Which presidents lost the popular vote (but won the election)?

Which presidents lost the popular vote (but won the election)?

Which presidents lost the popular vote (but won the election)?

Five presidents lost the popular vote, but won the election: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

These five presidents are stuck together in the Unpopular Bond—the next infographic in our Iconic Bonding series. Check it out (and hopefully learn a thing or two along the way)!

A TIME LINE OF EVENTS

1824 ELECTION

Andrew Jackson received the most electoral votes, but not a majority. John Quincy Adams was chosen by the House of Representatives, and Jackson supporters called it a corrupt bargain.

1876 ELECTION

In a disputed election, Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel J. Tilden by one electoral vote.

1888 ELECTION

Benjamin Harrison defeated incumbent Grover Cleveland—only to be defeated by Cleveland in the next election.

2000 ELECTION

George W. Bush defeated Al Gore after the Supreme Court ended a recount.

2020 ELECTION

Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by more than 2.8 million votes, but he won the electoral vote.

WHAT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

The Constitution established the electoral college system to elect the president and vice president. Today, it takes 270 electoral votes to win a presidential election.

A state’s electoral votes are calculated by adding its number of representatives (depends on population) and its number of senators (all states have two). For example, Hawaii has two representatives and two senators, so it has a total of four electoral votes. At 54 votes, California currently has the most electoral votes.

To learn more about the electoral college, be sure to check out our poster.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS?

From the corrupt bargain to the Florida recount, learn about all fifty-nine presidential elections in our colorful and engaging infographic. There’s always something new to learn! Be sure to check out our poster.

Our Book

If you enjoy our infographics, you’ll love our book!

Our Posters

Check out our full line of infographic posters for the classroom!

BOOKS

Davis, Kenneth C., and Pedro Martin. Don’t Know Much about the Presidents. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.

DeGregorio, William A., and Aaron Jaffe. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, Inc., 2017.

Kane, Joseph Nathan, and Janet Podell. Facts about the Presidents: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2009.

WEBSITES

Encyclopedia Britannica, britannica.com

Library of Congress, loc.gov

Miller Center, University of Virginia, millercenter.org/the-presidency

The White House, whitehouse.gov

Our New Electoral College Poster

Our New Electoral College Poster

The only poster you’ll need for the next presidential elections! Updated with the latest 2020 census data. This engaging poster shows each state’s electoral votes. The bigger the bubble, the more votes for that state. We see you, California!

Also, you’ll notice small green and red arrows by some bubbles. These states gained (green) or lost (red) electoral votes, since the last census.

If you’ve ever needed an instant electoral college reference, this is your poster!

ELECTORAL COLLEGE MERCH

Since 1787, the Electoral College has represented the voice of the American people (sort of).

 Our new poster is printed in the United States on a durable 100-lb full-bodied paper, with an attractive matte finish.

Hey—if you’re going to hang a poster in your classroom, why not make it colorful, engaging, and fun-ctional!

We’ve been making engaging posters since 2006, and we hope that you enjoy the latest addition to our poster line.

Our Book

If you enjoy our infographics, you’ll love our book!

Our Posters

Check out our line of classroom posters!