Reality: Do Whites Support Obama?
Points to ponder:
Many people are unaware that even though President Obama won the election, he did not win the majority of the white vote in most states. President Obama also did not typically win the white male votes even in the states that he won. The Obama victory came from mainly the larger support by white women, the high black voter turnout, and the Latino American voters in the western states.
So, as many people think that whites in the United States are very much different than they were in the past. The results might give one a different image of how far the nation still has to go.
Much of this is political party-based support. Although it can be truly argued that many whites don’t support the Democratic party due to its diversity since the late 1960s and its more aggressive support of people of color in the United States. Thus, whites, typically in a majority support the Republican candidate for president with the same type of voter turnout numbers.
For the past 40 years, whites have made up 74 percent to somewhere north of 90 percent of all voters.
Lyndon B. Johnson was the last Democrat to win a majority of the white vote. He signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law.
Jimmy Carter got elected president by narrowing to 4 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Bill Clinton got elected president by narrowing to 2 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Al Gore lost the white vote by 12 percentage points.
John Kerry lost the white vote by 17 percentage points.
Barack Obama lost the white vote by 8 percentage points nationally. He received 43 percent of the total white vote.
White men 41 percent
White women 46 percent
Barack Obama did win 54 percent of all white voters age 18 to 29. Showing that whites over age 30 are the ones who are reluctant to support the political party that typically supports all races, ethnicities and genders. These older whites are either those who lived through Jim Crow white privilege or are the children of those Baby Boomers who did, meaning they may harbor some of the same racial thoughts as their parents and grand parents.
2008 US Presidential General Election Results
RankStatePopulation (2008 est.)
Blue States Obama Victory
Red States McCain Victory
Purple text is where Obama won the white vote.
The first percent number shows the percentage of whites who did not vote for Obama. In many cases even when Obama won a state he didn’t win the majority of white voters.
1California36,756,666
White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
2Texas24,326,974
White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 75% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
3New York19,490,297 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
4Florida18,328,340 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
5Illinois12,901,563 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
6Pennsylvania12,448,279 White Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Male Vote: 56% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
7Ohio11,485,910 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
8Michigan10,003,422 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 47%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
9Georgia9,685,744 White Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Male Vote: 78% (Obama received 21%)
White Female Vote: 74% (Obama received 26%)
10North Carolina9,222,414 White Vote: 64% (Obama received 35%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 32%)
White Female Vote: 62% (Obama received 38%)
11New Jersey8,682,661 White Vote: 50% (Obama received 49%)
White Male Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 49% (Obama received 50%)
12Virginia7,769,089 White Vote: 60%
White Male Vote: 61%
White Female Vote: 59%
13Washington6,549,224 White Vote: 42% (Obama received 55%)
White Male Vote: 43% (Obama received 55%)
White Female Vote 42% (Obama received 56%)
14Arizona6,500,180 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 58% (Obama received 41%)
15Massachusetts6,497,967 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 59%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 65%)
16Indiana6,376,792 White Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
17Tennessee6,214,888 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 34%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
18Missouri5,911,605 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
19Maryland5,633,597 White Vote: 49% (Obama received 47%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 47% (Obama received 50%)
20Wisconsin5,627,967 White Vote: 45% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
21Minnesota5,220,393 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 56%)
22Colorado4,939,456 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
23Alabama4,661,900
White Vote: 88% (Obama received 10%)
White Male Vote: 88% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 88% (Obama received 12%)
24South Carolina4,479,800 White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 29%)
25Louisiana4,410,796 White Vote: 84% (Obama received 14%)
White Male Vote: 83% (Obama received 16%)
White Female Vote: 85% (Obama received 13%)
