Important Elections

Mann's list

1796

1st presidential election where political parties played a significant role.

1800

John Adams (Fed) v. Thomas Jefferson (Dem. Rep.) 1st peaceful transition of power between two opposing parties.

1824

John Q. Adams (Dem. Rep.) v. Andrew Jackson (Dem. Rep.) v. Henry Clay (Dem. Rep.) v. William H. Crawford (Dem. Rep.) none of the candidates won the electoral vote majority. House voted for John Q. Adams (Each delegate got 1 vote).

1828

Andrew Jackson (Dem.) v. John Q. Adams (National Rep.) The transition from the first party system to the second. Jackson first president to not be from Virginia or Ma., removed voter restriction.

1840

William Henry Harrison (Whig) v. Martin Van Buren (Dem.) 1st of two whig victories, only election where whigs won majority popular vote.

1860

Abraham Lincoln (Rep.) v. John C Breckinridge (S. Dem.) v. John Bell (Constitutional Union) v. Stephen A Douglass (Dem.) Republican win for Lincoln was the main catalyst for Southern Secession + American Civil War.

1876

Rutherford B. Hayes (Rep.) v. Samuel J. Tilden (Dem.) Most contentious election in American history, only resolved by the compromise of 1877 w/ Hayes agreeing to end Reconstruction for presidency.

1896

William McKinley (Rep.) v. William Jennings Bryan (Dem.) political realignment that ended the third party system and formed the fourth party system.

1912

Woodrow Wilson (Dem.) v. Theodore Roosevelt (Pro.) v. William Howard Taft (Rep.) Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) Wilson was the first presidential candidate to receive over 400 electoral votes in a presidential election.

1932

Franklin D. Roosevelt (Dem.) v. Herbert Hoover (Rep.) Realigning election ending Fourth Party system and began the New Deal Coalition.

1960

Richard Nixon (Rep.) v. John Kennedy (Dem.) v. Byrd (Independant) 1st catholic candidate to win

1968

Richard Nixon (Rep.) Herbert Humphrey (Dem.) v. George Wallace (Amer. Independent) Permanently disrupted the New Deal Coalition.

1980

Ronald Reagan (Rep.) v. Jimmy Carter (Dem.) v. John B. Anderson (Independent) Ronald Reagan won by a landslide and this was a political realignment to conservatism.

2000

George w. Bush (Rep.) v. Al Gore (Dem.) 4/5 winner lost popular vote, one of the closest presidential elections in history.

2008

Barack Obama (Dem.) v. John McClain (Rep.) Obama was 1st African American to be elected as president.