2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, July 12, 2007–Detroit, Michigan
Attended by all eight candidates, this candidate forum was held during the NAACP convention. An on-stage conversation between Edwards and Clinton was overheard—due to activated microphones—in which they talked about eventually ceasing the participation of non-frontrunner candidates in future debates.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, July 23, 2007 - CNN - Charleston, South Carolina, The Citadel military college
CNN and YouTube held this debate on the campus of The Citadel. All questions were selected from, and posed as videos submitted via, YouTube by members of the public; the debate was moderated by Anderson Cooper of Anderson Cooper 360. YouTube and Google streamed the event live. It was also simulcast on CNN en Español.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, August 4, 2007 – Chicago, Illinois
The Yearly Kos Presidential Leadership Forum was an informal discussion attended by seven of the eight presidential candidates, with Biden not attending due to votes in Congress. New York Times Magazine writer Matt Bai, DailyKos Contributing Editor /Fellow Joan McCarter and author and blogger Jeffrey Feldman moderated. The debate was broken down into Domestic Policy, Foreign Policy, and Philosophy and Leadership. Candidates were allotted 90 seconds for each question with 45 second rebuttals, although the time limits were not strictly enforced. After the debate, breakout sessions were held where convention goers could question each candidate individually.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, August 4, 2007 – Chicago, Illinois
(from left to right) Edwards, Clinton and Obama during the debate


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, August 7, 2007 – Chicago, Illinois
The AFL-CIO Working Families Vote Presidential Forum was held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois in front of approximately 15,000 union members and their families. The questions in the debate were to be used to determine if and whom the AFL-CIO would endorse in the Democratic primary. MSNBC host Keith Olbermann hosted the debate, which featured seven of the candidates. Mike Gravel was excluded because he failed to submit a written questionnaire by the August 6 deadline. Gravel claimed that the questionnaire "fell through the cracks" and requested to be invited to the debate anyway, which was rejected by the AFL-CIO. Questionnaires were also sent to Republicans but no candidates responded.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, August 9, 2007 – Los Angeles, California
LGBT network Logo hosted this debate focusing on LGBT issues, moderated by Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese and singer Melissa Etheridge. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel participated. Mike Gravel was originally to be excluded from this debate, it being cited that his campaign had not raised enough money to qualify for participation. Rallying from Gravel's supporters reversed this decision. Dodd and Biden both stated scheduling conflicts prevented them from attending. Logo invited the Republicans presidential candidates to a similar debate, but all the candidates declined.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, August 19, 2007 – Des Moines, Iowa
ABC News in conjunction with the Iowa Democratic Party held a debate streamed on This Week moderated by George Stephanopoulos. ABC has been accused of spinning the results of the debate due to extreme differences in the time allotted to candidates.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, September 9, 2007 – Coral Gables, Florida, University of Miami
Univision hosted a forum, Destino 2008, in Spanish at the University of Miami's Bank United Center in Coral Gables, Florida and moderated by Univision's anchors Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas. Joe Biden did not participate in the debate.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, September 9, 2007 – Coral Gables, Florida, University of Miami
Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd objected to the debate being conducted in English with simultaneous translation in Spanish. Both are fluent in Spanish but it was perceived to cause an unfair advantage for the two. The TV audience of 2.2 million was also the debate season's youngest, at an average of 36 years old.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, September 12, 2007
Yahoo!, in partnership with The Huffington Post, produced a "mashup" debate with Charlie Rose interviewing the candidates. Segments were recorded on September 12, with the "mashups" posted on September 13.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, September 20, 2007 – Davenport, Iowa
PBS held a forum focused on domestic issues, specifically health care and financial security. It was moderated by Judy Woodruff, and was a joint venture between IPTV and AARP. Obama rejected PBS's invitation, and Gravel and Kucinich were excluded from the debate because they did not have at least one paid staff member or office space in Iowa.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, September 26, 2007 – Hanover, New Hampshire, Dartmouth College
MSNBC held a debate at Dartmouth College in conjunction with New England Cable News and New Hampshire Public Radio. The moderator was Tim Russert.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, October 30, 2007 - NBC 9:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  Drexel University
The debate was held at Drexel University and was televised by NBC News. All candidates except former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel attended the debate. It was announced on October 19 that Senator Gravel did not meet the polling requirements for the debate, though the DNC did not specifically say what the requirements were; Gravel has suggested that GE, which owns NBC and is a "war-profiteer," conspired to exclude him from the event after, during the previous debate, he questioned Hillary Clinton's signing a resolution that would possibly facilitate entering war with Iran. Instead of attending the debate, Senator Gravel staged an event at the nearby World Cafe Live.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, October 30, 2007 - NBC 9:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  Drexel University
Seven Democratic presidential candidates participated in a two-hour debate starting at 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday (0100 GMT Wednesday) and telecast on MSNBC and streamed live on msnbc.com. The moderators of the debate were Tim Russert and Brian Williams. Nielson Ratings estimated the debate attracted 2.5 million viewers.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, October 30, 2007 - NBC 9:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  Drexel University
Democratic rivals focused their attacks on Senator Clinton, and were particularly critical of her response to a proposal from New York Governor Eliot L. Spitzer which would allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. After the debate, moderator Tim Russert was criticized for asking a misleading question to Senator Clinton regarding the release of her records as first lady. Tim Russert raised the issue of a letter which Bill Clinton wrote in which the former president ordered "a ban" on the release of his records by the National Archives. Following the exchange, President Clinton's records representative Bruce Lindesey released a statement clarifying the request, saying that "Bill Clinton has not asked that records related to communications with Senator Clinton be withheld," saying the "Archives is in the process of making records available as quickly as they can."


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, November 15, 2007 - CNN - Las Vegas, Nevada
The Nevada Democratic Party hosted a Democratic debate aired on CNN. The moderator was Wolf Blitzer. Former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel was excluded from the debate, and so held a debate alternative, online at  where a TiVo system is used to screen the official debate simultaneously. According to Nielsen Media Research, the debate drew a record Cable TV audience for a presidential primary debate, an estimated 4.4 million viewers.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, November 15, 2007 - CNN - Las Vegas, Nevada
The candidates present at the debate were Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, and John Edwards.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, November 15, 2007 - CNN - Las Vegas, Nevada
Some commentators have attacked CNN for the debate, calling it biased and poorly handled. Their accusations include claims that the final audience question was planted, that moderator Wolf Blitzer was overly favorable to Hillary Clinton, and that the use of James Carville, a long-time adviser to the Clintons, as a debate commentator was biased.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, December 4, 2007 - NPR (radio only) - Des Moines, Iowa
National Public Radio, in conjunction with Iowa Public Radio, hosted a "radio-only" Democratic Debate. NPR hosts Steve Inskeep, Michele Norris, and Robert Siegel moderated the debate. The debate was broadcast from the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines to NPR stations around the country and was streamed online. All of the major candidates were present other than New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who was attending the funeral of a Korean war casualty.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, December 4, 2007 - NPR (radio only) - Des Moines, Iowa
Senators Obama and Edwards were given the most speaking time; Senator Gravel, the least.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, December 13, 2007 – Johnston, Iowa
The Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television hosted a Democratic debate in Johnston, Iowa. Six of the eight candidates were invited. Dennis Kucinich was excluded because he had not rented office space in the state. The Register determined “that a person working out of his home did not meet our criteria for a campaign office and full-time paid staff in Iowa.” Mike Gravel was excluded for presumably the same reason.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 5, 2008 - ABC 8:45pm EST - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
ABC News, WMUR-TV and Facebook jointly hosted back-to-back Democratic and Republican debates from Saint Anselm College on Saturday, January 5—three days before the official first-in-the-nation primary the following Tuesday, January 8—with Charles Gibson acting as moderator. According to Nielsen Media Research, the debate drew the largest televised audience of the primary season with an estimated 9.36 million viewers.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 5, 2008 - ABC 8:45pm EST - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
At 8:47 p.m. EST, between the two debates, Democrats Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Bill Richardson joined the Republican candidates on the stage at St. Anselm College in greater Manchester. This was the first time all of the major candidates from both parties had been together on stage, as defined by ABC News.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 5, 2008 - ABC 8:45pm EST - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
ABC News eliminated Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel from the debate because they did not place first through fourth in Iowa, poll 5 percent or higher in one of the last four major New Hampshire surveys, or poll 5 percent or higher in one of the last four major national surveys.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 5, 2008 - ABC 8:45pm EST - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
Major topics were introduced with a short news-clip-style video produced by ABC and the candidates were encouraged to interact with each other. One question, "...how much you would spend with the programs you've proposed and the promises you've made. ", was inexplicably withdrawn by Gibson at the last second after its introductory video had been shown. Aside from that, the debate ran smoothly. There were commercial breaks before and after each debate. The candidates were seated during the debates.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 5, 2008 - ABC 8:45pm EST - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
During the debate, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards all battled over who best exemplified the buzzword of the campaign, "change". In one noted exchange, Edwards said that Clinton could not bring change, while he and Obama can. "Any time you speak out powerfully for change, the forces for status quo attack." He made clear that he was referring to Clinton, adding, "I didn't hear these kind of attacks from Senator Clinton while she was ahead. Now that she's not we hear them." Clinton passionately retorted: "Making change is not about what you believe; it's not about a speech you make.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 5, 2008 - ABC 8:45pm EST - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
It's about working hard. I'm not just running on a promise for change. I'm running on 35 years of change. What we need is somebody who can deliver change. We don't need to be raising false hopes." Obama replied that "The truth is, actually, words do inspire. Words do help people get involved."


