The American Vote

1876
1895

Era · 5 elections

Gilded Age

Elections

Gilded Age: winner of each election
YearWinnerElectoral votesPopular voteRunner-up
1876Rutherford B. Hayes
185
of 369
4,033,391
48.0%
Samuel J. Tilden
184 electoral votes
1880James A. Garfield
214
of 369
4,449,053
48.4%
Winfield Scott Hancock
155 electoral votes
1884Grover Cleveland
219
of 401
4,911,017
48.9%
James G. Blaine
182 electoral votes
1888Benjamin Harrison
233
of 401
5,440,216
47.8%
Grover Cleveland
168 electoral votes
1892Grover Cleveland
277
of 444
5,556,928
46.1%
Benjamin Harrison
145 electoral votes

Popular vote is the sum of the sourced state counts, shown only where every state that held a popular vote has one; sums from county returns (1868–1972) can run a few tenths of a point below national totals published elsewhere.

Electoral votesNational Archives, Electoral College results: 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1892 (public domain, read 2026-10-03). How these figures were compiled

SourcesThe Tribune Almanac and Political Register for 1878 (Public domain in the United States: published before 1931, retrieved 2026-10-03); Algara & Amlani, U.S. county presidential returns 1868-2020 (CC0 1.0, retrieved 2026-10-03); The World Almanac 1886 (Public domain in the United States: published before 1931, retrieved 2026-10-03); The World Almanac 1891 (Public domain in the United States: published before 1931, retrieved 2026-10-03); The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1894 (Public domain in the United States: published before 1931, retrieved 2026-10-03). How these figures were compiled

Closest and widest margins

Closest

1876Rutherford B. Hayes, 185 of 369 electoral votes · margin 1

Widest

1892Grover Cleveland, 277 of 444 electoral votes · margin 132

Margin is the winner’s electoral votes minus those of the next-highest candidate, as on the closest-elections ranking. Elections of 1789–1800 (two votes per elector) and those decided by the House are not ranked.

From the National Archives

The electoral votes of four states were disputed. Congress referred the matter to the Electoral Commission, which it established for the sole purpose of determining the winner of the election. The Electoral Commission gave the decision to Rutherford B. Hayes.

National Archives, Electoral College results for 1876, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.