Presidential Elections
George Washington won the first ever United States Presidential election back in 1789 and was basically a unanimous selection by the electors.
The 12th Amendment in 1804 changed the procedure so each elector had one vote for President and one for Vice President (instead of two votes for President).
These days electors still choose the president, but a popular vote in each state determines which candidate receives that state's electoral votes.
| Date | Winner | Electoral (Pop. Vote) | Other Candidates |
| 2008 | Barack Obama | 365-173 (52.8%) | John McCain (REP - 45.8%); Ralph Nader (IND - 0.6%); Bob Barr (LIB - 0.4%) |
| 2004 | George W Bush | 286-251 (50.7%) | John Kerry (DFL - 48.3%); Ralph Nader (IND - 0.4%); Michael Badnarik (LIB - 0.3%); Michael Peroutka (CON - 0.1%); David Cobb (GRN - 0.1%) |
| 2000 | George W Bush | 271-266 (47.9%) | Al Gore (DFL - 48.4%); Ralph Nader (GRN - 2.7%); Patrick Buchanan (REF - 0.4%); Harry Browne (LIB - 0.4%); Howard Phillips (CON - 0.1%); John Hagelin (NAT - 0.1%) |
| 1996 | Bill Clinton | 379-159 (49.2%) | Bob Dole (REP - 40.7%); H Ross Perot (REF - 8.4%); Ralph Nader (GRN - 0.7%); Harry Browne (LIB - 0.5%); Howard Phillips (TAX - 0.2%) |
| 1992 | Bill Clinton | 370-168 (43.0%) | George Bush (REP - 37.4%); H Ross Perot (IND - 18.9%); Andre Marrou (LIB - 0.3%); James Gritz (POP - 0.1%) |
| 1988 | George Bush | 426-111 (53.4%) | Michael Dukakis (DFL - 45.6%); Ronald Paul (LIB - 0.5%); Lenora Fulani (NA - 0.2%) |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan | 525-13 (58.8%) | Walter Mondale (DFL - 40.6%); David Bergland (LIB - 0.3%) |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan | 489-49 (50.7%) | Jimmy Carter (DFL - 41.0%); John Anderson (IND - 6.6%); Ed Clark (LIB - 1.1%); Barry Commoner (CIT - 0.3%) |
| 1976 | Jimmy Carter | 297-240 (50.1%) | Gerald Ford (REP - 48.0%); Eugene McCarthy (IND - 0.9%); Roger MacBride (LIB - 0.2%); Lester Maddox (AI - 0.2%); Thomas Anderson (AM - 0.2%) |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon | 520-17 (60.7%) | George McGovern (DEM - 37.5%); John Schmitz (AM - 1.4%); Linda Jenness (SOC - 0.1%); Benjamin Spock (Peoples - 0.1%) |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon | 301-191-46 (43.4%) | Hubert Humphrey (DEM - 42.7%); George Wallace (AI - 13.5%) |
| 1964 | Lyndon Johnson | 486-52 (61.1%) | Barry Goldwater (38.5%) |
| 1960 | John F Kennedy | 303-219 (49.7%) | Richard M Nixon (REP - 49.5%); Harry Byrd (DFL - 0.4%) |
| 1956 | Dwight D Eisenhower | 457-73 (57.4%) | Adlai Stevenson (DFL - 42%) |
| 1952 | Dwight D Eisenhower | 442-89 (55.2%) | Adlai Stevenson (DFL - 44.3%) |
| 1948 | Harry Truman | 303-189-39 (49.6%) | Thomas E Dewey (REP - 45.1%); J Strom Thurmond (States Rights - 2.4%); Henry Wallace (Progressive - 2.4%); Norman Thomas (Socialist) |
| 1944 | Franklin D Roosevelt | 432-99 (53.4%) | Thomas E Dewey (REP - 45.9%); Norman Thomas (Socialist - 0.2%); Claud Watson (Prohibition - 0.2%) |
| 1940 | Franklin D Roosevelt | 449-82 | Wendell Willkie (REP - 82); Norman Thomas (Socialist) |
| 1936 | Franklin D Roosevelt | 523-8 | Alfred M Landon (REP - 8); Norman Thomas (Socialist) |
| 1932 | Franklin D Roosevelt | 472-59 | Herbert Hoover (REP - 59); Norman Thomas (Socialist) |
| 1928 | Herbert Hoover | 444-87 | Alfred E Smith (DFL - 87); Norman Thomas (Socialist) |
| 1924 | Calvin Coolidge | 382-136-13 | John W Davis (DFL - 136); Robert La Follette (Prog. Socialist - 13) |
| 1920 | Warren G Harding | 404-127 | James M Cox (DFL - 127); Eugene V Debs (Socialist) |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson | 277-254 | Charles E Hughes (REP - 254); A L Benson (Socialist) |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson | 435-88-8 | Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive - 88); William H Taft (REP - 8); Eugene V Debs (Socialist) |
