US presidential elections by popular vote margin

In a United States presidential election, the popular vote is the total number or percentage of votes cast for a candidate by voters in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.; the candidate who gets the most votes nationwide is said to have won the popular vote. However, the popular vote is not used to determine who is elected as the nation’s president or vice president. Thus it is possible for the winner of the popular vote to end up losing the election, an outcome that has occurred on five occasions, most recently in the 2016 election. This is because presidential elections are indirect elections; the votes cast on Election Day are not cast directly for a candidate, but for members of the Electoral College. The Electoral College’s electors then formally elect the president and vice president (From Wiki)

Candidate Year Party Popular vote Notes
Joe Biden 2020 Democratic ≥79,022,580 Winner. Exact vote count pending
Donald Trump 2020 Republican ≥73,308,512 Exact vote count pending
Barack Obama 2008 Democratic 69,498,516 Winner
Barack Obama 2012 Democratic 65,915,795 Winner
Hillary Clinton 2016 Democratic 65,853,514 Received the most votes, but lost the Electoral College.
Donald Trump 2016 Republican 62,984,828 Winner. Lost the popular vote, but won the Electoral College.
George W. Bush 2004 Republican 62,040,610 Winner
Mitt Romney 2012 Republican 60,933,504  
John McCain 2008 Republican 59,948,323  
John Kerry 2004 Democratic 59,028,444  
Ronald Reagan 1984 Republican 54,455,472 Winner
Al Gore 2000 Democratic 50,999,897 Received the most votes, but lost the Electoral College.
George W. Bush 2000 Republican 50,456,002 Winner. Lost the popular vote, but won the Electoral College.
George H. W. Bush 1988 Republican 48,886,597 Winner
Bill Clinton 1996 Democratic 47,401,185 Winner
Richard Nixon 1972 Republican 47,168,710 Winner
Bill Clinton 1992 Democratic 44,909,889 Winner
Ronald Reagan 1980 Republican 43,903,230 Winner
Lyndon B. Johnson 1964 Democratic 43,127,041 Winner
Michael Dukakis 1988 Democratic 41,809,074[8]  
Jimmy Carter 1976 Democratic 40,831,881[14] Winner
Bob Dole 1996 Republican 39,197,469[9]  
Gerald Ford 1976 Republican 39,148,634[14]  
George H. W. Bush 1992 Republican 39,104,550[11]  
Walter Mondale 1984 Democratic 37,577,352[6]  
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1956 Republican 35,579,180[15] Winner
Jimmy Carter 1980 Democratic 35,480,115[12]  
John F. Kennedy 1960 Democratic 34,220,984[16] Winner
Richard Nixon 1960 Republican 34,108,157[16]  
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1952 Republican 34,075,529[17] Winner
Richard Nixon 1968 Republican 31,783,783[18] Winner
Hubert Humphrey 1968 Democratic 31,271,839[18]  
George McGovern 1972 Democratic 29,173,222[10]  
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936 Democratic 27,752,648[19] Winner
Adlai Stevenson II 1952 Democratic 27,375,090[17]  
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940 Democratic 27,313,945[20] Winner
Barry Goldwater 1964 Republican 27,175,754[13]  
Adlai Stevenson II 1956 Democratic 26,028,028[15]  
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944 Democratic 25,612,916[21] Winner
Harry S. Truman 1948 Democratic 24,179,347[22] Winner
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1932 Democratic 22,821,277[23] Winner
Wendell Willkie 1940 Republican 22,347,744[20]  
Thomas E. Dewey 1944 Republican 22,017,929[21]  
Thomas E. Dewey 1948 Republican 21,991,292[22]  
Herbert Hoover 1928 Republican 21,427,123[24] Winner
Ross Perot 1992 Independent 19,743,821[11] Highest vote total of any third-party candidate.
Alf Landon 1936 Republican 16,679,543[19]  
Warren G. Harding 1920 Republican 16,144,093[25] Winner
Herbert Hoover 1932 Republican 15,761,254[23]  
Calvin Coolidge 1924 Republican 15,723,789[26] Winner
Al Smith 1928 Democratic 15,015,464[24]  
George Wallace 1968 American Independent 9,901,118[18]  
James M. Cox 1920 Democratic 9,139,661[25]  
Woodrow Wilson 1916 Democratic 9,126,868[27] Winner
Charles Evans Hughes 1916 Republican 8,548,728[27]  
John W. Davis 1924 Democratic 8,386,242[26]  
Ross Perot 1996 Reform 8,085,294[9]  
William Howard Taft 1908 Republican 7,678,335[28] Winner
Theodore Roosevelt 1904 Republican 7,630,557[29] Winner
William McKinley 1900 Republican 7,228,864[30] Winner
William McKinley 1896 Republican 7,112,138[31] Winner
William Jennings Bryan 1896 Democratic 6,509,052[31] Also endorsed by the Populist Party and the Silver Party
William Jennings Bryan 1908 Democratic 6,408,979[28]  
William Jennings Bryan 1900 Democratic 6,370,932[30]  
Woodrow Wilson 1912 Democratic 6,296,284[32] Winner
John B. Anderson 1980 Independent 5,719,850[12]  
Grover Cleveland 1892 Democratic 5,553,898[33] Winner
Grover Cleveland 1888 Democratic 5,534,488[34] Received the most votes, but lost the Electoral College.
