California was won by Democrat nominee Barack Obama with a 24.0% margin of victory, one of the highest in the history of the state's presidential elections. The state was generally considered as "solid Obama" or a safe blue state during the 2008 election.[1] No Republican has carried the state in a presidential election since 1988. Obama won this state with 61.01% of the popular vote and all of California's electoral votes. Republican candidate John McCain won 36.95% of the popular vote.