The 2008 District of Columbia Democratic presidential primary took place on February 12, 2008, nicknamed the "
Potomac Primary" because
Maryland and
Virginia, which border the
Potomac River, also held Democratic primaries that day. Fifteen delegates were up for grabs in the District of Columbia Democratic Primary, including 10 delegates from the District of Columbia's municipal subdivisions (five delegates for Wards 1-4, and five delegates for Wards 5-8). An additional five delegates were awarded to the at-large winner,
Barack Obama. These 15 delegates represented the District of Columbia at the
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
in
Denver, Colorado. A total of 24 unpledged delegates, known as
superdelegate
In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...
s, also attended the convention and cast their votes as well.
Barack Obama received the endorsements of
Mayor Adrian Fenty and former Mayor
Marion Barry (both African Americans), while he and
Hillary Clinton were both endorsed by various members on the District of Columbia City Council.
Barack Obama won the District of Columbia, as he did the other Potomac contests that day. He earned 12 pledged delegates to Clinton's 3.
Polls
Results
Analysis
The District of Columbia is a city with a strong population of
African Americans, a voting bloc that consistently backed Barack Obama nationwide. The District also includes highly educated upper-middle class professionals who tend to be relatively
progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
/
liberal, another segment of the population that often backed Obama.
See also
*
2008 District of Columbia Republican presidential primary
The 2008 District of Columbia Republican presidential primary took place on February 12, 2008. Virginia and Maryland both held primaries on the same day, so the day's elections were collectively called "the Potomac primary". John McCain decis ...
References
{{2008Demprimaries
District of Columbia
Federal elections in Washington, D.C.
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Dem