Barack Obama carried California D+24.0.

Barack Obama (D) vs John McCain (R) in California, 2008. The state ran 16.7 points more Democratic than the nation (D+7.3 nationally).

Nominees: Barack Obama (D) · John McCain (R)

akashic

California result

13,583,083 votes counted

Obama (D)

8,274,473

60.9%

McCain (R)

5,011,781

36.9%

All others

296,829

2.2%

Margin

D+24.0

akashic

2008 presidential election

California, 2008

ObamaD+24.0

How it voted

Share of the 2008 vote

Barack Obama ✓Democratic	60.9%	8,274,473
John McCainRepublican	36.9%	5,011,781
OtherAll other candidates	2.2%	296,829

D+60

R+60

58 counties, each filled by 2008 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

akashic

California's presidential margins

1876–2024, the 2008 contest in context

California's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	−1.8%
1880	+0.1%
1884	−6.7%
1888	−2.8%
1892	+1.2%
1896	−0.6%
1900	−13.1%
1904	−34.9%
1908	−22.5%
1912	+41.8%
1916	+0.4%
1920	−41.9%
1924	−49.0%
1928	−30.5%
1932	+21.0%
1936	+35.3%
1940	+16.1%
1944	+13.5%
1948	+0.4%
1952	−13.6%
1956	−11.1%
1960	−0.5%
1964	+18.3%
1968	−3.1%
1972	−13.5%
1976	−1.8%
1980	−16.8%
1984	−16.2%
1988	−3.6%
1992	+13.4%
1996	+12.9%
2000	+11.8%
2004	+9.9%
2008	+24.0%
2012	+23.1%
2016	+30.0%
2020	+29.1%
2024	+20.1%

akashic

County results — 2008

58 counties; every row links to the county's full page.

akashic

County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Alameda County	D	+59.3%	489,106	119,555	622,913
Alpine County	D	+24.5%	422	252	694
Amador County	R	−14.6%	7,813	10,561	18,879
Butte County	D	+2.3%	49,013	46,706	98,707
Calaveras County	R	−12.9%	9,813	12,835	23,421
Colusa County	R	−18.1%	2,569	3,733	6,448
Contra Costa County	D	+37.6%	306,983	136,436	453,244
Del Norte County	R	−6.8%	4,323	4,967	9,531
El Dorado County	R	−10.5%	40,529	50,314	93,309
Fresno County	D	+2.1%	136,706	131,015	273,452
Glenn County	R	−22.0%	3,734	5,910	9,879
Humboldt County	D	+28.1%	39,692	21,713	63,968
Imperial County	D	+26.2%	24,162	14,008	38,820
Inyo County	R	−9.1%	3,743	4,523	8,554
Kern County	R	−17.7%	93,457	134,793	233,808
Kings County	R	−14.1%	14,747	19,710	35,108
Lake County	D	+19.2%	14,854	9,935	25,629
Lassen County	R	−34.1%	3,586	7,483	11,433
Los Angeles County	D	+40.4%	2,295,853	956,425	3,318,248
Madera County	R	−13.3%	17,952	23,583	42,474
Marin County	D	+57.6%	109,320	28,384	140,570
Mariposa County	R	−12.4%	4,100	5,298	9,677
Mendocino County	D	+42.6%	27,843	10,721	40,184
Merced County	D	+8.3%	34,031	28,704	64,051
Modoc County	R	−37.7%	1,313	2,981	4,420
Mono County	D	+13.3%	3,093	2,354	5,571
Monterey County	D	+38.3%	88,453	38,797	129,783
Napa County	D	+32.5%	38,849	19,484	59,642
Nevada County	D	+5.3%	28,617	25,663	55,647
Orange County	R	−2.6%	549,558	579,064	1,153,687
Placer County	R	−11.2%	75,112	94,647	173,812
Plumas County	R	−12.0%	4,715	6,035	11,028
Riverside County	D	+2.3%	325,017	310,041	647,299
Sacramento County	D	+19.0%	316,506	213,583	542,859
San Benito County	D	+22.7%	11,917	7,425	19,788
San Bernardino County	D	+6.3%	315,720	277,408	606,334
San Diego County	D	+10.2%	666,581	541,032	1,235,503
San Francisco County	D	+70.3%	322,220	52,292	383,796
San Joaquin County	D	+10.6%	113,974	91,607	210,308
San Luis Obispo County	D	+5.3%	68,176	61,055	133,155
San Mateo County	D	+48.7%	222,826	75,057	303,292
Santa Barbara County	D	+22.8%	105,614	65,585	175,407
Santa Clara County	D	+40.9%	462,241	190,039	665,589
Santa Cruz County	D	+57.5%	98,745	25,244	127,736
Shasta County	R	−25.8%	28,867	49,588	80,390
Sierra County	R	−20.8%	743	1,158	1,991
Siskiyou County	R	−10.3%	9,292	11,520	21,564
Solano County	D	+28.5%	102,095	56,035	161,588
Sonoma County	D	+49.6%	168,888	55,127	229,351
Stanislaus County	D	+1.7%	80,279	77,497	161,512
Sutter County	R	−16.7%	13,412	18,911	33,021
Tehama County	R	−24.0%	8,945	14,843	24,560
Trinity County	D	+4.6%	3,233	2,940	6,430
Tulare County	R	−15.3%	43,634	59,765	105,525
Tuolumne County	R	−12.7%	11,532	14,988	27,303
Ventura County	D	+12.2%	187,601	145,853	341,041
Yolo County	D	+36.2%	53,488	24,592	79,749
Yuba County	R	−14.7%	8,866	12,007	21,401