Super Tuesday 2008 was the largest primary Election Day in U.S. history
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
One of the earliest Super Tuesdays of note was in 1976 when six primaries were held, with Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan each taking three states in the Republican race, according to the National Constitution Center.
More than thirty years later in 2008, 24 states with over half the delegates to the national conventions moved to change their primary dates to February 5, 2008, creating the largest “Super Tuesday” to date.
How did that happen?
More: Super Tuesday live results: Donald Trump racks up wins in Virginia and North Carolina
Super Tuesday 2008’s many names
In 2008, 28 states and one territory scheduled primaries or caucuses on the same date, triggering a series of nicknames: Super Duper Tuesday, The Tuesday of Destiny, Mega Tuesday, Giga Tuesday, and Tsunami Tuesday were all used to describe Feb. 5, 2008.
Some criticized the early date’s selection as it resulted in nearly half of Democratic and Republican delegates being determined before March even began.
Super Tuesday in 2008 also coincided with several other noteworthy events, including the New York Giants’ Super Bowl victory parade, Mardi Gras, and a tornado outbreak that killed 57 people and impacted voting in several states.
More: When do we vote for president in 2024? Everything to know about the next presidential election.
How did 28 elections get scheduled on the same day?
Only eight states planned to hold primaries or caucuses a year prior on Feb. 5, 2008: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia.
To increase their influence over the candidate selection process, 15 more states moved up their elections to Feb. 5, 2008. They included Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee.
Noting the reason for the change in scheduling, both the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee created penalties for states who tried to hold elections earlier than Feb. 5, 2008.
More: Who is running for president? Get to know the Democratic and Republican candidates for 2024
Who won the primaries in 2008?
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama competed for delegates on Super Tuesday in 2008. It was a day full of close races, but Obama, who eventually became the party’s nominee and the winner of the year’s general election, secured more.
The Republican elections on Feb. 5, 2008 were less close. The party’s eventual nominee, John McCain, secured many more than his competitors, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul.
More: Super Tuesday live results: Donald Trump racks up wins in Virginia and North Carolina
Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @rachelbarber_
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Super Tuesday 2008 was the largest in U.S. history
