Presidential elections in Florida Number of elections 43 Voted Democratic 25 Voted Republican 17 Voted Whig 1 Voted other 0 Voted for winning candidate 31 Voted for losing candidate 12
Florida is a state in the South Atlantic region of the United States .[ 1] Since its admission to the Union in March 1845, it has participated in every United States presidential elections , with the 1848 election being the first. In this election, the Whig Party won Florida's three electoral votes with 57.20% of the vote; this was its only victory in the state.[ 2]
In the realigning 1860 election , Florida was one of the ten slave states that did not provide ballot access to the Republican nominee, Abraham Lincoln .[ 3] John C. Breckinridge emerged victorious, winning 62.23% of the vote. Shortly after the 1860 election, Florida seceded from the Union and became a part of the Confederacy .[ 5] As a result, it did not participate in the 1864 presidential election .
With the end of the Civil War , Florida rejoined the Union and participated in the 1868 presidential election . This was the sole presidential election in Florida not decided by the popular vote; instead, the state legislature chose Ulysses S. Grant .[ 7]
Florida voted for the Republican nominee in all three presidential elections held during the Reconstruction era . Shortly after, white Democrats regained control of the legislature. In 1885, they created a new constitution, followed by statutes through 1889, that disfranchised most Black people and many poor whites.[ 10] [ 11] From the end of the Reconstruction era until the 1952 presidential election , the Republican Party only won Florida once, in 1928 . According to historian Herbert J. Doherty, the Republicans' victory in that election was mainly due to the fact that Al Smith , the Democratic nominee, was a Catholic and opposed to Prohibition , causing many members of the Southern Baptist Convention to switch to the Republican Party.[ 12] The Republican victory in 1952 has been attributed to the emergence of the Pinellas Republican Party, which attracted many voters.[ 13]
Since the 1952 presidential election, the Democrats have only won Florida five times: in 1964 , 1976 , 1996 , 2008 , and 2012 . In 2000 , George W. Bush led Al Gore by less than 2,000 votes on election day, but as the recount proceeded, the gap between the two sides continued to narrow.[ 14] In Bush v. Gore , the Bush campaign filed a lawsuit against Gore in the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the recounting of votes in certain counties violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution . The Supreme Court announced the halt of vote recounting .[ 15] After a lengthy judicial process, Bush eventually won Florida's electoral votes by a margin of only 537 votes out of almost six million cast (0.009%) and, as a result, became the president-elect.[ 16] However, the result sparked controversy.[ 17]
Florida was long a swing state ; furthermore, it had been seen as a bellwether in presidential elections since 1928, only voting for the non-winner in 1960 , 1992 and 2020 .[ 18] However, with the Republican Party far exceeding its national average in Florida in the 2022 midterm elections , many analysts believe that the state has transitioned from being a Republican-leaning swing state into a reliable red state, with Democratic-leaning trends in Hillsborough County , Orange County , and Osceola County unable to offset Republican gains in Miami-Dade County , Broward County , and Palm Beach County .[ 19] [ 20]
Presidential elections [ edit ]
Key for parties
Note – A double dagger (‡) indicates the national winner.
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.[ 31] 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 .[ 32]
Presidential elections in Florida from 1864 to present
Year
Winner
Runner-up
Other candidate[ c]
EV
Ref.
