The 2008 Maryland Democratic presidential primary took place on February 12, 2008. Nicknamed the " Potomac Primary" or the "Chesapeake Primary" because the District of Columbia and Virginia also held their primaries that day (and all three border the Potomac River), a total of 70 delegates were up for grabs in Maryland. The winner in each of Maryland's eight congressional districts was awarded all of that district's delegates, totaling 46. Another 24 delegates were awarded to the statewide winner, Barack Obama. The 70 delegates represented Maryland 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. Twenty-nine other 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. By order of a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, the polling places in the Maryland Democratic Primary were extended to 9:30 p.m. EST in order to compensate for voters who were delayed in traffic by inclement weather. The same day, an intense ice storm brought .25 inches-1 inch of ice accumulations across Maryland.Judge extends poll closing time in Maryland

Polls

Results

Analysis

With its significant African American population and high concentration of highly educated and highly affluent white

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 professionals, Maryland was a state that was very favorable for Barack Obama coming out of Super Tuesday. According to exit polls, 53 percent of voters in the Maryland Democratic Primary were white and they opted for Clinton by a margin of 52-42 compared to the 37 percent of African American voters who backed Obama by a margin of 84-15. Hispanics/ Latinos, which comprised 4 percent of the electorate, supported Clinton by a margin of 55-45. Obama swept all age groups, socioeconomic/income classes and educational attainment categories in Maryland as well. Of the 84 percent of self-identified Democrats who voted in the primary, 59 percent backed Obama while 40 percent supported Clinton; Independents, which made up 13 percent of the voters, also backed Obama by a 62-27 margin. Obama also won all ideological groups. Regarding religion, Obama won

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

by a margin of 51-44 percent, other Christians by a margin of 74-21, other religions by a margin of 61-39, and atheists/ agnostics by a margin of 62-37; Clinton won

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

by a margin of 48-45 and Jews by a margin of 60-40 percent. Obama performed extremely well in the more urban parts of the state in and around

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

and the Washington, D.C. suburbs while Clinton performed strongly in the more rural parts of the state like the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, which takes in parts of

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

. Although Clinton received two big endorsements from Governor Martin O’Malley and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Barbara Mikulski, it was not enough to help her much in the state, as many of the demographics were largely in Barack Obama’s favor. Obama received the endorsement of junior senator Ben Cardin

References

{{2008Demprimaries Maryland Democratic presidential primary

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; ...

Polls

Results

Analysis

See also

References