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 5, 2008 - ABC 8:45pm EST - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
At another point in the debate, when one moderator asked Clinton why polls showed she was less "likeable" than other candidates, particularly Obama, she jokingly replied, "Well that hurts my feelings ... but I'll try to go on."


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 15, 2008 - MSNBC 6:00pm PST - Las Vegas, Nevada, College of Southern Nevada
The Nevada Democratic Party partnered with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and IMPACTO, 100 Black Men of America, and the College of Southern Nevada to hold the second Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. The debate was telecast live by MSNBC and held at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm Pacific Standard Time.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 15, 2008 - MSNBC 6:00pm PST - Las Vegas, Nevada, College of Southern Nevada
Clinton, Edwards and Obama participated in the debate. Kucinich was originally invited to the debate after meeting publicly announced criteria, but the invitation was retracted after NBC changed its criteria shortly before the event. Kucinich sued for the right to participate in the debate, but after lower courts sided with Kucinich, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of MSNBC.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 21, 2008 - CNN 8:00pm EST - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
The Congressional Black Caucus and CNN hosted a debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at 8:00 pm EST. This debate set another record for a Cable TV audience with an estimated 4.9 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals Ratings. The participants were Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. The debate, chaired by Wolf Blitzer, had an unusual format; for the last forty minutes the candidates sat down and the debate took a much more casual tone.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 31, 2008 - CNN 5:00pm PDT - Hollywood, California
The Los Angeles Times, The Politico, and CNN hosted a Democratic debate in Hollywood, California, at the Kodak Theatre. The debate set another Cable TV viewing record for a presidential primary debate, with 8,324,000 million total viewers.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, January 31, 2008 - CNN 5:00pm PDT - Hollywood, California
This was the final Democratic party-specific debate before Super Tuesday on February 5, 2008. This debate included two candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and started at 5 PM Pacific, ending at 6:30 PM. Topics in this cordial debate included health care, the Iraq War, and immigration.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, February 2, 2008 - MTV 6:00pm EST - MTV Myspace Debate
MTV and Myspace hosted a cross-party candidate dialogue Live on February 2, 2008 at 6PM EST/3PM PST on MTV. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Ron Paul, and Mike Huckabee attended the forum. John McCain and Mitt Romney were invited but did not attend. Mike Gravel was not invited to attend due to little support in the state primaries and caucuses.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, February 21, 2008 - CNN 7:00pm CST - Austin, Texas, University of Texas at Austin
CNN, Univision and the Texas Democratic Party jointly hosted a debate between Obama and Clinton on February 21 at 7:00 CST on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The debate was rebroadcast at 10:30 in Spanish. Questions focused heavily on illegal immigration and the economy, among other issues.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, February 26, 2008 - MSNBC 9:00pm EST - Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland State University
NBC News held a debate between Clinton and Obama on February 26 at the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University. The debate was broadcast live at 9:00 EST on MSNBC. It was moderated by Brian Williams with Tim Russert. CNN had proposed with the Ohio Democratic Party a debate on February 27 which was cancelled.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, April 13, 2008 - CNN 8:00pm EDT - Grantham, Pennsylvania, Messiah College
Clinton and Obama appeared at the Compassion Forum, discussing faith, values, and religion on April 13, 2008 at 8PM EDT at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. The forum was a question-and-answer session in which CNN commentator Campbell Brown and Jon Meacham of Newsweek as well as select members of the audience, posed questions about faith and politics to Clinton and Obama. Both appeared separately. The forum was broadcast live on CNN. The event was organized by the religious organization Faith in Public Life.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, April 16, 2008 - ABC 8:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Both Clinton and Obama appeared in a debate moderated by ABC News on April 16, 2008, at 8 PM EDT at the National Constitution Center. The debate was nationally televised at 8 PM Eastern and Pacific (tape delayed) and 7 PM Central/Mountain (tape delayed). This was the second debate shown nationally on over-the-air television.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, April 16, 2008 - ABC 8:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos were criticized by viewers, bloggers and media critics for the poor quality of their questions.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, April 16, 2008 - ABC 8:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
During the debate neither Obama or Clinton would answer whether or not they would name the other as their running mate.


2008 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums, Debates, April 16, 2008 - ABC 8:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Some of the questions that many viewers said they considered irrelevant when measured against the faltering economy or the Iraq war, like why Senator Barack Obama did not wear an American flag pin on his lapel, the incendiary comments of Obama's former pastor, or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's assertion that she had to duck sniper fire in Bosnia more than a decade ago. The questions from the moderators were considered to be focused on campaign gaffes and training most of their ammunition on Obama, to which Stephanopoulos responded by saying that "Senator Obama [was] the front-runner" and the questions were "not inappropriate or irrelevant at all."


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Democratic Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was selected as the nominee, becoming the first African American to secure the presidential nomination of any major political party in the United States. However, due to a close race between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, the contest remained competitive for longer than expected, and neither candidate received enough pledged delegates from state primaries and caucuses to achieve a majority, without endorsements from unpledged delegates (superdelegates).