| 1908 | William H Taft | 321-162 | William J Bryan (DFL - 162); Eugene V Debs (Socialist) |
| 1904 | Theodore Roosevelt | 336-140 | Alton B Parker (DFL - 140); Eugene V Debs (Socialist) |
| 1900 | William McKinley | 292-155 | William J Bryan (Dem Peoples - 155); Eugene V Debs (Social Dem) |
| 1896 | William McKinley | 271-176 | William J Bryan (Dem Peoples - 176); John M Palmer (Natl Dem); Joshua Levering (Prohibition) |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland | 277-145-22 | Benjamin Harrison (REP - 145); James B Weaver (Peoples - 22); John Bidwell (Prohibition) |
| 1888 | Benjamin Harrison | 233-168 | Grover Cleveland (DFL - 168); Clinton B Fisk (Prohibition); Alson J Streeter (Union Labor) |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland | 219-182 | James G Blaine (REP - 182); Benjamin F Butler (Greenback); John P St John (Prohibition) |
| 1880 | James A Garfield | 214-155 | Winfield S Hancock (DFL - 155); James B Weaver (Greenback) |
| 1876 | Rutherford B Hayes | 185-184 | Samuel J Tilden (DFL - 184); Peter Cooper (Greenback) |
| 1872 | Ulysses S Grant | 286-42-18 | Horace Greeley (Dem Lib Rep); Thomas A Hendricks (DFL - 42); B Gratz Brown (Dem Lib Rep - 18); Charles J Jenkins (DFL - 2); David Davis (DFL - 1); Votes Not Counted (17) |
| 1868 | Ulysses S Grant | 214-80-23 | Horatio Seymour (DFL - 80); Votes Not Counted (23) |
| 1864 | Abraham Lincoln | 212-21 | George B McClellan (DFL - 21) |
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | 180-72-39 | John C Breckinridge (DFL - 72); John Bell (Const. Union - 39); Stephen A Douglas (DFL - 12) |
| 1856 | James Buchanan | 174-114-8 | John C Fremont (REP - 114); Millard Fillmore (American - 8) |
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | 254-42 | Winfield Scott (Whig - 42) |
| 1848 | Zachary Taylor | 163-127 | Lewis Cass (Democratic - 127) |
| 1844 | James K Polk | 170-105 | Henry Clay (Whig - 105) |
| 1840 | William H Harrison | 234-60 | Martin Van Buren (Democratic - 60) |
| 1836 | Martin Van Buren | 170-73-26 | William H Harrison (Whig - 73); Hugh L White (Whig - 26); Daniel Webster (Whig - 14); WP Mangum (No Party - 11) |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson | 219-49 | Henry Clay (Natl Rep - 49); John Floyd (No Party - 11); William Wirt (Antimasonic - 7); Votes Not Cast (2) |
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson | 178-83 | John Quincy Adams (Nat'l Rep - 83) |
| 1824 | John Quincy Adams | 84-99-41-37 | Andrew Jackson (No Party - 99); William H Crawford (No Party - 41); Henry Clay (No Party - 37) |
| 1820 | James Monroe | 231-1 | John Quincy Adams (Independent - 1) |
| 1816 | James Monroe | 183-34-4 | Rufus King (Federalist - 34); Votes Not Cast (4) |
| 1812 | James Madison | 128-89-1 | DeWitt Clinton (Federalist - 89); Votes Not Cast (1) |
| 1808 | James Madison | 122-47-6 | Charles C Pinckney (Federalist - 47); George Clinton (Dem-Rep - 6); Votes Not Cast (1) |
| 1804 | Thomas Jefferson | 162-14 | Charles C Pinckney (Federalist - 14) |
| 1800 | Thomas Jefferson | 73-73 | Aaron Burr (Dem-Rep - 73); John Adams (Federalist - 65); Charles C Pinckney (Federalist - 64); John Jay (Federalist - 1) |
| 1796 | John Adams | 71-68-59 | Thomas Jefferson (Dem-Rep - 68); Thomas Pinckney (Federalist - 59); Aaron Burr (Dem-Rep - 30); Scattering (48) |
| 1792 | George Washington | 132-77-50 | John Adams (Federalist - 77); George Clinton (Anti-Federalist - 50); Thomas Jefferson (Anti-Federalist - 4); Aaron Burr (Anti-Federalist - 1); Votes Not Cast (6) |
| 1789 | George Washington | 69-34 | John Adams (No Party - 34); Scattering (35); Votes Not Cast (8) |