26Kentucky4,269,245 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
Puerto Rico3,954,037
27Oregon3,790,060 White Vote:
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
28Oklahoma3,642,361
White Vote: 71% (Obama received 29%)
White Male Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 30%)
29Connecticut3,501,252 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 52% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
30Iowa3,002,555 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
31Mississippi2,938,618 White Vote: 88% (Obama received 11%)
White Male Vote: 90% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 87% (Obama received 13%)
32Arkansas2,855,390 White Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
33Kansas2,802,134 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
34Utah2,736,424 White Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Male Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 65% (Obama received 32%)
35Nevada2,600,167 White Vote: 53% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 49%)
36New Mexico1,984,356 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
37West Virginia1,814,468 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
38Nebraska1,783,432 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 39%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 38%)
39Idaho1,523,816
White Vote: 65% (Obama received 33%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 29%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 37%)
40Maine1,316,456 White Vote: 40% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Female Vote: 35% (Obama received 63%)
41New Hampshire1,315,809 White Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 60%)
42Hawaii1,288,198 White Vote: 27% (Obama received 70%)
White Male Vote: 25% (Obama received 72%)
White Female Vote: 30% (Obama received 68%)
43Rhode Island1,050,788 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 66%)
44Montana967,440
White Vote: 52% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 52% (Obama received 46%)
45Delaware873,092
White Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
46South Dakota804,194 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
47Alaska686,293 White Vote: 65%
White Male Vote: 69%
White Female Vote: 60%
48North Dakota 641,481 White Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
49Vermont621,270 White Vote: 31% (Obama received 68%)
White Male Vote: 33% (Obama received 63%)
White Female Vote: 29% (Obama received 71%)
District of Columbia591,833 White Vote: 12% (Obama received 86%)
White Male Vote: N/A were only 15% of voters
White Female Vote: N/A were only 23% of voters
50Wyoming532,668
White Vote: 66% (Obama received 32%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)
Points to ponder:
Many people are not aware that even though President Obama won the election, he did not win the majority of the white vote in most states that he won. President Obama also did not typically win the white male votes even in the states that he won. The Obama victory came from mainly the larger support by white women, the high black voter turnout and the Latino American voters in the western states.
So, as many people think that whites in the United States are very much different than they were in the past. The results might give one a different image of how far the nation still has to go.
Much of this is political party based support. Although it can be truly argued that many whites don’t support the Democratic party due to its diversity, since the late 1960s, and its more aggressive support of people of color in the United States. Thus, whites typically in a majority support the Republican candidate for president with the same type of voter turn out numbers.
For the past 40 years, whites have made up 74 percent to somewhere north of 90 percent of all voters.
Lyndon B. Johnson was the last Democrat to win a majority of the white vote. He signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law.
Jimmy Carter got elected president by narrowing to 4 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Bill Clinton got elected president by narrowing to 2 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Al Gore lost the white vote by 12 percentage points.
John Kerry lost the white vote by 17 percentage points.
Barack Obama lost the white vote by 8 percentage points nationally. He received 43 percent of the total white vote.
White men 41 percent
White women 46 percent
Barack Obama did win 54 percent of all white voters age 18 to 29. Showing that whites over age 30 are the ones who are reluctant to support the political party that typically supports all races, ethnicities and genders. These older whites are either those who lived through Jim Crow white privilege or are the children of those Baby Boomers who did, meaning they may harbor some of the same racial thoughts as their parents and grand parents.
2008 US Presidential General Election Results
RankStatePopulation (2008 est.)
Blue States Obama Victory
Red States McCain Victory
Purple text is where Obama won the white vote.
The first percent number shows the percent of whites who did not vote for Obama. In many cases even when Obama won a state he didn’t win the majority of white voters.
