2008 Republican Party presidential primaries

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2008 Republican Party presidential primaries
Flag of the United States.svg
  2004 January 3 to June 3, 2008 2012  

2,173 delegates to the Republican National Convention
1,087 delegates votes needed to win
  John McCain official portrait 2009 (cropped).jpg AnnMarie Romneym (cropped).jpg
Candidate John McCain Mitt Romney
Home state Arizona Massachusetts
Delegate count1,575271
Contests won3711
Popular vote9,902,797 [1] 4,699,788
Percentage46.7%22.2%

  Huckabee-SF-CC-024 (cropped).jpg Ron Paul, official Congressional photo portrait, 2007 (cropped).jpg
Candidate Mike Huckabee Ron Paul
Home state Arkansas Texas
Delegate count27835
Contests won80
Popular vote4,276,0461,160,403
Percentage20.1%5.6%

Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries results, 2008.svg
First place by popular vote and plurality of delegates

Previous Republican nominee

George W. Bush

Republican nominee

John McCain

From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Republican Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator John McCain of Arizona was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 2008 Republican National Convention held from Monday, September 1, through Thursday, September 4, 2008, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. President George W. Bush was ineligible to be elected to a third term due to the term limits established by the 22nd Amendment.

Contents

In a crowded primary of several prominent Republicans eyeing the nomination, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was the early frontrunner. [2] However, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee won the Iowa Caucuses as he gained momentum just two months prior to the primary. Moderate U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain won the New Hampshire and Florida primaries. After failing to win in Florida, Giuliani ended his campaign.

McCain ultimately won the nomination after winning most of the primaries on Super Tuesday. He was officially nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 4, 2008, but went on to lose the general election to Barack Obama.

Candidates

Notes for the following table: Delegate counts is the final estimated delegate count. [3]

Nominee

The vast majority of primaries were of the "winner-take-all" variety, and convention rules meant that no one with less than five states in their "pockets" would be allowed to have their names placed in nomination. This guaranteed that the primary season would be very short. McCain won New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida and thus became nearly unstoppable. After decisive victories on super Tuesday and the potomac primary McCain became the presumptive nominee. Candidates are listed by delegate counts.

CandidateMost recent officeHome stateEstimated delegate count (RCP)CandidacyDelegations with pluralityRunning mate
John McCain official portrait 2009.jpg
John McCain
U.S. Senator from Arizona
(1987–2018)
Flag map of Arizona.svg
Arizona
1,575
72.5%
[4]
McCain Palin logo.svg
Secured nomination:
March 4, 2008

(Campaign)
31
   NH, SC, FL, NY, CA, IL, MO, OK, CT, AR, NJ, DE   
WA, VA, MD, WI, VT, RI, OH, TX, MS, PA, IN
NC, NE, HI, KY, OR, ID, SD, NM
Non-states: DC, PR, MP, AS, VI, GU
Sarah Palin

Withdrew during primaries

CandidateMost recent officeHome stateEstimated delegate count (RCP)CandidacyDelegations with plurality
Huckabee-SF-CC-024.jpg
Mike Huckabee
Governor of Arkansas
(1996–2007)
Flag-map of Arkansas.svg
Arkansas
278
12.8%
Mike Huckabee 2008 campaign logo.svg
Withdrew:
March 4, 2008
(Campaign)
[5]
8
AL, AR, GA, IA, WV, TN
KS, LA
Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 6.jpg
Mitt Romney
Governor of Massachusetts
(2003–2007)
Flag-map of Massachusetts.svg
Massachusetts
271
12.5%
Mitt Romney for president logo 2008.svg
Withdrew:
February 7, 2008
(Campaign)
11
MI, NV, WY, ME, MA, MT
UT, MN, CO, ND, AK
Ron Paul, official Congressional photo portrait, 2007.jpg
Ron Paul
U.S. Representative
from Texas

