US Presidential Elections 1900-2024

Comparison of US Presidential Elections
in the United States
Data Range
Election
Year 		PresidentElec
Coll
Winner		Elec
Coll
Opp'nt		Pop. Vote
Winner		Pop. Vote
Opp'nt		Issue
 2024  Donald Trump (R) 312 226 77.30m 75.02m Fight, Fight, Fight
 2020  Joe Biden (D) 306 232 81.27m 74.22m COVID
 2016  Donald Trump (R) 304 227 62.98m 65.85m MAGA
 2012  Barack Obama [D] 332 206 65.92m 60.93m Economy
 2008  Barack Obama [D] 365 173 69.50m 59.95m Crisis of 2007-2010
 2004  George W. Bush [R] 286 251 62.04m 59.03m Iraq War
 2000  George W. Bush [R] 271 266 50.46m 51.00m Clinton scandals
 1996  William J. Clinton [D] 379 159 45.59m 37.82m Welfare reform
 1992  William J. Clinton [D] 370 168 44.91m 39.10m Recession
 1988  George Bush [R] 426 111 48.89m 41.81m “No new taxes!”
 1984  Ronald Reagan [R] 525 13 54.46m 37.58m Morning in America
 1980  Ronald Reagan [R] 489 49 43.90m 35.48m Inflation, Iran hostages
 1976  Jimmy Carter [D] 297 240 40.83m 39.15m Nixon scandals
 1972  Richard M. Nixon [R] 520 17 47.17m 29.17m Vietnam War
 1968  Richard M. Nixon [R] 301 191 31.79m 31.28m Vietnam War
 1964  Lyndon B. Johnson [D] 486 52 43.13m 27.18m Civil rights
 1960  John F. Kennedy [D] 303 219 34.23m 34.11m Recession, missile gap
 1956  Dwight D. Eisenhower [R] 457 73 35.59m 26.02m Prosperity
 1952  Dwight D. Eisenhower [R] 442 89 33.94m 27.31m Korean War
 1948  Harry S. Truman [D] 303 189 24.18m 21.99m Do Nothing Congress
 1944  Franklin D. Roosevelt [D] 432 99 25.61m 22.12m World War II
 1940  Franklin D. Roosevelt [D] 449 82 27.31m 22.35m World War II, FDR 3rd term
 1936  Franklin D. Roosevelt [D] 523 8 27.76m 16.68m New Deal, Social Security
 1932  Franklin D. Roosevelt [D] 472 59 22.83m 15.76m Great Depression
 1928  Herbert C. Hoover [R] 444 87 21.44m 15.01m Boom, anti-Catholicism
 1924  Calvin Coolidge [R] 382 136 15.72m 8.39m Prosperity
 1920  Warren G. Harding [R] 404 127 16.15m 9.13m Normalcy
 1916  Woodrow Wilson [D] 277 254 9.13m 8.55m World War I
 1912  Woodrow Wilson [D] 435 88 6.29m 4.12m Republican split
 1908  William H. Taft [R] 321 162 7.68m 6.41m Class warfare
 1904  Theodore Roosevelt [R] 336 140 7.63m 5.08m Square Deal
 1900  William McKinley [R] 292 155 7.22m 6.36m Spanish-American War
 Notes:

1. Estimate from RealClearPolitics.com. Tossups 50/50.

Presidential Elections

By example of President Washington from 1789 to 1940 and by law since the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951 a President of the United States has one chance to be reelected. His reelection necessarily becomes a referendum on his first term. Usually the main issue is the president’s stewardship of the nation’s economy.

 — Christopher Chantrill

presented by Christopher Chantrill
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