Election 2008 Results
Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.
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2008 presidential election in South Carolina
John McCain (Republican) beat Barack Obama (Democrat) in South Carolina in 2008, 53.9% to 44.9%, a margin of 9.0 points and 172,447 votes.
South Carolina voted 16.2 points more Republican than the country as a whole, where the margin was D+7.3.
The Republican hold continued from 2004, when George W. Bush won.
Republicans led in 26 of the 46 counties and Democrats in 20. The largest, Greenville, cast 190,657 votes and went to the Republican by 23.9 points. The closest was Darlington, where 39 votes separated the two parties.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
Result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| John McCain won | Republican | 1,034,896 | 53.9% |
| Barack Obama | Democratic | 862,449 | 44.9% |
| All other candidates | 23,624 | 1.2% | |
| Total | 1,920,969 |
Every county
| County | Democrat | Republican | Others | Total | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 70,886 37.2% | 116,363 61.0% | 3,408 | 190,657 | R+23.9 |
| Richland | 105,656 64.0% | 57,941 35.1% | 1,440 | 165,037 | D+28.9 |
| Charleston | 82,698 53.5% | 69,822 45.2% | 1,914 | 154,434 | D+8.3 |
| Lexington | 33,303 30.4% | 74,960 68.4% | 1,249 | 109,512 | R+38.0 |
| Spartanburg | 41,632 38.4% | 65,042 60.0% | 1,654 | 108,328 | R+21.6 |
| Horry | 38,879 37.1% | 64,609 61.7% | 1,310 | 104,798 | R+24.6 |
| York | 37,918 40.5% | 54,500 58.2% | 1,278 | 93,696 | R+17.7 |
| Anderson | 24,132 32.7% | 48,690 66.0% | 965 | 73,787 | R+33.3 |
| Aiken | 26,101 37.4% | 42,849 61.4% | 820 | 69,770 | R+24.0 |
| Beaufort | 30,396 44.1% | 37,821 54.9% | 653 | 68,870 | R+10.8 |
| Berkeley | 27,755 42.8% | 36,205 55.9% | 821 | 64,781 | R+13.0 |
| Florence | 28,012 48.0% | 29,861 51.2% | 500 | 58,373 | R+3.2 |
| Dorchester | 21,806 41.6% | 29,929 57.1% | 670 | 52,405 | R+15.5 |
| Pickens | 11,691 25.9% | 32,552 72.1% | 885 | 45,128 | R+46.2 |
| Sumter | 25,431 57.3% | 18,581 41.9% | 346 | 44,358 | D+15.4 |
| Orangeburg | 27,263 68.6% | 12,115 30.5% | 376 | 39,754 | D+38.1 |
| Oconee | 9,481 30.5% | 21,164 68.0% | 487 | 31,132 | R+37.5 |
| Georgetown | 14,199 46.9% | 15,790 52.1% | 301 | 30,290 | R+5.3 |
| Greenwood | 12,348 41.6% | 16,995 57.3% | 324 | 29,667 | R+15.7 |
| Darlington | 14,505 49.4% | 14,544 49.6% | 285 | 29,334 | R+0.1 |
| Lancaster | 12,139 42.0% | 16,441 56.8% | 341 | 28,921 | R+14.9 |
| Kershaw | 11,226 40.1% | 16,466 58.8% | 293 | 27,985 | R+18.7 |
| Laurens | 10,578 40.2% | 15,334 58.3% | 370 | 26,282 | R+18.1 |
| Cherokee | 7,215 34.7% | 13,305 64.1% | 246 | 20,766 | R+29.3 |
| Colleton | 8,616 49.7% | 8,525 49.2% | 180 | 17,321 | D+0.5 |
| Newberry | 6,708 40.6% | 9,616 58.2% | 200 | 16,524 | R+17.6 |
| Williamsburg | 11,279 68.6% | 5,004 30.4% | 160 | 16,443 | D+38.2 |
| Chesterfield | 7,842 47.9% | 8,325 50.9% | 192 | 16,359 | R+3.0 |
| Clarendon | 8,673 55.8% | 6,758 43.5% | 121 | 15,552 | D+12.3 |
| Marion | 9,608 63.3% | 5,416 35.7% | 150 | 15,174 | D+27.6 |
| Chester | 7,478 53.5% | 6,318 45.2% | 185 | 13,981 | D+8.3 |
