2008 Florida Republican presidential primary explained

Election Name:2008 Florida Republican presidential primary
Country:Florida
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 Florida Republican primary
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2012 Florida Republican primary
Next Year:2012
Color1:ce5c17
Candidate1:John McCain
Home State1:Arizona
Popular Vote1:701,761
Percentage1:36.00%
Color2:85bb65
Candidate2:Mitt Romney
Home State2:Massachusetts
Popular Vote2:604,932
Percentage2:31.03%
Color4:003884
Candidate4:Rudy Giuliani
Home State4:New York
Popular Vote4:286,089
Percentage4:14.68%
Color5:990000
Candidate5:Mike Huckabee
Home State5:Arkansas
Popular Vote5:262,681
Percentage5:13.47%
Map Size:250px
Votes For Election:57 pledged delegates to the Republican National Convention
All delegates are awarded to the candidate receiving the most votes
Outgoing Members:SC
Elected Members:ME
Delegate Count1:57
Delegate Count2:0
Delegate Count4:0
Delegate Count5:0

The 2008 Florida Republican presidential primary was held on January 29, 2008, with 57 delegates at stake on a winner-take-all basis.[1] [2] The Republican National Committee removed half of Florida's delegates because the state committee moved its Republican primary before February 5.[1]

Arizona Senator and eventual nominee John McCain won the primary with 36% of the vote. As a presidential candidate, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani concentrated heavily on the Florida primary. After coming in third place behind McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Giuliani dropped out of the race the following day.[3] McCain's win helped him cement his status as the Republican primary frontrunner.[4]

Campaign

Rudy Giuliani campaigned quite heavily in Florida, which he expected to use as his "launch pad" for a "strong showing" on Super Tuesday.[5] He campaigned almost entirely in Florida, and largely ignored South Carolina and other states voting before February 5.

Giuliani had been campaigning with virtually no opposition;[6] however, following the South Carolina Republican primary, 2008, several candidates flew down to Florida to begin campaigning up to January 29 when the primary occurred.[7]

Polls taken before the primary showed that John McCain was the slight front runner over Mitt Romney.[8] McCain received pivotal endorsements from Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Florida Senator Mel Martínez days before the primary.[9]

Pre-primary polls

See main article: Opinion polling for the Republican Party presidential primaries, 2008. As of January 29, RealClearPolitics reported that the average support from polls taken in the days immediately prior to primary day placed McCain slightly in the lead with 30.7%, followed by Romney with 30.1%, Giuliani with 14.7%, Huckabee with 12.9%, and Paul with 3.6%.[10] Former Senator Fred Thompson and Representative Duncan Hunter, though already out of the race, still remained on the ballot in the Florida primary.

Results

On January 29, 2008, McCain prevailed in Florida's Republican presidential primary.[11] McCain's victory in the state was credited to his victories in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, which Giuliani had been expected to perform well in.[12]

CandidateVotesPercentageCountiesDelegates
John McCain 701,761 36% 45 57
604,932 31.03% 18 0
286,089 14.68% 0 0
262,681 13.47% 4 0
62,887 3.23% 0 0
Fred Thompson22,668 1.16% 0 0
4,060 0.21% 0 0
Duncan Hunter2,847 0.15% 0 0
Tom Tancredo1,573 0.08% 0 0
Totals 1,949,498 100% 67 57
* Candidate dropped out of the race prior to primary.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: The Primary Season: 2008 Republican Calendar. 2008-01-19 . The New York Times.
  2. Web site: Winner-take-all: Bonus or bust for Giuliani?. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305114341/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/22718118/. dead. March 5, 2016. 2008-01-20.
  3. News: 2008-01-30 . Republican Giuliani ends presidential campaign . en . Reuters . 2023-03-21 . "Giuliani had bypassed the other early voting states in the Republican race to concentrate on Florida, but saw his support fade steadily as his rivals commanded the spotlight over the last month.".
  4. Web site: Nichols . Bill . 2008-01-29 . McCain scores Florida primary win . 2023-03-21 . POLITICO . en.
  5. News: Candidates Head for Next Battlegrounds . 2008-01-20 . The New York Times . Brian . Knowlton . 2008-01-20.
  6. News: Giuliani and the G.O.P.’s 11th Commandment. 2008-01-20 . The New York Times . Sarah . Wheaton . 2008-01-19.
  7. News: With a Crowded Republican Field, Candidates Set Sights on Florida. 2008-01-20 . The Wall Street Journal . Elizabeth . Holmes . 2008-01-20.
  8. Web site: With South Carolina win, McCain is front-runner again . 2008-01-20.
  9. Web site: Martin . Jonathan . 2008-01-27 . McCain's one-two Florida punch . 2023-03-21 . POLITICO . en.
  10. Web site: Florida Republican Primary Polling. 2008-01-29.
  11. Web site: January 29, 2008 Presidential Preference Republican Primary . 2008-05-24 . Florida Department of State . https://web.archive.org/web/20080522040059/http://election.dos.state.fl.us/elections/resultsarchive/Index.asp?ElectionDate=1%2F29%2F2008&DATAMODE= . May 22, 2008 . dead .
  12. Web site: Wallace . Jeremy . 2008-01-30 . McCain proved he could win in a big, diverse state . 2023-03-21 . Sarasota Herald-Tribune . en-US.