The final Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Election 2008 showed Barack Obama leading John McCain 52% to 46%. We are pleased to report that those figures precisely matched the actual election returns.

A Fordham University analysis put Rasmussen Reports on top of the list for accuracy among 23 national pollsters.

This matches our Election 2004 performance when our tracking poll was the only national poll to project the totals for Bush and Kerry within half a point of the actual totals.

Down the stretch, the race was remarkably stable. Rasmussen Reports showed Obama receiving either between 50% of the vote and 52% for the last 40 days of Election 2008. The ranged tightened a bit during the final two weeks--Obama received either 51% or 52% of the vote on 13 of the last 14 days.

For McCain, the numbers stayed between 44% and 47% of the vote for the final forty days of the campaign. He was at 46% or 47% of the vote every day for the final nine days of the tracking poll.

This consistency is important because it reflects the reality around us. When it comes to selecting a President, the overwhelming majority of Americans do not change their minds on a daily basis. Any poll showing volatility should automatically be viewed with caution.

The final major event of Election 2008 was the Wall Street meltdown following the collapse of Lehman Brothers. By late September, the campaign looked just as it did on Election Day. On every day but one of the final 40 days, Rasmussen Reports showed Obama with a 4 to 8 point lead, neatly bracketing the actual result reflected in our final poll.

See a comparison of our final state-by-state numbers with the actual results.

Also, take a look at our polling of key Senate races around the country.

See our final numbers from 2004 and 2006.