| Union | 5,935 43.8% | 7,449 55.0% | 167 | 13,551 | R+11.2 |
| Dillon | 7,408 55.2% | 5,874 43.8% | 135 | 13,417 | D+11.4 |
| Fairfield | 7,591 65.3% | 3,912 33.7% | 116 | 11,619 | D+31.7 |
| Edgefield | 5,075 44.1% | 6,334 55.0% | 111 | 11,520 | R+10.9 |
| Abbeville | 4,593 41.8% | 6,264 56.9% | 144 | 11,001 | R+15.2 |
| Marlboro | 6,794 62.5% | 3,996 36.7% | 86 | 10,876 | D+25.7 |
| Barnwell | 4,931 50.3% | 4,769 48.7% | 98 | 9,798 | D+1.7 |
| Hampton | 5,816 62.2% | 3,439 36.8% | 95 | 9,350 | D+25.4 |
| Lee | 5,960 65.1% | 3,074 33.6% | 119 | 9,153 | D+31.5 |
| Jasper | 5,389 60.9% | 3,365 38.0% | 100 | 8,854 | D+22.9 |
| Saluda | 3,323 38.6% | 5,191 60.3% | 89 | 8,603 | R+21.7 |
| Calhoun | 3,970 51.3% | 3,695 47.8% | 73 | 7,738 | D+3.6 |
| Bamberg | 4,426 65.0% | 2,309 33.9% | 79 | 6,814 | D+31.1 |
| McCormick | 2,755 52.7% | 2,437 46.6% | 40 | 5,232 | D+6.1 |
| Allendale | 3,029 75.3% | 947 23.5% | 48 | 4,024 | D+51.7 |
Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.
South Carolina in every presidential election we hold
| Year | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Donald Trump (R) | R+17.9 |
| 2020 | Donald Trump (R) | R+11.7 |
| 2016 | Donald Trump (R) | R+14.3 |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney (R) | R+10.5 |
| 2008 | John McCain (R) | R+9.0 |
| 2004 | George W. Bush (R) | R+17.1 |
| 2000 | George W. Bush (R) | R+16.0 |
| 1996 | Bob Dole (R) | R+5.8 |
| 1992 | George H. W. Bush (R) | R+8.1 |
| 1988 | George H. W. Bush (R) | R+23.9 |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan (R) | R+28.0 |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan (R) | R+1.2 |
| 1976 | Jimmy Carter (D) | D+13.0 |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon (R) | R+42.7 |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon (R) | R+8.5 |
| 1964 | Barry Goldwater (R) | R+17.8 |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy (D) | D+2.5 |
| 1956 | Adlai Stevenson II (D) | D+20.2 |
| 1952 | Adlai Stevenson II (D) | D+1.4 |
| 1948 | Strom Thurmond (other) | |
| 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+83.2 |
| 1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+91.3 |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+97.1 |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+96.1 |
| 1928 | Al Smith (D) | D+82.9 |
| 1924 | John W. Davis (D) | D+94.4 |
| 1920 | James M. Cox (D) | D+92.1 |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson (D) | D+94.3 |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson (D) | D+94.8 |
| 1908 | William Jennings Bryan (D) | D+87.9 |
| 1904 | Alton B. Parker (D) | D+90.7 |
| 1900 | William Jennings Bryan (D) | D+86.1 |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan (D) | D+71.8 |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland (D) | D+58.6 |
| 1888 | Grover Cleveland (D) | D+65.1 |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland (D) | D+51.8 |
| 1880 | Winfield Scott Hancock (D) | D+31.7 |
| 1876 | Rutherford B. Hayes (R) | R+0.5 |
| 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant (R) | R+52.0 |
| 1868 | Ulysses S. Grant (R) | R+15.9 |