Elections / 2008 · President · IA
Iowa — 2008 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate2008 presidential electionIowa · PresidentObamaD+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 |
2008presidential margin
D+60R+60
99 counties, each filled by 2008 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Iowa cast 7 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (99 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adair County, IA | Republican | R+3.4 |
| Adams County, IA | Democratic | D+3.3 |
| Allamakee County, IA | Democratic | D+14.3 |
| Appanoose County, IA | Republican | R+1.9 |
| Audubon County, IA | Democratic | D+3.1 |
| Benton County, IA | Democratic | D+4.5 |
| Black Hawk County, IA | Democratic | D+22.4 |
| Boone County, IA | Democratic | D+7.6 |
| Bremer County, IA | Democratic | D+9.3 |
| Buchanan County, IA | Democratic | D+18.5 |
| Buena Vista County, IA | Republican | R+1.8 |
| Butler County, IA | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Calhoun County, IA | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Carroll County, IA | Democratic | D+3.7 |
| Cass County, IA | Republican | R+10.8 |
| Cedar County, IA | Democratic | D+9.6 |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | Democratic | D+20.8 |
| Cherokee County, IA | Republican | R+7.6 |
| Chickasaw County, IA | Democratic | D+20.8 |
| Clarke County, IA | Democratic | D+2.3 |
| Clay County, IA | Republican | R+5.1 |
| Clayton County, IA | Democratic | D+17.2 |
| Clinton County, IA | Democratic | D+23.0 |
| Crawford County, IA | Democratic | D+5.1 |
| Dallas County, IA | Republican | R+5.5 |
| Davis County, IA | Republican | R+9.1 |
| Decatur County, IA | Republican | R+0.8 |
| Delaware County, IA | Democratic | D+6.0 |
| Des Moines County, IA | Democratic | D+23.0 |
| Dickinson County, IA | Republican | R+5.4 |
| Dubuque County, IA | Democratic | D+20.8 |
| Emmet County, IA | Democratic | D+3.9 |
| Fayette County, IA | Democratic | D+16.6 |
| Floyd County, IA | Democratic | D+21.9 |
| Franklin County, IA | Democratic | D+1.4 |
| Fremont County, IA | Republican | R+3.6 |
| Greene County, IA | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Grundy County, IA | Republican | R+16.9 |
| Guthrie County, IA | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Hamilton County, IA | Democratic | D+1.3 |
| Hancock County, IA | Republican | R+3.6 |
| Hardin County, IA | Democratic | D+0.9 |
| Harrison County, IA | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Henry County, IA | Republican | R+5.0 |
| Howard County, IA | Democratic | D+25.8 |
| Humboldt County, IA | Republican | R+14.3 |
| Ida County, IA | Republican | R+16.4 |
| Iowa County, IA | Democratic | D+0.2 |
| Jackson County, IA | Democratic | D+24.4 |
| Jasper County, IA | Democratic | D+7.5 |
| Jefferson County, IA | Democratic | D+20.2 |
| Johnson County, IA | Democratic | D+41.5 |
| Jones County, IA | Democratic | D+10.4 |
| Keokuk County, IA | Republican | R+3.6 |
| Kossuth County, IA | Democratic | D+3.3 |
| Lee County, IA | Democratic | D+16.0 |
| Linn County, IA | Democratic | D+21.5 |
| Louisa County, IA | Democratic | D+4.2 |
| Lucas County, IA | Republican | R+6.7 |
| Lyon County, IA | Republican | R+45.0 |
| Madison County, IA | Republican | R+10.0 |
| Mahaska County, IA | Republican | R+16.5 |
| Marion County, IA | Republican | R+10.8 |
| Marshall County, IA | Democratic | D+9.4 |
