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Since the 1860 election, U.S. presidential elections have been dominated by candidates affiliated with the Democratic and Republican parties. While the electoral votes decide the winner of the election, these are generally decided by the winner of the popular vote in each state (or district), and the winner of the nationwide popular vote does not always go on to win the electoral vote. Interestingly, there have been a number of occasions where the winner of the popular vote did not go on to win the electoral vote, for example in the 2016 election, or, most famously, in 2000.

Share of popular votes for the Democratic and Republican parties in presidential elections from 1860 to 2020

Characteristic	Democrat	Republican
2020	51.3%	46.9%
2016	48.1%	46%
2012	51.1%	47.2%
2008	52.9%	45.7%
2004	48.3%	50.7%
2000	48.4%	47.9%
1996	49.2%	40.7%
1992	43%	37.4%
1988	45.7%	53.4%
1984	40.6%	58.8%
1980	41%	50.4%
1976	50%	48%
1972	37.5%	60.7%
1968	42.7%	43.4%
1964	61.1%	38.5%
1960	49.7%	49.5%
1956	42%	57.4%
1952	44.4%	54.9%
1948	49.4%	45%
1944	53.3%	45.8%
1940	54.7%	44.8%
1936	60.2%	36.5%
1932	57.3%	39.6%
1928	40.7%	58%
1924	28.2%	54.1%
1920	34.1%	60.3%
1916	52.16%	47.83%
1912*	41.8%	23.2%
1908	43%	51.6%
1904	37.6%	56.4%
1900	45.5%	51.7%
1896	46.7%	51%
1892	46.1%	43%
1888	48.6%	47.8%
1884	48.5%	48.3%
1880	48.3%	48.2%
1876	51%	48%
1872	43.8%	55.6%
1868	47.3%	52.7%
1864**	45%	55%
1860***	18.1%	39.9%

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Release date

December 2020

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

1860 to 2020

Supplementary notes

*Former President Theodore Roosevelt ran as a Progressive Party (Bull Moose) candidate and took more votes than the Republican candidate, President William Howard Taft.

**Technically, Abraham Lincoln ran on the National Union ticket, which was a rebranding of the Republican Party during the Civil War.

***For the Southern Democratic candidate, John C. Breckenridge, only. Two other candidates took a noticeable portion of the votes.

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