Elections / 2008 · President · SC
South Carolina — 2008 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate2008 presidential electionSouth Carolina · PresidentMcCainR+9.0
How it voted
Share of the 2008 vote
| John McCain ✓Republican | 53.9% | 1,034,896 |
|---|---|---|
| Barack ObamaDemocratic | 44.9% | 862,449 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.2% | 23,624 |
2008presidential margin
D+60R+60
46 counties, each filled by 2008 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
South Carolina cast 8 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (46 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County, SC | Republican | R+15.2 |
| Aiken County, SC | Republican | R+24.0 |
| Allendale County, SC | Democratic | D+51.7 |
| Anderson County, SC | Republican | R+33.3 |
| Bamberg County, SC | Democratic | D+31.1 |
| Barnwell County, SC | Democratic | D+1.7 |
| Beaufort County, SC | Republican | R+10.8 |
| Berkeley County, SC | Republican | R+13.0 |
| Calhoun County, SC | Democratic | D+3.6 |
| Charleston County, SC | Democratic | D+8.3 |
| Cherokee County, SC | Republican | R+29.3 |
| Chester County, SC | Democratic | D+8.3 |
| Chesterfield County, SC | Republican | R+3.0 |
| Clarendon County, SC | Democratic | D+12.3 |
| Colleton County, SC | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Darlington County, SC | Republican | R+0.1 |
| Dillon County, SC | Democratic | D+11.4 |
| Dorchester County, SC | Republican | R+15.5 |
| Edgefield County, SC | Republican | R+10.9 |
| Fairfield County, SC | Democratic | D+31.7 |
| Florence County, SC | Republican | R+3.2 |
| Georgetown County, SC | Republican | R+5.3 |
| Greenville County, SC | Republican | R+23.9 |
| Greenwood County, SC | Republican | R+15.7 |
| Hampton County, SC | Democratic | D+25.4 |
| Horry County, SC | Republican | R+24.6 |
| Jasper County, SC | Democratic | D+22.9 |
| Kershaw County, SC | Republican | R+18.7 |
| Lancaster County, SC | Republican | R+14.9 |
| Laurens County, SC | Republican | R+18.1 |
| Lee County, SC | Democratic | D+31.5 |
| Lexington County, SC | Republican | R+38.0 |
| Marion County, SC | Democratic | D+27.6 |
| Marlboro County, SC | Democratic | D+25.7 |
| McCormick County, SC | Democratic | D+6.1 |
| Newberry County, SC | Republican | R+17.6 |
| Oconee County, SC | Republican | R+37.5 |
| Orangeburg County, SC | Democratic | D+38.1 |
| Pickens County, SC | Republican | R+46.2 |
| Richland County, SC | Democratic | D+28.9 |
| Saluda County, SC | Republican | R+21.7 |
| Spartanburg County, SC | Republican | R+21.6 |
| Sumter County, SC | Democratic | D+15.4 |
| Union County, SC | Republican | R+11.2 |
| Williamsburg County, SC | Democratic | D+38.2 |
| York County, SC | Republican | R+17.7 |
complete certified result
South Carolina candidate results
Top three shown first · expand for every reported candidate and write-in category
Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab — U.S. President 1976–2024 state candidate returns
Nominees: Barack Obama (D) · John McCain (R)
South Carolina's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 2008 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +58.6% |
| 1896 | +71.8% |