(1976–1977, 1979–1985, 1997–2013)
Flag-map of Texas.svg
Texas
35
1.6%
Ron Paul 2008 Official Logo white.jpg
Lost nomination:
June 12, 2008
(Campaign)
0
Fred Thompson-cropped.jpg
Fred Thompson
U.S. Senator from Tennessee
(1994–2003)
Flag-map of Tennessee.svg
Tennessee
11
0.5%
FredThompson08.gif
Withdrew:
January 22, 2008
(Campaign)
0
Alan Keyes speech.jpg
Alan Keyes
Asst. Secretary of State
 for International Organization Affairs 

(1985–1987)
Flag-map of Maryland.svg
Maryland
2Withdrew:
April 15, 2008
(Campaign)
0
DuncanHunter.jpg
Duncan Hunter
U.S. Representative
for California's 52nd

(1993–2009)
Flag-map of California.svg
California
1
Withdrew:
January 19, 2008
(Campaign)
0
Giuliani closeup.jpg
Rudy Giuliani
Mayor of New York City
(1994–2001)
Flag-map of New York.svg
New York
0
Rudy08.png
Withdrew:
January 30, 2008
(Campaign)
0

Withdrew before primaries

CandidateMost recent officeHome stateEstimated delegate count (RCP)CandidacyDelegations with plurality
Sam Brownback official portrait 3.jpg
Sam Brownback
U.S. Senator from Kansas
(1996–2011)
Flag-map of Kansas.svg
Kansas
0
Brownback08s.gif
Withdrew:
October 19, 2007
(Campaign)
0
John H. Cox.jpg
John H. Cox
Founder of
Cox Financial Group Ltd.

Flag map of Illinois.svg
Illinois
0
Withdrew:
December 2007
(Campaign)
0
Jim Gilmore 2004 NSTAC crop.jpg
Jim Gilmore
Governor of Virginia
(1998–2002)
Flag-map of Virginia.svg
Virginia
0
Gilmore logo.jpg
Withdrew:
July 14, 2007
(Campaign)
0
Tom Tancredo, official Congressional photo.jpg
Tom Tancredo
U.S. Representative
for Colorado's 6th

(1999–2009)
Flag-map of Colorado.svg
Colorado
0
Tom Tancredo 2008 presidential campaign logo.svg
Withdrew:
December 20, 2007
(Campaign)
0
Tommy Thompson 1.jpg
Tommy Thompson
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
(2001–2005)
Flag map of Wisconsin.svg
Wisconsin
0
Tommy Thompson logo.jpg
Withdrew:
August 12, 2007
(Campaign)
0

Calendar

Primary key [6]
Primary typeExplanation
ClosedVoters may only select candidates of the party for which they are registered
OpenAnyone is allowed to vote for candidates from either party
Modified openVoters registered to a party may only select candidates of that party, but independents may choose candidates from either party
CaucusParty members meet among themselves to select candidates. Rules may be very complicated, including members having to choose publicly by standing in groups by preference, instead of secret ballot
PrimaryAn election-type selection process, with general voters going to polling places for a secret ballot
ConventionDelegates chosen locally by each party meet in a central location and select a candidate
Presidential preferenceThose polled get to list candidates in the order of whom they like most. As candidates are eliminated, the highest remaining on their list becomes their vote
WTAWinner-Take-All – whoever wins the most votes in the state, even if not a majority, gets all of the delegates
ProportionalThe state's delegates are divided up among the candidates, in proportion to their percentage of the vote

Republican candidates in the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaigned for the nomination of their party in a series of primary elections and caucus events. [7]

Unlike the Democratic Party, which mandates a proportional representation for delegate selection, the Republican Party has no such limitation. For states with primaries, some states choose to use the "winner-take-all" method to allocate delegates within a state, while others do winner-take-all within a specific congressional district, and still others use the proportional process. Unlike the Democratic Party, state party by-laws determine whether each delegate is pledged and for how long the delegate is pledged.

