This graph shows the percentage of votes of the 2012 presidential elections in the United States on November 6, 2012, by ethnicity. According to the exit polls, about 71 percent of Hispanic voters nationwide have voted for Barack Obama. Elections in the U.S. The process of electing the President and the Vice President in the United States is an indirect vote in which citizens of the United State, 18 years of age or older have the right to vote for a slate of electors, who cast the votes that decide who becomes the President of the United States.

The presidential election in 2012, which was held on November 6, was the re-election of the Democratic Party’s nominee Barack Obama, who won the elections with about 65.9 million votes from the U.S. population. His opponent Mitt Romney, who was the Republican Party’s nominee for President of the United States, gathered about 60.9 million votes.

The voting rates vary from state to state, 75.9 percent of American citizen voted in District in Columbia, while 47.8 percent of the citizens voted in the presidential elections in 2012. The total voting rate stood at 61.8 percent in the United States.

It is important for the Parties to reach the voting population in the country when the Presidential elections are coming up. Campaigns have many financial sources, such as donations and fundraisers. Fundraising plays a big role in presidential campaigns. In the election period from 2011 to 2012, about 1.36 billion U.S. dollars were spent for Presidential Campaign finance.

The disbursement received for Presidential Campaign financing of the Democratic Party stood at 737.1 million U.S. dollar between 2011 and 2012, while the Presidential Campaign of the Republican Party spent 633.4 U.S. dollar.

The 2008 US presidential election was contested between Barack Obama of the Democratic Party, and John McCain of the Republican Party. This was the first election since 1952 where the incumbent president or vice president was not on the ballot, as President George W. Bush was not eligible to run for a third term, and Vice President Cheney chose not to run. The initial Democratic frontrunner was Hillary Clinton, however Barack Obama then moved ahead in the polls shortly before the Iowa caucus, where he won a surprising victory, before Clinton's victory in New Hampshire set off a competitive race between the two (Joe Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucus and joined the Obama campaign as his running mate). Following Super Tuesday, Obama and Clinton were neck-and-neck, but throughout the remaining primaries Obama gradually moved ahead and sealed the Democratic nomination in June 2008, making him the first African American to win the nomination of a major US party. Early in the Republican primaries, former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani led the polls, before Mitt Romney and John McCain also gained popularity by the time of the Iowa caucus. McCain then became the favorite following the New Hampshire primaries, with Giuliani dropping out and endorsing McCain before Super Tuesday, with Romney doing the same two days after the Tuesday primaries. McCain was eventually named as the Republican candidate, with widespread support across his party. No third party candidates made a significant impact on the election. Campaign The Iraq War was the main topic of debate early in the campaign, with Obama strongly against the war, while McCain supported the invasion and called for an increased security presence in the region. The age difference between the candidates also became an issue, as it had done in the 1996 campaign; and similarly to Clinton, Obama (47) avoided mentioning his opponent's age (72) directly, instead claiming that his politics and ideas were old fashioned, while McCain pointed to his experience, and appointed Sarah Palin as his running mate to combat these insinuations. Obama also proposed universal healthcare, setting in motion proposals for what would later be known as "Obamacare". The development of the financial crisis of 2008 then went on to dominate the election campaign, as the world faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930s. McCain refused to debate Obama until some progress had been made on the issue, and suspended his campaign in order to work on preventative measures in the Senate that would help the economy. McCain's actions in the Senate were then scrutinized heavily, and public perception was that he was not making a significant contribution to the proceedings. Results Obama won a convincing victory, and became the 44th President of the United states, and was the first African American to hold this position (this was also the first time in US history where neither the president nor vice president were white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants). Obama won approximately 53 percent of the popular vote, giving him a 68 percent share of the electoral vote. McCain received the remainder of the electoral votes, and took just under 56 percent of the popular votes, with the remainder of the popular votes split among various third party candidates. Much of Obama's success has been attributed to his energy and message of hope, particularly in the face of an economic crisis, while McCain was often seen as the continuation of President Bush's policies, whose popularity was at it's lowest ever levels. Obama won this election with the highest number of popular votes for a winning candidate in US history, receiving 3.4 million more votes than he received in 2012, and 6.3 million more votes than Donald Trump in 2016.

This graph shows the official results of the popular vote of the 2012 presidential elections in the United States. President Obama has won the election with about 65.9 million votes from the population. His opponent Mitt Romney could gather about 60.9 million votes.