| Mills County, IA | Republican | R+16.6 |
| Mitchell County, IA | Democratic | D+12.3 |
| Monona County, IA | Republican | R+2.4 |
| Monroe County, IA | Republican | R+5.2 |
| Montgomery County, IA | Republican | R+10.6 |
| Muscatine County, IA | Democratic | D+15.6 |
| O'Brien County, IA | Republican | R+34.9 |
| Osceola County, IA | Republican | R+31.7 |
| Page County, IA | Republican | R+19.7 |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Democratic | D+2.8 |
| Plymouth County, IA | Republican | R+25.1 |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Republican | R+8.4 |
| Polk County, IA | Democratic | D+14.6 |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | Republican | R+1.9 |
| Poweshiek County, IA | Democratic | D+11.8 |
| Ringgold County, IA | Republican | R+6.1 |
| Sac County, IA | Republican | R+8.9 |
| Scott County, IA | Democratic | D+14.5 |
| Shelby County, IA | Republican | R+9.7 |
| Sioux County, IA | Republican | R+62.8 |
| Story County, IA | Democratic | D+16.2 |
| Tama County, IA | Democratic | D+12.2 |
| Taylor County, IA | Republican | R+8.6 |
| Union County, IA | Democratic | D+3.7 |
| Van Buren County, IA | Republican | R+12.2 |
| Wapello County, IA | Democratic | D+13.5 |
| Warren County, IA | Democratic | D+0.6 |
| Washington County, IA | Republican | R+0.7 |
| Wayne County, IA | Republican | R+7.0 |
| Webster County, IA | Democratic | D+8.5 |
| Winnebago County, IA | Democratic | D+8.6 |
| Winneshiek County, IA | Democratic | D+22.7 |
| Woodbury County, IA | Republican | R+0.5 |
| Worth County, IA | Democratic | D+22.4 |
| Wright County, IA | Republican | R+1.5 |
Nominees: Barack Obama (D) · John McCain (R)
Iowa's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 2008 contest in context
| 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% |
County-by-county results — 99 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County | R | 1,924 | 2,060 | 4,053 | |
| Adams County | D | 1,118 | 1,046 | 2,206 | |
| Allamakee County | D | 3,971 | 2,965 | 7,059 | |
| Appanoose County | R | 2,970 | 3,086 | 6,176 | |
| Audubon County | D | 1,739 | 1,634 | 3,435 | |
| Benton County | D | 7,058 | 6,447 | 13,712 | |
| Black Hawk County | D | 39,184 | 24,662 | 64,775 | |
| Boone County | D | 7,356 | 6,293 | 13,929 | |
| Bremer County | D | 6,940 | 5,741 | 12,871 | |
| Buchanan County | D | 6,050 | 4,139 | 10,338 | |
| Buena Vista County | R | 4,075 | 4,223 | 8,418 | |
| Butler County | R | 3,364 | 3,700 | 7,166 | |
| Calhoun County | R | 2,341 | 2,741 | 5,195 | |
| Carroll County | D | 5,302 | 4,922 | 10,387 | |
| Cass County | R | 3,211 | 4,006 | 7,350 | |
| Cedar County | D | 5,221 | 4,289 | 9,665 | |
| Cerro Gordo County | D | 14,405 | 9,375 | 24,140 | |
| Cherokee County | R | 2,890 | 3,372 | 6,365 | |
| Chickasaw County | D | 3,923 | 2,557 | 6,583 | |
| Clarke County | D | 2,218 | 2,118 | 4,443 | |
| Clay County | R | 3,925 | 4,355 | 8,398 | |
| Clayton County | D | 5,195 | 3,651 | 8,989 | |
| Clinton County | D | 15,018 | 9,324 | 24,719 | |
| Crawford County | D | 3,715 | 3,345 | 7,191 | |
| Dallas County | R | 15,149 | 16,954 | 32,640 | |
| Davis County | R | 1,680 | 2,029 | 3,815 | |
| Decatur County | R | 1,986 | 2,020 | 4,102 | |
| Delaware County | D | 4,649 | 4,113 | 8,901 | |
| Des Moines County | D | 12,462 | 7,721 | 20,570 | |
| Dickinson County | R | 4,625 | 5,162 | 9,906 | |
| Dubuque County | D | 28,611 | 18,651 | 47,953 | |
| Emmet County | D | 2,570 | 2,373 | 5,015 | |