| 1900 | +86.0% |
| 1904 | +90.8% |
| 1908 | +87.8% |
| 1912 | +95.9% |
| 1916 | +94.3% |
| 1920 | +92.1% |
| 1924 | +94.3% |
| 1928 | +82.9% |
| 1932 | +98.0% |
| 1936 | +98.6% |
| 1940 | +91.3% |
| 1944 | +83.2% |
| 1948 | +20.4% |
| 1952 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | +20.2% |
| 1960 | +2.5% |
| 1964 | −17.8% |
| 1968 | −8.5% |
| 1972 | −42.7% |
| 1976 | +13.1% |
| 1980 | −1.5% |
| 1984 | −28.0% |
| 1988 | −23.9% |
| 1992 | −8.1% |
| 1996 | −6.0% |
| 2000 | −15.9% |
| 2004 | −17.1% |
| 2008 | −9.0% |
| 2012 | −10.5% |
| 2016 | −14.3% |
| 2020 | −11.7% |
| 2024 | −17.9% |
County-by-county results — 46 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County | R | 4,593 | 6,264 | 11,001 | |
| Aiken County | R | 26,101 | 42,849 | 69,770 | |
| Allendale County | D | 3,029 | 947 | 4,024 | |
| Anderson County | R | 24,132 | 48,690 | 73,787 | |
| Bamberg County | D | 4,426 | 2,309 | 6,814 | |
| Barnwell County | D | 4,931 | 4,769 | 9,798 | |
| Beaufort County | R | 30,396 | 37,821 | 68,870 | |
| Berkeley County | R | 27,755 | 36,205 | 64,781 | |
| Calhoun County | D | 3,970 | 3,695 | 7,738 | |
| Charleston County | D | 82,698 | 69,822 | 154,434 | |
| Cherokee County | R | 7,215 | 13,305 | 20,766 | |
| Chester County | D | 7,478 | 6,318 | 13,981 | |
| Chesterfield County | R | 7,842 | 8,325 | 16,359 | |
| Clarendon County | D | 8,673 | 6,758 | 15,552 | |
| Colleton County | D | 8,616 | 8,525 | 17,321 | |
| Darlington County | R | 14,505 | 14,544 | 29,334 | |
| Dillon County | D | 7,408 | 5,874 | 13,417 | |
| Dorchester County | R | 21,806 | 29,929 | 52,405 | |
| Edgefield County | R | 5,075 | 6,334 | 11,520 | |
| Fairfield County | D | 7,591 | 3,912 | 11,619 | |
| Florence County | R | 28,012 | 29,861 | 58,373 | |
| Georgetown County | R | 14,199 | 15,790 | 30,290 | |
| Greenville County | R | 70,886 | 116,363 | 190,657 | |
| Greenwood County | R | 12,348 | 16,995 | 29,667 | |
| Hampton County | D | 5,816 | 3,439 | 9,350 | |
| Horry County | R | 38,879 | 64,609 | 104,798 | |
| Jasper County | D | 5,389 | 3,365 | 8,854 | |
| Kershaw County | R | 11,226 | 16,466 | 27,985 | |
| Lancaster County | R | 12,139 | 16,441 | 28,921 | |
| Laurens County | R | 10,578 | 15,334 | 26,282 | |
| Lee County | D | 5,960 | 3,074 | 9,153 | |
| Lexington County | R | 33,303 | 74,960 | 109,512 | |
| Marion County | D | 9,608 | 5,416 | 15,174 | |
| Marlboro County | D | 6,794 | 3,996 | 10,876 | |
| McCormick County | D | 2,755 | 2,437 | 5,232 | |
| Newberry County | R | 6,708 | 9,616 | 16,524 | |
| Oconee County | R | 9,481 | 21,164 | 31,132 | |
| Orangeburg County | D | 27,263 | 12,115 | 39,754 | |
| Pickens County | R | 11,691 | 32,552 | 45,128 | |
| Richland County | D | 105,656 | 57,941 | 165,037 | |
| Saluda County | R | 3,323 | 5,191 | 8,603 | |
| Spartanburg County | R | 41,632 | 65,042 | 108,328 | |
| Sumter County | D | 25,431 | 18,581 | 44,358 | |
| Union County | R | 5,935 | 7,449 | 13,551 | |
| Williamsburg County | D | 11,279 | 5,004 | 16,443 | |
| York County | R | 37,918 | 54,500 | 93,696 |
Same ballot, 2008SC
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 2008 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.