Georgia Democratic primary, 2008

Georgia Democratic Primary, 2008

February 5, 2008 (2008-02-05)

Candidate Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Home state Illinois New York Delegate count 60 27 Popular vote 704,247 330,026 Percentage 66.39% 31.11

Elections in Georgia
Federal government Presidential elections 1788-89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 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 Presidential primaries Democratic 2008 Republican 2008 U.S. Senate elections 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 U.S. House elections 1974 6th 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 4th 8th 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Special elections 10th district, 2007 9th district, 2010 6th district, 2017
State government Gubernatorial elections 1948 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 Other elections 2006 Statewide 2008 Statewide 2010 Statewide 2006 2008 2010 2014 General Assembly elections 2010
Ballot measures 2004 Amendment 1
Atlanta government Mayoral elections 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017

The Georgia Democratic Presidential Primary took place on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, and had a total of 87 delegates at stake. The winner in each of Georgia's 13 congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 57. Another 30 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Barack Obama. The 87 delegates represented Georgia at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Sixteen other unpledged delegates, known as superdelegates, also attended the convention and cast their votes as well.^[1]

Polls

Results

2008 Georgia Democratic primary county map.

  Barack Obama

  Hillary Clinton

Analysis

Georgia, with its heavily African American population, gave Barack Obama one of his largest victories in a primary during the course of the Democratic Presidential Primary as he solidly defeated Hillary Clinton by more than a two-to-one margin of victory. According to exit polls, 51 percent of voters in the Georgia Democratic Primary were African Americans and they opted for Obama by a margin of 88-11 compared to the 43 percent of Caucasian voters who backed Clinton by a margin of 53-43. Obama won all age groups, educational attainment levels and socioeconomic classes in Georgia except senior citizens aged 65 and over who backed Clinton by a margin of 55-45. Obama won all ideological groups and self-identified Democrats by a margin of 67-32 and Independents by a similar 63-33 percent margin of victory. Obama also swept every major religious denomination – Protestants went for Obama 52-46; Roman Catholics 56-44; other Christians 77-22; other religions 71-24; and atheists/agnostics 69-30.

Obama performed extremely well throughout the state of Georgia and won over three-quarters of its counties. He performed best in Atlanta where he won 76 percent of the vote as well as its suburbs which backed him 66-32. Central Georgia also strongly favored Obama by a margin of 69-31. Obama did best in the state’s major urban areas like Atlanta, Savannah, Columbus, and Athens as well as a majority of the rural counties that were predominantly African American. Clinton performed extremely well in North Georgia, mostly in the more rural, white and conservative parts of the state which are considered to be an extreme part of Appalachia, a region where she consistently did well during the course of the primaries; she defeated Obama by a margin of 48-45 percent in North Georgia.

Obama received a major endorsement from U.S. Representative John Lewis of Atlanta, a former civil rights activist.

See also

• Georgia Republican primary, 2008

References