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
The presidential primaries actually consisted of both primary elections and caucuses, depending upon what the individual state chose. The goal of the process was to elect the majority of the 4,233 delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, which was held from Sunday, August 25, through Wednesday, August 28, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. To secure the nomination, a candidate needed to receive at least 2,117 votes at the convention—or a simple majority of the 4,233 delegate votes.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
This total included half-votes from American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and Democrats Abroad, as well as 'superdelegates'—party leaders and elected officials who were not chosen through a primary or caucus. The race was further complicated by a controversy over the scheduling of the Michigan and Florida state primaries, which had been scheduled earlier than party rules permitted, affecting the number of delegates that those states sent to the national convention.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
The popular vote tally from most news organizations did not include Iowa, Maine, Nevada, and Washington. These states did not release the results of the popular vote from their caucuses. The media reports did include Florida, which neither Clinton nor Obama contested, and Michigan. Both states were penalized by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for violating party rules. Michigan proved a source of controversy due to the change in the date of the primary election. Consequently, Obama and other candidates removed their names from the ballot yet Clinton did not.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
The DNC did not count the popular vote from Michigan, and evenly split the state's delegates between Clinton and Obama. As a result, without the Michigan vote, Obama won the popular vote; whereas with the votes from Michigan, Clinton won the popular vote. Nevertheless, regardless of how votes were counted, the candidates' totals were within less than one percent of each other.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Obama received enough superdelegate endorsements on June 3 to claim that he had secured the simple majority of delegates necessary to win the nomination, and Clinton conceded the nomination four days later. Obama was nominated on the first ballot, at the August convention. He went on to win the general election, and became the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. Clinton went on to serve as Obama's Secretary of State for his first term as president, and the Democratic nominee for president in 2016.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system
Delegates are the people who decided the nomination at the Democratic National Convention. Delegates from fifty US states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had a single vote each, while delegates from American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Guam and Democrats Abroad, as well as the states of Florida and Michigan, which contravened the schedule, had half a vote each. Thus, the total number of delegates was slightly higher than the total number of available delegate votes (4,049). This is now updated to 4,233 with FL-MI delegations.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system, Pledged delegates
In the modern presidential primary system, candidates for the nomination campaign in a series of primary elections and caucus events. For the Democratic Party, the results from these primaries and caucuses determine the number of pledged delegates committed to vote for each candidate at the Democratic National Convention, intended to reflect the will of the voters. These delegates are not legally bound to vote for the candidate they represent, but candidates may remove delegates whom they feel may be disloyal, and delegates generally vote as pledged.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system, Pledged delegates
Under the party's Delegate Selection Rules for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, delegates were allocated to each of the fifty U.S. states according to two main criteria: the proportion of votes each state had given to the Democratic candidate in the previous three presidential elections, and the percentage of votes each state had in the United States Electoral College. In addition, fixed numbers of delegates were allocated to the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Democrats Abroad. In 2008, a total of 3,253 pledged delegate votes would be awarded through the primaries and caucuses.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system, Superdelegates
Superdelegate votes are given equal weight to the votes of pledged delegates. Superdelegates are members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, state and territorial governors, members of the Democratic National Committee, distinguished party leaders, and add-on delegates selected by the state parties. They represented almost 20 percent  of the total 4,233 delegates.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system, Superdelegates
The number and composition of superdelegates had the potential to change right up to the start of the Democratic National Convention. The total number of superdelegate votes at the start of the primary season in October 2007 stood at 850. Various events such as deaths, elections, and disqualifications may alter the final number of superdelegates voting in the primary.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system, Superdelegates
While officially uncommitted until the convention, the superdelegates may publicly endorse or commit to a candidate at any time. The presidential candidates compete heavily for these commitments. News organizations survey the superdelegates periodically throughout the election season and try to calculate how many have committed to each of the candidates. The media often include these superdelegate estimates in their reporting on the race, leading to differing delegate counts from various news sources.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system, Delegate selection rules
Under the Democratic Party's Delegate Selection Rules for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, delegates are awarded by proportional representation, with a minimum 15 percent threshold required to receive delegates. Each state party is required to publish its own state level delegate selection plan, indicating how the state will select delegates at the congressional and statewide level, how the delegation will implement the party's affirmative action policy, and how the delegation will ensure an equal balance between women and men. Those plans were adopted at state conventions and forwarded to the national party in mid-2007.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Delegate system, Delegate selection rules
In most state caucuses, the viability threshold must be met at each level in the process, from the precinct level upwards. This puts enormous pressure on the remaining candidates to gain the support of voters whose chosen candidates fall below the 15 percent mark. The focus on viability is designed to weed out small, divisive factions from gaining delegates to disrupt the national convention. However, this can result in candidates gaining viability in some precincts but not in others, and a complicated "caucus math" is required to allocate delegates to the county and state conventions for each precinct. In the primaries, the viability threshold is set based on statewide and congressional district votes. At-large and PLEO (Party Leaders and Elected Officials) delegates are allocated based on statewide votes, while district-level delegates are allocated by district votes.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Early campaigning
The earliest significant candidate to launch their candidacy was Mike Gravel in April 2006. However, for the most part, the race for the 2008 presidential nomination did not truly begin in earnest until after the 2006 midterm elections. Between November 2006 and February 2007, eight major candidates opened their campaigns: Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, and Tom Vilsack. Potential candidates John Kerry, Al Gore, Russ Feingold, Evan Bayh, Tom Daschle, Wesley Clark, Sam Nunn, Mark Warner, and Al Sharpton reportedly considered running but ultimately declined to seek the nomination. Vilsack dropped out in February 2007.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Early campaigning
During the first three months of 2007, Clinton and Obama raised over $20 million each, while Edwards raised more than $12 million. The three candidates quickly became the frontrunners for the nomination, a status they held all the way through the end of 2007.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Early campaigning
On November 21, Obama announced that Oprah Winfrey would be campaigning for him in the early primary states, setting off speculation that, although celebrity endorsements typically have little effect on voter opinions, Winfrey's participation would supply Obama with a large, receptive audience. As word spread that Oprah's first appearance would be in Iowa, polls released in early December revealed that Obama had taken the lead in that decisive state.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Early campaigning
Then, on December 8, Oprah kicked off a three-state tour supporting Obama's campaign, where she drew record-setting crowds in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, and was described as "more cogent, more effective, more convincing" than anyone on the campaign trail. The Oprah-Obama tour dominated political news headlines and cast doubts over Clinton's ability to recover her recently-lost lead in Iowa caucus polls. A poll released less than two weeks after Winfrey campaigned found that Obama had achieved more popularity in Iowa than ever recorded before.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Early campaigning
At year's end, on December 31, Clinton held a substantial lead in superdelegates, and she was leading in the national polls with 42% of likely voters, over Obama with 23%, and Edwards with 16%. However, Edwards and Obama remained close in state polls for the early contests, including the Iowa caucuses, where the final polling average had Obama leading narrowly with 31%, over Clinton with 30%, Edwards with 26%, Biden with 5%, and Richardson also with 5%.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
Following tradition, the 2008 primary calendar began with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. The Nevada caucuses and the South Carolina primary were the third and fourth contests sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. Under the national committee's rules, no state was allowed to hold primaries or caucuses before February 5 with the exceptions of these four states. Michigan and Florida also held early primaries. However, as the contests were unsanctioned, the results were not recognized by the national committee until a compromise was reached four months later.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
The following table shows the pledged delegate votes awarded in the first four contests recognized by the DNC.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
Obama won the Iowa caucuses with 38% of the vote, over Edwards by 30% and Clinton by 29%. His victory brought him to national prominence as many voters tuned into the race for the first time. In a speech given that evening, he defined the word "change" as the primary theme of his campaign and said, "On this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do." The delegate count was virtually tied, but Clinton's surprising third-place finish in the popular vote damaged her image as being the "inevitable" nominee.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
However, she remained upbeat, saying "This race begins tonight and ends when Democrats throughout America have their say. Our campaign was built for a marathon." The following day, reports described "panic" among some Clinton donors, and rumors of a staff shake-up began to circulate. Biden and Dodd both withdrew from the race.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
After Obama's upset win in the Iowa caucuses, it appeared to many political observers that he would ride a wave of momentum through the New Hampshire primary and then go on to win the Democratic nomination. Eulogies were published on the Clinton campaign, as Obama surged to a roughly 10-point lead in the New Hampshire polls. However, the race turned quickly in the days before the primary, and the polls were slow to register a reversal toward Clinton. At the Saint Anselm College New Hampshire debate on January 5, 2008, Edwards sided with Obama against Clinton.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
In one noted exchange, Edwards said that Clinton could not bring about change, while he and Obama could, saying "Any time you speak out powerfully for change, the forces for status quo attack." Clinton passionately retorted, saying, "Making change is not about what you believe; it's not about a speech you make. It's about working hard. I'm not just running on a promise for change. I'm running on 35 years of change. What we need is somebody who can deliver change. We don't need to be raising false hopes." It came to be seen as the defining statement for her candidacy.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
The morning before the primary, Clinton became "visibly emotional" in response to a friendly question from a voter. Video of the moment was replayed on cable news television throughout the day, accompanied by pundit commentary that ranged from sympathetic to callous in tone. Voters rallied to Clinton's defense, and she won a surprising 3% victory over Obama in the popular vote. They tied in the delegate count. Richardson withdrew from the race on January 10.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
Momentum shifted in Clinton's favor, and she won the popular vote in the Nevada caucuses eleven days later, despite Obama's endorsement from the influential Culinary Workers Union. However, Obama ran strongly in rural areas throughout the state, and he beat Clinton in the delegate count. Edwards' support collapsed in Nevada, as voters coalesced around the two apparent frontrunners. Dennis Kucinich withdrew from the race. In the following week, issues regarding race came to the fore as campaigning began for the South Carolina primary, the first to feature a large proportion of African Americans in the Democratic electorate.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
Behind in the state polls, Clinton left to campaign in some Super Tuesday states, while her husband, former president Bill Clinton, stayed in South Carolina and engaged in a series of exchanges with Obama. CBS News reported, "By injecting himself into the Democratic primary campaign with a series of inflammatory and negative statements, Bill Clinton may have helped his wife's presidential hopes in the long term but at the cost of his reputation with a group of voters [African Americans] that have long been one of his strongest bases of political support."


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
Obama won by a more than two-to-one margin over Clinton, gaining 55% of the vote to her 27% and Edwards's 18%. On the day of the primary, Bill Clinton compared Obama's expected win to Jesse Jackson's victory in the 1988 South Carolina Democratic primary. His comments were widely criticized as an apparent attempt to dismiss the primary results and marginalize Obama by implying that he was "the black candidate." The momentum generated by Obama's larger-than-expected win in South Carolina was deflated somewhat by the win Clinton claimed in the nullified Florida primary the following week.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, January 2008
Edwards suspended his candidacy on January 30. He did not immediately endorse either Clinton or Obama, but he said they both had pledged to carry forward his central campaign theme of ending poverty in America. Neither Clinton nor Obama had a clear advantage heading into the February 5 Super Tuesday primaries, with 23 states and territories and 1,681 delegates at stake and more media attention than any primary election day in American history.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Disputed primaries
In August 2006, the Democratic National Committee adopted a proposal by its Rules and Bylaws Committee stating that only the four states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina would be permitted to hold primaries or caucuses before February 5, 2008. In May 2007, the Florida Legislature passed a bill that moved the date of the state's primary to January 29, 2008, setting up a confrontation with the DNC.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Disputed primaries
In response, the DNC ruled that Florida's 185 pledged delegates and 26 superdelegates would not be seated at the Democratic National Convention, or, if seated, would not be able to vote. In October 2007, Democrats from Florida's congressional delegation filed a federal lawsuit against the DNC to force a recognition of its delegates, but the suit was unsuccessful. The presidential candidates promised not to campaign in Florida.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Disputed primaries
Meanwhile, Michigan moved its primary to January 15, 2008, also in violation of party rules. In October 2007, Obama, Richardson, Biden, and Edwards withdrew their names from the Michigan primary ballot, under pressure from the DNC and voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. Kucinich unsuccessfully sought to remove his name from the ballot, whereas Clinton and Dodd opted to remain on the ballot. In December 2007, the DNC ruled that Michigan's 128 pledged delegates and 29 superdelegates would not count in the nominating contest unless it were held on a later date.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Disputed primaries
The Michigan Democratic party responded with a press release noting that the primary would proceed with Clinton, Dodd, Gravel, and Kucinich on the ballot. Supporters of Biden, Edwards, Richardson, and Obama were urged to vote "uncommitted" instead of writing in their candidates' names because write-in votes for those candidates would not be counted.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Disputed primaries
None of the top candidates campaigned in Florida or Michigan. The events were described in the media as "beauty contests," and voter turnout in both states was relatively low when compared with record-high turnout in other states. Nevertheless, Clinton claimed wins in Florida and Michigan, and she flew to Fort Lauderdale on the night of the Florida election to thank supporters for what she called a "tremendous victory."


