2008 United States presidential election in Louisiana


The 2008 United States presidential election in Louisiana which took place on November 4, 2008, was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose nine representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Louisiana was won by Republican nominee John McCain by an 18.6% 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". Although Bill Clinton carried the state twice, it had been trending Republican in recent years, despite having the second-highest percentage of African Americans in the country in 2000. Louisiana is rapidly turning into a more reliable red state as solidified by the comfortable margin enjoyed by McCain in 2008. This would also be the first time since the 1968 Presidential election that Louisiana failed to back the winning candidate when it voted for a third party candidate that year.

Primaries

Predictions

There were 16 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day:
McCain won every pre-election poll. The final 3 polls averaged McCain leading 50% to 40%.

Fundraising

John McCain raised a total of $2,175,416 in the state. Barack Obama raised $1,438,276.

Advertising and visits

Obama spent $368,039. McCain and his interest groups spent $6,019. McCain visited the state once, in New Orleans.

Analysis

Polling in Louisiana gave a strong lead to McCain, sometimes as high as 19%, and Barack Obama did not seriously contest the state. Governor Bobby Jindal endorsed McCain early on in the primary season. Louisiana was also one of only two states to list Ron Paul on their official ballot.
In 2008, Louisiana was one of five states that swung even more Republican from 2004. John McCain carried Louisiana with 58.56% of the vote, a tad bit better than George W. Bush's 56.72% of the vote in 2004.
At the same time, however, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu avoided the Republican trend in the state and held onto her U.S. Senate seat, taking in 52.11% of the vote to State Treasurer John N. Kennedy, a Democrat who switched parties to run against Landrieu. Republicans picked up two U.S. House seats in Louisiana. In an extremely bad year for the Republican Party nationwide, Louisiana provided the GOP with a ray of hope and optimism.

Results

Results breakdown

By parish

By congressional district

John McCain carried 6 of the state’s 7 congressional districts.
DistrictMcCainObamaRepresentative
72.72%25.68%Bobby Jindal
72.72%25.68%Steve Scalise
24.86%74.13%William J. Jefferson
24.86%74.13%Joseph Cao
60.99%37.03%Charles Melancon
59.28%39.57%Jim McCrery
59.28%39.57%John C. Fleming
61.75%36.96%Rodney Alexander
57.40%41.26%Don Cazayoux
57.40%41.26%Bill Cassidy
63.14%35.20%Charles Boustany

Electors

Technically the voters of Louisiana cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Louisiana is allocated 9 electors because it has 7 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 9 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 9 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 9 were pledged to John McCain and Sarah Palin:
  1. Lynn Skidmore
  2. Joe Lavigne
  3. Gordon Giles - He replaced Billy Nungesser, who was absent due to illness.
  4. Alan Seabaugh
  5. Karen Haymon
  6. Charles Davis
  7. Charlie Buckels
  8. Dianne Christopher
  9. Roger F. Villere Jr.