Benjamin Harrison 1888 Republican 5,443,633[34] Lost the popular vote, but won the Electoral College.
Benjamin Harrison 1892 Republican 5,176,108[33]  
Alton B. Parker 1904 Democratic 5,083,880[29]  
Grover Cleveland 1884 Democratic 4,914,482[35] Winner
James G. Blaine 1884 Republican 4,856,905[35]  
Robert M. La Follette 1924 Progressive 4,831,706[26]  
Gary Johnson 2016 Libertarian 4,489,235[4]  
James A. Garfield 1880 Republican 4,453,337[36] Winner
Winfield Scott Hancock 1880 Democratic 4,444,976[36]  
Samuel J. Tilden 1876 Democratic 4,288,546[37] Received the most votes, but lost the Electoral College.
Theodore Roosevelt 1912 Progressive 4,122,721[32]  
Rutherford B. Hayes 1876 Republican 4,034,142[37] Lost the popular vote, but won the Electoral College.
Ulysses S. Grant 1872 Republican 3,597,439[38] Winner
William Howard Taft 1912 Republican 3,486,242[32]  
Ulysses S. Grant 1868 Republican 3,013,790[39] Winner
Ralph Nader 2000 Green 2,882,955[7]  
Horace Greeley 1872 Liberal Republican 2,834,761[38] Also endorsed by the Democratic Party
Horatio Seymour 1868 Democratic 2,708,744[39]  
Abraham Lincoln 1864 National Union 2,211,317[40] Winner
Abraham Lincoln 1860 Republican 1,855,993[41] Winner
James Buchanan 1856 Democratic 1,835,140[42] Winner
Jo Jorgensen 2020 Libertarian ≥1,834,632[1] Exact vote count pending
George B. McClellan 1864 Democratic 1,812,807[40]  
Franklin Pierce 1852 Democratic 1,605,943[43] Winner
Jill Stein 2016 Green 1,457,226[4]  
Winfield Scott 1852 Whig 1,386,942[43]  
Stephen A. Douglas 1860 Northern Democratic 1,380,202[41]  
Zachary Taylor 1848 Whig 1,360,235[44] Winner; Taylor was the last member of the Whig party elected president.
John C. Frémont 1856 Republican 1,342,345[42]  
James K. Polk 1844 Democratic 1,339,570[45] Winner
Henry Clay 1844 Whig 1,300,004[45]  
Gary Johnson 2012 Libertarian 1,275,971[3]  
William Henry Harrison 1840 Whig 1,275,583[46] Winner
Lewis Cass 1848 Democratic 1,223,460[44]  
Strom Thurmond 1948 Dixiecrat 1,175,930[22]  
Henry A. Wallace 1948 Progressive 1,157,328[22]  
Martin Van Buren 1840 Democratic 1,128,854[46]  
John G. Schmitz 1972 American Independent 1,100,868[10]  
James B. Weaver 1892 Populist 1,041,028[33]  
Ed Clark 1980 Libertarian 921,128[12]  
Eugene V. Debs 1920 Socialist 913,693[25]  
Eugene V. Debs 1912 Socialist 901,551[32]  
William Lemke 1936 Union 892,378[19]  
Norman Thomas 1932 Socialist 884,885[23]
Millard Fillmore 1856 American 873,053[42] Also endorsed by the Whig Party
John C. Breckinridge 1860 Southern Democratic 848,019[41]  
Martin Van Buren 1836 Democratic 763,291[47] Winner
Eugene McCarthy 1976 Independent 740,460[14]  
Ralph Nader 2008 Independent 739,034[2]  
Evan McMullin 2016 Independent 732,273[4]  
Andrew Jackson 1832 Democratic 702,735[48] Winner
Ralph Nader 1996 Green 685,297[9]  
Andrew Jackson 1828 Democratic 642,806[49] Winner
John Bell 1860 Constitutional Union 590,901[41]  
Allan L. Benson 1916 Socialist 590,524[27]  
William Henry Harrison 1836 Whig 550,816[47]  
Bob Barr 2008 Libertarian 523,715[2]  
John Quincy Adams 1828 National Republican 500,897[49]  
Harry Browne 1996 Libertarian 485,759[9]  
Henry Clay 1832 National Republican 484,205[48]  
