United States presidential elections in Connecticut
Presidential elections in Connecticut Number of elections 59 Voted Democratic 21 Voted Republican 23 Voted Whig 3 Voted Democratic-Republican 4 Voted Federalist 6 Voted other 2[ a] Voted for winning candidate 40 Voted for losing candidate 19
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the United States .[ 1] One of the original Thirteen Colonies , Connecticut has participated in all fifty-nine U.S. presidential elections since the American Revolution .[ 2] In the early days of the United States, Connecticut was known for supporting the conservative Federalist Party.[ 3] In the Second Party System , Connecticut leaned towards the anti-Jackson candidates.[ 4] Following the Civil War , Connecticut was a swing state for a long time until 1896.[ 5] Thereafter until 1932, Connecticut was a Republican stronghold. During this period, Connecticut Republican Party chairman J. Henry Roraback built up a political machine which was "efficient, conservative, penurious, and in absolute control".[ 6]
During the Great Depression , Connecticut began to pivot in support of Democratic candidates. After that, although the Republican Party won Connecticut several times in the presidential election, its advantage was no longer as significant as it had previously been.[ 7] Since 1992, the state has voted consistently for the Democratic candidates.[ 8]
In 2020, Joe Biden became the first candidate in Connecticut history to win over one million votes in the state, scoring nearly 1.1 million votes.
Connecticut is a signatory of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact , an interstate compact in which signatories award all of their electoral votes to the winner of the national-level popular vote in a presidential election, even if another candidate won an individual signatory's popular vote. As of 2023,[update] it has not yet gone into force .[ 9]
Presidential elections
Key for parties
Note – A double dagger (‡) indicates the national winner.
1788–89 to 1820
As a part of New England , Connecticut was the stronghold of the Federalist Party . It voted for Federalist candidates in presidential elections from 1796 to 1816.[ 3] Before 1820, its electors were appointed by state legislature .[ 10]
1824
The election of 1824 was a complex realigning election following the collapse of the prevailing Democratic-Republican Party , resulting in four different candidates each claiming to carry the banner of the party, and competing for influence in different parts of the country. The election was the only one in history to be decided by the House of Representatives under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution after no candidate secured a majority of the electoral vote.[ 30] It was also the only presidential election in which the candidate who received a plurality of electoral votes (Andrew Jackson ) did not become president, a source of great bitterness for Jackson and his supporters, who proclaimed the election of Adams a corrupt bargain .[ 31]
1828 to 1856
Presidential elections in Connecticut from 1828 to 1856
Year
Winner
Runner-up
Other candidate[ e]
EV
Ref.
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
1828
John Quincy Adams (NR)
13,829
71.36%
Andrew Jackson (D) ‡
4,448
22.95%
–
–
–
8
1832
Henry Clay (NR)
18,155
55.29%
Andrew Jackson (D) ‡
11,269
34.32%
William Wirt (Anti-M)
3,409
10.38%
8
1836
Martin Van Buren (D) ‡
19,294
50.65%
William Henry Harrison (W)
18,799
49.35%
–
–
–
8
1840
William Henry Harrison (W) ‡
31,598
55.55%
Martin Van Buren (D)
25,281
44.45%
–
–
–
8
1844
Henry Clay (W)
32,832
50.81%
James K. Polk (D) ‡
29,831
46.17%
–
–
–
6
1848
Zachary Taylor (W) ‡
30,318
48.59%
Lewis Cass (D)
27,051
43.35%
Martin Van Buren (FS)
5,005
8.02%
6
1852
Franklin Pierce (D) ‡
33,249
49.79%
Winfield Scott (W)
30,359
45.46%
John P. Hale (FS)
3,161
4.73%
6
1856
John C. Frémont (R)
42,717
53.18%
James Buchanan (D) ‡
34,997
43.57%
Millard Fillmore (KN)
2,615
3.26%
6
1860
The election of 1860 was a complex realigning election in which the breakdown of the previous two-party alignment culminated in four parties each competing for influence in different parts of the country.[ 56] The result of the election, with the victory of an ardent opponent of slavery , spurred the secession of eleven states and brought about the American Civil War .[ 57]
1864 to present
Presidential elections in Connecticut from 1864 to present
Year
Winner
Runner-up
Other candidate[ f]
EV
Ref.
