Presidential elections in California
Presidential elections in California |
Number of elections | 43 |
---|
Voted Democratic | 19 |
---|
Voted Republican | 22 |
---|
Voted other | 2 |
---|
Voted for winning candidate | 35 |
---|
Voted for losing candidate | 8 |
---|
Since being admitted to the Union in 1850, California has participated in 43 presidential elections. A bellwether from 1888 to 1996, voting for the losing candidates only three times in that span, California has become a reliable state for Democratic presidential candidates since 1992.
List
Bold indicates the presidential candidate who won the national election.
Year
|
Winner
|
Runner-up
|
Other
|
|
Sources
|
Candidate
|
Party
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Candidate
|
Party
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
1852
|
Franklin Pierce
|
|
Democratic
|
40,721
|
53.02%
|
4
|
Winfield Scott
|
|
Whig
|
35,972
|
46.83%
|
–
|
117
|
0.15%
|
–
|
4
|
|
1856
|
James Buchanan
|
|
Democratic
|
53,342
|
48.38%
|
4
|
Millard Fillmore
|
|
Know Nothing
|
36,195
|
32.83%
|
–
|
20,718
|
18.79%
|
–
|
4
|
|
1860
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
|
Republican
|
38,733
|
32.30%
|
4
|
Stephen A. Douglas
|
|
Democratic
|
37,999
|
31.70%
|
–
|
43,095
|
35.96%
|
–
|
4
|
|
1864
|
Abraham Lincoln
|
|
National Union
|
62,053
|
58.60%
|
5
|
George B. McClellan
|
|
Democratic
|
43,837
|
41.40%
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
1868
|
Ulysses S. Grant
|
|
Republican
|
54,588
|
50.20%
|
5
|
Horatio Seymour
|
|
Democratic
|
54,068
|
49.80%
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
1872
|
Ulysses S. Grant
|
|
Republican
|
54,007
|
56.38%
|
6
|
Horace Greeley
|
|
Liberal Republican
|
40,717
|
42.51%
|
–
|
1,061
|
1.11%
|
–
|
6
|
|
1876
|
Rutherford B. Hayes
|
|
Republican
|
79,258
|
50.88%
|
6
|
Samuel J. Tilden
|
|
Democratic
|
76,460
|
49.08%
|
–
|
66
|
0.04%
|
–
|
6
|
|
1880
|
Winfield Scott Hancock
|
|
Democratic
|
80,426
|
48.98%
|
5
|
James A. Garfield
|
|
Republican
|
80,282
|
48.89%
|
1
|
3,510
|
2.14%
|
–
|
6
|
|
1884
|
James G. Blaine
|
|
Republican
|
102,369
|
51.97%
|
8
|
Grover Cleveland
|
|
Democratic
|
89,288
|
45.33%
|
–
|
5,331
|
2.71%
|
–
|
8
|
|
1888
|
Benjamin Harrison
|
|
Republican
|
124,816
|
49.66%
|
8
|
Grover Cleveland
|
|
Democratic
|
117,729
|
46.84%
|
–
|
8,794
|
3.49%
|
–
|
8
|
|
1892
|
Grover Cleveland
|
|
Democratic
|
118,174
|
43.83%
|
8
|
Benjamin Harrison
|
|
Republican
|
118,027
|
43.78%
|
1
|
33,408
|
12.39%
|
–
|
9
|
|
1896
|
William McKinley
|
|
Republican
|