In caucus states, most state parties use a two pronged process. A straw poll, often called a presidential preference poll, is conducted of the attendees at the caucus. The results are released to the media and published on the state party website. Delegates are then elected to the county conventions. It is at the county conventions that delegates are elected to state conventions, and from the state convention to the national convention. At each level, delegates may be bound or unbound to a candidate. If unbound, delegates are not obligated to follow the results of the presidential preference poll. Thus, all estimates of delegates from caucus states are dependent on state party by-laws.

Campaign

2007

With Vice President Dick Cheney choosing not to seek the nomination, making this election the first time since 1928 that neither the current President or Vice President was a candidate, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruling herself out, the race for the 2008 presidential nomination was wide open. It officially began in March 2006 when John H. Cox became the first candidate to enter the 2008 race. The Democratic takeover of both houses of Congress and President Bush's unpopularity were strong issues for the GOP field. At the beginning of 2007, the announced Republican field was former Governor of Wisconsin and Cabinet member Tommy Thompson, former Governor of Virginia Jim Gilmore, and Senator of Kansas Sam Brownback. Former senator of Virginia George Allen was considered a top contender until his loss in the midterm elections. He announced on December 10, 2006, that he would not seek the 2008 nomination. In early January former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney announced he was forming an exploratory committee. Afterwards several others announced they were running, including U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Rudy Giuliani of New York City, U.S. Senator John McCain, U.S. Congressman Duncan Hunter, and U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo. A poll released in early February had Giuliani leading with 32% and John McCain second with 18%. By early March, Giuliani had become the frontrunner. Alan Keyes and former Senator and actor Fred Thompson entered the race later in September.

The first to drop out of the race was former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore in July. After that Tommy Thompson also dropped out in August after finishing sixth in the Ames Iowa straw poll. Then pro-life advocate Sam Brownback dropped out of the race in October. In December, staunch illegal-immigration opponent Tom Tancredo and businessman John H. Cox also left the race.

Iowa and New Hampshire

2008 Iowa Republican Caucus county map
Mike Huckabee
Mitt Romney
Ron Paul IowaCaucusRepublican2008.png
2008 Iowa Republican Caucus county map
   Ron Paul

On January 3, 2008, the Iowa caucuses began. The final averaged polling results from Real Clear Politics showed Mike Huckabee at 30%, Romney at 27%, McCain and Thompson tied at 12%, Paul at 7%, and Giuliani at 6%. [8] Among those surveyed in Exit Polling data, 45% cited themselves as very conservative and voted for Huckabee 35% to Romney's 23% and Thompson's 22%. Among those who called themselves "somewhat conservative" (43%), Huckabee won 34% to Romney's 27% and McCain's 18%. [9]

Final Results showed Huckabee swept much of the state with the exception of the western and eastern portions of the state which included Davenport, Cedar Rapids, as well as Sioux City. Romney swept the eastern and western portions of the state and Paul took one southern county. The final results in Iowa were Huckabee with 34%, Romney with 25%, Thompson and McCain each with 13%, Paul with 10% and Giuliani with 4%.

2008 New Hampshire Primary results by municipality.
John McCain
Mitt Romney
Mike Huckabee
Rudy Giuliani
Ron Paul
Tie
No votes 2008 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary - Results by municipality.svg
2008 New Hampshire Primary results by municipality.
   Ron Paul
  Tie
  No votes

In the New Hampshire Primary, both McCain and Romney had gambled much on the state. McCain had staked much on his grassroots efforts in the state he won in 2000, as well as the state with one of the most independent voting blocks which was McCain's strong suit. Romney, coming from neighboring Massachusetts was known by many in New Hampshire and even owned a home in the state of New Hampshire. Pre-Primary polling showed McCain with a slight edge (32–28%) with Huckabee leading Giuliani for third (12–9%).

On Primary night, McCain won 37–32% and Huckabee beat Giuliani for third 11–9%. After the results, Huckabee decided to focus on the South Carolina primary, while both McCain and Romney went to Michigan where polls showed a competitive race between the two.

