who did obama run against

Barack Obama ran against different opponents in each of his two presidential general‑election campaigns.

2008 election

In 2008, Obama ran as the Democratic nominee against Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, with Joe Biden as Obama’s running mate and Sarah Palin as McCain’s.

• Obama won with about 52.9% of the popular vote and 365 electoral votes.

2012 reelection

In 2012, as the incumbent president, Obama ran again as the Democratic nominee against Republican former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney , with Paul Ryan as Romney’s vice‑presidential pick.

• Obama won a second term with about 51.1% of the popular vote and 332 electoral votes.

Quick‑reference table

Election year| Obama’s opponent (party)| Running mate (opponent)| Outcome for Obama
---|---|---|---
2008| John McCain (Republican)| Sarah Palin| Won: 365 electoral votes 39
2012| Mitt Romney (Republican)| Paul Ryan| Won: 332 electoral votes 79

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.