Elections in New England

Overview of elections in New England

Barack Obama campaigning in Portsmouth, New Hampshire during his 2012 reelection bid in the 2012 US presidential election. He carried every New England state in 2008 and 2012.

Elections in New England have been defined by the region's political and cultural history, demographics, economy, and its loyalty to particular U.S. political parties. Within the elections in the United States, New England is sometimes viewed in terms of a single voting bloc.

## Presidential

[edit]

Parties

Nonpartisan | Federalist | Democratic-Republican | National Republican | Democratic | Anti-Masonic | Whig | Republican

* Bold denotes election winner.

Presidential electoral votes in the New England states since 1789

Year | Connecticut | Maine | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Vermont
1789 | Washington | Prior to 1820,

modern-Maine

was a part of

Massachusetts

| Washington | Washington | No election | No election
1792 | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington
1796 | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams
1800 | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams
1804 | Pinckney | Jefferson | Jefferson | Jefferson | Jefferson
1808 | Pinckney | Pinckney | Pinckney | Pinckney | Madison
1812 | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Madison
1816 | King | King | Monroe | Monroe | Monroe
1820 | Monroe | Monroe | Monroe | Monroe | Monroe | Monroe
1824 | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams
1828 | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams | Adams
1832 | Clay | Jackson | Clay | Jackson | Clay | Wirt
1836 | Van Buren | Van Buren | Webster | Van Buren | Van Buren | Harrison
1840 | Harrison | Harrison | Harrison | Van Buren | Harrison | Harrison
1844 | Clay | Polk | Clay | Polk | Clay | Clay
1848 | Taylor | Cass | Taylor | Cass | Taylor | Taylor
1852 | Pierce | Pierce | Scott | Pierce | Pierce | Scott
1856 | Frémont | Frémont | Frémont | Frémont | Frémont | Frémont
1860 | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln
1864 | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln | Lincoln
1868 | Grant | Grant | Grant | Grant | Grant | Grant
1872 | Grant | Grant | Grant | Grant | Grant | Grant
1876 | Tilden | Hayes | Hayes | Hayes | Hayes | Hayes
1880 | Garfield | Garfield | Garfield | Garfield | Garfield | Garfield
1884 | Cleveland | Blaine | Blaine | Blaine | Blaine | Blaine
1888 | Cleveland | Harrison | Harrison | Harrison | Harrison | Harrison
1892 | Cleveland | Harrison | Harrison | Harrison | Harrison | Harrison
1896 | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley
1900 | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley | McKinley
1904 | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Roosevelt
1908 | Taft | Taft | Taft | Taft | Taft | Taft
1912 | Wilson | Wilson | Wilson | Wilson | Wilson | Taft
1916 | Hughes | Hughes | Hughes | Wilson | Hughes | Hughes
1920 | Harding | Harding | Harding | Harding | Harding | Harding
1924 | Coolidge | Coolidge | Coolidge | Coolidge | Coolidge | Coolidge
1928 | Hoover | Hoover | Smith | Hoover | Smith | Hoover
1932 | Hoover | Hoover | Roosevelt | Hoover | Roosevelt | Hoover
1936 | Roosevelt | Landon | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Landon
1940 | Roosevelt | Willkie | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Willkie
1944 | Roosevelt | Dewey | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Roosevelt | Dewey
1948 | Dewey | Dewey | Truman | Dewey | Truman | Dewey
1952 | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower
1956 | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower | Eisenhower
1960 | Kennedy | Nixon | Kennedy | Nixon | Kennedy | Nixon
1964 | Johnson | Johnson | Johnson | Johnson | Johnson | Johnson
1968 | Humphrey | Humphrey | Humphrey | Nixon | Humphrey | Nixon
1972 | Nixon | Nixon | McGovern | Nixon | Nixon | Nixon
1976 | Ford | Ford | Carter | Ford | Carter | Ford
1980 | Reagan | Reagan | Reagan | Reagan | Carter | Reagan
1984 | Reagan | Reagan | Reagan | Reagan | Reagan | Reagan
1988 | Bush | Bush | Dukakis | Bush | Dukakis | Bush
1992 | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton
1996 | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton
2000 | Gore | Gore | Gore | Bush | Gore | Gore
2004 | Kerry | Kerry | Kerry | Kerry | Kerry | Kerry
2008 | Obama | Obama | Obama | Obama | Obama | Obama
2012 | Obama | Obama | Obama | Obama | Obama | Obama
2016 | Clinton | Clinton[†] | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton | Clinton
2020 | Biden | Biden[†] | Biden | Biden | Biden | Biden
2024 | Harris | Harris[†] | Harris | Harris | Harris | Harris
Year | Connecticut | Maine | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Vermont

In the 2000 presidential election, Democratic candidate Al Gore carried all of the New England states except for New Hampshire, and in 2004, John Kerry, a New Englander himself, won all six New England states.[1] In both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, every congressional district with the exception of New Hampshire's 1st district were won by Gore and Kerry respectively. During the 2008 Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton won the three New England states containing Greater Boston (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire), while Barack Obama won the three that did not (Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont). In the 2008 presidential election, Obama carried all six states by 9 percentage points or more.[2] He carried every county in New England except for Piscataquis County, Maine, which he lost by 4% to Senator John McCain (R-AZ). As of the 2010 census, New England collectively has 33 electoral votes.