1California36,756,666
White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
2Texas24,326,974 White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 75% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
3New York19,490,297 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
4Florida18,328,340 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
5Illinois12,901,563 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
6Pennsylvania12,448,279 White Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Male Vote: 56% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
7Ohio11,485,910 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
8Michigan10,003,422 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 47%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
9Georgia9,685,744 White Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Male Vote: 78% (Obama received 21%)
White Female Vote: 74% (Obama received 26%)
10North Carolina9,222,414 White Vote: 64% (Obama received 35%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 32%)
White Female Vote: 62% (Obama received 38%)
11New Jersey8,682,661 White Vote: 50% (Obama received 49%)
White Male Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 49% (Obama received 50%)
12Virginia7,769,089 White Vote: 60%
White Male Vote: 61%
White Female Vote: 59%
13Washington6,549,224 White Vote: 42% (Obama received 55%)
White Male Vote: 43% (Obama received 55%)
White Female Vote 42% (Obama received 56%)
14Arizona6,500,180 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 58% (Obama received 41%)
15Massachusetts6,497,967 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 59%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 65%)
16Indiana6,376,792 White Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
17Tennessee6,214,888 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 34%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
18Missouri5,911,605 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
19Maryland5,633,597 White Vote: 49% (Obama received 47%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 47% (Obama received 50%)
20Wisconsin5,627,967 White Vote: 45% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
21Minnesota5,220,393 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 56%)
22Colorado4,939,456 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
23Alabama4,661,900
White Vote: 88% (Obama received 10%)
White Male Vote: 88% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 88% (Obama received 12%)
24South Carolina4,479,800 White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 29%)
25Louisiana4,410,796 White Vote: 84% (Obama received 14%)
White Male Vote: 83% (Obama received 16%)
White Female Vote: 85% (Obama received 13%)
26Kentucky4,269,245 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
Puerto Rico3,954,037
27Oregon3,790,060 White Vote:
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
28Oklahoma3,642,361
White Vote: 71% (Obama received 29%)
White Male Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 30%)
29Connecticut3,501,252 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 52% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
30Iowa3,002,555 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
31Mississippi2,938,618 White Vote: 88% (Obama received 11%)
White Male Vote: 90% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 87% (Obama received 13%)
32Arkansas2,855,390 White Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
33Kansas2,802,134 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
34Utah2,736,424 White Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Male Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 65% (Obama received 32%)
35Nevada2,600,167 White Vote: 53% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 49%)
36New Mexico1,984,356 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
37West Virginia1,814,468 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
38Nebraska1,783,432 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 39%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 38%)
39Idaho1,523,816
White Vote: 65% (Obama received 33%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 29%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 37%)
40Maine1,316,456 White Vote: 40% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Female Vote: 35% (Obama received 63%)
41New Hampshire1,315,809 White Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 60%)
42Hawaii1,288,198 White Vote: 27% (Obama received 70%)
White Male Vote: 25% (Obama received 72%)
White Female Vote: 30% (Obama received 68%)
43Rhode Island1,050,788 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 66%)
44Montana967,440
White Vote: 52% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 52% (Obama received 46%)
45Delaware873,092
White Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
46South Dakota804,194 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
47Alaska686,293 White Vote: 65%
White Male Vote: 69%
White Female Vote: 60%
48North Dakota 641,481 White Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
49Vermont621,270 White Vote: 31% (Obama received 68%)
White Male Vote: 33% (Obama received 63%)
White Female Vote: 29% (Obama received 71%)
District of Columbia591,833 White Vote: 12% (Obama received 86%)
White Male Vote: N/A were only 15% of voters
White Female Vote: N/A were only 23% of voters
50Wyoming532,668
White Vote: 66% (Obama received 32%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)
Many people are unaware that even though President Obama won the election, he did not win the majority of the white vote in most states. President Obama also did not typically win the white male votes even in the states that he won. The Obama victory came from mainly the larger support by white women, the high black voter turnout, and the Latino American voters in the western states.
So, as many people think that whites in the United States are very much different than they were in the past. The results might give one a different image of how far the nation still has to go.
Much of this is political party-based support. Although it can be truly argued that many whites don’t support the Democratic party due to its diversity since the late 1960s and its more aggressive support of people of color in the United States. Thus, whites, typically in a majority support the Republican candidate for president with the same type of voter turnout numbers.
For the past 40 years, whites have made up 74 percent to somewhere north of 90 percent of all voters.
Lyndon B. Johnson was the last Democrat to win a majority of the white vote. He signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law.
