Final answer:
The correct answer is option d. Barack Obama won the 2008 U.S. presidential election against John McCain with a decisive lead in both the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Step-by-step explanation:
2008 U.S. Presidential Election Winner:
In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Barack Obama won decisively against his Republican opponent, John McCain. Figure 13.4.17 from the provided reference material states that Chicago politician and Illinois Senator Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States following his 2008 victory over Arizona Senator John McCain. Obama secured a substantial lead in the popular vote, receiving nearly 10 million more votes than McCain.
Several previous elections demonstrated the discrepancies that can occur between the popular and Electoral College votes in U.S. presidential elections, as illustrated by the 1824, 2000, and 2016 elections. In each case, the winner of the Electoral College vote ultimately became the President, regardless of who won the popular vote. However, in the 2008 election, Obama won both the popular vote and the Electoral College by a significant margin.