This chapter contains statistical summaries for all 289 individuals who met qualification standards in any presidential election between 1789 and 2012.
Each summary has four parts:
Actual totals and percentages for all qualified candidates can be found in Chapters 2–5. The summaries in this chapter are deliberately confined to indexes and equalized numbers. The aim is to level the field, allowing easy (and fair) comparisons from individual to individual and from election to election. (Go to www.countingthevotes.com for additional statistics for each candidate.)
These are the category headings for each candidate’s year-by-year and career breakdowns:
| Election: | Year and party (see the subsequent list of party abbreviations) Status: Candidate's accomplishments (see the following list of accomplishment codes) |
| CS: | Campaign score |
| PI: | Potential index |
| ROP: | Return on potential |
| PriV*EQ: | Equalized primary votes |
| FB*EQ: | Equalized delegate votes on a convention's first ballot |
| LB*EQ: | Equalized delegate votes on a convention's last ballot (other than the first) |
| PV*EQ: | Equalized popular votes |
| EV*EQ: | Equalized electoral votes |
Parties are shown in parentheses in the Election column. If two parties are linked by a hyphen, the candidate ran on both tickets at the same time. If they’re separated by a slash, the candidate began in one party and switched in midstream to the second. These are the party abbreviations:
| AI: | American Independent |
| AM: | Anti-Masonic |
| ASI: | America's Independent |
| AW: | American-Whig |
| CON: | Constitution |
| CSN: | Consumer |
| CU: | Constitutional Union |
| D: | Democratic |
| DR: | Democratic-Republican |
| ER: | Economic Recovery |
| F: | Federalist |
| FL: | Farmer-Labor |
| FS: | Free Soil |
| GBK: | Greenback |
| GRN: | Green |
| I: | Independent |
| LIB: | Libertarian |
| LR: | Liberal Republican |
| LTY: | Liberty |
| NER: | National Economic Recovery |
| NR: | National Republican |
| NU: | National Unity |
| P: | Progressive |
| POP: | Populist |
| PRO: | Prohibition |
| R: | Republican |
| REF: | Reform |
| SD: | Southern Democratic |
| SOC: | Socialist |
| SR: | States' Rights |
| SRD: | States' Rights Democratic |
| TC: | Taxpayers and Constitution |
| U: | Union |
| USL: | U.S. Labor |
| W: | Whig |
The Status column shows the degree of success attained by a candidate during a given year. Four accomplishment codes are used:
| Q: | Qualified candidate |
| QN: | Qualified candidate who won a major-party nomination (but lost the general election) |
| QNW: | Qualified candidate who won a major-party nomination and the general election |
| —: | Nonqualified candidate |
Certain statistics are unavailable for certain candidates. Electoral votes have been tabulated since the very first election in 1789, but other numbers are of shorter duration. Popular voting dates back to 1824, conventions to 1832, and primaries to 1912. A dash (—) indicates that a number is not relevant or available for a given candidate.
There are a few special cases where an individual received a vote or two at a convention, yet his FB*EQ rounded to zero and his resulting campaign score was 0.00. Those years are still included in this register. (Al Gore, Alan Keyes, Walter Mondale, and Edmund Muskie are examples.)
Career totals encompass all years in which an individual received primary, convention, or general-election votes, even if he failed to meet qualification standards in one or more of those years. Career ranks are shown for the 100 largest totals in all but two categories. The exceptions are LB*EQ, where a single equalized vote earns a tie for 74th place, and PV*EQ, where only 97 qualified candidates have received votes. Performances below the top 100 are indicated by dashes.
