1956
The 1956 U.S. presidential election was won by Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) with 457 of 531 electoral votes, defeating Adlai Stevenson II (Democratic). Electoral-vote margin: 384 (457 to 73). Popular-vote margin: 15.4 percentage points. Turnout was 60.2%. The cycle falls in the New Deal Coalition era of American electoral history.
Open the what-if calculator → — flip states and re-count. A toy, not history.
Dwight D. Eisenhower and the 1956 map
Eisenhower won re-election in an even larger landslide over a second Stevenson challenge, despite concerns about Ike's health after a heart attack in 1955. The Suez Crisis erupted days before the election, which paradoxically helped Eisenhower by reinforcing his image as the steady hand America needed in a dangerous world. Democrats retained control of Congress, making Eisenhower the first president since Zachary Taylor to win while his party lost both houses. A faithless elector in Alabama voted for Walter Jones.
Cold War; Suez Crisis; prosperity; Eisenhower's health
First president since Taylor to win while his party lost both houses of Congress
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.
An Alabama elector voted for Jones and Talmadge.
National Archives, Electoral College results for 1956, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.
States · 48 reporting
State results · 1956
- Missouri Stevenson by 3,974 · 0.2 pts
- Tennessee Eisenhower by 5,781 · 0.6 pts
- North Carolina Stevenson by 15,468 · 1.3 pts
- Arkansas Stevenson by 26,990 · 6.6 pts
- Minnesota Eisenhower by 101,777 · 7.6 pts
FloridaEisenhower won it by 14.5 points; its electoral votes took the total to 269, past the 266 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.
| State | Electoral votes | Dwight D. Eisenhower Rep | Adlai Stevenson II Dem | Margin | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 11 EV Stevenson 10, Jones 1 (faithless elector) | 195,694 39.4% | 280,844 56.5% | 85,150 17.1 pts | Stevenson Dem |
| Arizona1 | 4 EV | 176,9901 61.0% | 112,8801 38.9% | 64,110 22.1 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Arkansas | 8 EV | 186,287 45.8% | 213,277 52.5% | 26,990 6.6 pts | Stevenson Dem |
| California2 | 32 EV | 3,027,6682 55.4% | 2,420,1352 44.3% | 607,533 11.1 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Colorado | 6 EV | 394,479 59.5% | 263,997 39.8% | 130,482 19.7 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Connecticut | 8 EV | 711,837 63.7% | 405,079 36.3% | 306,758 27.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Delaware | 3 EV | 98,057 55.1% | 79,421 44.6% | 18,636 10.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Florida | 10 EV | 643,849 57.3% | 480,371 42.7% | 163,478 14.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Georgia | 12 EV | 222,778 33.3% | 444,388 66.4% | 221,610 33.1 pts | Stevenson Dem |
| Idaho | 4 EV | 166,979 61.2% | 105,868 38.8% | 61,111 22.4 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Illinois | 27 EV | 2,623,327 59.5% | 1,775,682 40.3% | 847,645 19.2 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Indiana | 13 EV | 1,182,811 59.9% | 783,908 39.7% | 398,903 20.2 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Iowa3 | 10 EV | 729,1873 59.1% | 501,8583 40.7% | 227,329 18.4 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Kansas | 8 EV | 566,878 65.4% | 296,317 34.2% | 270,561 31.2 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Kentucky4 | 10 EV | 572,1924 54.3% | 476,4534 45.2% | 95,739 9.1 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Louisiana5 | 10 EV | 329,0475 53.3% | 243,9775 39.5% | 85,070 13.8 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Maine | 5 EV | 249,238 70.9% | 102,468 29.1% | 146,770 41.7 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Maryland | 9 EV | 559,738 60.0% | 372,613 40.0% | 187,125 20.1 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Massachusetts | 16 EV | 1,393,197 59.3% | 948,190 40.4% | 445,007 18.9 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Michigan | 20 EV | 1,713,647 55.6% | 1,359,898 44.1% | 353,749 11.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Minnesota6 | 11 EV | 719,3026 53.7% | 617,5256 46.1% | 101,777 7.6 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Mississippi7 | 8 EV | 56,3727 22.7% | 144,4987 58.2% | 88,126 35.5 pts | Stevenson Dem |
| Missouri | 13 EV | 914,299 49.9% | 918,273 50.1% | 3,974 0.2 pts | Stevenson Dem |
| Montana | 4 EV | 154,933 57.1% | 116,238 42.9% | 38,695 14.3 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Nebraska | 6 EV | 378,108 65.5% | 199,029 34.5% | 179,079 31.0 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Nevada | 3 EV | 56,049 58.0% | 40,640 42.0% | 15,409 15.9 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| New Hampshire | 4 EV | 176,519 66.1% | 90,364 33.8% | 86,155 32.3 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| New Jersey8 | 16 EV | 1,606,9428 64.7% | 850,3378 34.2% | 756,605 30.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| New Mexico9 | 4 EV | 146,7889 57.8% | 106,0989 41.8% | 40,690 16.0 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| New York10,11 | 45 EV | 4,340,34010 61.2% | 2,750,76910 38.8% | 1,589,571 22.4 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| North Carolina | 14 EV | 575,062 49.3% | 590,530 50.7% | 15,468 1.3 pts | Stevenson Dem |
