Title: 2008 United States presidential election - Wikipedia
Headings: 2008 United States presidential election
2008 United States presidential election
Contents
Background
Nominations
Democratic Party nomination
Candidate
Withdrawn candidates
Before the primaries
Early primaries and caucuses
Super Tuesday
Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania
Indiana and North Carolina
Florida and Michigan
Clinching the nomination
Republican Party nomination
Candidate
Withdrawn candidates
Before the primaries
Early primaries/caucuses
Super Tuesday
Third party and other nominations
Candidates gallery
Party conventions
General election campaign
Issues
Iraq
Bush's unpopularity
Age issue
Economy
Health care
Presidential debates
Campaign costs
Expense summary
Notable expressions and phrases
Internet campaigns
Fundraising
Promotion
Controversies
Voter suppression allegations
Media bias
Conduct
Turnout
Ballot access
Results
Results by state
Close states
Statistics
International reaction
Voter demographics
Analysis
See also
Opinion polling
Notes
References
Further reading
Voters
External links

Content: Obama's total count of 69.5 million votes stood as the largest tally ever won by a presidential candidate until 2020, when this was surpassed by both major party candidates in a high-turnout election. Obama flipped nine states that had voted Republican in 2004: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia, as well as Nebraska's 2nd congressional district . Contents
1 Background
2 Nominations
2.1 Democratic Party nomination
2.1.1 Candidate
2.1.2 Withdrawn candidates
2.1.3 Before the primaries
2.1.4 Early primaries and caucuses
2.1.5 Super Tuesday
2.1.6 Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania
2.1.7 Indiana and North Carolina
2.1.8 Florida and Michigan
2.1.9 Clinching the nomination
2.2 Republican Party nomination
2.2.1 Candidate
2.2.2 Withdrawn candidates
2.2.3 Before the primaries
2.2.4 Early primaries/caucuses
2.2.5 Super Tuesday
2.3 Third party and other nominations
2.3.1 Candidates gallery
2.4 Party conventions
3 General election campaign
3.1 Issues
3.1.1 Iraq
3.1.2 Bush's unpopularity
3.1.3 Age issue
3.1.4 Economy
3.1.5 Health care
3.2 Presidential debates
3.3 Campaign costs
3.3.1 Expense summary
3.4 Notable expressions and phrases
4 Internet campaigns
4.1 Fundraising
4.2 Promotion
5 Controversies
5.1 Voter suppression allegations
5.2 Media bias
6 Conduct
6.1 Turnout
6.2 Ballot access
7 Results
7.1 Results by state
7.2 Close states
7.2.1 Statistics
7.3 International reaction
8 Voter demographics
9 Analysis
10 See also
10.1 Opinion polling
11 Notes
12 References
13 Further reading
13.1 Voters
14 External links
Background
Further information: United States presidential election § Procedure
The incumbent in 2008, George W. Bush. His second term expired at noon on January 20, 2009. Article Two of the United States Constitution provides that the President and Vice President of the United States must be natural-born citizens of the United States, at least 35 years old, and residents of the United States for a period of at least 14 years. Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the political parties, in which case each party devises a method (such as a primary election) to choose the candidate the party deems best suited to run for the position. Traditionally, the primary elections are indirect elections where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate. The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf.