The American Vote
2024 result

1992
2024

Era · 9 elections

Modern Polarization

Elections

Modern Polarization: winner of each election
YearWinnerElectoral votesPopular voteRunner-up
1992Bill Clinton
370
of 538
44,908,303
42.9%
George H. W. Bush
168 electoral votes
1996Bill Clinton
379
of 538
47,401,898
49.2%
Bob Dole
159 electoral votes
2000George W. Bush
271
of 538
50,456,169
47.8%
Al Gore
266 electoral votes
2004George W. Bush
286
of 538
62,040,606
50.7%
John Kerry
251 electoral votes
2008Barack Obama
365
of 538
69,498,459
52.9%
John McCain
173 electoral votes
2012Barack Obama
332
of 538
65,913,530
51.1%
Mitt Romney
206 electoral votes
2016Donald Trump
304
of 538
62,985,062
46.0%
Hillary Clinton
227 electoral votes
2020Joe Biden
306
of 538
81,282,809
51.3%
Donald Trump
232 electoral votes
2024Donald Trump
312
of 538
77,302,580
49.7%
Kamala Harris
226 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: 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024 (public domain, read 2026-10-03). How these figures were compiled

SourcesMIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. President 1976–2024 (CC0 1.0, retrieved 2026-10-03); Federal Election Commission, Federal Elections 92 (Public domain (work of the U.S. government, 17 U.S.C. § 105), retrieved 2026-10-03); Federal Election Commission, Federal Elections 2004: presidential results (Public domain (work of the U.S. government, 17 U.S.C. § 105), retrieved 2026-10-03); Federal Election Commission, Federal Elections 2012: presidential results (Public domain (work of the U.S. government, 17 U.S.C. § 105), retrieved 2026-10-03); Federal Election Commission, Federal Elections 2020 (Public domain (work of the U.S. government, 17 U.S.C. § 105), retrieved 2026-10-03). How these figures were compiled

Closest and widest margins

Closest

2000George W. Bush, 271 of 538 electoral votes · margin 5

Widest

1996Bill Clinton, 379 of 538 electoral votes · margin 220

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

George W. Bush received fewer popular votes than Albert Gore Jr., but received a majority of electoral votes. An elector from the District of Columbia "cast a blank ballot", effectively abstaining, so DC cast only 2 of its 3 electoral votes for a candidate for both President and Vice President.

National Archives, Electoral College results for 2000, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.

From the National Archives

Reform Party candidate H. Ross Perot received 7,866,284 popular votes for President, but no electoral votes.

National Archives, Electoral College results for 1996, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.

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