Jimmy Carter got elected president by narrowing to 4 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Bill Clinton got elected president by narrowing to 2 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Al Gore lost the white vote by 12 percentage points.
John Kerry lost the white vote by 17 percentage points.
Barack Obama lost the white vote by 8 percentage points nationally. He received 43 percent of the total white vote.
White men 41 percent
White women 46 percent
Barack Obama did win 54 percent of all white voters age 18 to 29. Showing that whites over age 30 are the ones who are reluctant to support the political party that typically supports all races, ethnicities and genders. These older whites are either those who lived through Jim Crow white privilege or are the children of those Baby Boomers who did, meaning they may harbor some of the same racial thoughts as their parents and grand parents.
2008 US Presidential General Election Results
RankStatePopulation (2008 est.)
Blue States Obama Victory
Red States McCain Victory
Purple text is where Obama won the white vote.
The first percent number shows the percentage of whites who did not vote for Obama. In many cases even when Obama won a state he didn’t win the majority of white voters.
1California36,756,666
White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
2Texas24,326,974
White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 75% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
3New York19,490,297 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
4Florida18,328,340 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
5Illinois12,901,563 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
6Pennsylvania12,448,279 White Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Male Vote: 56% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
7Ohio11,485,910 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
8Michigan10,003,422 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 47%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
9Georgia9,685,744 White Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Male Vote: 78% (Obama received 21%)
White Female Vote: 74% (Obama received 26%)
10North Carolina9,222,414 White Vote: 64% (Obama received 35%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 32%)
White Female Vote: 62% (Obama received 38%)
11New Jersey8,682,661 White Vote: 50% (Obama received 49%)
White Male Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 49% (Obama received 50%)
12Virginia7,769,089 White Vote: 60%
White Male Vote: 61%
White Female Vote: 59%
13Washington6,549,224 White Vote: 42% (Obama received 55%)
White Male Vote: 43% (Obama received 55%)
White Female Vote 42% (Obama received 56%)
14Arizona6,500,180 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 58% (Obama received 41%)
15Massachusetts6,497,967 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 59%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 65%)
16Indiana6,376,792 White Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
17Tennessee6,214,888 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 34%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
18Missouri5,911,605 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
19Maryland5,633,597 White Vote: 49% (Obama received 47%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 47% (Obama received 50%)
20Wisconsin5,627,967 White Vote: 45% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
21Minnesota5,220,393 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 56%)
22Colorado4,939,456 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
23Alabama4,661,900
White Vote: 88% (Obama received 10%)
White Male Vote: 88% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 88% (Obama received 12%)
24South Carolina4,479,800 White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 29%)
25Louisiana4,410,796 White Vote: 84% (Obama received 14%)
White Male Vote: 83% (Obama received 16%)
White Female Vote: 85% (Obama received 13%)
26Kentucky4,269,245 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
Puerto Rico3,954,037
27Oregon3,790,060 White Vote:
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
28Oklahoma3,642,361
White Vote: 71% (Obama received 29%)
White Male Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 30%)
29Connecticut3,501,252 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 52% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
30Iowa3,002,555 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
31Mississippi2,938,618 White Vote: 88% (Obama received 11%)
White Male Vote: 90% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 87% (Obama received 13%)
32Arkansas2,855,390 White Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
33Kansas2,802,134 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
34Utah2,736,424 White Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Male Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 65% (Obama received 32%)
35Nevada2,600,167 White Vote: 53% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 49%)
36New Mexico1,984,356 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
37West Virginia1,814,468 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
38Nebraska1,783,432 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 39%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 38%)
39Idaho1,523,816
White Vote: 65% (Obama received 33%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 29%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 37%)
40Maine1,316,456 White Vote: 40% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Female Vote: 35% (Obama received 63%)
41New Hampshire1,315,809 White Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 60%)
42Hawaii1,288,198 White Vote: 27% (Obama received 70%)
White Male Vote: 25% (Obama received 72%)
White Female Vote: 30% (Obama received 68%)
43Rhode Island1,050,788 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 66%)
44Montana967,440
White Vote: 52% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 52% (Obama received 46%)
45Delaware873,092
White Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
46South Dakota804,194 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
47Alaska686,293 White Vote: 65%
White Male Vote: 69%
White Female Vote: 60%
48North Dakota 641,481 White Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
49Vermont621,270 White Vote: 31% (Obama received 68%)
White Male Vote: 33% (Obama received 63%)
White Female Vote: 29% (Obama received 71%)
District of Columbia591,833 White Vote: 12% (Obama received 86%)
White Male Vote: N/A were only 15% of voters
White Female Vote: N/A were only 23% of voters
50Wyoming532,668
White Vote: 66% (Obama received 32%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)
Points to ponder:
Many people are not aware that even though President Obama won the election, he did not win the majority of the white vote in most states that he won. President Obama also did not typically win the white male votes even in the states that he won. The Obama victory came from mainly the larger support by white women, the high black voter turnout and the Latino American voters in the western states.
