Who won Tennessee in the 1888 presidential election?

Cleveland (Democratic) carried Tennessee in 1888, winning its 12 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Tennessee have in 1888?

Tennessee cast 12 electoral votes in the 1888 presidential election.

Did Tennessee vote for the national winner in 1888?

No. Tennessee backed Cleveland, while Benjamin Harrison won the presidency nationally.

Gilded AgeTN · 12 EV

1888

Tennessee: Cleveland carries 12 EV.

Tennessee cast its 12 electoral votes for Cleveland (Democratic). National winner: Benjamin Harrison (Republican) — Tennessee voted against the national winner this cycle.

What happened in Tennessee, 1888

In 1888, Tennessee awarded its 12 electoral votes to Cleveland of the Democratic party. The presidency went elsewhere: Benjamin Harrison (Republican) won nationally, while Tennessee had backed a different ticket.

Tennessee stayed in the Democratic column for the 5th 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 1888. 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, Benjamin Harrison finished with 233 of the 401 electoral votes to Grover Cleveland's 168. Though Benjamin Harrison won the Electoral College, Grover Cleveland drew more of the national popular vote — 48.63% to 47.8%.

The 1888 national map

Tennessee full history →