Sunday, October 12, 2008

Campaign 2008

West Virginia Primary Facts and Figures

Posted May 9, 2008

The West Virginia primary is May 13, 2008.

Presidential Primary Winners

Democrats

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

Republicans

  • 1988: George H.W. Bush
  • 1992: George H.W. Bush
  • 1996: Bob Dole
  • 2000: George W. Bush
  • 2004: George W. Bush

Sources: Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections; West Virginia Secretary of State's Office

Voter Registration Data

(as of April 25, 2008)
Registered voters: 1,183,495
Source: West Virginia Secretary of State's Office

General Election Winners—1988-2004

  • 1988: Michael Dukakis
  • 1992: Bill Clinton
  • 1996: Bill Clinton
  • 2000: George W. Bush
  • 2004: George W. Bush

Sources: Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections; West Virginia Secretary of State's Office

Exit Poll Demographics

2004 General Election

Sex

  • Male: 47%
  • Female: 53%

Race

  • White: 95%
  • African-American:3%
  • Latino: 0%
  • Asian: 1%

Age

  • 18-29: 16%
  • 30-44: 26%
  • 45-59: 31%
  • 60 and older: 26%

White Evangelical/ Born Again

  • Yes: 48%
  • No: 52%

Source: CNN

3 Things You Didn't Know A bout West Virginia Primaries

1. In 1960, John F. Kennedy's victory over Hubert Humphrey in the West Virginia primary proved pivotal to his campaign. Kennedy was far behind in the polls only weeks before the vote, with feedback showing that many West Virginia voters were nervous about his Catholic faith. In the weeks ahead of the election, Kennedy campaigned heavily throughout the state, famously saying, "I refuse to believe that I was denied the right to be president on the day I was baptized." Kennedy was successful in bringing West Virginians to his side— he won the primary decisively, earning 60.8 percent of the vote to Humphrey's 39.2 percent.

2. For this election cycle, West Virginia Republicans made a change to their primary system in an effort to drum up interest in their state's contest— a late-in-the-season contest which is often ignored. Party officials decided to hold a nominating convention in February that would award a portion of the state's delegates. Eighteen of the state's 30 delegates were decided on that Super Tuesday contest (won by Mike Huckabee), with the remainder to be allocated on May 13th. Democrats allocate all of their delegates May 13th.

3. Another first this year: West Virginia is holding an open primary, meaning that independents and unaffiliated voters may vote in either party's primary—but they will need to request the appropriate ballot at the polling place.

Sources: Associated Press, Buffalo News, Charleston Gazette, Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, State Journal

advertisement

advertisement

Public Opinion

Can McCain Come Back Against Obama?

Obama has a substantial lead in the polls. Is it too much for McCain to overcome?

A baby kissing an Obama poster for Washington Whispers. Clary Tepper

Send Us Your Campaign Photos

We want to see your personal photos with Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin. Send the best shots of you and the candidates to campaignphotos@usnews.com and we'll post the best on our website over the coming weeks.

Washington Whispers

Washington Whispers

Hiroshima History for Sale

Forget stocks. Historical artifacts are where the big dollars are, and one is going up for sale.

Michael Barone

Michael Barone

Obama May Not Have the Election Locked Up

There are lots of factors that make a Democratic victory uncertain.

Ken Walsh on the Presidency

Ken Walsh (Charlie Archambault for USN&WR)

Having covered the White House for U.S. News full time since 1986, Ken Walsh brings perspective and insight to his magazine column.

advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

WIDGETS

Embed exclusive U.S. News headlines, rankings, columns, and blog postings to your Web site, blog, or social network.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.