The American Vote
2024 result
Gilded AgeCycle 24 / 60

1880

James A. Garfield and the 1880 map.
James A. Garfield (Republican) defeated Winfield Scott Hancock (Democratic), 48.3% to 48.2% of the popular vote.

The 1880 U.S. presidential election was won by James A. Garfield (Republican) with 214 of 369 electoral votes, defeating Winfield Scott Hancock (Democratic). Electoral-vote margin: 59 (214 to 155). Popular-vote margin: 0.1 percentage points. Turnout was 80.5%. The cycle falls in the Gilded Age era of American electoral history.

Garfield
214 EV
Hancock
155 EV
0185 to win369
The map · 1880
19 states for Rep · 19 for Dem
ALAKAZARCACOFLGAIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMIMNMSMOMTNENVNMNYNCNDOHOKORPASCSDTNTXUTVAWAWVWIWY

Open the what-if calculator → — flip states and re-count. A toy, not history.

Narrative

James A. Garfield and the 1880 map

Republican James Garfield defeated Democrat Winfield Hancock in the closest popular vote in US history — a margin of just 1,898 votes out of nearly nine million cast. Garfield was a compromise dark horse candidate chosen on the 36th ballot at the Republican convention, picking Chester Arthur as VP to satisfy party factions. Garfield was shot by a disappointed office-seeker in July 1881 and died in September, making his presidency one of the shortest in history.

Key issue

Civil service reform; Stalwart vs. Half-Breed Republican factions; tariff policy

Notable

Closest popular vote ever (1,898 votes); Garfield was assassinated after just 6 months

This summary was drafted with AI tools and has not yet been checked sentence by sentence. The vote table and the National Archives note on this page come from named sources; where they differ from the summary, rely on them. Tell us about an error.

From the National Archives

President Garfield was shot by an assassin on July 2, 1881, and died from his wounds on September 19, 1881. He was succeeded by Vice President Arthur, who took the oath of office formally in New York City, on September 20, 1881, and again ceremonially in Washington, DC, on September 22, 1881.

National Archives, Electoral College results for 1880, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.

States · 38 reporting

NY
New York
Rep · 35 EV
PA
Pennsylvania
Rep · 29 EV
OH
Ohio
Rep · 22 EV
IL
Illinois
Rep · 21 EV
IN
Indiana
Rep · 15 EV
MO
Missouri
Dem · 15 EV
MA
Massachusetts
Rep · 13 EV
KY
Kentucky
Dem · 12 EV
TN
Tennessee
Dem · 12 EV
GA
Georgia
Dem · 11 EV
IA
Iowa
Rep · 11 EV
MI
Michigan
Rep · 11 EV
VA
Virginia
Dem · 11 EV
AL
Alabama
Dem · 10 EV
NC
North Carolina
Dem · 10 EV
WI
Wisconsin
Rep · 10 EV
NJ
New Jersey
Dem · 9 EV
LA
Louisiana
Dem · 8 EV
MD
Maryland
Dem · 8 EV
MS
Mississippi
Dem · 8 EV
TX
Texas
Dem · 8 EV
ME
Maine
Rep · 7 EV
SC
South Carolina
Dem · 7 EV
AR
Arkansas
Dem · 6 EV
CA
California
Dem · 6 EV · Hancock 5, Garfield 1
CT
Connecticut
Rep · 6 EV
KS
Kansas
Rep · 5 EV
MN
Minnesota
Rep · 5 EV
NH
New Hampshire
Rep · 5 EV
VT
Vermont
Rep · 5 EV
WV
West Virginia
Dem · 5 EV
FL
Florida
Dem · 4 EV
RI
Rhode Island
Rep · 4 EV
CO
Colorado
Rep · 3 EV
DE
Delaware
Dem · 3 EV
NE
Nebraska
Rep · 3 EV
NV
Nevada
Dem · 3 EV
OR
Oregon
Rep · 3 EV

State results · 1880

Popular vote by state, with each state's electoral votes.
Closest states
  1. California Hancock by 78 · 0.05 pts
  2. New Jersey Hancock by 2,010 · 0.8 pts
  3. Indiana Garfield by 6,636 · 1.4 pts
  4. Oregon Garfield by 671 · 1.6 pts
  5. New York Garfield by 21,033 · 1.9 pts
Tipping point

New YorkGarfield won it by 1.9 points; its electoral votes took the total to 195, past the 185 needed.

