The 2008
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
Democratic presidential primary took place on May 13, 2008 with polls closing at 7:30 p.m. EST. It was open to
Democrats and Independents. The primary determined 28
delegates to the
2008 Democratic National Convention
The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The conventi ...
, who were awarded on a proportional basis.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
's Democratic delegation also included 11 unpledged "
superdelegates
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% ...
". The primary came late in the nomination race.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
won by a very wide margin, but her opponent
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 U ...
maintained a substantial lead in the overall number of pledged delegate votes.
Polls
As of May 4, 2008, opinion polling showed
Sen. Hillary Clinton holding a 56% to 27% lead over
Sen. Barack Obama, with 17% undecided.
Some of West Virginia's superdelegates also endorsed a candidate prior to the primary. By February 20, more than a month before the election, three superdelegates had announced support for
Sen. Hillary Clinton (DNC Members Marie Prezioso, Pat Maroney, and Belinda Biafore), while three had endorsed
Sen. Barack Obama (Rep.
Nick Rahall
Nicholas Joseph Rahall II (born May 20, 1949) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2015. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States Hous ...
, Sen.
Jay Rockefeller
John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV (born June 18, 1937) is a retired American politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia (1985–2015). He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as governor of West Virg ...
, and Sen.
Robert C. Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.; November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) was an American politician and musician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A ...
).
Results
Primary date: May 13, 2008
National pledged delegates determined: 28
See also
*
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008
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 Amer ...
*
West Virginia Republican caucuses, 2008
The 2008 West Virginia Republican presidential caucuses took place on February 5, 2008 to select 18 delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention. An additional nine delegates were selected in a primary election on May 13, 2008, for a tot ...
References
External links
WV Secretary of State - Election Returns
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
2008 West Virginia elections
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; ...
May 2008 events in the United States
{{WestVirginia-election-stub