Michigan

With different winners in Iowa and New Hampshire – and Mitt Romney taking the lower-profile Wyoming caucus – the January 15 Michigan primary loomed as an important battle. Polls after New Hampshire showed a tight race between McCain and Romney, with Huckabee a close third. [10] [11] Many saw Michigan as Romney's last chance for a campaign-saving win after disappointments in the first two races. [12] [13] Others said that a win in Michigan could cement McCain's status as the "front-runner" for the nomination. [14] McCain's campaign garnered about $1 million in newly contributed funds immediately after the New Hampshire win, [15] but still had $3.5 million in bank debt. [16]

Nevertheless, some polls showed McCain getting a significant national bounce from his New Hampshire win; the January 11 CNN nationwide poll had him at 34 percent support, a 21-point increase from where he had been just a month before, and a significant lead over Huckabee (21 percent) and Giuliani (18 percent). [17] As the Michigan race entered its final days, McCain gained some notoriety by sending out mailers there and in South Carolina attacking Romney's tax record and touting his own. A Romney campaign spokesman called the ad "as sloppy as it is factually incorrect", and FactCheck.org called the piece "misleading." McCain responded by saying, "It's not negative campaigning. I think it's what his record is." "It's a tough business," he added. [18] [19]

The dominant issue in Michigan was the state of the economy. Michigan had by far the nation's largest unemployment rate, at 7.4 percent, and was continuing to lose jobs from its historical manufacturing base. [20] McCain offered a bit of his "straight talk", saying that "There are some jobs that aren't coming back to Michigan," and proposing federal job training plans and other remedies to compensate. [20] Romney seized on McCain's statement as overly pessimistic and promoted instead his family heritage – "[I've] got the automobile industry in my blood veins" – as well as his being a Washington outsider who would go there and "turn Washington inside out." [20]

In the end, McCain finished second in the primary behind Romney, gaining 30 percent of the vote to Romney's 39 percent. [21]

Nevada and South Carolina

Mitt Romney was heavily favored to win Nevada, leading 34% to 19% in polls. He exceeded expectations, earning 51% of the vote with Ron Paul beating out John McCain for second. Romney campaigned hard in Nevada and did not campaign in South Carolina, while the other leading Republican candidates, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, kept their focus on South Carolina. Nevada was not subject to the Republican party cutting in half the number of delegates the state can send to the national convention, and neither was South Carolina. However, Nevada had more delegates at stake than South Carolina. A win in Nevada extended Romney's lead in total delegates. Nevada's large Mormon population helped Romney win the state. [22]

After coming last in this caucus, Duncan Hunter withdrew his bid for the nomination.

Mike Huckabee needed to win South Carolina for his campaign to remain viable. RealClearPolitics reported that the average support from polls placed McCain in the lead with 27%, followed by Huckabee with 25%, Romney with 15%, Thompson with 15%, Paul with 4%, and Giuliani with 3%. Thompson started attacking Mike Huckabee heavily, questioning his conservative credentials. But in the end McCain narrowly won by 14,743 or 3%, putting McCain as the frontrunner in Florida.

Mike Huckabee giving his concession speech after the 2008 South Carolina Presidential Primary in Columbia, SC. Huckabee SC concession.JPG
Mike Huckabee giving his concession speech after the 2008 South Carolina Presidential Primary in Columbia, SC.

Fred Thompson only placed third, even though he had started to campaign in South Carolina immediately after Iowa and before the other candidates had started campaigning there. He withdrew the next day.

Florida

Rudy Giuliani campaigned heavily in Florida, which he expected to use as his "launch pad" for a "strong showing" on Super Tuesday. [23] He campaigned almost entirely in Florida, and largely ignored South Carolina and other states voting before February 5. Polls taken before the primary showed that John McCain was the slight front runner over Mitt Romney. [24] Giuliani had been campaigning with virtually no opposition; [25] however, following the South Carolina Republican primary, 2008, several candidates flew down to Florida to begin campaigning up to January 29 when the primary occurred. [26] RealClearPolitics reported that the average support from polls taken in the days immediately prior to primary day placed McCain slightly in the lead with 31%, followed by Romney with 30%, Giuliani with 15%, Huckabee with 13%, and Paul with 4%. [27] Former Senator Fred Thompson and Rep. Duncan Hunter, though already out of the race, still remained on the ballot in the Florida primary.

