George W. Bush Republican Barack Obama Democratic Pre-consolidation: Post-consolidation: Pre-consolidation: Post-consolidation: The 2008 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election.

New York was won by Democratic nominee Barack Obama with a 26.9% margin of victory.

Since September 15, Obama won each poll with a double-digit margin of victory and each with at least 55% of the vote.

Michael Dukakis narrowly won it against George H. W. Bush in 1988, but the state has not been seriously contested since then.

It is now considered an uncontested blue state, and was heavily favored to vote for Obama by a significant margin.

The only borough McCain carried was Staten Island, traditionally the most conservative area of the city.

However, Obama also dominated heavily Democratic Western New York, including Buffalo and Rochester, and the Capital District (Albany, Schenectady and Troy), as well as the increasingly Democratic Long Island and Syracuse areas.

Obama also won a number of traditionally Republican-leaning counties in Upstate New York and became the first Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson to win an outright majority of votes in the Upstate (although Democratic candidates had been consistently winning pluralities of the vote since 1992).

In the 13th district, which consists of Staten Island and part of Brooklyn, Democrats picked up an open seat that was vacated by former Republican Vito Fossella who resigned after he was arrested for getting a DUI.

Democrat Michael McMahon solidly defeated Republican Robert Staniere by a two-to-one margin, 60.79–33.26%.

In New York's 29th congressional district, which includes Canandaigua, Democrat Eric Massa narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Randy Kuhl by 1.7 points.