This poll, fielded April 10-13, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A random national sample of 1,197 adults were surveyed, including additional interviews with randomly selected African Americans and Catholics, for a total of 213 African American respondents and 292 Catholic respondents. Views were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency, the war in Iraq, and the economy. Respondents were asked what they thought was the single most important issue in their choice for president, and their opinion of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton. Respondents were also queried on whether they thought the war in Iraq was worth fighting, whether significant progress was made toward restoring civil order, whether the United States should keep its military forces there until civil order is restored, and whether they thought the United States must win the war in Iraq for the war on terrorism to be a success. Information was collected on how closely respondents were following the 2008 presidential race, which candidate they would like see win the Democratic nomination for president, whether the tone of the Democratic campaign was positive, whether the length of the Democratic race was good for Democrats, and how the super delegates should choose which candidate to nominate based on different counting methods. Several questions asked respondents to compare Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and which candidate they trusted to handle issues such as international trade, the economy, and health care. Respondents were asked which candidate they would vote for if the 2008 presidential election were being held that day and whether a Democratic or Republican president would do a better job handling the situation in Iraq and the economy. Views were sought on Pope Benedict XVI and whether he should maintain the traditional policies of the Roman Catholic Church, whether the Catholic Church is in touch with American Catholics today, policies on women becoming priests, marriage for Catholic priests, and how the Catholic Church has handled the issue of sexual abuse of children by priests. Additional topics included the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy, the state of the national economy, respondents' financial situation, gas prices, whether government assistance such as new tax breaks for businesses would avoid or soften a recession, and respondents' plans for a federal rebate. Demographics variables include sex, age, marital status, race, income, voter registration status, political ideology, political party affiliation, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This graph shows the percentage of votes of the 2012 presidential elections in the United States on November 6, 2012, by gender. According to the exit polls, about 55 percent of female voters nationwide have voted for Barack Obama.

This poll, fielded October 10-13, 2008, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. This poll interviewed 1,070 adults nationwide, including 972 registered voters, about the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency and the economy, the condition of the national economy, and whether the country was moving in the right direction. Registered voters were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, whether they had voted in a presidential primary or caucus that year, the likelihood that they would vote in the general election, and for whom they would vote if the general election were held that day. Views were sought on presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, the Democratic and Republican parties, and members of the United States Congress. A series of questions asked whether their opinions of the presidential candidates had changed in the past few weeks and whether anything about the candidates' background bothered them, including Obama's alleged association with Bill Ayers, a former member of the radical domestic group called the Weathermen, and McCain's involvement as one of the five senators known as the Keating Five in the savings and loan controversy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. All respondents were polled on whether they had watched the second presidential debate held October 7, 2008, who they thought won, and the likelihood that they would watch the next presidential debate on October 15, 2008. Additional topics addressed feelings about the economic bailout plan, concerns about job loss in the household, and whether their household income was sufficient to pay their bills. Those with a mortgage on their home were asked how concerned they were about not being able to pay it. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian, and whether a child under 18 was living in the household.

This graph shows the percentage of votes of the 2012 presidential elections in the United States on November 6, 2012, by age. According to the exit polls, about 60 percent of 18 to 29 year-old voters nationwide have voted for Barack Obama.

This poll, fielded March 15-18, 2008, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. This poll included an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 122 African American respondents. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency, the economy, and the situation in Iraq, to rate the condition of the national economy, to indicate the most important issue for candidates to discuss in the 2008 presidential election, and the preferred qualities and characteristics in a presidential candidate. Registered voters were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, whether they planned to or had already voted in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus in their state, their opinions of candidates John McCain, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, and which candidate they would vote for if the general election were held that day. Views were sought on the news media's treatment of the candidates, whether it was appropriate for candidates to show their emotions in public, whether respondents and most people they knew would vote for a presidential candidate who was African American or a woman, whether people they knew had made sexist or racist remarks in the past few months, and whether racism or sexism was a more serious problem in the country. Registered Democratic primary voters were asked about the Democratic presidential nomination process and how superdelegates should decide their vote at the convention. Additional questions queried all respondents on Obama's minister Reverend Jeremiah Wright, major league baseball, steriod use in professional sports, the war in Iraq and its effect on the threat of terrorism against the United States, and whether Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, whether respondents had children under 18 years of age, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