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
Abraham Lincoln (NU) ‡
44,693
51.38%
George B. McClellan (D)
42,288
48.62%
–
–
–
6
Ulysses S. Grant (R) ‡
50,788
51.49%
Horatio Seymour (D)
47,844
48.51%
–
–
–
6
Ulysses S. Grant (R) ‡
50,314
52.41%
Horace Greeley (LR)
45,695
47.59%
–
–
–
6
Samuel J. Tilden (D)
61,927
50.7%
Rutherford B. Hayes (R) ‡
59,033
48.33%
Peter Cooper (GB)
774
0.63%
6
James A. Garfield (R) ‡
67,071
50.51%
Winfield S. Hancock (D)
64,411
48.5%
James B. Weaver (GB)
868
0.65%
6
Grover Cleveland (D) ‡
67,182
48.95%
James G. Blaine (R)
65,898
48.01%
John St. John (PRO)
2,493
1.82%
6
Grover Cleveland (D)
74,920
48.66%
Benjamin Harrison (R) ‡
74,584
48.44%
Clinton Fisk (PRO)
4,234
2.75%
6
Grover Cleveland (D) ‡
82,395
50.06%
Benjamin Harrison (R)
77,032
46.8%
John Bidwell (PRO)
4,026
2.45%
6
William McKinley (R) ‡
110,285
63.24%
William Jennings Bryan (D)
56,740
32.54%
John McAuley Palmer (ND)
4,336
2.49%
6
William McKinley (R) ‡
102,572
56.92%
William Jennings Bryan (D)
74,014
41.07%
John G. Woolley (PRO)
1,617
0.9%
6
Theodore Roosevelt (R) ‡
111,089
58.12%
Alton B. Parker (D)
72,909
38.15%
Eugene V. Debs (S)
4,543
2.38%
7
William Howard Taft (R) ‡
112,915
59.43%
William Jennings Bryan (D)
68,255
35.92%
Eugene V. Debs (S)
5,113
2.69%
7
Woodrow Wilson (D) ‡
74,561
39.16%
William Howard Taft (R)
68,324
35.88%
Theodore Roosevelt (PR-1912)
34,129
17.92%
7
Charles Evans Hughes (R)
106,514
49.8%
Woodrow Wilson (D) ‡
99,786
46.66%
Allan L. Benson (S)
5,179
2.42%
7
Warren G. Harding (R) ‡
229,238
62.72%
James M. Cox (D)
120,721
33.03%
Eugene V. Debs (S)
10,350
2.83%
7
Calvin Coolidge (R) ‡
246,322
61.54%
John W. Davis (D)
110,184
27.53%
Robert M. La Follette (PR-1924)
42,416
10.6%
7
Herbert Hoover (R) ‡
296,641
53.63%
Al Smith (D)
252,085
45.57%
Norman Thomas (S)
3,029
0.55%
7
Herbert Hoover (R)
288,420
48.54%
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
281,632
47.4%
Norman Thomas (S)
20,480
3.45%
8
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
382,129
55.32%
Alf Landon (R)
278,685
40.35%
William Lemke (U)
21,805
3.16%
8
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
417,621
53.44%
Wendell Willkie (R)
361,819
46.3%
Earl Browder (CPUSA)
1,091
0.14%
8
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
435,146
52.3%
Thomas E. Dewey (R)
390,527
46.94%
Norman Thomas (S)
5,097
0.61%
8
Thomas E. Dewey (R)
437,754
49.55%
Harry S. Truman (D) ‡
423,297
47.91%
Henry A. Wallace (PR-1948)
13,713
1.55%
8
Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) ‡
611,012
55.7%
Adlai Stevenson II (D)
481,649
43.91%
Darlington Hoopes (S)
2,244
0.2%
8
Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) ‡
711,837
63.72%
Adlai Stevenson II (D)
405,079
36.26%
Others
205
0.02%
8
John F. Kennedy (D) ‡
657,055
53.73%
Richard Nixon (R)
565,813
46.27%
Write-ins
15
0%
8
Lyndon B. Johnson (D) ‡
826,269
67.81%
Barry Goldwater (R)
390,996
32.09%
Write-ins
1,313
0.11%
8
Hubert Humphrey (D)
621,561
49.48%
Richard Nixon (R) ‡
556,721
44.32%
George Wallace (AI)
76,650
6.1%
8
Richard Nixon (R) ‡
810,763
58.57%
George McGovern (D)
555,498
40.13%
John G. Schmitz (AI)
17,239
1.25%
8
Gerald Ford (R)
719,261
52.09%
Jimmy Carter (D) ‡
647,895
46.92%
Lester Maddox (AI)
7,101
0.51%
8
Ronald Reagan (R) ‡
677,210
48.16%
Jimmy Carter (D)
541,732
38.52%
John B. Anderson (I)
171,807
12.22%
8
Ronald Reagan (R) ‡
890,877
60.73%
Walter Mondale (D)
569,597
38.83%
Gus Hall (CPUSA)
4,826
0.33%
8
George H. W. Bush (R) ‡
750,241
51.98%
Michael Dukakis (D)
676,584
46.87%
Ron Paul (LI)
14,071
0.97%
8
Bill Clinton (D) ‡
682,318
42.21%
George H. W. Bush (R)
578,313
35.78%
Ross Perot (I)
348,771
21.58%
8
Bill Clinton (D) ‡
735,740
52.83%
Bob Dole (R)
483,109
34.69%
Ross Perot (RE)
139,523
10.02%
8
Al Gore (D)
816,015
55.91%
George W. Bush (R) ‡
561,094
38.44%
Ralph Nader (G)
64,452
4.42%
8
John Kerry (D)
857,488
54.31%
George W. Bush (R) ‡
693,826
43.95%
Ralph Nader (I)
12,969
0.82%
7
Barack Obama (D) ‡
997,773
60.59%
John McCain (R)
629,428
38.22%
Ralph Nader (I)
19162
1.16%
7
Barack Obama (D) ‡
905,083
58.06%
Mitt Romney (R)
634,892
40.73%
Gary Johnson (LI)
12,580
0.81%
7
Hillary Clinton (D)
897,572
54.57%
Donald Trump (R) ‡
673,215
40.93%
Gary Johnson (LI)
48,676
2.96%
7
Joe Biden (D) ‡
1,080,831
59.25%
Donald Trump (R)
715,291
39.21%
Jo Jorgensen (LI)
20,227
1.11%
7
Notes
^ George Washington, 1788–89, 1792
^ a b c d e f g h Electors were appointed by state legislature.[ 10]
^ a b c Ran unopposed
^ a b Not on ballot
^ For purposes of these lists, other national candidates are defined as those who won at least one electoral vote, or won at least ten percent of the vote in multiple states.
^ For purposes of these lists, other candidates are defined as those who were in third place in Connecticut.
References
^ "New England" . U.S. General Services Administration . Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023 .
^ Stanwood, Edward (1888). A History of Presidential Elections . Houghton, Mifflin. p. 10. Retrieved 9 September 2023 .
^ a b Purcell, Richard J. (1918). Connecticut in Transition, 1775-1818 . American Historical Association . p. 190. Archived from the original on 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-07-03 .
