U.S. Politics and Government: Presidential Elections

U.S. Politics and Government

Presidential Elections

Year Candidates Parties Popular Vote Percentage of Popular Vote Electoral Vote Percentage of Voter Participation
1789 GEORGE WASHINGTON (Va.)* 69
John Adams 34
Others 35
1792 GEORGE WASHINGTON (Va.) 132
John Adams 77
George Clinton 50
Others 5
1796 JOHN ADAMS (Mass.) Federalist 71
Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 68
Thomas Pinckney Federalist 59
Aaron Burr Dem.-Rep. 30
Others 48
1800 THOMAS JEFFERSON (Va.) Dem.-Rep. 73
Aaron Burr Dem.-Rep. 73
John Adams Federalist 65
C. C. Pinckney Federalist 64
John Jay Federalist 1
1804 THOMAS JEFFERSON (Va.) Dem.-Rep. 162
C. C. Pinckney Federalist 14
1808 JAMES MADISON (Va.) Dem.-Rep. 122
C. C. Pinckney Federalist 47
George Clinton Dem.-Rep. 6
1812 JAMES MADISON (Va.) Dem.-Rep. 128
De Witt Clinton Federalist 89
1816 JAMES MONROE (Va.) Dem.-Rep. 183
Rufus King Federalist 34
1820 JAMES MONROE (Va.) Dem.-Rep. 231
John Quincy Adams Dem.-Rep. 1
1824 JOHN Q. ADAMS (Mass.) Dem.-Rep. 108,740 30.5 84 26.9
Andrew Jackson Dem.-Rep. 153,544 43.1 99
William H. Crawford Dem.-Rep. 46,618 13.1 41
Henry Clay Dem.-Rep. 47,136 13.2 37
1828 ANDREW JACKSON (Tenn.) Democratic 647,286 56.0 178 57.6
John Quincy Adams National Republican 508,064 44.0 83
1832 ANDREW JACKSON (Tenn.) Democratic 687,502 55.0 219 55.4
Henry Clay National Republican 530,189 42.4 49
John Floyd Independent 11
William Wirt Anti-Mason 33,108 2.6 7
1836 MARTIN VAN BUREN (N.Y.) Democratic 765,483 50.9 170 57.8
W. H. Harrison Whig 73
Hugh L. White Whig 739,795 49.1 26
Daniel Webster Whig 14
W. P. Mangum Independent 11
1840 WILLIAM H. HARRISON (Ohio) Whig 1,274,624 53.1 234 78.0
Martin Van Buren Democratic 1,127,781 46.9 60
J. G. Birney Liberty 7,069
1844 JAMES K. POLK (Tenn.) Democratic 1,338,464 49.6 170 78.9
Henry Clay Whig 1,300,097 48.1 105
J. G. Birney Liberty 62,300 2.3
1848 ZACHARY TAYLOR (La.) Whig 1,360,099 47.4 163 72.7
Lewis Cass Democratic 1,220,544 42.5 127
Martin Van Buren Free-Soil 291,263 10.1
1852 FRANKLIN PIERCE (N.H.) Democratic 1,601,117 50.9 254 69.6
Winfield Scott Whig 1,385,453 44.1 42
John P. Hale Free-Soil 155,825 5.0
1856 JAMES BUCHANAN (Pa.) Democratic 1,832,995 45.3 174 78.9
John C. Frémont Republican 1,339,932 33.1 114
Millard Fillmore American 871,731 21.6 8
1860 ABRAHAM LINCOLN (III.) Republican 1,866,452 39.8 180 81.2
Stephen A. Douglas Democratic 1,375,157 29.4 12
John C. Breckinridge Democratic 847,953 18.1 72
John Bell Union 590,631 12.6 39
1864 ABRAHAM LINCOLN (III.) Republican 2,213,665 55.1 212 73.8
George B. McClellan Democratic 1,805,237 44.9 21
1868 ULYSSES S. GRANT (III.) Republican 3,012,833 52.7 214 78.1
Horatio Seymour Democratic 2,703,249 47.3 80
1872 ULYSSES S. GRANT (III.) Republican 3,597,132 55.6 286 71.3
Horace Greeley Democratic; Liberal Republican 2,834,125 43.9 66
1876 RUTHERFORD B. HAYES (Ohio) Republican 4,036,298 48.0 185 81.8
Samuel J. Tilden Democratic 4,288,590 51.0 184
1880 JAMES A. GARFIELD (Ohio) Republican 4,454,416 48.5 214 79.4
Winfield S. Hancock Democratic 4,444,952 48.1 155
1884 GROVER CLEVELAND (N.Y.) Democratic 4,874,986 48.5 219 77.5
James G. Blaine Republican 4,851,981 48.3 182
1888 BENJAMIN HARRISON (Ind.) Republican 5,439,853 47.9 233 79.3
Grover Cleveland Democratic 5,540,309 48.6 168
1892 GROVER CLEVELAND (N.Y.) Democratic 5,555,426 46.1 277 74.7
Benjamin Harrison Republican 5,182,690 43.0 145
James B. Weaver People’s 1,029,846 8.5 22
1896 WILLIAM McKINLEY (Ohio) Republican 7,104,779 51.1 271 79.3
William J. Bryan Democratic-People’s 6,502,925 47.7 176
1900 WILLIAM McKINLEY (Ohio) Republican 7,207,923 51.7 292 73.2
William J. Bryan Dem.-Populist 6,358,133 45.5 155
1904 THEODORE ROOSEVELT (N.Y.) Republican 7,623,486 57.9 336 65.2
Alton B. Parker Democratic 5,077,911 37.6 140
Eugene V. Debs Socialist 402,283 3.0
1908 WILLIAM H. TAFT (Ohio) Republican 7,678,908 51.6 321 65.4
William J. Bryan Democratic 6,409,104 43.1 162
