By Daryl C. Hannah - Nov 11, 2008
Keywords: Barack Obama, election '08, voters
Millions of Americans turned out yesterday to elect President-elect Barack Obama, making him the first Black president of the United States. But while millions more spent last night and today celebrating the historic moment, the question remains: Who actually voted for Obama?
Of Obama's voters, more than 60 percent were white and 20 percent were Black, according to Edison/Mitofsky exit-poll information. Latinos made up 11 percent of votes for Obama. That's more than the percentage of Latinos who supported President Bush four years ago.
Where the Candidates Found Support.
| Voter Category | Obama Voters | McCain Voters | Kerry Voters | Bush Voters |
| White | 61% | 90% | 66% | 88% |
| Black | 23% | 1% | 21% | 2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 11% | 6% | 9% | 7% |
| Asian | 2% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
| Men | 44% | 50% | 42% | 49% |
| Women | 56% | 50% | 58% | 51% |
| Republicans | 6% | 64% | 5% | 68% |
| Independents | 28% | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| Democrats | 67% | 8% | 68% | 8% |
| Age under 45 | 52% | 42% | 46% | 44% |
| 45 and over | 48% | 58% | 53% | 56% |
| Income under $50,000 | 42% | 32% | 52% | 39% |
| $50,000 and over | 58% | 68% | 48% | 61% |
*Source: Edison/Mitofsky exit poll
But that's not all. Obama also received a large percentage of younger votes, claiming as much as a 10 percentage-point lead over his GOP opponent Sen. John McCain, ending the night 52-42 percent, respectively.
So why was Obama so successful among younger voters? Technology. This campaign season, more than 46 percent of Americans used the Internet, e-mail or text messaging to get information about the presidential campaign, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. A whopping 35 percent of Americans, two-thirds of whom are between the ages of 19 and 29, say they have watched online political videos, nearly three times what the organization reported in 2004. And Obama surely out paced is opponent when it comes to the internet advertising and spending.
| Amount of money spent on media | Sen. John McCain | Sen. Barack Obama |
| Print | $4,210 | $13.9 million |
| Broadcast: | $63.3 million | $160.4 million |
| Internet | $3 million | $11.9 million |
| Media Consultants | $624,144 | $194 million |
| Misc. | $9.8 million | $3.8 million |
*Source: OpenSecrets.org