^ Wilentz, Sean (August 29, 2006). Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln . W. W. Norton & Company . ISBN 978-0-393-32921-6 . Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 .
^ Dusen, Albert Edward Van (1961). Connecticut . Random House . pp. 262–263. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 .
^ Lockard, Duane (March 25, 2019). New England State Politics . Princeton University Press . p. 245. ISBN 978-0-691-07511-2 . Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 .
^ Kleppner, Paul (December 23, 1981). The Evolution of American Electoral Systems . Bloomsbury Academic . pp. 219–225. ISBN 978-0-313-21379-3 . Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023 .
^ Liep, Dave. "Presidential General Election Graph Comparison - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Status of National Popular Vote Bill in Each State" . National Popular Vote Inc. November 11, 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2023-05-05 .
^ a b Congressional Quarterly's Guide to US Elections (2. ed.). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly . 1985. pp. 254–256. ISBN 9780871873392 . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Connecticut 1820 Electoral College" . A New Nation Votes . Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Why the Election of 1824 Was Called 'The Corrupt Bargain' " . ThoughtCo . Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ Morgan, William G. (1967). "John Quincy Adams Versus Andrew Jackson: Their Biographers And The 'Corrupt Bargain' Charge" . Tennessee Historical Quarterly . 26 (1): 43–58. ISSN 0040-3261 . JSTOR 42622916 . Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1828 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1832 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1836 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1840 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1844 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1848 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1852 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1856 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ Egerton, Douglas (2010). Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election That Brought on the Civil War . Bloomsbury Press . p. 19. ISBN 978-1-59691-619-7 .
^ Walther, Eric H. (2006). William Lowndes Yancey and the coming of the Civil War . Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press . p. 262. ISBN 9780807830277 . Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023 .
^ "1860 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1864 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1868 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1872 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1876 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1880 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1884 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1888 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1892 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1896 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1900 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1904 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1908 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1912 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1916 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1920 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1924 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1928 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1932 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1936 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1940 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1944 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1948 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1952 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1956 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1960 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1964 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1968 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1972 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1976 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1980 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1984 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1992 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "1996 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "2000 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "2004 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "2008 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "2012 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "2016 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "2020 Presidential General Election Results - Connecticut" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Presidential Election Results: Biden Wins" . The New York Times . 3 November 2020. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020 .
^ "State of Connecticut Presidential General Election Results Archive" . State of Connecticut Elections Database . Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2023 .
Works cited