2008 Election Battleground State Previews: Florida

No one will ever forget the madness that occurred in Florida in 2000. The hanging chads and the butterfly ballot questions and the seemingly endless recount, which finally ended in George W. Bush winning the state by 537 votes and winning the election. The Presidency was literally hanging on the balance and the state of Florida finally ended up in the republicans column. The Sunshine State as it is so often called is a hodge podge of demographics making it one of the most unique states to try to win. Let's take a look at how it shapes up in 2008 between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Florida Preview: Recent Elections

In 2004 George Bush actually won Florida by a little over 5% as the state trended slightly toward the republican side. Bush won the overall popular vote by 2.4%, so he outperformed his national average by about 2.6% in the state in 2004. In 2000 Bush outperformed his national average by about 0.5% in the state of Florida. This change is probably at least partially because in 2000 Al Gore had running mate Joe Lieberman alongside, who was pivotal in bringing in more of the Jewish vote. Historically Florida had been a fairly republican state, but in the last decade it has become a prime battleground state.

Florida Preview: Geographic Breakdown

Geographically, Florida is one of the most unique states in the country as far as its voting patterns. The panhandle of Florida isn't too highly populated, but it is a very strongly republican area. Jacksonville is also a republican bastion in the northeastern section of the state. Looking for democratic strongholds in the state? Look no further than Broward and Palm Beach county in southeastern Florida. What areas of the state does that leave as the main swing areas? Two very highly populated areas: Tampa Bay, and Orlando. Orlando has trended slightly toward the democrats in recent elections while Tampa has swung slightly toward the republicans.

Florida Preview: Recent Polls