08NR26 – MRF News Release – 2008 Election Overview
November 15, 2008 by Hersey · Leave a Comment
As expected, Obama garnered approximately 52% of the popular vote. A Democrat piecing together a popular-vote majority is an extraordinary accomplishment, however, it’s not a mandate just as George Bush didn’t receive a mandate with his narrow victory in 2004.
The pundits calling the election had predicted that the black vote and the youth vote would put Obama over the top. That didn’t happen. Nationally, black turnout increased from 11% to 13%, and the 18 to 29-year-old vote increased from 17% to 18% compared to 2004. Rather it was the increased margins toward the Democrat candidate of those two voter categories that tilted Obama to victory.