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Disputed primaries
As the primaries continued, various groups tried to negotiate a resolution to the standoff between the DNC and the state parties. The Clinton campaign advocated first for the results to stand and then for a new round of voting to take place in Michigan and Florida, while the Obama campaign deferred the matter to the DNC, while expressing a wish that the delegations be seated in some form. On all sides, Democrats worried that a failure to resolve the problem could lead to a rules or credential fight at the convention and low Democratic turnout in the general election in November.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Disputed primaries
On May 31, 2008, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted unanimously (27–0) to restore half-votes to all the Florida delegates, including superdelegates. The Michigan delegates were also given half-votes, with 69 delegates pledged to Hillary Clinton and 59 to Barack Obama; this proposed change passing by 19–8.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Super Tuesday
Traditionally, the Tuesday on which the greatest number of states hold primary elections is known as Super Tuesday. In 2007, many states moved their primaries or caucuses to early in the year so they could have greater influence over the race. As February 5 was the earliest date to be allowed by the Democratic National Committee, 23 states and territories moved their elections to that date. 2008's Super Tuesday became the date of the nation's first quasi-national primary. It was dubbed "Super Duper Tuesday" or "Tsunami Tuesday," among other names.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Super Tuesday
After Obama's win in the South Carolina primaries on January 26, he received high-profile endorsements from Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, as well as Senator Ted Kennedy, the former President's brother. Ted Kennedy's endorsement was considered "the biggest Democratic endorsement [that] Obama could possibly get short of Bill Clinton or Al Gore." On January 31, Obama and Clinton met for the first time in a one-on-one debate, and they struck a friendly tone, seeking to put the racially charged comments of the previous week behind them. Obama surged nationally in the polls and held campaign rallies that drew audiences of over 15,000 people in several states.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Super Tuesday
A total of 1,681 pledged delegate votes were at stake in the states that voted on February 5. The following table shows the pledged delegate votes awarded in the Super Tuesday states.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Super Tuesday
On election night, both Obama and Clinton claimed victories. In the popular vote, Obama won 13 states and territories to Clinton's 10. This included the states of Idaho and Georgia, where Obama won by very wide margins. His wins in Connecticut and Missouri were considered upsets. However, Clinton won the large electoral prizes of California and Massachusetts, where some analysts had expected the Kennedy endorsements might carry Obama to the victory. Although Obama gained significant ground from where he was polling in mid-January, it was not enough to close the gap in those states.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Super Tuesday
In exit polls, Obama gained some overwhelming support of African-American voters, and he strengthened his base among college-educated voters and voters younger than the age of 45. Clinton found significant support among white women, Latinos, and voters over age 65. Obama ran strongest in caucus states, Rocky Mountain states, Southern states and Midwestern states. Clinton ran strongest in the Northeastern states, Southwestern states, and states bordering Arkansas, where she served as first lady while her husband served as that state's governor. When the delegate counting was finished, Obama won an estimated 847 pledged delegates to Clinton's 834.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Super Tuesday
Early in the primary season, many observers had predicted that the nomination would be over after Super Tuesday, but the general verdict on election night was that the candidates had drawn to a virtual tie and that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination would not likely be settled for at least a month.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Mid-February contests
In the following week, it became clear that a tie on Super Tuesday would leave Obama better positioned for the upcoming contests in February, where the demographics of several large states seemed to favor him. The day after Super Tuesday, February 6, Clinton announced that she had personally lent her campaign $5 million in January. The news came as a surprise and set off another round of news stories about Clinton donors and supporters concerned about the campaign's strategy.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Mid-February contests
It was particularly striking in light of Obama's announcement that he had raised a record-high $32 million in January, tapping 170,000 new contributors. It became clear that Obama's financial advantage had allowed him to organize and compete in some broader states on Super Tuesday, an advantage that was likely to continue in the upcoming months and weeks. In response, Clinton's supporters raised $6 million online in 36 hours, but Obama's campaign upped the ante, announcing their own total of $7.5 million in 36 hours and starting a new goal of reaching 500,000 new contributors in 2008 by late February.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Mid-February contests
As expected, Obama swept the three nominating events on February 9, which were thought to favor him based on the results in similar states that had voted previously. He then scored a convincing win in Maine, where Clinton had hoped to hold her ground. The same day, Clinton's campaign announced that campaign advisor Patti Solis Doyle would resign. Obama's momentum carried throughout the following week, as he scored large delegate gains in the Potomac primaries, taking the lead in the nationwide popular vote, even under the projection most favorable to Clinton, with Florida and Michigan included.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, Mid-February contests
NBC News declared him "Mr. Frontrunner" on February 13. Clinton attempted a comeback win in the demographically more favorable state of Wisconsin, but Obama won again by a larger margin than expected. In 11 days, he swept 11 contests and extended his pledged delegate lead by 120. By the end of the month, Obama had 1,192 pledged delegates to Clinton's 1,035. He also began closing the gap in superdelegates, although Clinton still led among superdelegates by 240–191. Clinton's campaign tried to downplay the results of the February contests, and the candidate refused to acknowledge the losses in her speeches on election nights. Her advisers acknowledged that she would need big wins in the upcoming states to turn the race around.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
With four states and 370 delegates at stake, March 4 was dubbed "Mini-Super Tuesday" or "Super Tuesday II". Just as Obama had been favored in the mid-February states, Clinton was favored in Ohio, with its high proportion of working-class white voters and older voters, and Texas, with its high proportion of Latino voters. Exit polls in previous states showed that all three groups were a part of Clinton's base. In mid-February, Clinton held a 10-point lead in Texas and a 20-point lead in Ohio in RealClearPolitics polling averages.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
Her campaign set its sights on the Ohio-Texas "firewall," counting on a clear March 4 win to change the narrative and turn her campaign around for the nomination. Meanwhile, Obama hoped to win one or both states that might be enough to knock Clinton out of the race. By February 25, according to a CNN poll, they were in a statistical dead heat in Texas.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
In the last week of February, Clinton's campaign seemed to be back on its feet. A Saturday Night Live sketch mocked the media for its supposedly biased coverage in favor of Obama, and Clinton used the sketch to argue that Obama had not received proper scrutiny. The media responded by taking a more critical look at Obama's campaign. Meanwhile, Obama supporter and former fundraiser Tony Rezko went on trial in a political corruption case in Chicago. While Obama was not implicated, questions remained about how forthcoming he had been about his relationship with Rezko.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
Controversy also erupted when it was reported in the Canadian press that Obama economic advisor Austan Goolsbee had privately offered assurances that Obama's anti-North American Free Trade Agreement rhetoric on the campaign trail was exaggerated. Obama's campaign denied the substance of the report, but their response was muddled by a series of missteps and may have hurt the candidate's standing with Ohio voters. Clinton launched a five-point attack on Obama's qualifications, "unleashing what one Clinton aide called a 'kitchen sink' fusillade," according to The New York Times.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
Perhaps the most damaging component was a campaign ad that aired in Texas, using the imagery of the White House "red phone" to suggest that Obama would not be prepared to handle a crisis as commander-in-chief when a phone call comes into the White House at 3 a.m. The ad drew significant media attention in the four days before the election. In the general-election campaign, McCain used parts of the ad against Obama.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
On election night, Clinton scored convincing wins in Ohio and Rhode Island. She narrowly won the Texas primary, while losing the Texas caucus. She pitched her wins that night as a comeback: "For everyone here in Ohio and across America who's ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, and for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone who works hard and never gives up, this one is for you."


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
Obama focused on the "delegate math." He won the total delegate count in Texas, and he stayed close to Clinton on the delegate count in Ohio. "No matter what happens tonight," he said, "we have nearly the same delegate lead that we did this morning, and we are on our way to winning this nomination." In fact, March 4 was the first election day in which Clinton won more delegates than Obama (though the Florida and Michigan primaries would later be honored by seating half of the states' delegations). After winning contests in Wyoming and Mississippi the following week, Obama erased Clinton's March 4 gains. On March 15, he increased his lead by 10 delegates at the Iowa county conventions, when former supporters of withdrawn candidates switched their support to him.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
After the March contests, the Democratic race entered a six-week period with no upcoming contests until April 22. As the campaigns settled in for the long haul, advisors for both candidates escalated their rhetoric and stepped up attacks in their daily conference calls. News reports described the tenor as increasingly "rancorous" and "vitriolic."


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
On March 14, clips of controversial sermons from Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, resurfaced on YouTube and received heavy airtime on cable news television. Among other things, Wright said, "God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme." Four days later, Obama responded to the controversy in a 37-minute speech, speaking openly about race and religion in the United States.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
He denounced Wright's remarks while refusing to condemn the pastor himself, and he attempted to pivot from the immediate circumstances to address the larger theme of "A More Perfect Union." The speech was regarded as "breathtakingly unconventional" in its political strategy and tone, and it received generally positive reviews in the press. The New York Times weighed in with an editorial: "Senator Barack Obama, who has not faced such tests of character this year, faced one on Tuesday. It is hard to imagine how he could have handled it better." Ten days later, the speech had been watched at least 3.4 million times on YouTube.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, March
On March 21, former primary candidate Bill Richardson, who has previously held important posts in the Clinton Administration, endorsed Barack Obama, a move that drew intense criticism from Clinton allies, including James Carville's Eastertime comparison of Richardson with Judas Iscariot. On March 25, Mike Gravel announced that he would leave the Democrats and join the Libertarian Party, entering the race for the 2008 Libertarian presidential nomination the following day.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
As the race continued to Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina, many observers concluded that Clinton had little chance to overcome Obama's lead in pledged delegates. Even if she were to succeed in changing the dynamics of the race, there would not be enough pledged delegates remaining for her to catch up under most realistic scenarios. Some analysts believed Clinton could still win the nomination by raising doubts about Obama's electability, fighting for Michigan and Florida delegates to be seated at the convention, and convincing superdelegates to support her despite her expected loss in the pledged delegate vote. However, the window of opportunity for re-votes in Michigan and Florida appeared to close in late March, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, chairwoman of the Democratic National Convention, said that it would be harmful to the party if superdelegates were to overturn the result of the pledged delegate vote.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
Complicating the equation for Democrats, presidential candidate John McCain clinched the Republican nomination on March 4. With Obama and Clinton engaged in the Democratic primary, McCain was free to define his candidacy for the general election largely unchallenged. Some Democrats expressed concern that Clinton stayed in the campaign through March and April, when they felt she had little chance to win the nomination, but a much greater chance to damage Obama's candidacy in the general election. However, others defended Clinton's right to continue on, arguing that a sustained campaign was good for the Democratic Party and that Clinton still had a realistic shot at the nomination.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
On April 22, Clinton scored a convincing win in Pennsylvania. However, on May 6, Obama surprised many observers by winning North Carolina by almost 15 percentage points, effectively erasing Clinton's gains in Pennsylvania. Clinton won by only 1 point in Indiana. With Obama now leading by 164 pledged delegates and with only 217 pledged delegates left to be decided in the remaining contests, many pundits declared that the primary was effectively over. Obama gave an election night speech that looked forward to the general election campaign against McCain. The pace of superdelegate endorsements increased. On May 10, Obama's superdelegate total surpassed Clinton's for the first time in the race, making the math increasingly difficult for a Clinton win.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
Clinton vowed to continue campaigning, and won convincingly in primaries in West Virginia on May 13, and Kentucky on May 20 where Appalachian voters strongly preferred her over Obama. However, Obama was able to clear a victory in Oregon on May 20, which allowed him to clinch the majority of pledged delegates. Obama gave a speech in Des Moines, Iowa, the state that propelled his candidacy, in which he stated, "You have put us within reach of the Democratic nomination for president of the United States of America."


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
Clinton advisers said they would appeal to the DNC's Rules & Bylaws Committee to have the Michigan and Florida delegations seated. However, even under the most favorable seating arrangement, she would not have been able to take a lead in pledged delegates and would have had to rely on superdelegates to win the nomination. On May 31, the rules committee accepted the Michigan state party's 69-59 distribution of pledged delegates and restored half votes to Florida's and Michigan's delegations. This resulted in a net gain for Clinton of 24 pledged delegates. Obama remained significantly ahead, with a lead of 137 pledged delegates before the Puerto Rico primary on June 1.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
On June 3, the day of the final primaries in South Dakota and Montana, Obama rolled out about sixty superdelegate endorsements. Those endorsements, together with the pledged delegates awarded in the final primaries, put him well over the "magic number" of 2,117 delegate votes necessary for a majority at the Democratic National Convention. By early in the evening, all major news organizations had announced that Obama had clinched the Democratic nomination, and Obama claimed the status of presumptive nominee in a speech in St. Paul, Minnesota.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
Clinton did not concede the nomination in her election night speech, saying that she would be "making no decisions tonight". On the morning of June 5, Clinton posted on her website an open letter to her supporters, which she also sent by e-mail that day. It announced that on Saturday (June 7) Clinton would endorse Obama's candidacy.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
During a well received concession speech in Washington DC on Saturday June 7 Clinton endorsed Obama in the following terms:"The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States. Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him."


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Campaign, April and beyond
* Two at-large DNC superdelegate seats are vacant, see: History of superdelegate composition changes.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Results
Below are the results for the state primaries and caucuses held by the Democratic Party in 2008 for the presidential primaries. Clinton won one territorial contest, Puerto Rico, whilst Obama won Guam, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa. He also won the District of Columbia.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Results
N.B: The grey counties in Michigan denote that the counties are uncommitted for either candidate.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Voter turnout
Voter turnout was at historically high levels in the 2008 primaries and caucuses, with many contests setting all-time records for turnout. Voter turnout on Super Tuesday was at 27% of eligible citizens, breaking the previous record of 25.9% set in 1972. Turnout was higher among Democrats than Republicans, with Democratic turnout surpassing Republican turnout even in traditionally red states where the number of registered Democrats is proportionally low. Many states reported high levels of Democratic voter registration in the weeks before primaries. From January 3 through February 5, Democratic turnout exceeded Republican turnout, 19.1 million to 13.1 million.


2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Voter turnout
In the first five weeks of 2008, 'voter turnout' was a phrase that was used almost exclusively in connection with the Democratic Party. There were routine stories of precincts running short on ballots, poll hours being extended, and voters packing haunch to paunch inside community centers and local churches. Crowd sizes were described, often with growing awe, as 'staggering,' 'record breaking,' or 'unprecedented.'


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection
This article lists potential candidates for the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 2008 presidential election. After Illinois Senator Barack Obama became the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee on June 3, 2008, Obama formed a small committee, made up of James A. Johnson (who stepped down after one week), Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy, to help him select a running mate. Veteran Democratic lawyer and advisor James "Jim" Hamilton, of the firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, later replaced Johnson in vetting candidates.


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection
Obama strongly considered Senator Evan Bayh and governors Tim Kaine and Kathleen Sebelius, but Obama ultimately decided to select Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. The Obama-Biden ticket won the 2008 presidential election, defeating the Republican McCain-Palin ticket. 12 years later, Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, defeating incumbent president Donald Trump.


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Shortlist
According to contemporaneous news sources, the following people were thought to be on Senator Obama's short list for Vice President:


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
In the final days leading up to the Democratic National Convention, four individuals were left on Obama's final list for Vice President: Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, Tim Kaine, and Kathleen Sebelius.


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
On August 22, the eve of Obama's scheduled unveiling of his running mate, NBC News reported that Bayh and Kaine had been informed that they were not chosen. Last minute controversy emerged as it was learned that Senator Hillary Clinton was never vetted for the position, when it was earlier thought that Sen. Barack Obama would consider her as he previously stated in various private and public reports. This led to several questions as to whether Clinton supporters would feel betrayed and would defuse the intensity in "dream ticket" scenarios.


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
That night, ABC News reported that the U.S. Secret Service had assumed protection of Biden, which was seen as a sign that he had been chosen as Obama's running mate. Just hours later, the Associated Press broke the news that Democratic Party officials had confided that Obama had in fact selected Biden as the vice-presidential nominee.


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe later wrote in his book The Audacity to Win, which was published in November 2009, that Bayh had been a "coin toss" away from becoming Obama's running mate. Plouffe and David Axelrod had interviewed the finalists and Plouffe said that Bayh's answers were "substantively close to perfect, if cautiously so." He recalled that at the time of the interview he thought to himself, "there's no way this guy will color outside the lines...


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
Bayh's up side and down side are probably the closest spread of the three", compared to Biden, who could "reach higher heights but could cause us real pain." As Obama approached a decision, he told Plouffe "it's a coin toss now between Bayh and Biden, but Kaine is still a distinct possibility." On August 17, Obama told Axelrod simply, "I've decided. It's Biden." It was later reported that Obama told Kaine, in breaking the news to him, "You are the pick of my heart, but Joe [Biden] is the pick of my head".


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
In 2020 Obama wrote in his memoir A Promised Land a slightly different account of the selection, not mentioning Bayh and stating that he had ultimately narrowed down the choice for his running mate to two individuals – Kaine and Biden. He stated "At the time, I was much closer to Tim".


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
However Obama recalled that he and his advisers  Axelrod and Plouff wondered if voters would accept a ticket of "two relatively young, inexperienced, and liberal civil rights attorneys" and ultimately Obama felt the contrast between him and Biden was a strength, and that Biden being older than Obama would reassure those voters who were concerned that Obama was too young to be President.


2008 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, Final Days and Announcement
On August 23, 2008, via text message, the Obama campaign announced that the then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee chose Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate.


2008 Democratic Progressive Party chairmanship election
The 2008 Democratic Progressive Party chairmanship election took place on May 18, 2008. The election date was announced by chairperson Frank Hsieh after losing the presidential election.


2008 Democratic Progressive Party chairmanship election, Candidates
Three members expressed their desire to run for the position:


2008 Democratic Progressive Party chairmanship election, Candidates, Chai Trong-rong
Chai Trong-rong, first president of the World United Formosans for Independence and former legislator, announced his candidacy on April 14, 2008. He withdrew from the election on May 12 and endorsed candidate Koo Kwang-ming.


2008 Democratic Progressive Party chairmanship election, Candidates, Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen, former vice premier and former chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council, won support from many local executives and decided to launch her campaign. She earned endorsements from Chiayi County magistrate Chen Ming-wen, Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu, Tainan County magistrate Su Huan-chih, and Yunlin County magistrate Su Chih-fen.


2008 Democratic primary in New Jersey
Results as of 11:25 PM, June 6 as reported by NJ.com ()


2008 Democratic primary in New Jersey, US Senate
Official results, New Jersey Division of Elections (, July 11, 2008)


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary
The 2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary took place from February 5, 2008 (Super Tuesday) until February 12.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary
The first voting began at midnight in Indonesia, with one of the first unofficial results coming from a polling station at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. Of roughly 100 votes, 75% were for Senator Barack Obama and 25% for Senator Hillary Clinton. The midnight vote was an attempt to replicate the voting at Dixville Notch, New Hampshire during the New Hampshire primary.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary
This was the first Democrats Abroad primary in which voters could vote online, and by the end of the primary, online votes had been cast from 164 countries and territories. Democrats Abroad announced the worldwide results on February 21, 2008, declaring Barack Obama the winner. Democrats Abroad held a global convention on April 12, 2008.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Primary
A breakdown of results by country and voting method is also available.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Regional caucus
While the nine pledged regional delegates (each with a half vote, for a total of 4½ votes) were selected at the regional caucuses, the number allocated to each candidate was pre-determined by the results of the primary. According to the Democrats Abroad Delegate Selection Plan: "The binding presidential preference primary will determine the allocation of these nine (9) At-Large Delegates among the presidential candidates; the Regional Caucus will elect such Delegates based on such allocation."


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Global convention
While the five pledged At-Large and pledged PLEO delegates (each with a half vote, for a total of 2½ votes) were selected at the global convention, the number allocated to each candidate was pre-determined by the results of the primary. According to the Democrats Abroad Delegate Selection Plan: "The binding presidential preference primary will determine the allocation of these three (3) At-Large Delegates and the two (2) Pledged PLEO Delegates among the presidential candidates; the Global Convention will elect such Delegates based on such allocation."


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, 2008 Democratic National Committee Convention delegates
Twenty-two delegates, including 8 superdelegates, traveled 125,000 miles from around the world to Denver, CO to represent Democrats Abroad at the Democratic National Convention August 25–28, 2008. Democrats Abroad is the official arm of the Democratic Party for Americans living outside of the United States. The 22 delegates each have a half vote, bringing the organization's total votes to 11.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, 2008 Democratic National Committee Convention delegates
Every member of the Democrats Abroad delegation had taken part in the "Green Delegate Challenge" sponsored by House Speaker and Permanent Convention Chair Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Convention organizers, by obtaining carbon offsets for their travel.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism
Criticism focused on the internet voting, suggesting the possibility of hacking and other subterfuge, though there was no evidence that such hacking occurred.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Alleged corporate and partisan influence
Professor David Dill of Stanford University questioned whether having a private company run a public election, with little oversight, was appropriate. The software used for Internet voting was provided by the private company Everyone Counts. The provider of internet voting was spun off from an Australian company in 2003. In 2006 the company received an "injection of U.S. private equity" from an undisclosed source.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Alleged corporate and partisan influence
The corporation running the election, Everyone Counts, named Paul DeGregorio, former Republican chair of the Election Assistance Commission as Chief Operating Officer in 2007.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Partial results reporting
The final results for the February 5–12 Democrats Abroad Global Primary were not released until February 21, nine days after the voting had concluded. The initial reporting of results incorrectly reported the results of the election. The error was reported as a result of "a programming error in a spreadsheet column."


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Partial results reporting
Rule 13 allowed reporting of "provisional" results on the first day of voting. Based on partial results, the international news media reported large Obama victories as soon as these manual polling stations closed. These totals did not include any of the postal or Internet votes:


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Partial results reporting
At 3 a.m., there are still around 30 Democrats watching CNN as results are projected on a giant screen. When the news channel reports that Obama has apparently won the international Democratic primary in Jakarta, Indonesia, they begin cheering -- more because the station has just flashed the Democrats Abroad logo on the screen than because the Illinois senator has won.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Partial results reporting
These are the results for the Voting Center in Tokyo, this tally is provisional, does not include internet, fax or mailed ballots, and is subject to ratification from the chair of Democrats Abroad. But here goes.... (drum roll please)2/5/2008 Tokyo Voting Center% report =83% Obama13% Clinton2% Edwards1.% Kucinich1.% Richardson


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Partial results reporting
In the end the ballot boxes produced a 971 to 422 victory for Obama.


2008 Democrats Abroad presidential primary, Results, Criticism, Partial results reporting
Voting was scheduled to occur from February 5–12, not just on February 5.


2008 Denbighshire County Council election
The 2008 Denbighshire County Council election took place in Denbighshire, Wales, on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Denbighshire Council. This was the same day as other 2012 United Kingdom local elections. The previous elections took place in 2004 and the next all-council elections took place in 2012.


2008 Denbighshire County Council election, Background
Six months vefore the election, the Independent council leader, Rhiannon Hughes, and her entire cabinet had been voted out of their positions, following the release of a critical schools report.


2008 Denbighshire County Council election, Background
Contests in May 2008 took place in all of the 30 electoral wards.


2008 Denbighshire County Council election, Results, Overview
The Conservatives took became the largest group on the council after taking new seats, largely from independent councillors.


2008 Denbighshire County Council election, Ward results, Dyserth (one seat)
Peter Owen was previously elected as an Independent, in 2004.


2008 Denbighshire County Council election, Ward results, Rhyl West (two seats)
Mark Webster had been elected as a Labour councillor in 2004.


2008 Denbighshire County Council election, Ward results, Tremeirchion (one seat)
(a) Election Centre/Andrew Teale source also compares the percentage vote of the lead candidate for each party in the ward


2008 Denbighshire County Council election, Ward results, Tremeirchion (one seat)
* = sitting councillor in this ward prior to election


2008 Denmark Open darts
2008 Denmark Open is a darts tournament, which took place in Denmark in 2008.


2008 Denmark Super Series
The 2008 Denmark Super Series is the ninth tournament of the 2008 BWF Super Series in badminton. It was held in Odense, Denmark from October 21 to October 26, 2008.


2008 Denver Broncos season
The 2008 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League, the 49th overall and the 25th under the ownership of Pat Bowlen. The Broncos improved from their 7–9 record from 2007, but failed to make the playoffs with an 8–8 record.