McCain was able to ride a last-minute endorsement by then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist [28] to a five-point victory on January 29. [29] He took all 57 delegates in Florida's winner-take-all contest. [30] (The state's delegate total had been reduced by half due to RNC rules about primaries held before February 5.) [31] Giuliani, having banked heavily on Florida, ended his campaign the following day. [32]

Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday
Mitt Romney, 2006.jpg
Former Massachusetts Governor
Mitt Romney
Huckabee-SF-CC-024.jpg
Former Arkansas Governor
Mike Huckabee
February 5, 2008, called Super Tuesday, 2008, saw 21 contests held from Massachusetts to California.

Nominating Contests Held – 21

  • Won by John McCain – 9
  • Won by Mitt Romney – 7
  • Won by Mike Huckabee – 5

Pledged Delegates at Stake – 901 [33]

  • Won by John McCain – 568
  • Won by Mitt Romney – 176
  • Won by Mike Huckabee – 147

Delegate Standing on February 7

  • McCain – 680
  • Romney (out) – 270
  • Huckabee – 176
Information from CNN
McCain reacts to his Super Tuesday victories during a celebration that night at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. Raustadt Photo of McCain-2.JPG
McCain reacts to his Super Tuesday victories during a celebration that night at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix.

On January 31 McCain received the endorsement of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger [34] and began campaigning with him. [35] This was a key endorsement, as California was one of the Super Tuesday states and had more delegates than any other state. The same day, Governor Rick Perry of Texas threw his support behind McCain. [36] Perry had previously been a Giuliani supporter, while Schwarzenegger had refrained from endorsing either McCain or Giuliani because he counted both men as friends. [36] [37] Meanwhile, Romney, still burning about McCain's Iraq withdrawal timetable charge, compared McCain to disgraced former President Richard Nixon, saying that McCain's claim was "reminiscent of the Nixon era" and that "I don't think I want to see our party go back to that kind of campaigning." [35]

McCain won his home state of Arizona, taking all 53 of the state's delegates and the largest of the Super Tuesday prizes, winning nearly all of California's 173 delegates. McCain also scored wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Oklahoma. Huckabee also made surprise wins in states he had polled behind in previously like Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Huckabee also won the first contest of Super Tuesday in West Virginia. Romney won his home state of Massachusetts. He also won Utah, Colorado, and Minnesota. [38]

The next day, McCain appeared confident that he would be the Republican nominee. Estimates showed him with 707 delegates – nearly 60% of the total needed to win the nomination. He began to appeal to disaffected conservatives, saying: "We share the common principles and values and ideas for the future of this country based on a fundamental conservative political philosophy, which has been my record." [39] He also suggested that the right wing of the party "calm down a little bit" and begin to look for areas of agreement. Meanwhile, Romney advisers privately expressed doubts about whether their candidate could realistically hope to defeat McCain, and it was unclear if Romney would spend significant money on key February 12 contests in Virginia and Maryland.

Later February contests

Both McCain and Romney addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC on February 7, while Mike Huckabee spoke on February 9. Romney used his speech to announce the end of his campaign, saying, "Now if I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention – (cheers, applause). I want you to know I've given this a lot of thought. I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign and, frankly, I'd be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win. Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror." [40] McCain spoke about an hour later, again appealing to right-wing uncertainty about his ideology.

