Barack Obama carried Iowa D+9.5.

Barack Obama (D) vs John McCain (R) in Iowa, 2008. The state ran 2.3 points more Democratic than the nation (D+7.3 nationally). A US Senate contest shared the 2008 ballot here.

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

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Iowa result

1,536,820 votes counted

Obama (D)

828,940

53.9%

McCain (R)

682,379

44.4%

All others

25,501

1.7%

Margin

D+9.5

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2008 presidential election

Iowa, 2008

ObamaD+9.5

How it voted

Share of the 2008 vote

Barack Obama ✓Democratic	53.9%	828,940
John McCainRepublican	44.4%	682,379
OtherAll other candidates	1.7%	25,501

D+60

R+60

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

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Iowa's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 2008 contest in context

Iowa's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	−5.3%
1896	−12.6%
1900	−18.6%
1904	−32.7%
1908	−15.0%
1912	+13.3%
1916	−11.4%
1920	−45.5%
1924	−38.6%
1928	−24.2%
1932	+17.7%
1936	+11.7%
1940	−4.4%
1944	−4.5%
1948	+2.7%
1952	−28.2%
1956	−18.4%
1960	−13.5%
1964	+24.0%
1968	−12.2%
1972	−17.1%
1976	−1.0%
1980	−12.7%
1984	−7.4%
1988	+10.2%
1992	+6.0%
1996	+10.3%
2000	+0.3%
2004	−0.7%
2008	+9.5%
2012	+5.8%
2016	−9.3%
2020	−8.2%
2024	−13.2%

