The 2008 Louisiana Democratic presidential primary took place on February 9, 2008, and had 56 delegates at stake. The winner in each of
Louisiana's seven congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 37. Another 29 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner,
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
. The 56 delegates represented Louisiana at the
Democratic National Convention in
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Ten other unpledged delegates, known as
superdelegates, also attended the convention and cast their votes as well.
Polls
Results
Analysis
With its heavily
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
population, Barack Obama solidly defeated Hillary Clinton in Louisiana. According to exit polls, 48 percent of voters in the Louisiana Democratic Primary were African Americans and they opted for Obama by a margin of 86-13 compared to the 47 percent of
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
voters who backed Clinton by a margin of 58-30. Obama won all age groups and educational attainment levels in Louisiana except
senior citizen
Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...
s aged 65 and over and those who did not complete high school. Obama won voters who identified as Democrats and those who identified as Republicans as well as Independents and all ideological groups. Regarding religion, Obama won all major denominations, including
Roman Catholics, a group that often strongly backed Clinton nationwide.
Obama did best in the more
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
counties in Louisiana which are majority-African American. He also performed extremely well in the
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
areas of
,
Shreverport-
Bossier City
Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...
, and
Lake Charles. Obama also performed extremely well in
Cajun Country
Acadiana (French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country ( Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained m ...
. Clinton did best in the areas north of New Orleans and east of
Baton Rouge in
the 1st Congressional District, which is among the most
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
in Louisiana and the South at large. She also performed well in rural counties in Central Louisiana and those along the Louisiana-
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
border that are majority white. John Edwards finished in third, securing only about 3.4% of the vote and no delegates.
See also
*
2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Democratic Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was selected as the nominee, becoming the first African Am ...
*
2008 Louisiana Republican presidential caucuses and primary
The 2008 Louisiana Republican presidential caucuses were held on January 22 and the primary on February 9, 2008.
Background
On December 19, 2007, the Republican Party of Louisiana announced the procedures for selection of its delegates to the 2 ...
References
{{2008Demprimaries
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
Democratic primary
This is a list of Democratic Party presidential primaries.
1912
This was the first time that candidates were chosen through primaries. New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson ran to become the nominee, and faced the opposition of Speaker of the Uni ...
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; ...