District of Columbia Primary Facts and Figures

Compiled by the U.S.News & World Report library staff

Presidential Primary Winners

Democrats

• 1988 Jesse Jackson
• 1992 Bill Clinton
• 1996 Bill Clinton
• 2000 Al Gore
• 2004 Howard Dean (primary), John Kerry (caucus)

Republicans

• 1988 George H. W. Bush
• 1992 George H. W. Bush
• 1996 Bob Dole
• 2000 George W. Bush
• 2004 George W. Bush (caucus)

Sources:
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections
D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics: Election Results
Associated Press

2008 Voter Registration Data

As of Jan. 14, 2008

Registered Voters: 377,007

Registration by Party

• Democrats: 279,411 (74.1%)
• Republicans: 28,502 (7.6%)
• D.C. Statehood Green Party: 4,532 (1.2%)
• No Party: 63,293 (16.8%)
• Other: 1,269 (0.3%)

Source:
D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics: Voter Registration Statistics, Jan. 14, 2008

General Election Winners — 1988-2004

• 1988 Michael Dukakis
• 1992 Bill Clinton
• 1996 Bill Clinton
• 2000 Al Gore
• 2004 John Kerry

Sources:
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections
D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics: Election Results

Exit Poll Demographics

2004 Election

Sex

• Male:  44%
• Female:  56%

Race

• White:  38%
• African-American:  54%
• Latino:  5%
• Asian:  1%
• Other:  2%

Age

• 18-29:  23%
• 30-44:  34%
• 45-59:  24%
• 60 and older:  19%

Source:
CNN.com

3 Things You Didn't Know About D.C. Primaries and Elections

1. With the passage of the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution, residents of the District of Columbia obtained the right to vote in presidential elections. The amendment was ratified in 1961, and D.C. citizens voted for president for the first time in the 1964 election. However, D.C. residents still do not have voting representation in the U.S. Congress.

2. The District of Columbia has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since it gained the right to vote. In all 11 elections since 1964, the Democratic contender has received over 74 percent of the vote (the lowest was 74.8 percent for Jimmy Carter in 1980; the highest was 89.1 percent for John Kerry in 2004).

3. In 2004, the District of Columbia held the first Democratic presidential primary of the season. The City Council moved the primary up to January 13 that year to highlight the city's lack of voting representation in Congress. With no convention delegates to be won (the vote was nonbinding and delegates were chosen on February 14 at a Democratic caucus) and more than half of the major candidates not on the ballot (many kept their names off since the New Hampshire primary was the first official primary), the Los Angeles Times called the election the "Rodney Dangerfield of primaries."

Sources:
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections
D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics: Election Results
D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics: History of Voting in D.C.
District of Columbia: About D.C. Voting Rights and Representation
Los Angeles Times