Highs and Lows for Barack Obama on His Path to the Presidency

Primary Campaign
Highs
—Barack Obama beats front-runner Hillary Clinton in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. His campaign strategy, built around his experience as a community organizer, helps in the crucial first contest of the season. The victory makes him a viable candidate in later states, partly because African-American voters shift support to Obama from Clinton after the Iowa win.
—Obama all but locks up the Democratic nomination after winning the North Carolina primary May 6, but the battle continues until Clinton concedes a month later. Obama officially accepts his party’s nomination in August at a packed football stadium in Denver.
Lows
—Pre-primary polls show Obama leading in New Hampshire, the second key primary contest. An Obama win could have fatally wounded Clinton, but her surprising victory Jan. 8 keeps the primary fight going six more months.
—Controversial comments made by Obama - and his pastor - emerge during the primary season and threaten his candidacy. Obama is caught on tape at a private fundraiser saying that economic hard times had prompted “bitter” people in small towns to “cling to guns or religion.“ Obama complains that the comments were taken out of context, but they hurt his campaign in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. And Obama had to denounce sermons by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the longtime pastor of Obama’s church in Chicago. The controversy led Obama to deliver a speech on race relations in March.

General Election
Highs
—Harnessing the power of the Internet like no candidate in history, Barack Obama shatters all previous fundraising records. He turns down public funding and the spending restrictions that came with it, raising nearly $750 million during the campaign. Republican opponent John McCain struggles to keep pace, and Obama vastly outspends McCain on television ads in key swing states in the final month before the election.
—Obama’s strong showing in three televised debates against McCain helps quell concerns about Obama’s readiness to be president in a time of war. His calm, relatively gaffe-free performances help solidify his lead over McCain in the final month. On Nov. 4, Obama becomes the first African-American president, winning 53 percent of the popular vote, and defeating McCain 365 to 173 in the Electoral College.
Lows
—McCain rides a bounce from his selection of Sarah Palin and the Republican National Convention to a lead in the polls in early September. Democrats begin to fret about Obama’s campaign strategy, but his advisers tell supporters not to worry. Positive response to Obama’s proposals to fix the worsening economy - and several missteps by McCain on the issue - in mid-September allow him to retake the lead.
—The campaign takes on an angry and racist tone in the final weeks. Angry individuals at a McCain campaign event call Obama a “terrorist” and an “Arab” and the Secret Service investigates when someone calls out “kill him.“ Federal agents break up a plot by white supremacists in Tennessee to assassinate Obama.

Transition
Highs
—Unlike the last Democratic president-elect, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama moves quickly to select his Cabinet and senior White House staff after the election. Among his picks: Eric Holder, who would be the first African-American Attorney General; one-time rival Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State; and a Republican, Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood to head the Transportation Department.
—Obama’s popularity rises in the weeks after the election. At year’s end, 69 percent of Americans tell pollsters they are confident Obama will be a good president, according to Gallup. The high marks contrast with the record-low standing of President George W. Bush, who earned the approval of less than a third of Americans.
Lows
—Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is accused by federal authorities of attempting to profit from the appointment of Obama’s replacement in the Senate. Obama’s transition team produces a report describing contacts with Blagojevich’s office regarding the controversy that absolved the president-elect and his staff of wrongdoing.
—The economic freefall continues, ensuring that Obama will enter office in one of the most challenging times in recent memory. Consumer confidence crashes, unemployment soars, and the domestic auto industry nears collapse as Obama’s economic advisers work with congressional Democrats to prepare a stimulus package.
—Obama’s choice for commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, is forced to withdraw after a grand jury investigation. And his choice of Leon Panetta for CIA director draws skepticism from some Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Inauguration
Highs
—Enthusiasm for President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony is expected to draw a record crowd to Washington, with officials bracing for up to 3 million visitors. Overwhelming demand for the 240,000 tickets prompted organizers to open up the entire National Mall for overflow crowds to watch the ceremony on giant video screens. To spread the festivities beyond Washington, Obama will hold events in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Del., and Baltimore on his way to the inauguration.
—Obama’s inauguration Jan. 20 comes a day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a fitting salute for civil rights veterans who see the election of the first African-American president as part of King’s legacy. On the MLK holiday, Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will participate in “activities dedicated to serving others in communities across the Washington, D.C. area.“
Lows
—Record crowds are expected to create a host of challenges for organizers. Transportation officials worry that the huge number of visitors will overload the Washington-area public transportation system and highway network. Hotel rooms in the area are expensive and nearly impossible to find, forcing some visitors to stay as far away as Pennsylvania. And forecasters expect bitter cold temperatures that could create problems for the very young and elderly spending hours outdoors.
—Obama’s inaugural plans largely escaped controversy. But he faced a backlash from some gay advocates for choosing the popular evangelical pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration.