United States general elections, 2008
| Presidential election year | |
| Election day | November 4 |
|---|---|
| Presidential election | |
| Electoral vote | |
| Barack Obama (D) | 365 |
| John McCain (R) | 173 |
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| 2008 Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states/districts won by Democrat Barack Obama, and Red denotes those won by Republican John McCain. Numbers indicate electoral votes allotted to the winner of each state. Obama won one electoral vote (from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district) of Nebraska's five. | |
| Senate elections | |
| Seats contested | 33 seats of Class II |
| Net change | Democratic +8 |
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|
| 2008 Senate election results map | |
| House elections | |
| Net change | Democratic +21 |
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|
| 2008 House election results map | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 13 (11 states, 2 territories) |
| Net change | Democratic +1 |
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| 2008 Gubernatorial election results map | |
| Legend | |
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Democratic hold
Democratic gain
Republican hold
Republican gain
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The 2008 United States elections were held on November 4. The result was a significant victory for the Democratic Party on the national level, as they increased majorities in both houses of Congress and won the Presidency. Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeated Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona in the presidential election. Riding Obama's coattails, the Democrats also picked up net gains of 8 Senate seats and 21 House seats.
The governorship of 11 states and two U.S. territories were also up for election. Only one of them changed party hands: Democrat Jay Nixon won the Missouri gubernatorial election, replacing Republican Matt Blunt, who decided to retire instead of run for a second term.
The major theme during the campaign was the American public's general desire of change and reform from both Washington and the policies of outgoing Republican President George W. Bush (Bush was term limited out of office per the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution). The economy and other domestic policies were also dominant issues, especially during the last months of the campaign after the onset of the 2008 economic crisis.
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