Abstract (en): Election data for 50 states and the District of Columbia were collected through interviews conducted with voters as they left their polling places on election day, November 4, 2008. Part 1, National Data, contains data collected from a national sample. National sample respondents were asked a series of questions about their electoral choices, the issues surrounding the elections, and the factors that influenced their decisions. Questions focused on the direction of the country, national security, terrorism, the war in Iraq, the state and future of the nation's economy, gay marriage, and the George W. Bush presidency. Demographic variables of national respondents cover age, race, gender, Hispanic descent, sexual orientation, age of children in household, marital status, political party, political orientation, employment status, education, religion, sexual orientation, and family income. Parts 2-52 contain data collected from each state and District of Columbia surveys. Respondents were asked for their opinions of Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain, Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama, and the United States Congress, as well as for their vote choices in the relevant gubernatorial, senatorial, and congressional elections. Those queried were also asked their opinions of the candidates' spouses, Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama. Demographic variables of individual state respondents cover age, race, gender, education, voter participation history, political party, political orientation, sexual orientation, and family income. Telephone interviews were the only type of interview conducted in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Telephone interviews were also used to poll absentee voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. National: A sample of exit poll precincts was drawn from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A subsample of these precincts was selected to form the national sample. The national survey was administered in a total of 300 sample exit poll precincts. Respondents in the national precincts were given one of four versions of the national questionnaire. The four versions were interleaved on pads that were handed out to respondents. Responses to the four versions are combined into one dataset. All versions have questions in common as well as questions unique to each version. State Data: As mentioned above, a sample of exit poll precincts was drawn in each state. A subsample of these precincts was selected to form the national sample. The remaining precincts in each state made up the state sample and were given questionnaires specific to that state. Because the national questionnaire has several items in common with the state questionnaire, national respondents are included in the state exit poll dataset for these common questions. To determine which questions are on the national questionnaire, simply crosstab each question by QTYPE (found in column 13 of the ascii dataset), indicating whether the respondent completed the state or national survey. If the corresponding item did not appear on that respondent's version of the questionnaire, it was coded as system missing in the SPSS file and will appear as a blank in the ascii dataset. Remember, as noted above, some questions on the national survey appear on multiple versions of the national and some do not. Note that in 2008 all respondents in California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York answered one version of the national questionnaires. The exit poll results are weighted to reflect the complexity of the sampling design. That is, the weighting takes into account the different probabilities of selecting a precinct and of selecting a voter within each precinct. For example, minority precincts that were selected at a higher rate receive a smaller weight than other precincts of the same size. An adjustment is made for voters who were missed or refused to be interviewed, which is based on their observed age, race, and gender. Respondents are also weighted based upon the size and distribution of the final tabulated vote within geographic regions of the state or of the nation. Voters casting a ballot in the 2008 United States general election. The samples were selected in two stages. First, a probability sample of voting precincts within each state was selected that represents the di...

This poll, fielded December of 2011 and the first of two, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked how well Barack Obama was handling the presidency, foreign policy, the economy, terrorism, and job creation. Further questions were asked whether Obama was a strong leader, whether Obama had the same priorities for the country, whether Obama's presidency had brought different groups of Americans together, whether Obama had a clear idea for a second term, whether Obama fought hard for his policies, and whether Obama was down-to-earth. Additional topics included whether Congress was performing their job well, whether the country was moving in the right direction, whether the Republicans in Congress or Obama and the Democrats were to blame for the difficulties in passing legislation, and who was to blame for the state of the nation's economy. Respondents were also queried on whether they approved of the health care law and whether it affected them personally. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, marital status, household composition, education level, household income, employment status, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, voting behavior, and whether respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians.

