| 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- |
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 | |||
| DeWitt 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 | 1,601,274 | 50.9 | 254 | 69.6 |
| Winfield Scott | Whig | 1,386,580 | 44.1 | 42 | ||
| John P. Hale | Free-Soil | 155,825 | 5.0 | 5 | ||
| 1856 | JAMES BUCHANAN (Pa.) | Democratic | 1,838,169 | 45.3 | 174 | 78.9 |
| John C. Frémont | Republican | 1,341,264 | 33.1 | 114 | ||
| Millard Fillmore | American | 874,534 | 21.6 | 8 | ||
| 1860 | ABRAHAM LINCOLN (Ill.) | Republican | 1,866,452 | 39.9 | 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 (Ill.) | Republican | 2,213,665 | 55.1 | 212 | 73.8 |
| George B. McClellan | Democratic | 1,805,237 | 44.9 | 21 | ||
| 1868 | ULYSSES S. GRANT (Ill.) | Republican | 3,012,833 | 52.7 | 214 | 78.1 |
| Horatio Seymour | Democratic | 2,703,249 | 47.3 | 80 | ||
| 1872 | ULYSSES S. GRANT (Ill.) | 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 | 47.9 | 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- |
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 | — | ||
| 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 | — | ||
| William Z. Foster | Communist | 102,991 | 0.3 | — | ||
| 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 | 39 | ||
| 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 | 50.1 | 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 | Reform Party | 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 (Ill.) | Democratic | 69,456,897 | 52.9 | 365 | 56.8 |
| John McCain | Republican | 59,934,314 | 45.7 | 173 | ||
| 2012 | BARACK OBAMA (Ill.) | Democratic | 65,909,451 | 51.02 | 332 | 57.5 |
| Willard Mitt Romney | Republican | 60,932,176 | 47.16 | 206 | ||
| 2016* | DONALD J. TRUMP (N.Y.) | Republican | 59,704,886 | 47.5 | 279 | 56.5 |
| Hillary Clinton | Democratic | 59,938,290 | 47.7 | 228 | ||
| Gary Johnson | Libertarian | 4,072,835 | 3.3 | — | ||
| Jill Stein | Green Party | 1,218,065 | 1.0 | — |
Understanding the American Promise 3ePrinted Page A-13