Elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008, during the war on terror and the onset of the Great Recession.

Obama won his party's presidential nomination after defeating Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries.

The major theme during the campaign was the American public's general desire for change and reform from both Washington and the policies of President Bush.

Democrats won the nationwide popular vote for the House of Representatives by 7.2 percentage points,[4] gaining 21 seats.

Eight incumbent state governors were running for re-election, while the retirements of Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware, Matt Blunt of Missouri, and Mike Easley of North Carolina left those gubernatorial positions open.

The incumbent governors of Puerto Rico, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, and American Samoa, Togiola Tulafono, were also up for re-election.

The only governorship that changed party hands was in Missouri: Democrat Jay Nixon was elected to replace Blunt, who chose to retire instead of seeking a second term.