He focused on his opposition to abortion and gun control, as well as his support for lower taxes and free-market health care solutions. [41] [42] He told the CPAC audience that he arrived in Washington as "a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution", and addressed the issue of illegal immigration – one of the major issues where conservatives have attacked McCain. He said that "it would be among my highest priorities to secure our borders first", before addressing other immigration laws. [43] Mike Huckabee spoke to CPAC two days later and said, "I know that there was some speculation that I might come here today to announce that I would be getting out of the race. But I want to make sure you understand. Am I quitting? Well, let's get that settled right now. No, I'm not. And the reason is simple – I never learned arithmetic. You see folks, while I didn't get a college degree in mathematics and writing, I majored in miracles. Mathematically impossible miracles. It is because I go back to that which helped crystallize in me a conservative viewpoint as a teenager when it wasn't easy or popular to be a Republican or a conservative in my hometown, because I do believe that America is about making choices, not simply echoing that of others. Let others join the "Me, too" crowd. But I didn't get where I am today and I didn't fight the battles in a state that, when I became its governor, was 90 percent Democrat, by simply echoing the voices of others. I did it by staking out a choice, stating that choice, making that choice and fighting for that choice, to believe that some things were right, some things were wrong, and it's better to be right and even to not win than it is to be wrong and to be a part of the crowd." [44]

February 9 saw voting in Louisiana, Kansas and Washington state. Huckabee won an easy victory in Kansas, claiming all 36 of the state's delegates to the national convention. Only 14,016 votes were cast, and the McCain campaign expressed no concern over the lightly attended caucus. However, social conservatives had a strong presence in the Kansas Republican party, and the results served to highlight conservative dissatisfaction with the Senator. [45] [46] [47] Louisiana was much closer, but Huckabee won there as well, beating McCain by less than one percentage point. [48] McCain was declared the winner of the Washington caucuses, where 18 delegates were at stake. The February 19 primary would determine the other 19 delegates from the state. When McCain was declared the winner of the caucuses, with a lead of only 242 (3,468 to 3,226) over Huckabee and counting stopped with only 87% of the precincts reporting, [49] Huckabee's campaign indicated that they would challenge the results. [50] [51]

Next up was the Potomac primary on February 12, with voting in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. McCain swept the three races and took all 113 delegates which were at stake. [52] [53]

The next day, the McCain camp released a memo calling a Huckabee win "mathematically impossible." In truth, however, it was not impossible. In fact, if Huckabee failed to reach 1191 delegates but succeeded in keeping McCain from reaching 1191, then the result would have been a brokered convention.

With the media declaring McCain the "presumptive nominee", McCain began to focus on the Democrats, particularly leading candidate Barack Obama, in anticipation of the general election. [54]

The day after McCain's Potomac sweep, the Kansas City Star published a list of people who have been mentioned as possible McCain running mates, if he secured the nomination. [55]

On February 14, Mitt Romney officially endorsed McCain and asked his approximately 280 delegates to support him at the national convention. If all or most of Romney's delegates backed McCain, it would give him nearly enough to win the nomination, with several large states still yet to vote. Despite these developments, Huckabee vowed to stay in the race. "I may get beat, but I'm not going to quit," he said. [56] [57] A few days later, McCain was endorsed by former President George H. W. Bush, in a move intended to shore up his support among base party elements. [58]

On February 19, McCain continued his winning ways, picking up wins over Huckabee in the Wisconsin primary and the Washington state primary. [59] McCain and Barack Obama engaged in a pointed exchange over Al-Qaeda in Iraq on February 27. [60]

March contests

Super Tuesday 2
Huckabee SC concession.JPG
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
Contests held on March 4, 2008 in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island effectively ended the 2008 Republican Primaries by forcing Mike Huckabee to withdraw after poor showings and giving John McCain enough delegates to win the Republican nomination.

Nominating Contests Held – 4

  • Won by McCain – 4
  • Won by Huckabee – 0

Pledged Delegates at Stake – 261 [61]

