The 2008 Democratic presidential primaries were the process by which the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois won and became the party's nominee. However, due to a close race between Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the contest remained competitive for longer than expected, and neither candidate received enough delegates from state primary races and caucuses to achieve a majority without so-called superdelegate votes.