This Day in Henrico History: Nov. 4 – Obama carries Henrico in a major presidential voting shift
On Nov. 4, 2008, Henrico County voters gave Barack Obama a majority in the presidential election, a striking reversal for a county that had supported Republican presidential nominees for decades.
Contemporary Washington Post analysis found that Obama carried Henrico by 18,942 votes, taking approximately 52% to John McCain’s 46%. That result contrasted with the county’s vote for George W. Bush four years earlier.
The shift was part of a larger change in Virginia’s electoral map. Obama carried the commonwealth, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to do so since 1964. Henrico’s change reflected the increasing competitiveness of the Richmond suburbs.
Sources: Washington Post, November 13, 2008, county-level analysis; Virginia historical elections database, 2008 presidential election; Washington Post, November 5, 2008, statewide result.