Eugene V. Debs Socialist 420,793 2.8
1912 WOODROW WILSON (N.J.) Democratic 6,293,454 41.9 435 58.8
Theodore Roosevelt Progressive 4,119,538 27.4 88
William H. Taft Republican 3,484,980 23.2 8
Eugene V. Debs Socialist 900,672 6.1
1916 WOODROW WILSON (N.J.) Democratic 9,129,606 49.4 277 61.6
Charles E. Hughes Republican 8,538,221 46.2 254
A. L. Benson Socialist 585,113 3.2
1920 WARREN G. HARDING (Ohio) Republican 16,143,407 60.5 404 49.2
James M. Cox Democratic 9,130,328 34.2 127
Eugene V. Debs Socialist 919,799 3.4
1924 CALVIN COOLIDGE (Mass.) Republican 15,725,016 54.0 382 48.9
John W. Davis Democratic 8,386,503 28.8 136
Robert M. La Follette Progressive 4,822,856 16.6 13
1928 HERBERT HOOVER (Calif.) Republican 21,391,381 57.4 444 56.9
Alfred E. Smith Democratic 15,016,443 40.3 87
Norman Thomas Socialist 881,951 2.3
William Z. Foster Communist 102,991 0.3
1932 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (N.Y.) Democratic 22,821,857 57.4 472 56.9
Herbert Hoover Republican 15,761,841 39.7 59
Norman Thomas Socialist 881,951 2.2
1936 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (N.Y.) Democratic 27,751,597 60.8 523 61.0
Alfred M. Landon Republican 16,679,583 36.5 8
William Lemke Union 882,479 1.9
1940 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (N.Y.) Democratic 27,244,160 54.8 449 62.5
Wendell Willkie Republican 22,305,198 44.8 82
1944 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (N.Y.) Democratic 25,602,504 53.5 432 55.9
Thomas E. Dewey Republican 22,006,285 46.0 99
1948 HARRY S. TRUMAN (Mo.) Democratic 24,105,695 49.5 303 53.0
Thomas E. Dewey Republican 21,969,170 45.1 189
J. Strom Thurmond States’-Rights Democratic 1,169,021 2.4 38
Henry A. Wallace Progressive 1,156,103 2.4
1952 DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (N.Y.) Republican 33,936,252 55.1 442 63.3
Adlai Stevenson Democratic 27,314,992 44.4 89
1956 DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (N.Y.) Republican 35,575,420 57.6 457 60.6
Adlai Stevenson Democratic 26,033,066 42.1 73
Other 1
1960 JOHN F. KENNEDY (Mass.) Democratic 34,227,096 49.9 303 62.8
Richard M. Nixon Republican 34,108,546 49.6 219
Other 15
1964 LYNDON B. JOHNSON (Tex.) Democratic 43,126,506 61.1 486 61.7
Barry M. Goldwater Republican 27,176,799 38.5 52
1968 RICHARD M. NIXON (N.Y.) Republican 31,770,237 43.4 301 60.9
Hubert H. Humphrey Democratic 31,270,533 42.7 191
George Wallace American Indep. 9,906,141 13.5 46
1972 RICHARD M. NIXON (N.Y.) Republican 47,169,911 60.7 520 55.2
George S. McGovern Democratic 29,170,383 37.5 17
Other 1
1976 JIMMY CARTER (Ga.) Democratic 40,830,763 50.0 297 53.5
Gerald R. Ford Republican 39,147,793 48.0 240
Other 1,575,459 2.1
1980 RONALD REAGAN (Calif.) Republican 43,901,812 51.0 489 54.0
Jimmy Carter Democratic 35,483,820 41.0 49
John B. Anderson Independent 5,719,722 7.0
Ed Clark Libertarian 921,188 1.1
1984 RONALD REAGAN (Calif.) Republican 54,455,075 59.0 525 53.1
Walter Mondale Democratic 37,577,185 41.0 13
1988 GEORGE H. W. BUSH (Tex.) Republican 47,946,422 54.0 426 50.2
Michael S. Dukakis Democratic 41,016,429 46.0 112
1992 WILLIAM J. CLINTON (Ark.) Democratic 44,908,254 43.0 370 55.9
George H. W. Bush Republican 39,102,282 38.0 168
H. Ross Perot Independent 19,721,433 19.0
1996 WILLIAM J. CLINTON (Ark.) Democratic 47,401,185 49.2 379 49.0
Robert Dole Republican 39,197,469 40.7 159
H. Ross Perot Independent 8,085,294 8.4
2000 GEORGE W. BUSH (Tex.) Republican 50,456,062 47.8 271 51.2
Al Gore Democratic 50,996,862 48.4 267
Ralph Nader Green Party 2,858,843 2.7
Patrick J. Buchanan 438,760 0.4
2004 GEORGE W. BUSH (Tex.) Republican 61,872,711 50.7 286 60.3
John F. Kerry Democratic 58,894,584 48.3 252
Other 1,582,185 1.3
2008 BARACK OBAMA (III.) Democratic 69,456,897 52.9 365 56.8
John McCain Republican 59,934,314 45.7 173
2012 BARACK OBAMA (III.) Democratic 65,909,451 51.02 332 58
Willard Mitt Romney Republican 60,932,176 47.16 152
Other 2,350,895 1.82

*State of residence when elected president.