This poll, fielded September 19-22, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,082 adults was surveyed, including oversamples of African Americans for a total of 163 African American respondents. Respondents were asked whether the Democratic or Republican party could be trusted to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation would face over the next few years, whether things in the country were going in the right direction, and how concerned they were about the national economy. Respondents were also asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, their opinions of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, their opinion of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, for whom they would vote in the general election in November, which candidate had the best chance of getting elected, and how comfortable respondents would be with a president who was African American or a president over the age of 72. Respondents identifying with the Democratic party, were asked for whom they originally voted for to be the party nominee: Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Economic topics addressed how concerned respondents were that they could maintain their current standard of living, the most difficult economic issue affecting their family, particularly personal finances, the stock market, and the ability to obtain bank loans. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, political party affiliation, voter registration status and participation history, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, military service, household income, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), home ownership and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded March, 2012, and the first of two, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling his job as president, foreign policy, the economy, and the situation with Iran. Respondents were also asked about the condition of the economy, and whether things in the country were on the right track. Multiple questions addressed the 2012 Republican presidential candidates, including respondents' overall opinions of several of the candidates and their views, as well as their confidence in each candidate's ability to make the right decisions about the economy and health care, and ability to be an effective commander-in-chief of the nation's military. Further questions asked what issues and qualities were most important in deciding who to support for the Republican nomination, what topics they would like to hear the candidates discuss, and which candidate would have the best chance of winning against Barack Obama. Other topics include Iran, birth control, and gasoline. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, social class, employment status, religious preference and participation, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), whether respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians, marital status, household composition, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, voting behavior, and the number of phones in their household.

This poll, fielded October 31 to November 2, 2008, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. This poll interviewed 1,051 adults nationwide, including 952 registered voters. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency, whether the country was moving in the right direction, and about the condition of the national economy. Registered voters were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, whether they had voted in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus in their state, the likelihood that they would vote in the general election, which presidential candidate they would vote for, and whether they planned to vote in person on election day, by mail or absentee ballot, or at an early voting location before election day. Those who had already voted were asked which presidential candidate they had voted for. Views were also sought on presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain and vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. Other questions addressed the respondent's financial situation compared to four years ago, how long they had lived at their current residence, and whether a person's race affected their chances of getting ahead in today's society. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, military service, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This survey shows the voter support for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in the 2012 election as of October 28, by educational attainment. If the elections were held that day, about 53 percent of college graduates registered to vote, would vote for Mitt Romney.

This poll, the second of three fielded January 2012, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked how well Barack Obama was handling the presidency, foreign policy, the economy, and the threat of terrorism. Multiple questions addressed which Republican presidential candidates were favored, which were most likely to win against President Obama, which candidates were most trusted to handle various political issues, as well as whether President Obama and the Republicans in Congress were working together. Additional topics included the role of religion in elections, campaign financing, the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movements, wealth distribution, and social class. Opinions were also sought about the most important problem facing the country at that time, and whether respondents felt the country was moving in the right direction. Finally, respondents were asked whether they voted in the 2008 presidential election and who they voted for, whether they had been contacted on behalf of any of the presidential candidates, and whether they were registered to vote. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, employment status, religious preference, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, and whether respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians.

This special topic poll, fielded January 23-24, 2008, re-interviewed 163 South Carolina registered voters first surveyed December 13-17, 2007, and included an oversample of African Americans. The dataset includes their responses to call-back questions as well as to selected questions in the original poll, CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY POLL, DECEMBER 2007 (ICPSR 24364), which queried South Carolina voters on George W. Bush's presidency, the upcoming 2008 presidential campaign and South Carolina presidential primary, whether they had ever voted in a primary, their opinions of the Democratic presidential nominees, and the likelihood that they would vote for a presidential candidate of a different race and gender than their own. In the call-back poll conducted a few days prior to the South Carolina Democratic primary on January 26, 2008, voters were re-interviewed about how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential race, the likelihood that they would vote in the upcoming Democratic presidential primary, if they had changed their choice of candidate since the last survey and why, the importance of the results of other state's primaries in their vote, and their opinions of Democratic presidential nominees Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. Questions were also posed regarding Bill Clinton's involvement in Hillary Clinton's campaign and whether America was ready to elect a president who was Black or a woman. Respondents who already voted in South Carolina's Republican primary on January 19, 2008, were asked for whom they had voted. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, marital status, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, labor union membership, the presence of children under 18, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, whether respondents considered themselves to be born-again Christians, and whether any household member had served in the armed forces in Iraq.

