McCain Wins Missouri, Breaking Bellwether Streak

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Republican John McCain has defeated President-elect Barack Obama in Missouri _ the last state to be decided in the 2008 presidential election.

McCain's narrow victory over Obama breaks a bellwether streak in which Missourians had picked the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1956.

With all jurisdictions reporting complete but unofficial results, McCain led Obama by 3,632 votes Wednesday out of more than 2.9 million cast _ a margin of 0.12 percentage points.

Both men spent considerable resources trying to win Missouri, a state that Obama ultimately did not need for his national victory.

Obama won 365 electoral votes. Missouri's 11 electoral votes will give McCain 173.

Comments

[BarackDaVote]

Congrats Mccain BUT U STILL LOST! BWAAAAH HAHAHAHA

[larmarch5]

The times they are a'changin'.

The Missouri election was just an example of birthing pangs as a new America has emerged. One where half the people don't know that socialist and communism were once lethal labels. One where the color of one's skin, gender, religion matter little. One where communications and information are available at almost the speed of light. One where lies and liars can be called out. One where it is getting easier to vote by mail. One where old hypocrites don't get to tell the rest of us who is and who is not patriotic. God Bless America.

[SMP]

well said!!!!

[NationalTreasure]

3,632 the Dems better be mounting a recount effort just to show folks in Missouri that the Dems are serous about making sure every vote counts this is too close to just leave folks twisting in the wind

[bby328]

There goes the landslide also.

[NickNas]

UMMMM NO!

It was a OFFICIAL LANDSLIDE once he passed 360

Sorry to burst anyones bubble.

heh heh

[SanityNowPlease]

A land slide, electorally speaking, is anything more than 2/3rds of 538. That number turns out to be 358 or so. The land slide is safe with President-elect Obama's 365 EVs.

[MajorKong]

Yet in 2000 we were told that 6 electoral votes was a "mandate".

[yasmeen]

i beg to differ....with almost 3 million votes the margin is so small it was a tie, and given it was a red state then for obama it was a victory to have come so close, but i call it for mccain. enjoy. really. we got a white house and that's enough.

[Gabino]

EWWW! Look at McCain nasty teeth! He has 8 houeses and cant afford a dentist appointment?? Not the way a wanna be president should look like.

[operamartyc]

I noticed his teeth in the campaign and wondered why he didn't go to the dentist. If he did, he needs a new and better one. His teeth look terrible!

[Big0725]

When I was a kid, the folks next door has an Irish Setter that had teeth the same color as McCain's.

Someone get that man a dog biscuit!

[cmilburn]

OK, I just want to say one thing here. There are still thousands of votes to be counted and this isn't fair. It's just that the Dem Committee doesn't want to count them because they won and so who cares, right? Obama won and so let's move on.

It hurts, though. We busted our butts, knocking on doors and making phone calls and to lose by this close a margin when there is STILL the possibility we could win.

It hurts, man.

[MsLiz]

I can't figure out what you are talking about. Are you talking about Missouri? Did I miss something in the story above?

[NotMcCain]

But don't forget the popular vote really helps contribute to the landslide effect this time.

Really, every single vote was important to give Obama a clear mandate--not just electoral votes, but also the popular vote.

[Kuroneko]

Can't agree more. EVERY single vote in RED states counts to give a boost to Obama's mandate. And also, don't forget there's Obama's re-election in four years. Every effort in this election cycle is a base to build on.

[fanchon1288]

I am upset because we tried so hard. I got a lot of first time voters out. Young voters, my daughter, her friends and they were so excited. I don't believe this count. It took too long. But, we will move on.

[Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger]

Just what McCain deserves for his disgraceful campaign, a hollow victory. Shame on those who sat home that day in St. Louis who didn't go to the polls. You were the difference in this one.

[Bitsko]

That's it in a nutshell.