| North Dakota12 | 4 EV | 156,76612 61.7% | 96,74212 38.1% | 60,024 23.6 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Ohio | 25 EV | 2,262,610 61.1% | 1,439,655 38.9% | 822,955 22.2 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Oklahoma | 8 EV | 473,769 55.1% | 385,581 44.9% | 88,188 10.3 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Oregon | 6 EV | 406,393 55.2% | 329,204 44.8% | 77,189 10.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Pennsylvania13 | 32 EV | 2,585,25213 56.5% | 1,981,76913 43.3% | 603,483 13.2 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Rhode Island | 4 EV | 225,819 58.3% | 161,790 41.7% | 64,029 16.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| South Carolina14 | 8 EV | 75,70014 25.2% | 136,37214 45.4% | 60,672 20.2 pts | Stevenson Dem |
| South Dakota | 4 EV | 171,569 58.4% | 122,288 41.6% | 49,281 16.8 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Tennessee15 | 11 EV | 462,28815 49.2% | 456,50715 48.6% | 5,781 0.6 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Texas | 24 EV | 1,080,619 55.3% | 859,958 44.0% | 220,661 11.3 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Utah | 4 EV | 215,631 64.6% | 118,364 35.4% | 97,267 29.1 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Vermont | 3 EV | 110,390 72.2% | 42,549 27.8% | 67,841 44.3 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Virginia16 | 12 EV | 386,45916 55.4% | 267,76016 38.4% | 118,699 17.0 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Washington | 9 EV | 620,430 53.9% | 523,002 45.4% | 97,428 8.5 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| West Virginia | 8 EV | 449,297 54.1% | 381,534 45.9% | 67,763 8.2 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Wisconsin | 12 EV | 954,844 61.6% | 586,768 37.8% | 368,076 23.7 pts | Eisenhower Rep |
| Wyoming | 3 EV | 74,573 60.1% | 49,554 39.9% | 25,019 20.2 pts | Eisenhower 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
- Arizona The official table notes: Others: votes for T. Coleman Andrews (footnote 1).
- California The official table notes: Scattering includes 8 Christian Nationalist votes (footnote 2).
- Iowa The official table notes: Constitution column: A. C. P. of Iowa Party votes (footnote 3).
- Kentucky The official table notes: Magoffin County, Ky., vote does not include absentee ballots (footnote 4). Others: States' Rights votes (footnote 5).
- Louisiana The official table notes: Others: States' Rights votes (footnote 5).
- Minnesota The official table notes: Others: Industrial Government votes (footnote 6).
- Mississippi The official table notes: Others: Mississippi Black and Tan Grand Old Party votes (footnote 7).
- New Jersey The official table notes: Others: includes 5,317 votes for Conservative Party and 1,829 votes for American Third Party (footnote 8).
- New Mexico The official table notes: Others: votes for New Party (footnote 9).
- New York Adlai Stevenson II's figure is the sum of the lines the official table prints separately (Democrat 2,458,212; Liberal 292,557).
- New York The official table notes: Scattering includes 1,027 write-in votes for T. Coleman Andrews, 492 write-in votes for Thomas Werdel, 150 write-in votes for Eric Hass, 82 write-in votes for Darlington Hoopes, and 476 miscellaneous; there was no breakdown from Westchester County, all scattering votes from that county are carried as miscellaneous (footnote 10). Liberal column 292,557 is the Liberal Party line for Stevenson.
- North Dakota The official table notes: Others: votes for For America Party (footnote 11).
- Pennsylvania The official table notes: Others: Militant Workers votes (footnote 12).
- South Carolina The official table notes: Others: 'By petition' (footnote 13); the table does not say whom these electors supported.
- Tennessee The official table notes: Others: 19,820, no footnote.
- Virginia The official table notes: Others: includes 42,964 votes for States' Rights Party and 444 votes for Virginia Social Democratic Party (footnote 14).
SourceStatistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1956 . How these figures were compiled
Classroom
All 300 packets, free
60 cycles · K-2 through AP · open download.
Browse packets →Read further
Curated picksFreedom from Fear
David M. Kennedy
Pulitzer-winning history of the Depression and WWII.
Buy on Amazon →Master of the Senate
Robert A. Caro
Volume 3 of the LBJ biography.
Buy on Amazon →Recommendations are editorial.
Free, ad-light, no paywall
Built by one person. Tips fund the next 60 elections of editorial.