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
Candidate
Votes
%
Ulysses S. Grant (R) ‡
–
–
Horatio Seymour (D)
–
–
–
–
–
3
Ulysses S. Grant (R) ‡
17,763
53.52%
Horace Greeley (LR)
15,427
46.48%
–
–
–
4
Rutherford B. Hayes (R) ‡
23,849
50.99%
Samuel J. Tilden (D)
22,927
49.01%
–
–
–
4
Winfield S. Hancock (D)
27,964
54.17%
James A. Garfield (R) ‡
23,654
45.83%
–
–
–
4
Grover Cleveland (D) ‡
31,769
52.96%
James G. Blaine (R)
28,031
46.73%
John St. John (PRO)
72
0.12%
4
Grover Cleveland (D)
39,557
59.48%
Benjamin Harrison (R) ‡
26,529
39.89%
Clinton Fisk (PRO)
414
0.62%
4
Grover Cleveland (D) ‡
30,153
85.01%
James B. Weaver (PO)
4,843
13.65%
John Bidwell (PRO)
475
1.34%
4
William Jennings Bryan (D)
32,756
70.46%
William McKinley (R) ‡
11,298
24.3%
John M. Palmer (ND)
1778
3.82%
4
William Jennings Bryan (D)
28,273
71.31%
William McKinley (R) ‡
7,355
18.55%
John G. Woolley (PRO)
2,244
5.66%
4
Alton B. Parker (D)
27,046
68.82%
Theodore Roosevelt (R) ‡
8,314
21.15%
Eugene V. Debs (S)
2,337
5.95%
5
William Jennings Bryan (D)
31,104
63.01%
William Howard Taft (R) ‡
10,654
21.58%
Eugene V. Debs (S)
3,747
7.59%
5
Woodrow Wilson (D) ‡
35,343
69.52%
Eugene V. Debs (S)
4,806
9.45%
Theodore Roosevelt (PR-1912)
4,555
8.96%
6
Woodrow Wilson (D) ‡
55,984
69.34%
Charles Evans Hughes (R)
14,611
18.1%
Allan L. Benson (S)
5,353
6.63%
6
James M. Cox (D)
90,515
62.13%
Warren Harding (R) ‡
44,853
30.79%
Eugene V. Debs (S)
5,189
3.56%
6
John W. Davis (D)
62,083
56.88%
Calvin Coolidge (R) ‡
30,633
28.06%
Robert M. La Follette (PR-1924)
8,625
7.9%
6
Herbert Hoover (R) ‡
144,168
56.83%
Al Smith (D)
101,764
40.12%
Norman Thomas (S)
4,036
1.59%
6
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
206,307
74.49%
Herbert Hoover (R)
69,170
24.98%
Norman Thomas (S)
775
0.28%
7
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
249,117
76.08%
Alfred Landon (R)
78,248
23.9%
Norman Thomas (S)
9
≈ 0%
7
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
359,334
73.99%
Wendell Willkie (R)
126,158
25.98%
Various candidates (Write-ins)
148
0.03%
7
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) ‡
339,377
70.29%
Thomas Dewey (R)
143,215
29.66%
Various candidates (Write-ins)
211
0.04%
8
Harry Truman (D) ‡
281,988
48.82%
Thomas Dewey (R)
194,280
33.63%
Strom Thurmond (DI)
89,755
15.54%
8
Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) ‡
544,036
54.99%
Adlai Stevenson II (D)
444,950
44.97%
Various candidates (Write-ins)
351
0.04%
10
Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) ‡
643,849
57.19%
Adlai Stevenson II (D)
480,371
42.67%
Various candidates (Write-ins)
1,542
0.14%
10
Richard Nixon (R)
795,476
51.51%
John F. Kennedy (D) ‡
748,700
48.49%
–
–
–
10
Lyndon B. Johnson (D) ‡
948,540
51.14%
Barry Goldwater (R)
905,941
48.84%
–
–
–
14
Richard Nixon (R) ‡
886,804
40.53%
Hubert Humphrey (D)
676,794
30.93%
George Wallace (AI)
624,207
28.53%
14
Richard Nixon (R) ‡
1,857,759
71.91%
George McGovern (D)
718,117
27.8%
Various candidates (Write-ins)
7,407
0.29%
17
Jimmy Carter (D) ‡
1,636,000
51.93%
Gerald Ford (R)
1,469,531
46.64%
Eugene McCarthy (I)
23,643
0.75%
17
Ronald Reagan (R) ‡
2,046,951
55.52%
Jimmy Carter (D)
1,419,475
38.5%
John B. Anderson (I)
189,692
5.14%
17
Ronald Reagan (R) ‡
2,730,350
65.32%
Walter Mondale (D)
1,448,816
34.66%
David Bergland (LI)
754
0.02%
21
George H. W. Bush (R) ‡
2,618,885
60.87%
Michael Dukakis (D)
1,656,701
38.51%
Ron Paul (LI)
19,796
0.46%
21
George H. W. Bush (R)
2,173,310
40.89%
Bill Clinton (D) ‡
2,072,698
39%
Ross Perot (I)
1,053,067
19.82%
25
Bill Clinton (D) ‡
2,546,870
48.02%
Bob Dole (R)
2,173,310
42.32%
Ross Perot (RE)
483,870
9.12%
25
George W. Bush (R) ‡
2,912,790
48.85%
Al Gore (D)
2,912,253
48.84%
Ralph Nader (G)
97,488
1.63%
25
George W. Bush (R) ‡
3,964,522
52.1%
John Kerry (D)
3,583,544
47.09%
Ralph Nader (RE)
32,971
0.43%
27
Barack Obama (D) ‡
4,282,074
50.91%
John McCain (R)
4,045,624
48.09%
Ralph Nader (E)
28,128
0.33%
27
Barack Obama (D) ‡
4,237,756
50.01%
Mitt Romney (R)
4,163,447
49.13%
Gary Johnson (LI)
44,726
0.53%
29
Donald Trump [ e] (R) ‡
4,617,886
49.02%
Hillary Clinton (D)
4,504,975
47.82%
Gary Johnson (LI)
207,043
2.2%
29
Donald Trump [ e] (R)
5,668,731
51.22%
Joe Biden (D) ‡
5,297,045
47.86%
Jo Jorgensen (LI)
70,324
0.64%
29
Donald Trump (R) ‡
6,110,125
56.09%
Kamala Harris (D)
4,683,038
42.99%
Jill Stein (G)
43,155
0.4%
30
^ 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.