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County results — 2008

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

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Adair County	R	−3.4%	1,924	2,060	4,053
Adams County	D	+3.3%	1,118	1,046	2,206
Allamakee County	D	+14.3%	3,971	2,965	7,059
Appanoose County	R	−1.9%	2,970	3,086	6,176
Audubon County	D	+3.1%	1,739	1,634	3,435
Benton County	D	+4.5%	7,058	6,447	13,712
Black Hawk County	D	+22.4%	39,184	24,662	64,775
Boone County	D	+7.6%	7,356	6,293	13,929
Bremer County	D	+9.3%	6,940	5,741	12,871
Buchanan County	D	+18.5%	6,050	4,139	10,338
Buena Vista County	R	−1.8%	4,075	4,223	8,418
Butler County	R	−4.7%	3,364	3,700	7,166
Calhoun County	R	−7.7%	2,341	2,741	5,195
Carroll County	D	+3.7%	5,302	4,922	10,387
Cass County	R	−10.8%	3,211	4,006	7,350
Cedar County	D	+9.6%	5,221	4,289	9,665
Cerro Gordo County	D	+20.8%	14,405	9,375	24,140
Cherokee County	R	−7.6%	2,890	3,372	6,365
Chickasaw County	D	+20.8%	3,923	2,557	6,583
Clarke County	D	+2.3%	2,218	2,118	4,443
Clay County	R	−5.1%	3,925	4,355	8,398
Clayton County	D	+17.2%	5,195	3,651	8,989
Clinton County	D	+23.0%	15,018	9,324	24,719
Crawford County	D	+5.1%	3,715	3,345	7,191
Dallas County	R	−5.5%	15,149	16,954	32,640
Davis County	R	−9.1%	1,680	2,029	3,815
Decatur County	R	−0.8%	1,986	2,020	4,102
Delaware County	D	+6.0%	4,649	4,113	8,901
Des Moines County	D	+23.0%	12,462	7,721	20,570
Dickinson County	R	−5.4%	4,625	5,162	9,906
Dubuque County	D	+20.8%	28,611	18,651	47,953
Emmet County	D	+3.9%	2,570	2,373	5,015
Fayette County	D	+16.6%	5,908	4,205	10,259
Floyd County	D	+21.9%	4,822	3,051	8,091
Franklin County	D	+1.4%	2,575	2,501	5,148
Fremont County	R	−3.6%	1,848	1,989	3,894
Greene County	D	+0.5%	2,371	2,349	4,804
Grundy County	R	−16.9%	2,790	3,945	6,828
Guthrie County	R	−7.7%	2,625	3,074	5,847
Hamilton County	D	+1.3%	4,018	3,913	8,078
Hancock County	R	−3.6%	2,805	3,016	5,930
Hardin County	D	+0.9%	4,393	4,315	8,859
Harrison County	R	−4.7%	3,555	3,909	7,578
Henry County	R	−5.0%	4,349	4,822	9,377
Howard County	D	+25.8%	2,941	1,722	4,728
Humboldt County	R	−14.3%	2,160	2,895	5,122
Ida County	R	−16.4%	1,454	2,036	3,547
Iowa County	D	+0.2%	4,202	4,188	8,546
Jackson County	D	+24.4%	6,102	3,673	9,955
Jasper County	D	+7.5%	10,250	8,794	19,421
Jefferson County	D	+20.2%	5,070	3,324	8,631
Johnson County	D	+41.5%	51,027	20,732	72,975
Jones County	D	+10.4%	5,446	4,405	10,004
Keokuk County	R	−3.6%	2,518	2,712	5,361
Kossuth County	D	+3.3%	4,625	4,329	9,097
Lee County	D	+16.0%	9,821	7,062	17,224
Linn County	D	+21.5%	68,037	43,626	113,355
Louisa County	D	+4.2%	2,523	2,314	4,920
Lucas County	R	−6.7%	2,029	2,330	4,471
Lyon County	R	−45.0%	1,675	4,471	6,217
Madison County	R	−10.0%	3,733	4,579	8,480
Mahaska County	R	−16.5%	4,464	6,271	10,932
Marion County	R	−10.8%	7,421	9,256	17,030
Marshall County	D	+9.4%	10,023	8,278	18,657
Mills County	R	−16.6%	2,976	4,183	7,282
Mitchell County	D	+12.3%	3,179	2,469	5,766
Monona County	R	−2.4%	2,295	2,411	4,796
Monroe County	R	−5.2%	1,798	2,000	3,873
Montgomery County	R	−10.6%	2,326	2,887	5,287
Muscatine County	D	+15.6%	10,920	7,929	19,119
O'Brien County	R	−34.9%	2,338	4,894	7,333
Osceola County	R	−31.7%	1,037	2,027	3,127
Page County	R	−19.7%	2,900	4,351	7,356
Palo Alto County	D	+2.8%	2,428	2,294	4,806
Plymouth County	R	−25.1%	4,629	7,765	12,512
Pocahontas County	R	−8.4%	1,800	2,138	4,011
Polk County	D	+14.6%	120,984	89,668	214,386
Pottawattamie County	R	−1.9%	20,436	21,237	42,320
Poweshiek County	D	+11.8%	5,519	4,340	10,031
Ringgold County	R	−6.1%	1,236	1,401	2,689
Sac County	R	−8.9%	2,256	2,705	5,053
Scott County	D	+14.5%	48,927	36,365	86,371
Shelby County	R	−9.7%	2,863	3,488	6,453
Sioux County	R	−62.8%	3,030	13,490	16,664
Story County	D	+16.2%	26,548	18,995	46,575
Tama County	D	+12.2%	4,899	3,820	8,850
Taylor County	R	−8.6%	1,347	1,607	3,026
Union County	D	+3.7%	3,000	2,781	5,909
Van Buren County	R	−12.2%	1,546	1,986	3,608
Wapello County	D	+13.5%	8,820	6,663	15,931
Warren County	D	+0.6%	12,299	12,144	24,880
Washington County	R	−0.7%	5,170	5,247	10,626
Wayne County	R	−7.0%	1,357	1,565	2,980
Webster County	D	+8.5%	9,917	8,337	18,554
Winnebago County	D	+8.6%	3,254	2,730	6,082
Winneshiek County	D	+22.7%	6,829	4,273	11,280
Woodbury County	R	−0.5%	21,983	22,219	44,801
Worth County	D	+22.4%	2,567	1,612	4,257
Wright County	R	−1.5%	3,102	3,198	6,395