2008 Denver Broncos season
Entering Week 15, the Broncos had an 8–5 record — three games ahead of the San Diego Chargers for the AFC West division title. The Chargers ended the season on a four-game winning streak, while the Broncos ended the season on a three-game losing streak, losing 52–21 to the San Diego Chargers in the regular season finale. The Broncos and Chargers both finished 8–8, however, the Broncos lost the tiebreaker due to the Chargers' owning a better division record (5–1 to 3–3). On December 30, 2008, two days after the regular season ended, Mike Shanahan was fired as the Broncos' head coach after 14 seasons.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Roster changes
On February 29, 2008, LB Ian Gold and WR Javon Walker were released by the Denver Broncos in preparation for the NFL Draft and free agency. Walker was signed by the Oakland Raiders. Long-time Broncos kicker Jason Elam was not re-signed by the Broncos, and was then signed by the Atlanta Falcons.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Roster changes
On June 2, 2008, RB Travis Henry was cut by the team. Seventh Round pick Josh Barrett signed on June 12, the first draft pick to sign with the team. Wide receiver Rod Smith, a veteran of both of the Broncos Super Bowl victories, retired on the first day of training camp.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Roster
Rookies in italics, PLAYER	NO	POSAbdullah, Hamza23	SBailey, Boss97	LBBailey, Champ24	CBBarrett, Josh30	SBell, Josh26	CBBell, Tatum21	RBBly, Dre'32	CBBoyd, Cory30	RBClady, Ryan78	TClemons, Nic93	DTCrowder, Tim96	DECutler, Jay6	QBDumervil, Elvis58	LBEkuban, Ebenezer91	DEEngelberger, John60	DEFox, Vernon39	SGraham, Daniel89	TEGreen, Louis52	LBHaggan, Mario51	LBHall, Andre24	RBHamilton, Ben50	GHarris, Ryan68	THillis, Peyton40	RBJackson, Chad3	WRJackson, Darrell82	WRJackson, Nate81	TEJones, Herana-Daze44	SKern, Brett1	PKoutouvides, Niko90	LBKuper, Chris73	GLarsen, Spencer46	RBLeach, Mike82	TELichtensteiger, Kory78	GLowry, Calvin37	SManuel, Marquand36	SMarshall, Brandon15	WRMartinez, Glenn17	WRMcCree, Marlon20	SMoss, Jarvis94	DEMustard, Chad85	TEPaymah, Karl24	CBPeterson, Kenny90	DTPittman, Michael28	RBPolumbus, Tyler74	TPope, P.J. 31	RBPrater, Matt5	KPutzier, Jeb87	TERamsey, Patrick9	QBRobertson, Dewayne63	DTRogers, Roderick43	SRoyal, Eddie11	WRRussell, Clifford10	WRScheffler, Tony85	TEShaw, Josh95	DTStokley, Brandon14	WRThomas, Marcus61	DTTorain, Ryan41	RBWebster, Nate58	LBWiegmann, Casey62	CWilliams, D.J. 58	LBWilliams, Jack31	CBWinborn, Jamie52	LBWoodyard, Wesley52	LBYoung, Selvin practice squad


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Training camp
The Broncos opened training camp on July 24, 2008. On July 31, 2008, the Broncos granted safety John Lynch his release. The following day, head coach Mike Shanahan, asked about the upcoming season on talk radio, said "We’re not going to miss the playoffs." Later in the day, Shanahan backed off a bit, saying "I didn’t make a guarantee . . . . you’ve got to be lucky and don’t have the injuries we’ve had. If we don’t have the injuries, I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t make the playoffs."