So, as many people think that whites in the United States are very much different than they were in the past. The results might give one a different image of how far the nation still has to go.
Much of this is political party based support. Although it can be truly argued that many whites don’t support the Democratic party due to its diversity, since the late 1960s, and its more aggressive support of people of color in the United States. Thus, whites typically in a majority support the Republican candidate for president with the same type of voter turn out numbers.
For the past 40 years, whites have made up 74 percent to somewhere north of 90 percent of all voters.
Lyndon B. Johnson was the last Democrat to win a majority of the white vote. He signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law.
Jimmy Carter got elected president by narrowing to 4 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Bill Clinton got elected president by narrowing to 2 percentage points the gap between whites voting Republican and whites voting Democratic.
Al Gore lost the white vote by 12 percentage points.
John Kerry lost the white vote by 17 percentage points.
Barack Obama lost the white vote by 8 percentage points nationally. He received 43 percent of the total white vote.
White men 41 percent
White women 46 percent
Barack Obama did win 54 percent of all white voters age 18 to 29. Showing that whites over age 30 are the ones who are reluctant to support the political party that typically supports all races, ethnicities and genders. These older whites are either those who lived through Jim Crow white privilege or are the children of those Baby Boomers who did, meaning they may harbor some of the same racial thoughts as their parents and grand parents.
2008 US Presidential General Election Results
RankStatePopulation (2008 est.)
Blue States Obama Victory
Red States McCain Victory
Purple text is where Obama won the white vote.
The first percent number shows the percent of whites who did not vote for Obama. In many cases even when Obama won a state he didn’t win the majority of white voters.
1California36,756,666
White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
2Texas24,326,974 White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 75% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
3New York19,490,297 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
4Florida18,328,340 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
5Illinois12,901,563 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 55%)
6Pennsylvania12,448,279 White Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Male Vote: 56% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
7Ohio11,485,910 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
8Michigan10,003,422 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 47%)
White Female Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
9Georgia9,685,744 White Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Male Vote: 78% (Obama received 21%)
White Female Vote: 74% (Obama received 26%)
10North Carolina9,222,414 White Vote: 64% (Obama received 35%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 32%)
White Female Vote: 62% (Obama received 38%)
11New Jersey8,682,661 White Vote: 50% (Obama received 49%)
White Male Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 49% (Obama received 50%)
12Virginia7,769,089 White Vote: 60%
White Male Vote: 61%
White Female Vote: 59%
13Washington6,549,224 White Vote: 42% (Obama received 55%)
White Male Vote: 43% (Obama received 55%)
White Female Vote 42% (Obama received 56%)
14Arizona6,500,180 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 58% (Obama received 41%)
15Massachusetts6,497,967 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 59%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 65%)
16Indiana6,376,792 White Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 51% (Obama received 48%)
17Tennessee6,214,888 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 34%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
18Missouri5,911,605 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 42%)
19Maryland5,633,597 White Vote: 49% (Obama received 47%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 47% (Obama received 50%)
20Wisconsin5,627,967 White Vote: 45% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 51%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 57%)