Line up the states the winner carried from widest margin to narrowest and add up their electoral votes: the tipping point is the state that takes the total past a majority.

Scroll the table sideways for every column.

1880 presidential election results by state: popular vote, margin and electoral votes
StateElectoral votes
James A. Garfield
Rep
Winfield Scott Hancock
Dem
James B. Weaver
Grb
MarginLeader
Alabama1
10 EV
56,1781
37.1%
90,6871
59.9%
4,6421
3.1%
34,509
22.8 pts
 Hancock Dem
Arkansas2
6 EV
41,6612
39.2%
60,4892
56.9%
4,0792
3.8%
18,828
17.7 pts
 Hancock Dem
California3
6 EV
Hancock 5, Garfield 1
80,3483
48.9%
80,4263
49.0%
3,3923
2.1%
78
0.05 pts
 Hancock Dem
Colorado4
3 EV
27,4504
51.3%
24,6474
46.0%
1,4354
2.7%
2,803
5.2 pts
 Garfield Rep
Connecticut5
6 EV
67,0735
50.7%
64,4175
48.7%
Not named
2,656
2.0 pts
 Garfield Rep
Delaware6
3 EV
14,1506
48.2%
15,1836
51.8%
Not named
1,033
3.5 pts
 Hancock Dem
Florida7
4 EV
23,6547
45.8%
27,9647
54.2%
Not named
4,310
8.3 pts
 Hancock Dem
Georgia8
11 EV
52,6488
33.8%
102,5228
65.9%
Not named
49,874
32.0 pts
 Hancock Dem
Illinois9
21 EV
318,0379
51.2%
277,3219
44.6%
26,3589
4.2%
40,716
6.5 pts
 Garfield Rep
Indiana10
15 EV
232,16410
49.3%
225,52810
47.9%
12,98610
2.8%
6,636
1.4 pts
 Garfield Rep
Iowa11
11 EV
183,90411
57.1%
105,84511
32.9%
32,32711
10.0%
78,059
24.2 pts
 Garfield Rep
Kansas12
5 EV
121,52012
60.5%
59,78912
29.7%
19,71012
9.8%
61,731
30.7 pts
 Garfield Rep
Kentucky13
12 EV
104,55013
39.6%
147,99913
56.1%
11,49813
4.4%
43,449
16.5 pts
 Hancock Dem
Louisiana14
8 EV
37,99414
36.6%
65,31014
63.0%
Not named
27,316
26.3 pts
 Hancock Dem
Maine15
7 EV
74,03915
51.6%
65,17115
45.4%
4,40815
3.1%
8,868
6.2 pts
 Garfield Rep
Maryland16
8 EV
78,51516
45.4%
93,70616
54.2%
Not named
15,191
8.8 pts
 Hancock Dem
Massachusetts17
13 EV
165,20517
58.6%
111,96017
39.7%
4,54817
1.6%
53,245
18.9 pts
 Garfield Rep
Michigan18
11 EV
185,19018
52.7%
131,30018
37.4%
34,79518
9.9%
53,890
15.3 pts
 Garfield Rep
Minnesota19
5 EV
93,90319
62.4%
53,31519
35.4%
3,26719
2.2%
40,588
27.0 pts
 Garfield Rep
Mississippi20
8 EV
34,85420
29.9%
75,75020
65.1%
5,79720
5.0%
40,896
35.1 pts
 Hancock Dem
Missouri21
15 EV
153,56721
38.7%
208,60921
52.5%
35,04521
8.8%
55,042
13.9 pts
 Hancock Dem
Nebraska22
3 EV
54,97922
62.9%
28,52322
32.7%
3,85322
4.4%
26,456
30.3 pts
 Garfield Rep
Nevada23
3 EV
8,73223
47.6%
9,61123
52.4%
Not named
879
4.8 pts
 Hancock Dem
New Hampshire24
5 EV
44,85224
52.0%
40,79424
47.3%
Not named
4,058
4.7 pts
 Garfield Rep
New Jersey25
9 EV
120,55525
49.1%
122,56525
49.9%
2,61725
1.1%
2,010
0.8 pts
 Hancock Dem
New York26
35 EV
555,54426
50.4%
534,51126
48.5%
12,37326
1.1%
21,033
1.9 pts
 Garfield Rep
North Carolina27
10 EV
115,87827
48.0%
124,20427
51.5%
Not named
8,326
3.5 pts
 Hancock Dem
Ohio28
22 EV
375,04828
51.9%
340,82128
47.2%
Not named
34,227
4.7 pts
 Garfield Rep
Oregon29
3 EV
20,61929
50.5%
19,94829
48.9%
Not named
671
1.6 pts
 Garfield Rep
Pennsylvania30
29 EV
444,70430
51.0%
407,42830
46.7%
20,66830
2.4%
37,276
4.3 pts
 Garfield Rep
Rhode Island31
4 EV
18,19531
62.3%
10,77931
36.9%
Not named
7,416
25.4 pts
 Garfield Rep
South Carolina32
7 EV
58,07132
34.0%
112,31232
65.7%
Not named
54,241
31.7 pts
 Hancock Dem
Tennessee33
12 EV
107,67733
44.5%
128,19133
53.0%
5,91633
2.4%
20,514
8.5 pts
 Hancock Dem
Texas34
8 EV
57,84534
24.0%
156,22834
64.7%
27,40534
11.3%
98,383
40.7 pts
 Hancock Dem
Vermont35
5 EV
45,09035
69.9%
18,18135
28.2%
1,21235
1.9%
26,909
41.7 pts
 Garfield Rep
Virginia36
11 EV
84,02036
39.6%
127,97636
60.3%
Not named
43,956
20.7 pts
 Hancock Dem
West Virginia37
5 EV
46,24337
41.0%
57,39137
50.9%
9,07937
8.1%
11,148
9.9 pts
 Hancock Dem
Wisconsin38
10 EV
144,39738
54.1%
114,63438
42.9%
7,98038
3.0%
29,763
11.1 pts
 Garfield Rep

