United States presidential elections in California

Last updated
Presidential elections in California
California in United States.svg
Number of elections43
Voted Democratic19
Voted Republican22
Voted other2
Voted for winning candidate35
Voted for losing candidate8

Since being admitted to the Union in 1850, California has participated in 43 presidential elections. A bellwether from 1888 to 1996, voting for the losing candidates only three times in that span, California has become a reliable state for Democratic presidential candidates since 1992.

Contents

List

Bold indicates the presidential candidate who won the national election.

Year
WinnerRunner-upOther
TEV
Sources
CandidatePartyVotes %
EV
CandidatePartyVotes %
EV
Votes %
EV
1852 Franklin Pierce Democratic 40,72153.02%4 Winfield Scott Whig 35,97246.83%1170.15%4 [1]
1856 James Buchanan Democratic 53,34248.38%4 Millard Fillmore Know Nothing 36,19532.83%20,71818.79%4 [2] [lower-alpha 1]
1860 Abraham Lincoln Republican 38,73332.30%4 Stephen A. Douglas Democratic 37,99931.70%43,09535.96%4 [3] [lower-alpha 2]
1864 Abraham Lincoln National Union 62,05358.60%5 George B. McClellan Democratic 43,83741.40%5 [4]
1868 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 54,58850.20%5 Horatio Seymour Democratic 54,06849.80%5 [5]
1872 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 54,00756.38%6 Horace Greeley Liberal Republican 40,71742.51%1,0611.11%6 [6]
1876 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican 79,25850.88%6 Samuel J. Tilden Democratic 76,46049.08%660.04%6 [7]
1880 Winfield Scott Hancock Democratic 80,42648.98%5 James A. Garfield Republican 80,28248.89%13,5102.14%6 [8]
1884 James G. Blaine Republican 102,36951.97%8 Grover Cleveland Democratic 89,28845.33%5,3312.71%8 [9]
1888 Benjamin Harrison Republican 124,81649.66%8 Grover Cleveland Democratic 117,72946.84%8,7943.49%8 [10]
1892 Grover Cleveland Democratic 118,17443.83%8 Benjamin Harrison Republican 118,02743.78%133,40812.39%9 [11] [lower-alpha 3]
1896 William McKinley Republican 146,68849.16%8 William Jennings Bryan Democratic 144,76648.51%16,9652.33%9 [12]
1900 William McKinley Republican 164,75554.50%9 William Jennings Bryan Democratic 124,98541.34%13,2644.38%9 [13]
1904 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 205,22661.84%10 Alton B. Parker Democratic 89,40426.94%37,24811.22%10 [14] [lower-alpha 4]
1908 William Howard Taft Republican 214,39855.46%10 William Jennings Bryan Democratic 127,49232.98%44,70711.56%10 [15] [lower-alpha 5]
1912 Theodore Roosevelt Progressive 283,61041.83%11 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 283,43641.81%2110,89816.36%13 [16] [lower-alpha 6]
1916 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 466,28946.65%13 Charles Evans Hughes Republican 462,51646.27%70,7987.08%13 [17]
1920 Warren G. Harding Republican 624,99266.20%13 James M. Cox Democratic 229,19124.28%89,8679.52%13 [18] [lower-alpha 7]
1924 Calvin Coolidge Republican 733,25057.20%13 Robert M. La Follette Socialist 424,64933.13%124,0019.67%13 [19] [lower-alpha 8]
1928 Herbert Hoover Republican 1,162,32364.69%13 Al Smith Democratic 614,36534.19%19,9681.11%13 [20]
1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 1,324,15758.39%22 Herbert Hoover Republican 847,90237.39%95,9074.22%22 [21]
1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 1,766,83666.95%22 Alf Landon Republican 836,43131.70%35,6151.35%22 [22]
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 1,877,61857.44%22 Wendell Willkie Republican 1,351,41941.34%39,7541.22%22 [23]
1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 1,988,56456.48%25 Thomas E. Dewey Republican 1,512,96542.97%19,3460.55%25 [24]
1948 Harry S. Truman Democratic 1,913,13447.57%25 Thomas E. Dewey Republican 1,895,26947.13%213,1355.29%25 [25]
1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 3,035,58756.83%32 Adlai Stevenson II Democratic 2,257,64642.27%48,3700.90%32 [26]
1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 3,027,66855.39%32 Adlai Stevenson II Democratic 2,420,13544.27%18,5520.34%32 [27]
1960 Richard Nixon Republican 3,259,72250.10%32 John F. Kennedy Democratic 3,224,09949.55%22,7570.35%32 [28]
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic 4,171,87759.11%40 Barry Goldwater Republican 2,879,10840.79%6,6010.09%40 [29]
1968 Richard Nixon Republican 3,467,66447.82%40 Hubert Humphrey Democratic 3,244,31844.74%539,6057.44%40 [30] [lower-alpha 9]
1972 Richard Nixon Republican 4,602,09655.00%45 George McGovern Democratic 3,475,84741.54%289,9193.47%45 [31]
1976 Gerald Ford Republican 3,882,24449.35%45 Jimmy Carter Democratic 3,742,28447.57%242,5893.08%45 [32]
1980 Ronald Reagan Republican 4,524,85852.69%45 Jimmy Carter Democratic 3,083,66135.91%978,54411.40%45 [33] [lower-alpha 10]
1984 Ronald Reagan Republican 5,467,00957.51%47 Walter Mondale Democratic 3,922,51941.27%115,8951.22%47 [34]
1988 George H. W. Bush Republican 5,054,91751.13%47 Michael Dukakis Democratic 4,702,23347.56%129,9141.32%47 [35]
1992 Bill Clinton Democratic 5,121,32546.01%54 George H. W. Bush Republican 3,630,57432.61%2,379,82221.38%54 [36] [lower-alpha 11]
1996 Bill Clinton Democratic 5,119,83551.10%54 Bob Dole Republican 3,828,38038.21%1,071,26910.68%54 [37] [lower-alpha 12]
2000 Al Gore Democratic 5,861,20353.45%54 George W. Bush Republican 4,567,42941.65%537,2244.91%54 [38]
2004 John Kerry Democratic 6,745,48554.31%55 George W. Bush Republican 5,509,82644.36%166,5481.34%55 [39]
2008 Barack Obama Democratic 8,274,47361.01%55 John McCain Republican 5,011,78136.95%296,8292.19%55 [40]
2012 Barack Obama Democratic 7,854,28560.24%55 Mitt Romney Republican 4,839,95837.12%361,5722.77%55 [41]
2016 Hillary Clinton Democratic 8,753,78861.73%55 Donald Trump Republican 4,483,81031.62%1,005,8437.06%55 [42]
2020 Joe Biden Democratic 11,110,25063.48%55 Donald Trump Republican 6,006,42934.32%384,1922.20%55 [43]
Year
CandidatePartyVotes %
EV
CandidatePartyVotes %
EV
Votes %
EV
TEV
Sources
WinnerRunner-upOther

