Dead Presidents

Election Day is getting closer-and-closer and the race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney is still too close to call.  Over the next few days, the two candidates will spend as much time and money as possible in the handful of swing states that will be the deciding point on Tuesday.

But there’s no reason those battleground states should get all of the attention here on Dead Presidents, right?.  So, let’s take a look at each state in the union — from the time that it joined — to see who won your state and when.  Has your state been carried by more Republicans or Democrats?  Did your state vote for Lincoln?  FDR?  Buchanan?  I’ll break it down and I’ll also break the post up in several parts so that we don’t have to hear whining from people who see a bunch of scary words on their dashboard. 

Listed under each state is the party and candidate who carried the state in the election year shown.

Alabama
1820    Democratic-Republican [James Monroe]
1824**    Democratic-Republican [Andrew Jackson]
1828    Democratic [Andrew Jackson]
1832    Democratic [Andrew Jackson]
1836    Democratic [Martin Van Buren]
1840    Democratic [Martin Van Buren]
1844    Democratic [James K. Polk]
1848    Democratic [Lewis Cass]
1852    Democratic [Franklin Pierce]
1856    Democratic [James Buchanan]
1860    Democratic [John C. Breckinridge]
1868    Republican [Ulysses S. Grant]
1872    Republican [Ulysses S. Grant]
1876    Democratic [Samuel J. Tilden]
1880    Democratic [Winfield Scott Hancock]
1884    Democratic [Grover Cleveland]
1888    Democratic [Grover Cleveland]
1892    Democratic [Grover Cleveland]
1896    Democratic [William Jennings Bryan]
1900    Democratic [William Jennings Bryan]
1904    Democratic [Alton B. Parker]
1908    Democratic [William Jennings Bryan]
1912    Democratic [Woodrow Wilson]
1916    Democratic [Woodrow Wilson]
1920    Democratic [James M. Cox]
1924    Democratic [John W. Davis]
1928    Democratic [Al Smith]
1932    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1936    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1940    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1944    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1948    States’ Rights/Dixiecrat [Strom Thurmond]
1952    Democratic [Adlai E. Stevenson]
1956    Democratic [Adlai E. Stevenson]
1960****    Democratic [Harry F. Byrd]
1964    Republican [Barry Goldwater]
1968    American Independent [George C. Wallace]
1972    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1976    Democratic [Jimmy Carter]
1980    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1984    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1988    Republican [George H.W. Bush]
1992    Republican [George H.W. Bush]
1996    Republican [Bob Dole]
2000    Republican [George W. Bush]
2004    Republican [George W. Bush]
2008    Republican [John McCain]
**The 1824 election was decided in the House of Representatives because none of the four candidates won a majority of votes in the Electoral College.
****In 1960, unpledged electors awarded a majority of Electoral votes from Alabama and Mississippi to Harry F. Byrd.  Although he was not an official candidate, Byrd was awarded those two states in the Electoral College.

Alaska
1960    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1964    Democratic [Lyndon B. Johnson]
1968    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1972    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1976    Republican [Gerald Ford]
1980    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1984    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1988    Republican [George H.W. Bush]
1992    Republican [George H.W. Bush]
1996    Republican [Bob Dole]
2000    Republican [George W. Bush]
2004    Republican [George W. Bush]
2008    Republican [John McCain]

Arizona
1912    Democratic [Woodrow Wilson]
1916    Democratic [Woodrow Wilson]
1920    Republican [Warren G. Harding]
1924    Republican [Calvin Coolidge]
1928    Republican [Herbert Hoover]
1932    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1936    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1940    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1944    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1948    Democratic [Harry S. Truman]
1952    Republican [Dwight D. Eisenhower]
1956    Republican [Dwight D. Eisenhower]
1960    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1964    Republican [Barry Goldwater]
1968    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1972    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1976    Republican [Gerald Ford]
1980    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1984    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1988    Republican [George H.W. Bush]
1992    Republican [George H.W. Bush]
1996    Democratic [Bill Clinton]
2000    Republican [George W. Bush]
2004    Republican [George W. Bush]
2008    Republican [John McCain]

Arkansas
1836    Democratic [Martin Van Buren]
1840    Democratic [Martin Van Buren]
1844    Democratic [James K. Polk]
1848    Democratic [Lewis Cass]
1852    Democratic [Franklin Pierce]
1856    Democratic [James Buchanan]
1860    Democratic [John C. Breckinridge]
1868    Republican [Ulysses S. Grant]
1872    Results disputed and not counted
1876    Democratic [Samuel J. Tilden]
1880    Democratic [Winfield Scott Hancock]
1884    Democratic [Grover Cleveland]
1888    Democratic [Grover Cleveland]
1892    Democratic [Grover Cleveland]
1896    Democratic [William Jennings Bryan]
1900    Democratic [William Jennings Bryan]
1904    Democratic [Alton B. Parker]
1908    Democratic [William Jennings Bryan]
1912    Democratic [Woodrow Wilson]
1916    Democratic [Woodrow Wilson]
1920    Democratic [James M. Cox]
1924    Democratic [John W. Davis]
1928    Democratic [Al Smith]
1932    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1936    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1940    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1944    Democratic [Franklin D. Roosevelt]
1948    Democratic [Harry S. Truman]
1952    Democratic [Adlai E. Stevenson]
1956    Democratic [Adlai E. Stevenson]
1960    Democratic [John F. Kennedy]
1964    Democratic [Lyndon B. Johnson]
1968    American Independent [George C. Wallace]
1972    Republican [Richard Nixon]
1976    Democratic [Jimmy Carter]
1980    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1984    Republican [Ronald Reagan]
1988    Republican [George H.W. Bush]
1992    Democratic [Bill Clinton]
1996    Democratic [Bill Clinton]
2000    Republican [George W. Bush]
2004    Republican [George W. Bush]
2008    Republican [John McCain]