  • Won by McCain – 241
  • Won by Huckabee – 20

Delegate Standing on March 5

  • McCain – 1289
  • Huckabee (out) – 267
Information from CNN

CNN had cancelled a debate originally scheduled for February 28, saying that McCain was the "presumptive nominee." Mike Huckabee challenged John McCain to a debate before the March 4 primaries, and the Values Voter coalition stepped in, arranging for a debate hall and inviting both McCain and Huckabee, as well as Rep. Ron Paul to participate in a March 3 debate event. [62] After Governor Huckabee had accepted the invitation, Senator McCain said that he had a prior commitment and begged off. Huckabee had previous success with rural and Evangelical Christian voters. Huckabee was endorsed by Dr. James Dobson. McCain received an endorsement from Pastor John Hagee (which he later renounced on May 22). On March 4, Super Tuesday 2, McCain managed to win a large number of Evangelical voters along with his usual independent and veteran supporters. John McCain officially clinched the Republican presidential nomination on March 4, 2008, sweeping the primaries in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, and Vermont. [63] That night, Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race and endorsed McCain. [63] President George W. Bush invited Senator McCain to the White House for Bush's endorsement.

2008 Republican presidential primaries delegate count
As of June 10, 2008
CandidatesActual
pledged delegates 1
(1,780 of 1,917)
Estimated total delegates2
(2,159 of 2,380;
1,191 needed to win)
John McCain 1,3781,575
Mike Huckabee 240278
Mitt Romney 148271
Ron Paul 1435
Color key:1st placeCandidate has
withdrawn
Sources:
1 "Primary Season Election Results". The New York Times . September 16, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008.
2 "Election Center 2008 – Republican Delegate Scorecard". CNN . June 4, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2013.

Endorsements

Unlike in the Democratic Party, Republican members of Congress (including Senate members, House members, and non-voting delegates), and state governors are not automatically made delegates to the party's national convention, however their endorsements can hold sway on voters in caucuses and primaries.

Each state's two members of the Republican National Committee, and the party chairs of each U.S. state and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands are the only automatic delegates to the party's national convention. These superdelegates while officially uncommitted, may also publicly endorse a candidate.

Polling

Statewide results

Early primaries and caucuses

DateStateTypeDistrict level delegatesAt-large delegatesState party delegatesBonus delegatesTotal size of delegationDelegate selection process
January 3, 2008 Iowa caucus 151031240County/state convention [64]
January 5, 2008 Wyoming convention [65] 31031212/28 [12/14]NoteCounty/state convention [66]
January 8, 2008 New Hampshire primary 6103524 [12]NoteStatewide proportional [67]
January 15, 2008 Michigan primary 45103260 [30]NoteDistrict-level winner-take-all (WTA) + at-large/bonus proportional [68]
January 19, 2008 Nevada caucus 91031234County/state convention [69]
South Carolina [70] primary, open 181031647 [24]NoteDistrict-level WTA + at-large/bonus WTA [71]
January 22, 2008 Louisiana caucus, closed
non-binding, just selection of district delegates
2100021/57 [72] [73] District by state convention + at-large/bonus by state convention unless 50%+ threshold met. Non-binding caucus to avoid stripping.
January 25-February 5, 2008 [74] Hawaii caucus, closed 6103120state convention [75]
January 29, 2008 Florida primary, closed 7510326114 [57]NoteStatewide WTA [76]
February 1-February 3, 2008 [77] Maine caucus, closed 6103221 [78] District/state convention [79]

GOP February 5 rule Under Republican National Committee rules, no state was allowed to hold its 2008 primary before February 5. Five states – Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, South Carolina, and Florida – moved their primaries ahead and were subsequently stripped of one-half of their apportioned delegates by the RNC. [80] This punishment was eventually the same as Democratic procedures though that party originally decided to strip all delegates from offending states Michigan and Florida before seating half. The Republican rules did not affect Iowa, Maine, Nevada and Louisiana, because those states did not technically choose their delegates until district or state conventions that occurred after February 5. The Iowa county and state conventions were held on March 15 and June 14, 2008, respectively. The Nevada state convention was held on April 26, 2008, but was suspended by party officials before delegates were elected. The executive board of the Nevada Republican Party met on July 25, 2008, and appointed all 34 delegates and 31 alternates. The Louisiana caucuses selected 105 state delegates to the state convention on February 16 in Baton Rouge.