146,688
|
49.16%
|
8
|
William Jennings Bryan
|
|
Democratic
|
144,766
|
48.51%
|
1
|
6,965
|
2.33%
|
–
|
9
|
|
1900
|
William McKinley
|
|
Republican
|
164,755
|
54.50%
|
9
|
William Jennings Bryan
|
|
Democratic
|
124,985
|
41.34%
|
–
|
13,264
|
4.38%
|
–
|
9
|
|
1904
|
Theodore Roosevelt
|
|
Republican
|
205,226
|
61.84%
|
10
|
Alton B. Parker
|
|
Democratic
|
89,404
|
26.94%
|
–
|
37,248
|
11.22%
|
–
|
10
|
|
1908
|
William Howard Taft
|
|
Republican
|
214,398
|
55.46%
|
10
|
William Jennings Bryan
|
|
Democratic
|
127,492
|
32.98%
|
–
|
44,707
|
11.56%
|
–
|
10
|
|
1912
|
Theodore Roosevelt
|
|
Progressive
|
283,610
|
41.83%
|
11
|
Woodrow Wilson
|
|
Democratic
|
283,436
|
41.81%
|
2
|
110,898
|
16.36%
|
–
|
13
|
|
1916
|
Woodrow Wilson
|
|
Democratic
|
466,289
|
46.65%
|
13
|
Charles Evans Hughes
|
|
Republican
|
462,516
|
46.27%
|
–
|
70,798
|
7.08%
|
–
|
13
|
|
1920
|
Warren G. Harding
|
|
Republican
|
624,992
|
66.20%
|
13
|
James M. Cox
|
|
Democratic
|
229,191
|
24.28%
|
–
|
89,867
|
9.52%
|
–
|
13
|
|
1924
|
Calvin Coolidge
|
|
Republican
|
733,250
|
57.20%
|
13
|
Robert M. La Follette
|
|
Socialist
|
424,649
|
33.13%
|
–
|
124,001
|
9.67%
|
–
|
13
|
|
1928
|
Herbert Hoover
|
|
Republican
|
1,162,323
|
64.69%
|
13
|
Al Smith
|
|
Democratic
|
614,365
|
34.19%
|
–
|
19,968
|
1.11%
|
–
|
13
|
|
1932
|
Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
|
Democratic
|
1,324,157
|
58.39%
|
22
|
Herbert Hoover
|
|
Republican
|
847,902
|
37.39%
|
–
|
95,907
|
4.22%
|
–
|
22
|
|
1936
|
Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
|
Democratic
|
1,766,836
|
66.95%
|
22
|
Alf Landon
|
|
Republican
|
836,431
|
31.70%
|
–
|
35,615
|
1.35%
|
–
|
22
|
|
1940
|
Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
|
Democratic
|
1,877,618
|
57.44%
|
22
|
Wendell Willkie
|
|
Republican
|
1,351,419
|
41.34%
|
–
|
39,754
|
1.22%
|
–
|
22
|
|
1944
|
Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
|
Democratic
|
1,988,564
|
56.48%
|
25
|
Thomas E. Dewey
|
|
Republican
|
1,512,965
|
42.97%
|
–
|
19,346
|
0.55%
|
–
|
25
|
|
1948
|
Harry S. Truman
|
|
Democratic
|
1,913,134
|
47.57%
|
25
|
Thomas E. Dewey
|
|
Republican
|
1,895,269
|
47.13%
|
–
|
213,135
|
5.29%
|
–
|
25
|
|
1952
|
Dwight D. Eisenhower
|
|
Republican
|
3,035,587
|
56.83%
|
32
|
Adlai Stevenson II
|
|
Democratic
|
2,257,646
|
42.27%
|
–
|
48,370
|
0.90%
|
–
|
32
|
|
1956
|
Dwight D. Eisenhower
|
|
Republican
|
3,027,668
|
55.39%
|
32
|
Adlai Stevenson II
|
|
Democratic
|
2,420,135
|
44.27%
|
–
|
18,552
|
0.34%
|
–
|
32
|
|
1960
|
Richard Nixon
|
