by Jared Ott

Created on: November 14, 2008   Last Updated: November 20, 2010

On Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 Barack Obama was elected the next President of the United States. He will be the first black president in the history of the country. Not only did he win, it wasn't even close. Obama racked up 365 electoral votes to John McCain's 173. The popular vote went to Obama by more than 6%, an unprecedented margin (52.5% to 46.2%). Why did Barack Obama win by such a significant amount? Five main factors contributed to Obama's win: his disciplined campaign, his unprecedented fundraising ability, the emergence of the economy as the main campaign issue, the historically low approval rating of the current president (and his party, by association), and John McCain's campaign mistakes.

* A Disciplined Campaign*

The Obama campaign ran like a well oiled machine. The message was clear, simple, understandable, and delivered consistently. The candidate didn't contradict himself or make any major gaffes. On the issues Obama was clear, consistent, and comprehensive. A lot of the campaign's success can be attributed to the extended primary season. The campaign built a formidable ground network and Obama had over a year to practice and polish his public persona.

* Unprecedented Fundraising *

Obama raised more money than any presidential candidate in history, and outspent his opponents (first Hillary Clinton and then John McCain) by incredible sums. The Obama campaign revolutionized political fundraising by building a national network of on-line supporters, each of whom could be called upon to give multiple times in small increments. Compared to the traditional model of receiving one time donations of the maximum allowable amount from wealthy contributors, this ever-growing network of small financiers allowed Obama to build a wave of monetary support that swept his opponents away.

* John McCain's Campaign Mistakes *

If Obama ran a smooth, clear, efficient campaign, his opponent John McCain did the just opposite. From the outset it was unclear what type of candidate McCain would be or what group of voters he would appeal to. In order to shore up support among the Republican base, McCain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate. For about two weeks, it looked like a brilliant move. The base was energized, and McCain was free to court independent voters.

Unfortunately, Governor Palin was not a seasoned veteran of national politics, and it showed. Voters began seriously questioning her ability to be Vice President. It appeared McCain had not

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