Shares are of each state’s total vote for president. “Not named”: the figures do not give that candidate a line of their own in that state — for example under 1% of the vote, not on the ballot there, or counted on an unnamed line (see the state’s note). Margin is the leader’s lead over the second-placed candidate.

Notes on the figures

  1. Alabama The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  2. Arkansas The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  3. California The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  4. Colorado The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  5. Connecticut The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  6. Delaware The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  7. Florida The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  8. Georgia The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  9. Illinois The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  10. Indiana The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  11. Iowa The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  12. Kansas The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  13. Kentucky The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  14. Louisiana The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  15. Maine The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  16. Maryland The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  17. Massachusetts The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  18. Michigan The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  19. Minnesota The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  20. Mississippi The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  21. Missouri The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  22. Nebraska The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  23. Nevada The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  24. New Hampshire The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  25. New Jersey The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  26. New York The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  27. North Carolina The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  28. Ohio The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  29. Oregon The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  30. Pennsylvania The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  31. Rhode Island The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  32. South Carolina The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  33. Tennessee The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  34. Texas The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  35. Vermont The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  36. Virginia The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  37. West Virginia The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.
  38. Wisconsin The official table prints no state total here; the total is the sum of the tickets it lists.

SourceThe World Almanac 1886 (Public domain in the United States: published before 1931, retrieved 2026-10-03). How these figures were compiled

← Previous
1876
Rutherford B. Hayes · Rep

Classroom

All 300 packets, free

60 cycles · K-2 through AP · open download.

Browse packets →

Read further

Curated picks

The Republic for Which It Stands

Richard White

Reconstruction through the Gilded Age.

Buy on Amazon →

The Populist Vision

Charles Postel

Bancroft-winning history of Populism.

Buy on Amazon →

Recommendations are editorial.

Free, ad-light, no paywall

Built by one person. Tips fund the next 60 elections of editorial.

Tip on Ko-fi →