2008 Democratic National Convention
The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The convention was held in Denver, Colorado, from August 25 to 28, 2008, at the Pepsi Center. Senator Barack Obama from Illinois gave his acceptance speech on August 28 at Invesco Field in what the party called an "Open Convention". Denver last hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1908. Obama became the party's first nonwhite nominee, and nominee of African descent, for president. Senator Joe Biden from Delaware was nominated for vice president.
| 2008 presidential election | |
| Nominees Obama and Biden | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | August 25–28, 2008 |
| City | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Venue | Pepsi Center (August 25 – August 27) Invesco Field at Mile High (August 28) |
| Chair | Nancy Pelosi of California |
| Keynote speaker | Mark Warner of Virginia |
| Notable speakers | Michelle Obama Ted Kennedy Hillary Clinton Bill Clinton Nancy Pelosi John Kerry Al Gore Dick Durbin |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Barack Obama of Illinois |
| Vice presidential nominee | Joe Biden of Delaware |
| Other candidates | Hillary Clinton |
| Voting | |
| Total delegates | 4,419 |
| Votes needed for nomination | 2,210 |
| Results (president) | Obama (IL): 3,188.5 (72.15%) Clinton (NY): 1,010.5 (22.87%) Abstention: 1 (0.00%) Not Voting: 219 (4.96%) |
| Results (vice president) | Biden (DE): 100% (Acclamation) |
| Ballots | 1 |
2008 U.S. presidential election | |
|---|---|
| Democratic Party | |
| Republican Party | |
| Minor parties | |
| Related races | |
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Obama officially received the nomination for president on August 27, when his former opponent, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, interrupted the official roll call to move that Obama be selected by acclamation. U.S. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware accepted the nomination for vice president on the same night. Obama accepted his nomination the following night in a speech at Invesco Field before a record-setting crowd of 84,000 people in attendance.