Jill Stein 2012 Green 469,627[3]  
Ralph Nader 2004 Independent 465,151[5] Also endorsed by the Reform Party
Pat Buchanan 2000 Reform 448,895[7]  
Ron Paul 1988 Libertarian 431,750[8]  
Eugene V. Debs 1908 Socialist 420,852[28]  
Eugene V. Debs 1904 Socialist 402,810[29]  
Michael Badnarik 2004 Libertarian 397,265[5]  
Harry Browne 2000 Libertarian 384,431[7]  
Howie Hawkins 2020 Green ≥383,771[1] Exact vote count pending
James B. Weaver 1880 Greenback 308,649[36]  
Martin Van Buren 1848 Free Soil 291,501[44]  
Andre Marrou 1992 Libertarian 290,087[11]  
John Bidwell 1892 Prohibition 270,879[33]  
Norman Thomas 1928 Socialist 267,478[24]  
Parley P. Christensen 1920 Farmer–Labor 265,398[25]  
Silas C. Swallow 1904 Prohibition 259,102[29]  
Eugene W. Chafin 1908 Prohibition 254,087[28]  
Clinton B. Fisk 1888 Prohibition 249,819[34]  
Barry Commoner 1980 Citizens 233,052[12]  
David Bergland 1984 Libertarian 228,111[6]  
Frank Hanly 1916 Prohibition 221,302[27]  
Lenora Fulani 1988 New Alliance 217,221[8]  
John G. Woolley 1900 Prohibition 210,864[30]  
Eugene W. Chafin 1912 Prohibition 208,156[32]  
Darrell Castle 2016 Constitution 203,091[4]  
Chuck Baldwin 2008 Constitution 199,750[2]  
Aaron S. Watkins 1920 Prohibition 188,787[25]  
Norman Thomas 1936 Socialist 187,910[19]  
Howard Phillips 1996 Taxpayers 184,656[9]  
Roger MacBride 1976 Libertarian 172,557[14]  
Lester Maddox 1976 American Independent 170,274[14]  
Cynthia McKinney 2008 Green 161,797[2]  
Thomas J. Anderson 1976 American 158,271[14]  
John P. Hale 1852 Free Soil 155,210[43]  
Andrew Jackson 1824 Democratic-Republican 151,271[50] Received the most votes, but lost the election.[51]
John St. John 1884 Prohibition 147,482[35]  
Alson Streeter 1888 Union Labor 146,602[34]  
Hugh Lawson White 1836 Whig 146,109[47]  
Michael Peroutka 2004 Constitution 143,630[5]  
Vincent Hallinan 1952 Progressive 140,746[17]  
James Madison 1812 Democratic-Republican 140,431[52] Winner; a limited number of states counted the popular vote
Norman Thomas 1948 Socialist 139,569[22]  
John M. Palmer 1896 National Democratic 134,645[31]  
Benjamin Butler 1884 Anti-Monopoly 134,294[35] Also endorsed by the Greenback Party
DeWitt Clinton 1812 Democratic-Republican 132,781[52] Also endorsed by much of the Federalist Party. A limited number of states counted the popular vote
Joshua Levering 1896 Prohibition 131,312[31]  
James Madison 1808 Democratic-Republican 124,732[53][54] Winner; a limited number of states counted the popular vote
David Cobb 2004 Green 119,859[5]  
Norman Thomas 1940 Socialist 116,599[20]  
Thomas E. Watson 1904 Populist 114,070[29]  
John Hagelin 1996 Natural Law 113,670[9]  
John Quincy Adams 1824 Democratic-Republican 113,142[50] Lost the popular vote, but won the election.[51]
T. Coleman Andrews 1956 States’ Rights 107,929[15]  
Bo Gritz 1992 Populist 106,152[11]  
Thomas Jefferson 1804 Democratic-Republican 104,110[55][56] Winner; a limited number of states counted the popular vote
Claude A. Watson 1948 Prohibition 103,708[22]  
William Z. Foster 1932 Communist 103,307[23]  
William Wirt 1832 Anti-Masonic 100,715[48]

List of US Presidential Elections by Popular vote margin (Wikipedia)

Back to