John Quincy Adams (1767–1848)
Lamar Alexander (1940–)
Russell Alger (1836–1907)
William Boyd Allison (1829–1908)
John Anderson (1922–)
Chester Arthur (1829–1886)
John Ashbrook (1928–1982)
Michele Bachmann (1956–)
Howard Baker (1925–)
Edward Bates (1793–1869)
Gary Bauer (1946–)
Birch Bayh (1928–)
John Bell (1796–1869)
Lloyd Bentsen (1921–2006)
John Bidwell (1819–1900)
Joseph Blackburn (1838–1918)
Richard Bland (1835–1899)
William Borah (1865–1940)
John Breckinridge (1821–1875)
Benjamin Bristow (1832–1896)
Jerry Brown (1938–)
William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925)
James Buchanan (1791–1868)
Aaron Burr (1756–1836)
George H. W. Bush (1924–)
George W. Bush (1946–)
Nicholas Murray Butler (1862–1947)
Harry Byrd (1887–1966)
Simon Cameron (1799–1889)
Jimmy Carter (1924–)
Salmon Chase (1808–1873)
Frank Church (1924–1984)
Sanford Church (1815–1880)
Wesley Clark (1944–)
Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)
DeWitt Clinton (1769–1828)
Hillary Clinton (1947–)
Roscoe Conkling (1829–1888)
John Connally (1917–1993)
James Cox (1870–1957)
Phil Crane (1930–)
Alan Cranston (1914–2000)
Albert Cummins (1850–1926)
Charles Curtis (1860–1936)
John Davis (1873–a1955)
Howard Dean (1948–)
Chauncey Depew (1834–1928)
Thomas Dewey (1902–1971)
Bob Dole (1923–)
James Doolittle (1815–1897)
Stephen Douglas (1813–1861)
Michael Dukakis (1933–)
Pete du Pont (1935–)
George Edmunds (1828–1919)
Edward Edwards (1863–1931)
John Edwards (1953–)
Dwight Eisenhower (1890–1969)
Oliver Ellsworth (1745–1807)
James English (1812–1890)
Charles Fairbanks (1852–1918)
James Farley (1888–1976)
Stephen Field (1816–1899)
Millard Fillmore (1800–1874)
Clinton Fisk (1828–1890)
John Floyd (1783–1837)
Steve Forbes (1947–)
Gerald Ford (1913–2006)
Henry Ford (1863–1947)
Joseph France (1873–1939)
John Fremont (1813–1890)
James Garfield (1831–1881)
John Nance Garner (1868–1967)
Walter George (1878–1957)
Richard Gephardt (1941–)
Newt Gingrich (1943–)
Rudy Giuliani (1944–)
John Glenn (1921–)
Barry Goldwater (1909–1998)
Al Gore (1948–)
Arthur Gorman (1839–1906)
Phil Gramm (1942–)
Ulysses Grant (1822–1885)
George Gray (1840–1925)
Horace Greeley (1811–1872)
Dwight Green (1897–1958)
Walter Gresham (1832–1895)
James Guthrie (1792–1869)
John Hale (1806–1873)
John Hancock (1737–1793)
Winfield Hancock (1824–1886)
Warren Harding (1865–1923)
Tom Harkin (1939–)
Judson Harmon (1846–1927)
Averell Harriman (1891–1986)
Fred Harris (1930–)
Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
Pat Harrison (1881–1941)
Robert Harrison (1745–1790)
William Henry Harrison (1773–1841)
Gary Hart (1936–)
John Hartranft (1830–1889)
Rutherford Hayes (1822–1893)
William Randolph Hearst (1863–1951)
Thomas Hendricks (1819–1885)
John Henry (1750–1798)
David Hill (1843–1910)
Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
John Hospers (1918–2011)
Mike Huckabee (1955–)
Charles Evans Hughes (1862–1948)
Cordell Hull (1871–1955)
Hubert Humphrey (1911–1978)
Robert Hunter (1809–1887)
Samuel Huntington (1731–1796)
Jon Huntsman (1960–)
James Iredell (1751–1799)
Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)
Henry Jackson (1912–1983)
Jesse Jackson (1941–)
Arthur James (1883–1973)
John Jay (1745–1829)
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
Charles Jenkins (1805–1883)
Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)
Hiram Johnson (1866–1945)
John Johnson (1861–1909)
Lyndon Johnson (1908–1973)
Richard Johnson (1780–1850)
Samuel Johnston (1733–1816)
Walter Jones (1888–1963)
Estes Kefauver (1903–1963)
Jack Kemp (1935–2009)
