2008 Michigan General Elections Story

A head to head comparison of the 2008 Michigan General Election gives us an idea of the break down of the voters.    

Barack Obama received 2,872,579 (57%) votes, beating John McCain who gained 2,048,639 (41%) by 823,940 votes in Michigan.

Barack Obama won 46 counties whereas John McCain won 37 counties in the total of the 83 counties in the State of Michigan.

2008 General Election Barack Obama Popular Vote Count Contributed by Michigan (MI)

During the 2008 General elections, over 131M total number of votes were cast. Barack Obama got 69,448,278 (69.4 Million) over John McCain's 61,739,059 (61.7 Million). He won the popular vote by 7,709,219 (7.7 Million). His victory in the State of Michigan (with 2,872,579 votes) represents 4.0% of his popular vote victory. The remaining 49 states contributed to the remaining 96.0% popular votes victory.

Top 15 Counties in Primary Elections vs General Elections

These 15 counties play an important role in these Primary elections. If a candidate, can get a sizable majority in the largest counties (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent), it becomes very difficult to win majorities in the smaller counties without voter outreach and increased voter participation in them.

Top 15 Counties Comparison in Primary Elections vs General Elections

Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Kent, four of the larger counties, voted in favor of Barack Obama giving him a 573K vote advantage. This, combined with Barack Obama's steady marginal wins in the less popular counties (like Saginaw, Ottawa and more) were enough maintain that lead over John McCain, making him gain an upper hand in the State of Michigan.

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Related References: 2016 Michigan Primary Election Story, 2016 Michigan General Election Story, 2020 Michigan Primary Election Story, 2020 Michigan General Election Story, 2012 Michigan General Election Story