Super Tuesday

Many states moved the dates of their primaries or caucuses up to February 5 (Super Tuesday). With almost half the nation voting on that date it acted as a quasi-"national primary". This has also been dubbed "Super Duper Tuesday," [81] and "Tsunami Tuesday". [82]

StateTypeDistrict-level delegatesAt-large delegatesState party delegatesBonus delegatesTotal size of delegationDelegate selection process
Alabama primary, open 211031448modified WTA district + proportional at-large/bonus [83]
Alaska caucus, closed 31031329District/state convention [84]
Arizona presidential preference election [85] 241031653Statewide WTA [86]
Arkansas primary, open 12103934modified WTA district + proportional at-large/bonus (WTA if 50%+)
California primary, closed 1591031173WTA district + WTA at-large/bonus [87]
Colorado caucus, closed 211031246district/state convention
Connecticut primary, closed 15103230Statewide WTA
Delaware primary, closed 3103218Statewide WTA [88]
Georgia primary, open 391032072WTA district + WTA at-large/bonus [89]
Illinois presidential preference primary+delegate election, open [90] 57103070District delegate election + unpledged state delegates
Massachusetts primary, modified open 30103043statewide proportional [91]
Minnesota caucus, open 24103441BPOU [92] /district/state convention [93]
Missouri primary, open 271031858statewide WTA [94]
Montana invited caucus [95] 3103925 [96] Statewide WTA
New Jersey primary, modified open 39103052Statewide WTA [97]
New York primary, closed 871031101Statewide WTA [88]
North Dakota caucus, closed 31031026Statewide Proportional [98]
Oklahoma primary, closed 151031341district WTA + at-large/bonus WTA
Tennessee primary, open 271031555District proportional (WTA 50%+) + At-large/bonus proportional (WTA 50%+) [99]
Utah primary, modified open 91031436Statewide WTA [100]
West Virginia convention, modified open 9103818/30 [101] multiple ballot WTA [102]
Totals627210631811,069/1,081

After Super Tuesday

DateStateTypeDistrict-Level DelegatesAt-Large DelegatesState Party DelegatesBonus DelegatesTotal Size of DelegationDelegate Selection Process
February 9, 2008 Kansas caucus, closed 121031439district WTA + at-large/state party/bonus WTA [103]
Washington caucus 27103018 of 40 [104] county/state convention [105]
Louisiana primary 02031320 of 57 [72] WTA if 50%+ threshold met, otherwise uncommitted
February 12, 2008 District of Columbia primary 0163019DC-wide WTA [106]
Maryland primary 24103037District WTA + at-large WTA [107]
Virginia primary 331031763Statewide WTA [108]
February 19, 2008 Wisconsin primary 24103340district WTA + at-large/bonus/party WTA [109]
Washington primary 27103019 of 40 [104] district WTA + proportional at-large [105]
February 23, 2008 American Samoa caucus 06309county/state convention [110]
Northern Mariana Islands caucus 06309county/state convention [111]
February 24, 2008 Puerto Rico caucus 0203023Puerto Rico-wide WTA [112]
March 4, 2008 Ohio primary 541032188District WTA + at-large WTA
Rhode Island primary 6103120Delegate names on ballot [113]
Texas open primary 9610331140district modified WTA + statewide WTA if 50%+ [114]
Vermont primary 3103117Statewide WTA [115]
March 8, 2008 Guam caucus 06309county/state convention
March 11, 2008 Mississippi primary 121031439District WTA + at-large/bonus WTA [116]
April 5, 2008 U.S. Virgin Islands caucus 06309county/state convention
April 22, 2008 Pennsylvania primary 57103474district delegate selection + unpledged at-large/party delegates
May 6, 2008 Indiana primary 271031757
North Carolina primary 391031769
May 13, 2008 Nebraska primary 91031133
May 13, 2008 West Virginia primary 9103812 of 30
May 20, 2008 Kentucky primary 181031445
Oregon primary 15103230
May 27, 2008 Idaho primary 61031332
June 3, 2008 South Dakota primary 31031127
New Mexico primary 91031032
1,029

See also

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