The six states of New England voted for the Democratic Presidential nominee in the 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012 elections, and every state but New Hampshire voted for Al Gore in the presidential election of 2000. In the 113th Congress the House delegations from all six states of New England are all Democratic. New England is home to the only two independent politicians currently serving in the U.S. Senate: Angus King, who represents Maine and Bernie Sanders, who represents Vermont.

### New Hampshire primary

[edit]

Main article: New Hampshire primary

Alumni Hall at Saint Anselm College has served as a backdrop for the media reports during the New Hampshire primary.

Historically, the New Hampshire primary has been the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years. Held in the state of New Hampshire, it usually marks the beginning of the U.S. presidential election process. Even though few delegates are chosen from New Hampshire, the primary has always been pivotal to both New England and American politics. One college in particular, Saint Anselm College, has been home to numerous national presidential debates and visits by candidates to its campus.[3]

Local factories and diners are valuable photo opportunities for candidates, who hope to use this quintessential New England image to their advantage by portraying themselves as sympathetic to blue collar workers. Media coverage of the primary enables candidates low on funds to "rally back"; an example of this was President Bill Clinton who referred to himself as "The Comeback Kid" following the 1992 primary. National media outlets have converged on small New Hampshire towns, such as during the 2007 and 2008 national presidential debates held at Saint Anselm College in the town of Goffstown.[4][5] Goffstown and other towns in New Hampshire have been experiencing this influx of national media since the 1950s.

## Political party strength

[edit]

Judging purely by party registration rather than voting patterns, New England today is one of the most Democratic regions in the U.S.,[6][7][8] with four of the six states considered among the most solidly Democratic in the country. New Hampshire and Maine are generally swing states in federal elections.[9] Republicans in New England are considered by both liberals and conservatives to be more moderate (even socially liberal) compared to Republicans in other parts of the U.S.[10]

State | Governor | Senior U.S. Senator | Junior U.S. Senator | U.S. House Delegation | Upper House Majority | Lower House Majority

|
|
|
|
|
|

CT | N. Lamont | R. Blumenthal | C. Murphy | Democratic 5–0 | Democratic 23–13 | Democratic 97–54
ME | J. Mills | S. Collins | A. King[‡] | Democratic 2–0 | Democratic 22-13 | Democratic 80–65-4-1-1
MA | M. Healey | E. Warren | E. Markey | Democratic 9–0 | Democratic 37-3 | Democratic 129–31
NH | K. Ayotte | J. Shaheen | M. Hassan | Democratic 2–0 | Republican 16-8 | Republican 221-177-1
RI | D. McKee | J. Reed | S. Whitehouse | Democratic 2–0 | Democratic 33–5 | Democratic 65-10
VT | P. Scott | B. Sanders[‡] | P. Welch | Democratic 1–0 | Democratic 16-13-1 | Democratic 87-56-4-1-3

## See also

[edit]

* Politics of New England
* Elections in Vermont
* Elections in New Hampshire
* Elections in Maine
* Elections in Massachusetts
* Elections in Connecticut
* Elections in Rhode Island

## Notes

[edit]

† Clinton, Biden and Harris won the overall state, but Donald Trump won Maine's 2nd congressional district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections.
‡ Elected as an independent, but caucuses with the Democratic Party.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2006 Political Party Breakdown by State". The Green Papers. Retrieved July 19, 2006.
2. ^ "Election Center 2008". CNN. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
3. ^ "Mike Huckabee: Mike Huckabee's Weekly Schedule for Sept. 24". All American Patriots website. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
4. ^ "Candidates Face Off At St. Anselm's College". CBS News. January 7, 2008.
5. ^ "Election Center 2008 - Election & Politics News from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
6. ^ Salzman, Avi (December 18, 2005). "A Laboratory For Liberals?". New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
7. ^ "New England grapples with first execution". Concord Monitor. May 13, 2005. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
8. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (June 8, 2006). "Gregg cites states' rights in voting against amendment". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
9. ^ "Number of Solidly Democratic States Cut in Half From '08 to '10". Gallup. February 21, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
10. ^ Purple, Matt (April 10, 2010). "No More 'New England Republicans'". The American Spectator. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.

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Transportation|

| Passenger rail|

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|

Major Interstates|

* I-84 (CT, MA)
* I-89 (NH, VT)
* I-90 (Mass Pike) (MA)
* I-91 (CT, MA, VT)
* I-93 (MA, NH, VT)
* I-95 (CT, RI, MA, NH, ME)
* defunct: New England road marking system

Airports|

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