Edward Kennedy (1932–2009)
John Kennedy (1917–1963)
Robert Kennedy (1925–1968)
Robert Kerr (1896–1963)
Bob Kerrey (1943–)
John Kerry (1943–)
Alan Keyes (1950–)
Rufus King (1755–1827)
Frank Knox (1874–1944)
Philander Knox (1853–1921)
Robert La Follette (1855–1925)
Alfred Landon (1887–1987)
Joseph Lane (1801–1881)
Lyndon LaRouche (1922–)
Frank Lausche (1895–1990)
William Lemke (1878–1950)
Joseph Lieberman (1942–)
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
Benjamin Lincoln (1733–1810)
Henry Cabot Lodge (1902–1985)
John Logan (1826–1886)
Frank Lowden (1861–1943)
Richard Lugar (1932–)
Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964)
James Madison (1751–1836)
Willie Person Mangum (1792–1861)
William Marcy (1786–1857)
Joseph Martin (1884–1968)
Claude Matthews (1845–1898)
William Gibbs McAdoo (1863–1941)
John McCain (1936–)
Eugene McCarthy (1916–2005)
George McClellan (1826–1885)
Paul McCloskey (1927–)
Joseph McDonald (1819–1891)
George McGovern (1922–2012)
William McKinley (1843–1901)
John McLean (1785–1861)
John McLean (1848–1916)
Wilbur Mills (1909–1992)
John Milton (1740–1804)
Walter Mondale (1928–)
James Monroe (1758–1831)
William Morrison (1824–1909)
Levi Morton (1824–1920)
Oliver Morton (1823–1877)
William Murray (1869–1956)
Edmund Muskie (1914–1996)
Ralph Nader (1934–)
Richard Nixon (1913–1994)
George Norris (1861–1944)
Barack Obama (1961–)
Asa Packer (1805–1879)
Mitchell Palmer (1872–1936)
Alton Parker (1852–1926)
Joel Parker (1816–1888)
Robert Pattison (1850–1904)
Ron Paul (1935–)
Henry Payne (1810–1896)
George Pendleton (1825–1889)
Ross Perot (1930–)
Rick Perry (1950–)
Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746–1825)
Thomas Pinckney (1750–1828)
James Polk (1795–1849)
Matthew Quay (1833–1904)
Samuel Randall (1828–1890)
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)
James Reed (1861–1944)
Thomas Reed (1839–1902)
James Rhodes (1909–2001)
Bill Richardson (1947–)
Pat Robertson (1930–)
Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979)
Mitt Romney (1947–)
Franklin Roosevelt (1882–1945)
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
Elihu Root (1845–1937)
Richard Russell (1897–1971)
John Rutledge (1739–1800)
Rick Santorum (1958–)
Winfield Scott (1786–1866)
William Scranton (1917–2013)
William Seward (1801–1872)
Horatio Seymour (1810–1886)
Thomas Seymour (1807–1868)
John Sherman (1823–1900)
Lawrence Sherman (1858–1939)
Sargent Shriver (1915–2011)
Paul Simon (1928–2003)
Alfred Smith (1873–1944)
William Sproul (1870–1928)
Harold Stassen (1907–2001)
Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965)
Stuart Symington (1901–1988)
Robert Taft (1889–1953)
William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
Zachary Taylor (1784–1850)
Edward Telfair (1735–1807)
Norman Thomas (1884–1968)
Fred Thompson (1942—)
Allen Thurman (1813–1895)
Strom Thurmond (1902–2003)
Samuel Tilden (1814–1886)
Harry Truman (1884–1972)
Paul Tsongas (1941–1997)
Morris Udall (1922–1998)
Oscar Underwood (1862–1929)
Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)
Arthur Vandenberg (1884–1951)
George Wallace (1919–1998)
Henry Wallace (1888–1965)
Thomas Walsh (1859–1933)
Earl Warren (1891–1974)
Elihu Washburne (1816–1887)
George Washington (1732–1799)
James Watson (1864–1948)
James Weaver (1833–1912)
Daniel Webster (1782–1852)
John Weeks (1860–1926)
George White (1872–1953)
Hugh White (1773–1840)
Wendell Willkie (1892–1944)
Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
William Wirt (1772–1834)
Leonard Wood (1860–1927)
Levi Woodbury (1789–1851)
Sam Yorty (1909–1998)
