How Wisconsin has voted in every presidential election since 1976
How Wisconsin has voted in every presidential election since 1976
It is often said that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. When it comes to elections, that is true—but it's not true often enough that we know what to expect at the ballot box.
Stacker takes a look at how Wisconsin voted in each election since 1976, according to data from MIT Election Data and Science Lab.
States like Hawaii and Rhode Island have been Democratic strongholds for decades, Massachusetts has been voting steadily blue since 1960, and Washington D.C. has never backed a Republican candidate.
On the other side of the political aisle, Alaska has voted Republican in every election but one. Idaho, Kentucky, and Indiana have been Republican for generations, while Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming have been voting red nearly every chance they can.
Southern states have been moving as a powerful block for ages, voting Democratic from the Reconstruction after the Civil War until the 1960s, when Southerners opposed civil rights legislation. The Republican Party stepped in with what's known as its Southern strategy to woo those votes, adding an emphasis on the traditional nuclear family, traditional roles for women, and evangelical religion to simmering racial issues.
1976
Wisconsin
- #1. Jimmy Carter (Democrat): 49.5% of votes (1.7% margin of victory)
- #2. Gerald Ford (Republican): 47.8%
- #3. Eugene McCarthy (Independent): 1.7%
- #4. Lester Maddox (American Independent Party): 0.4%
National
- #1. Jimmy Carter (Democrat): 50.1% of votes (297/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Gerald Ford (Republican): 48.0%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Oregon (+0.2% Gerald Ford), Ohio (+0.2% Jimmy Carter), Maine (+0.8% Gerald Ford)
1980
Wisconsin
- #1. Ronald Reagan (Republican): 47.9% of votes (4.7% margin of victory)
- #2. Jimmy Carter (Democrat): 43.2%
- #3. John B. Anderson (Independent): 7.1%
- #4. Edward Clark (Libertarian): 1.3%
National
- #1. Ronald Reagan (Republican): 50.8% of votes (489/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Jimmy Carter (Democrat): 41.0%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Massachusetts (+0.2% Ronald Reagan), Tennessee (+0.3% Ronald Reagan), Arkansas (+0.6% Ronald Reagan)
1984
Wisconsin
- #1. Ronald Reagan (Republican): 54.2% of votes (9.2% margin of victory)
- #2. Walter Mondale (Democrat): 45.0%
- #3. David Bergland (Libertarian): 0.2%
- #4. Bob Richards (Populist): 0.2%
National
- #1. Ronald Reagan (Republican): 58.8% of votes (525/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Walter Mondale (Democrat): 40.6%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Minnesota (+0.2% Walter Mondale), Massachusetts (+2.8% Ronald Reagan), Rhode Island (+3.6% Ronald Reagan)
1988
Wisconsin
- #1. Michael Dukakis (Democrat): 51.4% of votes (3.6% margin of victory)
- #2. George H.W. Bush (Republican): 47.8%
National
- #1. George H. W. Bush (Republican): 53.4% of votes (426/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Michael Dukakis (Democrat): 45.7%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Washington (+1.6% Michael Dukakis), Illinois (+2.1% George H.W. Bush), Pennsylvania (+2.3% George H.W. Bush)
1992
Wisconsin
- #1. Bill Clinton (Democrat): 41.1% of votes (4.4% margin of victory)
- #2. George H.W. Bush (Republican): 36.8%
- #3. Ross Perot (Independent): 21.5%
- #4. Andre Marrou (Libertarian): 0.1%
National
- #1. Bill Clinton (Democrat): 43.0% of votes (370/538 electoral votes)
- #2. George H. W. Bush (Republican): 37.5%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Georgia (+0.6% Bill Clinton), North Carolina (+0.8% George H.W. Bush), New Hampshire (+1.2% Bill Clinton)
1996
Wisconsin
- #1. Bill Clinton (Democrat): 48.8% of votes (10.3% margin of victory)
- #2. Robert Dole (Republican): 38.5%
- #3. Ross Perot (Reform Party): 10.4%
- #4. Howard Phillips (U.S. Taxpayers Party): 0.4%
National
- #1. Bill Clinton (Democrat): 49.2% of votes (379/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Bob Dole (Republican): 40.7%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Kentucky (+1.0% Bill Clinton), Nevada (+1.0% Bill Clinton), Georgia (+1.2% Robert Dole)
2000
Wisconsin
- #1. Al Gore (Democrat): 47.8% of votes (0.2% margin of victory)
- #2. George W. Bush (Republican): 47.6%
- #3. Ralph Nader (Green): 3.6%
- #4. Harry Browne (Libertarian): 0.3%
National
- #1. George W. Bush (Republican): 47.9% of votes (271/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Al Gore (Democrat): 48.4%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Florida (+0.0% George W. Bush), New Mexico (+0.1% Al Gore), Wisconsin (+0.2% Al Gore)
2004
Wisconsin
- #1. John Kerry (Democrat): 49.7% of votes (0.4% margin of victory)
- #2. George W. Bush (Republican): 49.3%
- #3. Ralph Nader (Independent): 0.6%
- #4. Michael Badnarik (Libertarian): 0.2%
National
- #1. George W. Bush (Republican): 50.7% of votes (286/538 electoral votes)
- #2. John Kerry (Democrat): 48.3%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Wisconsin (+0.4% John Kerry), Iowa (+0.7% George W. Bush), New Mexico (+0.8% George W. Bush)
2008
Wisconsin
- #1. Barack Obama (Democrat): 56.2% of votes (13.9% margin of victory)
- #2. John Mccain (Republican): 42.3%
- #3. Ralph Nader (Independent): 0.6%
- #4. Bob Barr (Libertarian): 0.3%
National
- #1. Barack Obama (Democrat): 52.9% of votes (365/538 electoral votes)
- #2. John McCain (Republican): 45.7%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Missouri (+0.1% John Mccain), North Carolina (+0.3% Barack Obama), Indiana (+1.0% Barack Obama)
2012
Wisconsin
- #1. Barack Obama (Democrat): 52.8% of votes (6.8% margin of victory)
- #2. Mitt Romney (Republican): 45.9%
- #3. Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. (Constitution Party): 0.2%
National
- #1. Barack Obama (Democrat): 51.1% of votes (332/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Mitt Romney (Republican): 47.2%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Florida (+0.9% Barack Obama), North Carolina (+2.0% Mitt Romney), Ohio (+3.0% Barack Obama)
2016
Wisconsin
- #1. Donald Trump (Republican): 47.2% of votes (0.8% margin of victory)
- #2. Hillary Clinton (Democrat): 46.5%
- #3. Gary Johnson (Libertarian): 3.6%
- #4. Jill Stein (Green): 1.0%
National
- #1. Donald Trump (Republican): 46.1% of votes (304/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Hillary Clinton (Democrat): 48.2%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Michigan (+0.2% Donald Trump), New Hampshire (+0.4% Hillary Clinton), Pennsylvania (+0.7% Donald Trump)
2020
Wisconsin
- #1. Joe Biden (Democrat): 49.4% of votes (0.6% margin of victory)
- #2. Donald Trump (Republican): 48.8%
- #3. Jo Jorgensen (Independent): 1.2%
- #4. Brian Carroll (American Solidarity Party): 0.2%
National
- #1. Joe Biden (Democrat): 51.3% of votes (306/538 electoral votes)
- #2. Donald Trump (Republican): 46.9%
- States with smallest margin of victory: Georgia (+0.2% Joe Biden), Arizona (+0.3% Joe Biden), Wisconsin (+0.6% Joe Biden)
