Who won Tennessee in the 2008 presidential election?

McCain (Republican) carried Tennessee in 2008, winning its 11 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Tennessee have in 2008?

Tennessee cast 11 electoral votes in the 2008 presidential election.

Did Tennessee vote for the national winner in 2008?

No. Tennessee backed McCain, while Barack Obama won the presidency nationally.

Modern PolarizationTN · 11 EV

2008

Tennessee: McCain carries 11 EV.

Tennessee cast its 11 electoral votes for McCain (Republican). National winner: Barack Obama (Democratic) — Tennessee voted against the national winner this cycle.

What happened in Tennessee, 2008

In 2008, Tennessee awarded its 11 electoral votes to McCain of the Republican party. Nationally the result broke the other way — Barack Obama (Democratic) won the presidency, leaving Tennessee among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which Tennessee backed the Republican party, a streak reaching back to 2000. The region divided — Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri joined Tennessee for the Republican ticket, while Virginia and North Carolina did not. Across the 57 presidential elections Tennessee has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (24 times). The vote fell within the Modern Polarization — Close elections in a divided country.

In the national count, Barack Obama took 365 of the 538 electoral votes, against John McCain's 173. Barack Obama led the national popular vote with 52.93% of the ballots cast.

The 2008 national map

Tennessee full history →