This poll, fielded May 1-3, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Opinions were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency and the condition of the national economy. Respondents were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, who they would vote for if the election were held that day, whether they were more likely to vote in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus in their state, who they wanted to see as the Democratic or Republican nominee, their level of support for this candidate, and who they expected to actually win the election. Respondents gave their opinions of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Other questions addressed the treatment of the candidates by the news media and the respondent's knowledge of the religious faith of the candidates. Opinions were also sought on Barack Obama's former minister Reverend Jeremiah Wright's statements and whether his statements affected the respondent's opinions of Obama, how well Obama handled the situation, the degree of influence Reverend Wright had on Obama's spiritual and political views, whether Obama shared Wright's feelings toward the United States, whether Wright's comments would affect how they voted in November, whether the media spent an appropriate amount of time covering the situation, and why Obama decided to renounce his ties to Reverend Wright. Additional questions asked about removing federal tax on gasoline during the summer months and whether the respondent ever disagreed with the statements made by their own religious leader. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, household income, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This statistic presents the voter turnout in the U.S. presidential elections from 1908 to 2012. Voter turnout in U.S. presidential elections in 1908 stood at **** percent. Additional information on voter turnout in the United States presidential elections Despite widespread societal and economic changes voter turnout has generally fluctuated between ** and ** percent. Turnouts above ** percent are rare and have not been witnessed since the middle of the 20th Century when American voter turnout was comparably higher. In the United States voting in presidential elections is not legally mandatory as it is in some countries such as Australia. Therefore, many American voters choose to remain absent from the ballot box every four years. In contrast to mid-term elections, years in which the bi-annual congressional elections take place in the absence of presidential campaigns, presidential elections enjoy a relatively larger degree of public attention. This difference could be seen to reflect a population who perceives the power of the president to be of greater influence than the country’s congressional house. This perception is particularly apparent among the millennial population of the United States. Although many millennials harbor a substantial level of mistrust toward many major political and civil institutions, the role of president is seen as relatively more trustworthy. This trend may however be subject to change following the departure of President Obama who proved himself popular among the millennial population in successive campaign victories.

Every four years in the United States, the electoral college system is used to determine the winner of the presidential election. In this system, each state has a fixed number of electors based on their population size, and (generally speaking) these electors then vote for their candidate with the most popular votes within their state or district. Since 1964, there have been 538 electoral votes available for presidential candidates, who need a minimum of 270 votes to win the election. Because of this system, candidates do not have to win over fifty percent of the popular votes across the country, but just win in enough states to receive a total of 270 electoral college votes. Popular results From 1789 until 1820, there was no popular vote, and the President was then chosen only by the electors from each state. George Washington was unanimously voted for by the electorate, receiving one hundred percent of the votes in both elections. From 1824, a popular vote has been conducted among American citizens (with varying levels of access for women, Blacks, and poor voters), to help electors in each state decide who to vote for (although the 1824 winner was chosen by the House of Representatives, as no candidate received over fifty percent of electoral votes). Since 1924, the difference in the share of both votes has varied, with several candidates receiving over 90 percent of the electoral votes while only receiving between fifty and sixty percent of the popular vote. The highest difference was for Ronald Reagan in 1980, where he received just 50.4 percent of the popular vote, but 90.9 percent of the electoral votes. Unpopular winners Since 1824, there have been 51 elections, and in 19 of these the winner did not receive over fifty percent of the popular vote. In the majority of these cases, the winner did receive a plurality of the votes, however there have been five instances where the winner of the electoral college vote lost the popular vote to another candidate. The most recent examples of this were in 2000, when George W. Bush received roughly half a million fewer votes than Al Gore, and in 2016, where Hillary Clinton won approximately three million more votes than Donald Trump.

This poll, fielded May 30-June 3, 2008, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, whether things in the country were going in the right direction, to rate the condition of the national economy, and what was the most important problem facing the country. Opinions were solicited on potential 2008 presidential candidates, how much attention respondents had been paying to the 2008 presidential election campaign, whether they voted in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus, which candidate they would like to see nominated as the 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, and which candidate they would vote for if the 2008 presidential election were being held that day. Respondents were also asked whether they would like to see Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama pick the other as their vice presidential running mate, whether the length of the Democratic nomination race would help the Democrats in November, whether there should be a single national primary election day, whether John McCain would continue George W. Bush's policies if elected, and respondents opinions about the way the news media had been treating the potential 2008 presidential candidates. A series of questions were asked about race and gender in politics, including how much of a factor a candidate's race or gender was in determining respondents' votes, whether America was ready to vote for an African American or a woman president, whether a sufficient number of women and African Americans held high level political positions, and whether Barack Obama's and Hillary Clinton's candidacies made it easier for other African Americans and women to run for president in the future. Additional questions asked about Bill Clinton's involvement in Hillary Clinton's campaign, gay marriage, the Iraq War, the price of gasoline, and personal finances. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, marital status, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, and voter registration status and participation history.