | 457,669 | 31.30% | 1,462,661 |

### By congressional district

McCain carried all five congressional districts in Oklahoma, including one held by a Democrat.
| District | McCain | Obama | Representative |
| 1st | 64.21% | 35.79% | John Sullivan |
| 2nd | 65.59% | 34.41% | Dan Boren |
| 3rd | 72.82% | 27.18% | Frank Lucas |
| 4th | 66.37% | 33.63% | Tom Cole |
| 5th | 59.32% | 40.68% | Mary Fallin |

## Electors

Technically the voters of Oklahoma cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Oklahoma is allocated 7 electors because it has 5 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 7 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 7 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 7 were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin:
* Virginia Chrisco
* Gail Stice
* Pete Katzdorn
* Robert Cleveland
* Mary Phyllis Gorman
* Bunny Chambers
* Diane Murphy Gunther
The slate for the Democrats, which was not elected, consisted of Sally Freeman Frasier, Gene A. Wallace, Anita R. Norman, Tim Mauldin, Robert Lemon, David Walters, Walter W. Jenny Jr.