|
Republican
|
3,259,722
|
50.10%
|
32
|
John F. Kennedy
|
|
Democratic
|
3,224,099
|
49.55%
|
–
|
22,757
|
0.35%
|
–
|
32
|
|
1964
|
Lyndon B. Johnson
|
|
Democratic
|
4,171,877
|
59.11%
|
40
|
Barry Goldwater
|
|
Republican
|
2,879,108
|
40.79%
|
–
|
6,601
|
0.09%
|
–
|
40
|
|
1968
|
Richard Nixon
|
|
Republican
|
3,467,664
|
47.82%
|
40
|
Hubert Humphrey
|
|
Democratic
|
3,244,318
|
44.74%
|
–
|
539,605
|
7.44%
|
–
|
40
|
|
1972
|
Richard Nixon
|
|
Republican
|
4,602,096
|
55.00%
|
45
|
George McGovern
|
|
Democratic
|
3,475,847
|
41.54%
|
–
|
289,919
|
3.47%
|
–
|
45
|
|
1976
|
Gerald Ford
|
|
Republican
|
3,882,244
|
49.35%
|
45
|
Jimmy Carter
|
|
Democratic
|
3,742,284
|
47.57%
|
–
|
242,589
|
3.08%
|
–
|
45
|
|
1980
|
Ronald Reagan
|
|
Republican
|
4,524,858
|
52.69%
|
45
|
Jimmy Carter
|
|
Democratic
|
3,083,661
|
35.91%
|
–
|
978,544
|
11.40%
|
–
|
45
|
|
1984
|
Ronald Reagan
|
|
Republican
|
5,467,009
|
57.51%
|
47
|
Walter Mondale
|
|
Democratic
|
3,922,519
|
41.27%
|
–
|
115,895
|
1.22%
|
–
|
47
|
|
1988
|
George H. W. Bush
|
|
Republican
|
5,054,917
|
51.13%
|
47
|
Michael Dukakis
|
|
Democratic
|
4,702,233
|
47.56%
|
–
|
129,914
|
1.32%
|
–
|
47
|
|
1992
|
Bill Clinton
|
|
Democratic
|
5,121,325
|
46.01%
|
54
|
George H. W. Bush
|
|
Republican
|
3,630,574
|
32.61%
|
–
|
2,379,822
|
21.38%
|
–
|
54
|
|
1996
|
Bill Clinton
|
|
Democratic
|
5,119,835
|
51.10%
|
54
|
Bob Dole
|
|
Republican
|
3,828,380
|
38.21%
|
–
|
1,071,269
|
10.68%
|
–
|
54
|
|
2000
|
Al Gore
|
|
Democratic
|
5,861,203
|
53.45%
|
54
|
George W. Bush
|
|
Republican
|
4,567,429
|
41.65%
|
–
|
537,224
|
4.91%
|
–
|
54
|
|
2004
|
John Kerry
|
|
Democratic
|
6,745,485
|
54.31%
|
55
|
George W. Bush
|
|
Republican
|
5,509,826
|
44.36%
|
–
|
166,548
|
1.34%
|
–
|
55
|
|
2008
|
Barack Obama
|
|
Democratic
|
8,274,473
|
61.01%
|
55
|
John McCain
|
|
Republican
|
5,011,781
|
36.95%
|
–
|
296,829
|
2.19%
|
–
|
55
|
|
2012
|
Barack Obama
|
|
Democratic
|
7,854,285
|
60.24%
|
55
|
Mitt Romney
|
|
Republican
|
4,839,958
|
37.12%
|
–
|
361,572
|
2.77%
|
–
|
55
|
|
2016
|
Hillary Clinton
|
|
Democratic
|
8,753,788
|
61.73%
|
55
|
Donald Trump
|
|
Republican
|
4,483,810
|
31.62%
|
–
|
1,005,843
|
7.06%
|
–
|
55
|
|
2020
|
Joe Biden
|
|
Democratic
|
11,110,250
|
63.48%
|
55
|
Donald Trump
|
|
Republican
|
6,006,429
|
34.32%
|
–
|
384,192
|
2.20%
|
–
|
55
|
|
Year
|
Candidate
|
Party
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Candidate
|
Party
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
Sources
|
Winner
|
Runner-up
|
Other
|
See also