Who won Rhode Island in the 1808 presidential election?

Pinckney (Federalist) carried Rhode Island in 1808, winning its 4 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Rhode Island have in 1808?

Rhode Island cast 4 electoral votes in the 1808 presidential election.

Did Rhode Island vote for the national winner in 1808?

No. Rhode Island backed Pinckney, while James Madison won the presidency nationally.

First Party SystemRI · 4 EV

1808

Rhode Island: Pinckney carries 4 EV.

Rhode Island cast its 4 electoral votes for Pinckney (Federalist). National winner: James Madison (Democratic-Republican) — Rhode Island voted against the national winner this cycle.

What happened in Rhode Island, 1808

In 1808, Rhode Island awarded its 4 electoral votes to Pinckney of the Federalist party. Nationally the result broke the other way — James Madison (Democratic-Republican) won the presidency, leaving Rhode Island among the states he did not carry.

The result flipped Rhode Island away from the Democratic-Republican it had supported in 1804. Rhode Island did not move alone — neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts broke the same way in 1808. Across the 59 presidential elections Rhode Island has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (25 times). The vote fell within the First Party System — Federalists vs Democratic-Republicans.

In the national count, James Madison took 122 of the 175 electoral votes, against Charles C. Pinckney's 47.

The 1808 national map

Rhode Island full history →