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Oakland Raiders
The Broncos began their 2008 campaign on the road against their AFC West rival, the Oakland Raiders, in the second game of ESPN's Monday Night Football doubleheader. In the first quarter, Denver ran out of the gates early as QB Jay Cutler completed a 26-yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal (who was filling in for WR Brandon Marshall, due to his 1-game suspension). In the second quarter, the Broncos continued their domination as kicker Matt Prater got a 26-yard field goal, while FB Michael Pittman got a 3-yard TD run.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Oakland Raiders
In the third quarter, Denver ran away with the game as Cutler completed a 48-yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson, while Prater nailed a 43-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Raiders spoiled the Broncos' bid for a shutout as QB JaMarcus Russell completed an 8-yard TD pass to WR Ashley Lelie. Denver ended its domination with RB Selvin Young's 5-yard TD run and Pittman's 1-yard TD run. Oakland ended the scoring with Russell completing a 4-yard TD pass to WR Ronald Curry.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Oakland Raiders
With the dominating win, the Broncos began their season at 1–0; with the rest of the division suffering losses, Denver, in Week 1, is in sole possession of 1st place.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Oakland Raiders
Eddie Royal, in his NFL debut, had the best Week 1 stats of any wide receiver, getting 9 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: vs San Diego Chargers
Coming off their dominating divisional road win over the Raiders, the Broncos played their Week 2 home opener against the AFC West foe, the San Diego Chargers. In the first quarter, Denver was first out of the gate as FB Michael Pittman got a 1-yard TD run. The Chargers responded with kicker Nate Kaeding getting a 34-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Denver replied with QB Jay Cutler completing a 3-yard and a 14-yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: vs San Diego Chargers
San Diego immediately responded with RB Darren Sproles returning the kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, yet the Broncos replied with rookie kicker Matt Prater getting a 52-yard field goal. The Chargers struck as their lead as QB Philip Rivers completed a 48-yard TD pass to WR Chris Chambers, yet Denver retaliated with Cutler completing a 6-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: vs San Diego Chargers
In the third quarter, San Diego started to rally as Rivers completed a 15-yard TD pass to Chambers, and Kaeding kicked a 21-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Chargers took the lead with Kaeding's 28-yard field goal and Rivers' 66-yard TD pass to Sproles. The Broncos responded with a 12-play, 80-yard drive (which included a controversial officiating call that turned a Cutler fumble into an incomplete pass) that was capped off with Cutler's 4-yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal, followed by Cutler's successful 2-point conversion pass to Royal.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: vs San Diego Chargers
Brandon Marshall's 18 receptions was a single-game franchise record and tied for second most in league history.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints
Coming off their last-second win over the Chargers, the Broncos stayed at home, donned their alternate uniforms, and played a Week 3 interconference duel with the New Orleans Saints. In the first quarter, Denver drew first blood as QB Jay Cutler completed a 1-yard TD pass to TE Nate Jackson. The Saints answered with kicker Martín Gramática getting a 43-yard field goal, yet Denver replied with Cutler completing a 35-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall. In the second quarter, the Broncos increased its lead as LB Nate Webster returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints
The Saints started to rally as RB Pierre Thomas got a 5-yard TD run, while RB Reggie Bush got a 23-yard TD run, yet Denver answered with kicker Matt Prater getting a 27-yard field goal. New Orleans closed out the half with DE Charles Grant tackling RB Andre Hall in his endzone for a safety.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints
In the third quarter, the Broncos replied with RB Michael Pittman getting a 2-yard TD run. The Saints answered with QB Drew Brees completing a 6-yard TD pass to Bush, yet Denver responded with Prater nailing a 34-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, New Orleans tried to rally as Thomas got a 10-yard TD run (with a failed 2-point conversion). The Saints recovered a fumble, but Gramática's go-ahead 43-yard field goal went wide right, preserving the victory for Denver.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs got off to a good start after they forced the Denver Broncos to punt. This was followed with a 65-yard run by Larry Johnson to set up a 23-yard field goal kick by Nick Novak, putting the Chiefs on top 3–0. After recovering an Eddie Royal fumble early on Denver's next drive, Kansas City again failed to make it to the end zone and a 21-yard field goal by Novak put the Chiefs up 6–0.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos responded with an 8-play, 9-minute drive in the second quarter that ended in a touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall, putting the Broncos briefly in the lead, 7–6. Later in the quarter, a fumble by Marshall was returned to the Broncos' 2-yard line by the Chiefs, followed 2 plays later by a Johnson touchdown run, putting the Chiefs up 13–7. The Broncos got the ball back, but a 28-yard field goal by Matt Prater went wide right. After forcing the Chiefs to punt, the Broncos got the ball back and Prater hit a 56-yarder near the end of the half, drawing the Broncos within 13–10.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
The second half began with a Denver drive that resulted in a 51-yard Prater field goal, tying the game at 13–13. The Chiefs answered with a 43-yard Novak field goal, putting them back on top 16–13. On the next drive, Cutler threw an interception. However, Kansas City's very next play was a Larry Johnson fumble recovered by Denver, although 2 plays later Cutler threw another interception. Despite this exchange of turnovers (3 turnovers in 4 plays), there was no scoring for the rest of the 3rd quarter.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
Early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs extended their lead to 23–13 with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Damon Huard to Tony Gonzalez. The Broncos, however, failed to capitalize on a sustained 16-play, 75-yard drive and settled with a Prater field goal, cutting the lead to 23–16. The Chiefs and Broncos then each got field goals on their next drives, bringing the score to 26–16. The Chiefs got a good return after the Prater field goal and put the game away with a 16-yard touchdown run from Johnson. With the 33–19 victory, the Chiefs snapped a league-leading 12-game losing streak dating back to week 7 of the 2007 season.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
Larry Johnson carried the Chiefs with 198 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Huard managed the game well for the Chiefs, throwing 21/28 for 160 yards and 1 touchdown. Denver was hurt by 4 turnovers compared to just 1 for the Chiefs, but despite 2 interceptions, Cutler still was able to throw for 361 yards on 29/49 passing.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Chiefs, the Broncos went home for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first quarter, Denver trailed early as Bucs kicker Matt Bryant got a 33-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Broncos took the lead as kicker Matt Prater got a 55-yard and a 40-yard field goal. Tampa Bay tied the game at halftime as Bryant kicked a 31-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Denver took a big lead as QB Jay Cutler completed a 10-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos increased its lead as Prater nailed a 27-yard field goal. The Buccaneers rallied with a 7-yard TD pass from QB Jeff Garcia WR Ike Hilliard. However, Denver recovered the onside kick and drained the clock.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Coming off their win over the Buccaneers, the Broncos stayed at home for a Week 6 duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the first quarter, Denver struck first as QB Jay Cutler completed an 11-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley. The Jaguars responded as kicker Josh Scobee got a 48-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Jacksonville took the lead as RB Maurice Jones-Drew got a 1-yard TD run.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
In the third quarter, Jacksonville increased their lead as Jones-Drew got a 46-yard TD run. The Broncos tried to catch up as kicker Matt Prater got a 39-yard field goal, yet the Jaguars answered with QB David Garrard completing a 30-yard TD pass to TE Marcedes Lewis. In the fourth quarter, Denver tried to come back as Cutler completed an 11-yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham, but Jacksonville's defense stiffened, preventing any further scoring opportunities.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at New England Patriots
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Jaguars, the Broncos flew to Gillette Stadium for a Week 7 Monday Night duel with the New England Patriots. In the first quarter, Denver trailed early as Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 31-yard and a 40-yard field goal. In the second quarter, New England increased its lead with RB Sammy Morris getting a 4-yard TD run, along with QB Matt Cassel completing a 13-yard TD pass to WR Randy Moss.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at New England Patriots
In the third quarter, the Broncos continued to struggle as Cassel hooked up with Moss again on a 27-yard TD pass, along with completing a 6-yard TD pass to WR Wes Welker. In the fourth quarter, Denver avoided a shutout loss as QB Jay Cutler completing a 10-yard TD pass to former Patriots TE Daniel Graham. The Patriots sealed the win with RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis getting a 1-yard TD run.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at New England Patriots
With the loss, the Broncos went into their bye week at 4–3.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins
Coming off their bye week, the Broncos went home for a Week 9 duel with the Miami Dolphins. In the first quarter, Denver trailed early as Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter got a 45-yard and a 47-yard field goal, along with CB Will Allen returning an interception 32 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos answered with QB Jay Cutler completing a 2-yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal. In the second quarter, Miami answered with Carpenter getting a 23-yard field goal.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins
In the third quarter, Denver tried to rally as kicker Matt Prater got a 50-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins replied with Carpenter nailing a 41-yard field goal. The Broncos tried to come back as Cutler completed a 1-yard TD pass to rookie FB Peyton Hillis. However, Miami pulled away as RB Ronnie Brown got a 2-yard TD run.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 10: at Cleveland Browns
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Dolphins, the Broncos flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a Week 10 Thursday night duel with the Cleveland Browns. In the first quarter, Denver struck first as rookie RB Ryan Torain got a 1-yard TD run. The Browns responded with QB Brady Quinn completing a 5-yard TD pass to TE Kellen Winslow II. In the second quarter, Cleveland took the lead as kicker Phil Dawson got a 24-yard field goal and Quinn hooking up with Winslow again on a 16-yard TD pass. The Broncos answered with kicker Matt Prater getting a 35-yard field goal. The Browns closed out the half with Dawson making a 52-yard field goal.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 10: at Cleveland Browns
In the third quarter, Denver continued to struggle as Dawson gave Cleveland a 33-yard field goal. Denver replied with Prater making a 30-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos regained the lead as QB Jay Cutler completed a 93-yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal and a 27-yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham. The Browns answered with RB Jamal Lewis getting a 1-yard TD run. Afterwards, Denver sealed the win as Cutler completed an 11-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 10: at Cleveland Browns
Cutler had a career game, completing 24 of 42 passes for a career-best 447 yards, along with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons
Coming off their Thursday night road win over the Browns, the Broncos flew to the Georgia Dome for a Week 11 interconference duel with the Atlanta Falcons. In the first quarter, Denver drew first blood as rookie FB Peyton Hillis got a 7-yard TD run. The Falcons answered with former Broncos kicker Jason Elam getting a 46-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Atlanta took the lead as Elam made a 36-yard field goal, while RB Michael Turner got a 9-yard TD run. This is still Matt Ryan's only loss at the Georgia Dome to date.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons
In the third quarter, Denver regained the lead as Hillis got a 2-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos increased their lead as kicker Matt Prater nailed a 20-yard field goal. The Falcons tried to rally as Turner got a 28-yard TD run, yet Denver replied as QB Jay Cutler completed a 9-yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons
On a side note, rookie FB Spencer Larsen became the first player in franchise history to start on offense and defense. In addition to his fullback duties, he also started as middle linebacker, along with his special teams responsibilities.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Oakland Raiders
Coming off their road win over the Falcons, the Broncos went home for a Week 12 AFC West rematch with the Oakland Raiders. After a scoreless first quarter, Denver trailed in the second quarter as Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski got a 26-yard field goal. The Broncos responded with kicker Matt Prater getting a 44-yard field goal, yet the Raiders got the halftime lead as WR Johnnie Lee Higgins returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Oakland Raiders
In the third quarter, Denver tied the game again as rookie FB Peyton Hillis got a 6-yard TD run. However, Oakland replied with RB Darren McFadden getting a 1-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Raiders pulled away as QB JaMarcus Russell completed a 4-yard TD pass to WR Ashley Lelie (a former Bronco), while McFadden got another 1-yard TD run.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 13: at New York Jets
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Raiders, the Broncos flew to The Meadowlands for a Week 13 duel with the New York Jets, considered one of the best teams in the league, fresh off their victory over the undefeated Tennessee Titans. In the first quarter, Denver drew first blood as safety Vernon Fox returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown. The Jets responded with RB Thomas Jones getting a 59-yard TD run.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 13: at New York Jets
The Broncos answered with QB Jay Cutler completing a 59-yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal, along with kicker Matt Prater getting a 25-yard field goal. In the second quarter, New York drew close as Jones got a 29-yard TD run. The Broncos replied with rookie RB Peyton Hillis getting a 1-yard TD run, while Prater got a 35-yard field goal.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 13: at New York Jets
In the third quarter, the Jets tried to rally as kicker Jay Feely nailed a 30-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Denver pulled away as Cutler completed a 36-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Fresh off their road win over the Jets, the Broncos went home, donned their alternate uniforms again, and played a Week 14 AFC West rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver trailed early in the first quarter as Chiefs kicker Connor Barth made a 26-yard field goal, along with CB Maurice Leggett returning an interception 27 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos closed out the period's scoring with rookie RB Peyton Hillis getting an 18-yard touchdown run. Kansas City answered in the second quarter as QB Tyler Thigpen completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to TE Tony Gonzalez, but Denver did close out the half with QB Jay Cutler completing a 12-yard touchdown pass to WR Brandon Marshall.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos tied the game in the third quarter as kicker Matt Prater nailed a 33-yard field goal. Afterwards, in the fourth quarter, Denver took the lead as Cutler hooked up with Marshall again on a 6-yard touchdown pass. From there, the defense prevented any possible rally from the Chiefs.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 15: at Carolina Panthers
Coming off from their divisional home win over the Chiefs, the Broncos flew to Charlotte for a Week 15 interconference duel with the Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, Denver drew first blood as QB Jay Cutler completes a 7-yard TD pass to RB P.J. Pope. Carolina soon responded with QB Jake Delhomme completing a 15-yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith, yet Denver answered with kicker Matt Prater nailing a 43-yard field goal. Carolina kicker John Kasay ties the game with a 39-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Carolina took the lead with rookie RB Jonathan Stewart getting a 2-yard TD run, while Kasay closed out the half with a 44-yard field goal.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 15: at Carolina Panthers
In the third quarter, Carolina increased its lead with RB DeAngelo Williams's 56-yard TD run for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Carolina sealed the win with Kasay's 42-yard field goal.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills
Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Panthers, the Broncos went home for a Week 16 duel with the Buffalo Bills. Denver stormed out to an early first-quarter lead as quarterback Jay Cutler got a 2-yard touchdown run, while kicker Matt Prater got a 23-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Broncos extended their lead as Prater made a 30-yard field goal. The Bills got on the board with a 37-yard field goal from kicker Rian Lindell, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run from running back Marshawn Lynch.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo took the lead in the third quarter as Lindell got a 49-yard and a 28-yard field goal, yet Denver regained the lead with Cutler getting a 6-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, the Bills answered with quarterback Trent Edwards completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Stevie Johnson. The Broncos tied the game with Prater nailing a 43-yard field goal, but Buffalo got the lead again as running back Fred Jackson made an 8-yard touchdown run. Denver put together a late-game drive, but it ended up fizzling down the stretch.


2008 Denver Broncos season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 17: at San Diego Chargers
Hoping to hold on to their divisional lead, the Broncos closed out the regular season at Qualcomm Stadium in a crucial Week 17 AFC West rematch with the San Diego Chargers.