See also

Notes

  1. In 1856, Republican candidate John C. Frémont won 20,704 votes (18.78%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [2]
  2. In 1860, Southern Democratic candidate John C. Breckinridge won 33,969 votes (28.35%), and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell won 9,111 votes (7.60%) in California but neither received an electoral vote from the state. [3]
  3. In 1892, Populist candidate James B. Weaver won 25,311 votes (9.39%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [11]
  4. In 1904, Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs won 29,535 votes (8.90%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [14]
  5. In 1908, Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs won 28,659 votes (7.41%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [15]
  6. In 1912, Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs won 79,201 votes (11.68%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [16]
  7. In 1920, Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs won 64,076 votes (6.79%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [18]
  8. In 1924, Democratic candidate John W. Davis won 105,514 votes (8.23%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [19]
  9. In 1968, American Independent candidate George Wallace won 487,270 votes (6.72%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [30]
  10. In 1980, Independent candidate John B. Anderson won 739,833 votes (8.72%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [33]
  11. In 1992, Independent candidate Ross Perot won 2,296,006 votes (20.63%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [36]
  12. In 1996, Reform candidate Ross Perot won 697,847 votes (6.96%) in California but did not receive an electoral vote from the state. [37]

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References

  1. Leip, Dave. "1852 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Leip, Dave. "1856 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Leip, Dave. "1860 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  4. Leip, Dave. "1864 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  5. Leip, Dave. "1868 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. Leip, Dave. "1872 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  7. Leip, Dave. "1876 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  8. Leip, Dave. "1880 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  9. Leip, Dave. "1884 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. Leip, Dave. "1888 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Leip, Dave. "1892 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  12. Leip, Dave. "1896 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  13. Leip, Dave. "1900 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  14. 1 2 Leip, Dave. "1904 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Leip, Dave. "1908 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  16. 1 2 Leip, Dave. "1912 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  17. Leip, Dave. "1916 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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  19. 1 2 Leip, Dave. "1924 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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  21. Leip, Dave. "1932 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  22. Leip, Dave. "1936 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  23. Leip, Dave. "1940 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  24. Leip, Dave. "1944 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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  28. Leip, Dave. "1960 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  29. Leip, Dave. "1964 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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  31. Leip, Dave. "1972 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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