2008 Florida Republican presidential primary

The 2008 Florida Republican presidential primary was held on January 29, 2008, with 57 delegates at stake on a winner-take-all basis.[1][2] The Republican National Committee removed half of Florida's delegates because the state committee moved its Republican primary before February 5.[1] Arizona Senator John McCain was the winner of the primary. Third-place finisher Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the race the following day.[3]

2008 Florida Republican presidential primary

January 29, 2008 (2008-01-29)
57 pledged delegates to the Republican National Convention All delegates are awarded to the candidate receiving the most votes
Candidate John McCain Mitt Romney Home state Arizona Massachusetts Delegate count 57 0 Popular vote 701,761 604,932 Percentage 36.00% 31.03%   Candidate Rudy Giuliani Mike Huckabee Home state New York Arkansas Delegate count 0 0 Popular vote 286,089 262,681 Percentage 14.68% 13.47%
Election results by county. Red denotes counties won by McCain, Dark Red denotes those won by Romney, and Pink denotes those won by Mike Huckabee.

Campaign

Rudy Giuliani campaigned quite heavily in Florida, which he expected to use as his "launch pad" for a "strong showing" on Super Tuesday.[4] He campaigned almost entirely in Florida, and largely ignored South Carolina and other states voting before February 5. Polls taken before the primary showed that John McCain was the slight front runner over Mitt Romney.[5] Giuliani had been campaigning with virtually no opposition;[6] however, following the South Carolina Republican primary, 2008, several candidates flew down to Florida to begin campaigning up to January 29 when the primary occurred.[7]

Pre-primary polls

As of January 29, RealClearPolitics reported that the average support from polls taken in the days immediately prior to primary day placed McCain slightly in the lead with 30.7%, followed by Romney with 30.1%, Giuliani with 14.7%, Huckabee with 12.9%, and Paul with 3.6%.[8] Fmr. Sen. Fred Thompson and Rep. Duncan Hunter, though already out of the race, still remained on the ballot in the Florida primary.

Results

On January 29, 2008, McCain prevailed in Florida's Republican presidential primary.[9]

Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Counties	Delegates
John McCain	701,761	36%	45	57
Mitt Romney	604,932	31.03%	18	0
Rudy Giuliani	286,089	14.68%	0	0
Mike Huckabee	262,681	13.47%	4	0
Ron Paul	62,887	3.23%	0	0
Fred Thompson*	22,668	1.16%	0	0
Alan Keyes	4,060	0.21%	0	0
Duncan Hunter*	2,847	0.15%	0	0
Tom Tancredo*	1,573	0.08%	0	0
Totals	1,949,498	100%	67	57

* Candidate dropped out of the race prior to primary.

See also

• Florida Democratic primary, 2008
• Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008

References

1. "The Primary Season: 2008 Republican Calendar". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
2. "Winner-take-all: Bonus or bust for Giuliani?". Retrieved 2008-01-20.
3. "Republican Giuliani ends presidential campaign". January 30, 2008 – via www.reuters.com.
4. Knowlton, Brian (2008-01-20). "Candidates Head for Next Battlegrounds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
5. "With South Carolina win, McCain is front-runner again". Retrieved 2008-01-20.
6. Wheaton, Sarah (2008-01-19). "Giuliani and the G.O.P.'s 11th Commandment". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
7. Holmes, Elizabeth (2008-01-20). "With a Crowded Republican Field, Candidates Set Sights on Florida". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
8. "Florida Republican Primary Polling". Retrieved 2008-01-29.
9. "January 29, 2008 Presidential Preference Republican Primary". Florida Department of State. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-24.

External links

• Election Center 2008:Primary Results for Florida