[hucklecat]

We busted our butts in MO -- remember, 100,000 in St. Louis, 75,000 in Kansas City, 40,000 in Columbia and 35,000 in Springfield! I would have been thrilled with an Obama win here, yet we are a VERY red state everywhere but St. L, KC and Columbia. I can't help but think that in this situation, race was a factor in some areas. As far as I'm concerned, a 3000 vote difference is a simply a nominal victory for McCain. Obama won the day!

[latrull]

of COURSE race was a factor in some areas...how else to explain the fact that Jay Nixon won by 18%??

[fun2bfree]

I worked my behind off in St Louis county which Obama carried with 59%- I don't see how he could have gotten much more out of the St Louis area....the problem was in the suburbs of Kansas City where educated people (Obama's base) voted too for McCain...and the heavy pro McCain votes racked up in the rural and nonrural red neck areas like Branson/Springfield which McCain carried in excess of 70%...

[Kuroneko]

Well, next time---and there IS next time--Obama has to go to more "red" areas of the state and shake more hands. That goes to every red states.

[lw500]

Most counties around Springfield were not actually above 70% so I don't know what you're talking about. These counties actually did a lot better than expected. I'm pretty sure they expected most of these counties to actually get a little less for Obama than they did, but they actually expected the KC/St. Louis & Columbia areas to do better. There really is no need to throw blame around now though considering how close it was. If each area had done a little better we would've won. It was a collective effort.

[CARF]

Oh no we didn't. WE VOTED FOR OBAMA.... AND we too worked our tails off for Obama. It's all them DORKS (Hickabillies) from the Ozarks and all the religious freaks from down around Joplin....

[MissouriGirl]

I totally agree with your comments. I also volunteered and worked hard in St. Louis County, and I'm disappointed. As Charles Jaco (KTVI) said on election night, "no way should Missouri be RED, if Indiana turned blue. That's just red neck racism." I was surprised to hear him speak the truth on tv. We had over 30,000 Missourians who decided to vote for the third part candidate, and Barack missed Missouri by less than 5,000 votes. So that speaks for itself. I'm just glad Barack won.

[NationalTreasure]

I'd say a win of just 3,632 votes out of nearly 3 million means Missouri s now a purple state trending towards blue

[clsmithj]

Florida is the new bellwether state.

and taking Indiana and Virgina, two states that haven't gone Democrat since the old Dixie-Democrat party of the 1960s is one hell of an achievement.

[rockyb26]

no wonder they waited so long to count all their votes.

[eden4barack08]

Please Huffpo, at least for a while, I beg you to spare me the photos of Joe the Judas and John McCain.
In particular any photos showing their teeth, in smile, or otherwise. I ask you this for the sake of my health, for I seriously get ill at their sight.
I would much appreciate your cooperation, thank you.

[08politicaljunkie]

Hard to believe considering those enormous crowds Obama drew in MO: Tens of thousands in one city and over a hundred thousand in another.

Regardless, Obama defied another landmark; he won the election without winning this state.

[Bitsko]

But it was mighty close. A margin of 0.12 percentage points ain't nothing to cry about.

[eden4barack08]

Exactly, and considering the red past of that state, I'd actually call that a win, regardless.
0.12? Are we kidding? Viva Obama!

[Kuroneko]

If anything, there will be four more years of younger generation of voters coming into the scene for the next time. They will overcome the margin of .12%. It's just too bad, though, that MO lost its "bell-whether state" status.

[militarymomforobama]

The country is quickly changing--these states are quickly becoming marginalized.l

[truthbrigade]

There are states that're marching on into the future with more enlightened educated population (Virginia is a great example here), and then there are those states that still hang on to the past.

[Head-Liner]

He lost before he won....I don't get it....I gave McCain Missouri on election day deleting the bellweather title from them...fin­ally....Ch­ange has come to America.....on a side note how in the world could any of these states had voted for these Thugs from what they did to our Country the last eight years....

[mlaiuppa]

Didn't do him much good.

How is that vote counting coming in Arizona?