Who won Tennessee in the 1880 presidential election?

Hancock (Democratic) carried Tennessee in 1880, winning its 12 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Tennessee have in 1880?

Tennessee cast 12 electoral votes in the 1880 presidential election.

Did Tennessee vote for the national winner in 1880?

No. Tennessee backed Hancock, while James A. Garfield won the presidency nationally.

Gilded AgeTN · 12 EV

1880

Tennessee: Hancock carries 12 EV.

Tennessee cast its 12 electoral votes for Hancock (Democratic). National winner: James A. Garfield (Republican) — Tennessee voted against the national winner this cycle.

Reading the 1880 result in Tennessee

Tennessee backed Hancock (Democratic) in the 1880 presidential election, casting 12 electoral votes for the ticket. The presidency went elsewhere: James A. Garfield (Republican) won nationally, while Tennessee had backed a different ticket.

Tennessee stayed in the Democratic column for the 3rd straight cycle, extending a run that began in 1872. Tennessee did not move alone — neighboring Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri broke the same way in 1880. Over its 57 recorded presidential cycles, Tennessee has backed the Democratic party more than any other — 24 times in all. The vote fell within the Gilded Age — Industrialization, narrow margins, and patronage politics.

Nationally, James A. Garfield finished with 214 of the 369 electoral votes to Winfield Scott Hancock's 155. James A. Garfield led the national popular vote with 48.31% of the ballots cast.

The 1880 national map

Tennessee full history →