^ a b c d Not on ballot
^ For purposes of these lists, other candidates are defined as those who were in third place in Florida.
^ Due to the status of Reconstruction, no election was held; the three electoral votes were allocated by the Florida State Legislature to Grant.
^ a b Changed his home state from State of New York to Florida during his presidency.
^ "The South" . Encyclopedia Britannica . June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021 .
^ "1848 Presidential General Election Results - Florida" . U.S. Election Atlas . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Burlingame, Michael (October 4, 2016). "Abraham Lincoln: Campaign and Elections" . Miller Center . Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2021 .
^ "Museum of Florida History" . Museum of Florida History . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ a b "The Returns" . The Carson Daily Appeal . November 6, 1868. Retrieved January 26, 2021 .
^ Nancy A. Hewitt (2001). Southern Discomfort: Women's Activism in Tampa, Florida, 1880s–1920s . University of Illinois Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-252-02682-9 . Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2018 .
^ Benson, Lee; et al. (1978). The History of American Electoral Behavior . Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 210. JSTOR j.ctt13x10rd . Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023 .
^ Doherty, Herbert J. (1947). "Florida and the Presidential Election of 1928" . The Florida Historical Quarterly . 26 (2): 174–186. ISSN 0015-4113 . JSTOR 30138645 . Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023 .
^ "A quick history of Florida's presidential politics, from Whigs to wigged out" . Tampa Bay Times . Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023 .
^ "CNN.com - Bush leads Gore by 327 votes in Florida recount, Associated Press reports - November 10, 2000" . CNN . Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023 .
^ Bush v. Gore , 531 U.S. 98, 103 (2000)
^ "2000 Presidential General Election Results" . Federal Election Commission . Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2019 .
^ Wolter, Kirk; et al. (February 1, 2003). "Reliability of the Uncertified Ballots in the 2000 Presidential Election in Florida" . The American Statistician . 57 (1): 1–14. doi :10.1198/0003130031144 . ISSN 0003-1305 . S2CID 120778921 . Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023 .
^ "Florida is the true US presidential election bellwether state" . Al Jazeera . Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2023 .
^ Friedersdorf, Conor (November 9, 2022). "Is Florida Still a Swing State?" . The Atlantic . Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023 .
^ Breuninger, Kevin. "Florida no longer looks like a swing state after DeSantis, Rubio lead big Republican wins" . CNBC . Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1848 Presidential General Election Results - Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1852 Presidential General Election Results - Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1856 Presidential General Election Results - Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 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 .
^ Egerton, Douglas (2010). Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election That Brought on the Civil War . Bloomsbury Press. pp. 293–305. ISBN 978-1-59691-619-7 .
^ Leip, David. "1860 Presidential General Election Results - Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ "SECESSION OF FLORIDA" . The New York Times . January 12, 1861. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1872 Presidential General Election Results - Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1876 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1880 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1884 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1888 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1892 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1896 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1900 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1904 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1908 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1912 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1916 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on June 19, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1920 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1924 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1928 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1932 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1936 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1940 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1944 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1948 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1952 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1956 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1960 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1964 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1968 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1972 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1976 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1984 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1988 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1992 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "1996 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "2000 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "2004 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "2008 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "2012 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ "UPDATE 2-Obama's final win in Florida gives him 332 electoral votes" . Reuters . November 10, 2012. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "2016 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ "Florida Election Results 2016" . The New York Times . August 1, 2017. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ "Official 2020 Presidential General Election Results" (PDF) . Federal Election Commission . January 28, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021 .
^ Leip, David. "2020 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ "Presidential Election Results: Biden Wins" . The New York Times . November 3, 2020. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023 .
^ Leip, David. "2024 Presidential General Election Results – Florida" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections .
^ "Florida Election 2024: Key Races and Historical Presidential Election Results" . NBC News . November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024 .