| Fayette County | D | 5,908 | 4,205 | 10,259 | |
| Floyd County | D | 4,822 | 3,051 | 8,091 | |
| Franklin County | D | 2,575 | 2,501 | 5,148 | |
| Fremont County | R | 1,848 | 1,989 | 3,894 | |
| Greene County | D | 2,371 | 2,349 | 4,804 | |
| Grundy County | R | 2,790 | 3,945 | 6,828 | |
| Guthrie County | R | 2,625 | 3,074 | 5,847 | |
| Hamilton County | D | 4,018 | 3,913 | 8,078 | |
| Hancock County | R | 2,805 | 3,016 | 5,930 | |
| Hardin County | D | 4,393 | 4,315 | 8,859 | |
| Harrison County | R | 3,555 | 3,909 | 7,578 | |
| Henry County | R | 4,349 | 4,822 | 9,377 | |
| Howard County | D | 2,941 | 1,722 | 4,728 | |
| Humboldt County | R | 2,160 | 2,895 | 5,122 | |
| Ida County | R | 1,454 | 2,036 | 3,547 | |
| Iowa County | D | 4,202 | 4,188 | 8,546 | |
| Jackson County | D | 6,102 | 3,673 | 9,955 | |
| Jasper County | D | 10,250 | 8,794 | 19,421 | |
| Jefferson County | D | 5,070 | 3,324 | 8,631 | |
| Johnson County | D | 51,027 | 20,732 | 72,975 | |
| Jones County | D | 5,446 | 4,405 | 10,004 | |
| Keokuk County | R | 2,518 | 2,712 | 5,361 | |
| Kossuth County | D | 4,625 | 4,329 | 9,097 | |
| Lee County | D | 9,821 | 7,062 | 17,224 | |
| Linn County | D | 68,037 | 43,626 | 113,355 | |
| Louisa County | D | 2,523 | 2,314 | 4,920 | |
| Lucas County | R | 2,029 | 2,330 | 4,471 | |
| Lyon County | R | 1,675 | 4,471 | 6,217 | |
| Madison County | R | 3,733 | 4,579 | 8,480 | |
| Mahaska County | R | 4,464 | 6,271 | 10,932 | |
| Marion County | R | 7,421 | 9,256 | 17,030 | |
| Marshall County | D | 10,023 | 8,278 | 18,657 | |
| Mills County | R | 2,976 | 4,183 | 7,282 | |
| Mitchell County | D | 3,179 | 2,469 | 5,766 | |
| Monona County | R | 2,295 | 2,411 | 4,796 | |
| Monroe County | R | 1,798 | 2,000 | 3,873 | |
| Montgomery County | R | 2,326 | 2,887 | 5,287 | |
| Muscatine County | D | 10,920 | 7,929 | 19,119 | |
| O'Brien County | R | 2,338 | 4,894 | 7,333 | |
| Osceola County | R | 1,037 | 2,027 | 3,127 | |
| Page County | R | 2,900 | 4,351 | 7,356 | |
| Palo Alto County | D | 2,428 | 2,294 | 4,806 | |
| Plymouth County | R | 4,629 | 7,765 | 12,512 | |
| Pocahontas County | R | 1,800 | 2,138 | 4,011 | |
| Polk County | D | 120,984 | 89,668 | 214,386 | |
| Pottawattamie County | R | 20,436 | 21,237 | 42,320 | |
| Poweshiek County | D | 5,519 | 4,340 | 10,031 | |
| Ringgold County | R | 1,236 | 1,401 | 2,689 | |
| Sac County | R | 2,256 | 2,705 | 5,053 | |
| Scott County | D | 48,927 | 36,365 | 86,371 | |
| Shelby County | R | 2,863 | 3,488 | 6,453 | |
| Sioux County | R | 3,030 | 13,490 | 16,664 | |
| Story County | D | 26,548 | 18,995 | 46,575 | |
| Tama County | D | 4,899 | 3,820 | 8,850 | |
| Taylor County | R | 1,347 | 1,607 | 3,026 | |
| Union County | D | 3,000 | 2,781 | 5,909 | |
| Van Buren County | R | 1,546 | 1,986 | 3,608 | |
| Wapello County | D | 8,820 | 6,663 | 15,931 | |
| Warren County | D | 12,299 | 12,144 | 24,880 | |
| Washington County | R | 5,170 | 5,247 | 10,626 | |
| Wayne County | R | 1,357 | 1,565 | 2,980 | |
| Webster County | D | 9,917 | 8,337 | 18,554 | |
| Winnebago County | D | 3,254 | 2,730 | 6,082 | |
| Winneshiek County | D | 6,829 | 4,273 | 11,280 | |
| Woodbury County | R | 21,983 | 22,219 | 44,801 | |
| Worth County | D | 2,567 | 1,612 | 4,257 | |
| Wright County | R | 3,102 | 3,198 | 6,395 |
Same ballot, 2008IA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 2008 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.