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

[tedeger]

I think that if there were any point to it, a recount would show that Obama actually won Missouri, too. But let McCain have it without argument - the GOP has stolen its last state.

[voicefromNH]

Last time I checked Nader had votes equal to the vote difference between McCain and Obama. He might have cost Obama the show-me state! Luckily that's all he cost!

[eugenegerard]

We are a slightly redder shade of purple. Almost 50% of us have brains.

[poetrygirl]

I am from Missouri. I have brains--lots of education; a successful professional career. I voted for Obama. All of the (many) other intelligent Missourians I know did, also.
During the campaign, my husband received many racist emails--filled with scare tactics and misinformation. We researched each "fact." I was amazed at what some Missourians are willing to believe. Hopefully, this state will emerge from a medieval mentality into the light of the 21st Century before the next election.

[BartLA]

My family is from rural Missouri. I spent time there growing up. The rural areas are definitely more racist. I have friends in St. Louis who are liberal. Obviously St. Louis and Kansas City went for Obama. I'm hoping if Obama does a good job as president, he can win over some of those voters who did not vote for him simply because of the color of his skin. The people who are racist should be happy Obama won. Because he's our best bet to dig America out of the ditch we're currently in. And it's not going to be an easy task and it's going to take time. But the smartest person won. And if he can govern in the same way he ran his campaign all Americans will benefit.

[Michugena]

Lucky You! I live in Georgia. It's embarrassingly red here. My apologies to all....

[KaluMa]

I am doubtful that they gave an honest count. Living in Missouri I am aware of the politics that go into any election. I personally witnessed more than 20 times the voter turnout in Missouri most for Obama. Having never waited in line in my polling place, I had to wait 2 hours this time. Democrats and republicans usually are very close in terms of normal election outcomes. The Democrats should have gotten a huge boost in this last one. But alas, the Republican governor picks who is in the electoral college and so goes the votes.

[ramal]

Missouri: officially relegated to "Red State Hell."

[latrull]

Living in St. Louis and encountering what kind of people live in MO (judged solely by travel around the state and the asinine, racist, and inflammatory comments posted in response to stories on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website about the election), I'd say that a 3500 vote margin is pretty damn good. McCain was trounced in STL city and county, plus Kansas City; most of the rest of the state went with McCain.

WTF's with the hostility, guys? Klondiker says, "enjoy your descent into irrelevance." MPeter says (in response to a question whether McCain and Palin will go away now), "I hope so. They can take Missouri with them for all I care." Yeah, MO went red. Big effing surprise. Our guy won the whole shebang, can't that be enough?

[newpotusplease]

I pronounce that state's name as

"M I S E R Y "

for a reason

[liberalrebuttal]

Nah.

It was a tie and effected nada.

[POTUS2008]

I am glad McCain won so we don't have to hear about the stupid streak any longer. Missouri is now officially "out of touch" with America.

[RayinStL]

Being from Missouri, I can only agree. I live in St. Louis - HEAVY Obama. Kansas City and Columbia were also both Obama. Rural Missouri (except St. Gen, Iron County, Washington County) is like being in W. Virginia. Drive through rural Missouri and it's Deliverance. Do we really want a Deliverance country. PLEASE Educate the hicks and hillbillies.

[CubFanHere]

Thank you for posting that statement...LOL. I too am originally from Missouri (Kansas City) and I can attest to this statement. I grew up in the small town of Richmond, MO in Ray County and the conservative attitude of the rural parts of Missouri is one of the reasons I moved away. Unfortunately I moved from one red state to another - Florida. At least this year we turned Florida blue again. Hopefully the same will happen to my home state in the next election.

[robXdion]

Their "streak" only has relevance when two white men are vying for the presidency. Nader cost Obama MO, but it seems many of those voters just couldn't bear to vote for Obama.

[emmaspeaks]

Yes, I agree. Its not the state that determines the election. They should all be purple. That would make it exciting. I live in Maryland....true blue. Its as blue as can be, but I still vote. Maybe one day we will throw out the electoral college and all our votes will count.

[jsrl317]

I am done with all of it really. new Hampshire and Iowa vying for first spots, in the primaries, ugh. Bellwether, whateverwhether, it's just a Southern State stuck in a gulag of the GOP. Luckily they elected a bunch of Democrats to send up to Washington. I think the other Southern States wont be so lucky or fortunate.

[CARF]

AMEN, plus Missouri has been way 'out of touch' for years and so far behind the current times.... I moved to KC over 40 years ago in order to go to college and have been stuck here ever since!!! What really shocks me is most everyone we know voted for Obama, and only the 'DORKY', uneducatd, or 'SUPER RELIGIOUS FREAKS' voted for McCain!!!! Agreeded, Missouri does have some real uneducated 'HICKS' living in here and now they've proved it.... What really hurts is the my husband and I tried so hard to help get Obama elected, so we consider this a bad mark against the state.

[kasinca]

There are a lot of wingnuts in Missouri and Kansas.

[KeysDan]

The fundamentalists agree: "The fundamentals of the economy are sound".

[jsrl317]

Ohyeah? Try California, the state on the left coast of America. We voted down prop 8 but went for Obama regardless. The whole country has wingnuts of varying shapes and sizes.

[Rictracee]

LOL. guess that shows the GOP stole Missouri.. i sure with voter caging and provisional and absentee ballots not being counted McCain pulled it out.

[HappyAtheist]

From a Missouri volunteer: GR. I wanted a cherry on top. And it would have made the map look so great! Ah, well. :) So, glad it's a happy day anyway.

[OB08]

Who's your President now?

[Rondo]

Hey Missouri, "show me" who's your president now!

[almazza98]

I am from Missouri (St. Louis) and I voted for Obama, St. Louis actually had the hugest rally for him in the US and Kansas City the second, unfortunately the middle and the southern parts of the state are full of hicks, I mean Rush is from freakin Cape Gir. and he is like a god there.

[DeniseD]

I didn't know Rush was from Missouri. If he is like most people in your state, I feel sorry for you.

[crazyv]

perhaps we can try and get rid of the stupid electoral college and get to a real democracy - like we are pushing overseas.

The electoral college was based on the Founder's assumption that there wouldn't be political parties. Since the nomination process does a good job of vetting candidates the necessity of an electoral college disappears. Plus no longer will a candidate winning NY/PA automatically win the Presidency (if based on a popular vote) as was the case in 1787.

[emmaspeaks]

As I know it, it was based on the fact that some states had people that voted, but the thought was that they shouldn't So, politicians still had the right to vote in the electoral college as they pleased. Stating that individual votes didn.t really count.

[KUjHwk]

Disappointed. We put in so much work here.