21Minnesota5,220,393 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 43% (Obama received 56%)
22Colorado4,939,456 White Vote: 48% (Obama received 50%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
23Alabama4,661,900
White Vote: 88% (Obama received 10%)
White Male Vote: 88% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 88% (Obama received 12%)
24South Carolina4,479,800 White Vote: 73% (Obama received 26%)
White Male Vote: 76% (Obama received 23%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 29%)
25Louisiana4,410,796 White Vote: 84% (Obama received 14%)
White Male Vote: 83% (Obama received 16%)
White Female Vote: 85% (Obama received 13%)
26Kentucky4,269,245 White Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Male Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)
White Female Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
Puerto Rico3,954,037
27Oregon3,790,060 White Vote:
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
28Oklahoma3,642,361
White Vote: 71% (Obama received 29%)
White Male Vote: 72% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 70% (Obama received 30%)
29Connecticut3,501,252 White Vote: 46% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 52% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
30Iowa3,002,555 White Vote: 47% (Obama received 51%)
White Male Vote: 49% (Obama received 49%)
White Female Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
31Mississippi2,938,618 White Vote: 88% (Obama received 11%)
White Male Vote: 90% (Obama received 9%)
White Female Vote: 87% (Obama received 13%)
32Arkansas2,855,390 White Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
White Male Vote: 67% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 68% (Obama received 30%)
33Kansas2,802,134 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 40%)
White Male Vote: 63% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
34Utah2,736,424 White Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Male Vote: 66% (Obama received 31%)
White Female Vote: 65% (Obama received 32%)
35Nevada2,600,167 White Vote: 53% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 48% (Obama received 49%)
36New Mexico1,984,356 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 55% (Obama received 43%)
White Female Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
37West Virginia1,814,468 White Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 40%)
White Female Vote: 56% (Obama received 42%)
38Nebraska1,783,432 White Vote: 59% (Obama received 39%)
White Male Vote: 57% (Obama received 41%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 38%)
39Idaho1,523,816
White Vote: 65% (Obama received 33%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 29%)
White Female Vote: 61% (Obama received 37%)
40Maine1,316,456 White Vote: 40% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 46% (Obama received 52%)
White Female Vote: 35% (Obama received 63%)
41New Hampshire1,315,809 White Vote: 44% (Obama received 54%)
White Male Vote: 50% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 39% (Obama received 60%)
42Hawaii1,288,198 White Vote: 27% (Obama received 70%)
White Male Vote: 25% (Obama received 72%)
White Female Vote: 30% (Obama received 68%)
43Rhode Island1,050,788 White Vote: 39% (Obama received 58%)
White Male Vote: 48% (Obama received 48%)
White Female Vote: 33% (Obama received 66%)
44Montana967,440
White Vote: 52% (Obama received 45%)
White Male Vote: 53% (Obama received 44%)
White Female Vote: 52% (Obama received 46%)
45Delaware873,092
White Vote: 45% (Obama received 53%)
White Male Vote:
White Female Vote:
46South Dakota804,194 White Vote: 56% (Obama received 41%)
White Male Vote: 60% (Obama received 36%)
White Female Vote: 53% (Obama received 46%)
47Alaska686,293 White Vote: 65%
White Male Vote: 69%
White Female Vote: 60%
48North Dakota 641,481 White Vote: 55% (Obama received 42%)
White Male Vote: 58% (Obama received 39%)
White Female Vote: 54% (Obama received 45%)
49Vermont621,270 White Vote: 31% (Obama received 68%)
White Male Vote: 33% (Obama received 63%)
White Female Vote: 29% (Obama received 71%)
District of Columbia591,833 White Vote: 12% (Obama received 86%)
White Male Vote: N/A were only 15% of voters
White Female Vote: N/A were only 23% of voters
50Wyoming532,668
White Vote: 66% (Obama received 32%)
White Male Vote: 68% (Obama received 28%)
White Female Vote: 64% (Obama received 34%)