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Trivia answer
Which presidential election featured the largest popular vote margin by a winning candidate?
a. 1932
b. 1984
c. 1920
d. 1964
In the 1920 presidential election, Sen. Warren Harding (R-Ohio) defeated Ohio Governor James Cox (D) by a margin of 26.23% in the national popular vote, the largest margin since the vote was first recorded in 1824.[1] The second-largest margin occurred in the 1924 presidential election. That year, incumbent Calvin Coolidge (R), who had taken office following Harding's death in 1923, defeated former Ambassador to the United Kingdom John W. Davis (D) by a margin of 25.21%.
Three other elections were decided by margins larger than 20%, all of which were 20th-century elections with an incumbent running. Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) won re-election by a 24.26% margin in 1936, Richard Nixon (R) by a 23.15% margin in 1972, and Lyndon B. Johnson (D) by a 22.58% margin in 1964. Harding's 1920 victory aside, the largest margin of victory for a non-incumbent was Franklin D. Roosevelt's (D) 17.76% in 1932.
In the 49 presidential elections between 1824 and 2016, 11 were decided by a margin of 15% or larger and 17 were decided by a margin of 5% or smaller. The average margin across all 49 elections was 9.39%.[2]
| Popular vote in presidential elections, 1824-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election year | Popular vote winner | Popular vote winner % | Popular vote runner-up | Popular vote runner-up % | Margin |
| 1824 |  Andrew Jackson |
41.36% | John Quincy Adams |
30.92% | 10.44% |
| 1828 |  Andrew Jackson |
55.93% |  John Quincy Adams |
43.68% | 12.25% |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson |
54.74% | Henry Clay |
36.93% | 17.81% |
| 1836 | Martin Van Buren |
50.79% |  William Henry Harrison |
36.59% | 14.20% |
| 1840 | William Henry Harrison |
52.87% | Martin Van Buren |
46.82% | 6.05% |
| 1844 | James Polk |
49.54% | Henry Clay |
48.09% | 1.45% |
| 1848 | Zachary Taylor |
47.28% | Lewis Cass |
42.49% | 4.79% |
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce |
50.83% | Winfield Scott |
43.88% | 6.95% |
| 1856 | James Buchanan |
45.29% |  John Fremont |
33.09% | 12.20% |
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln |
39.65% | Stephen Douglas |
29.52% | 10.13% |
| 1864 | Abraham Lincoln |
55.03% | George McClellan |
44.95% | 10.08% |
| 1868 | Ulysses Grant |
52.66% | Horatio Seymour |
47.34% | 5.32% |
| 1872 | Ulysses Grant |
55.58% | Horace Greeley |
43.78% | 11.80% |
| 1876 | Samuel Tilden |
50.92% | Rutherford B. Hayes |
47.92% | 3.00% |
| 1880 | James Garfield |
48.31% | Winfield Hancock |
48.22% | 0.09% |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland |
48.85% | James Blaine |
48.28% | 0.57% |
| 1888 | Grover Cleveland |
48.63% | Benjamin Harrison |
47.8% | 0.83% |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland |
46.02% | Benjamin Harrison |
43.01% | 3.01% |
| 1896 | William McKinley |
51.02% | William Jennings Bryan |
46.71% | 4.31% |
| 1900 | William McKinley |
51.66% | William Jennings Bryan |
45.51% | 6.15% |
| 1904 | Theodore Roosevelt |
56.42% | Alton Parker |
37.59% | 18.83% |
| 1908 | William Taft |
51.57% | William Jennings Bryan |
43.04% | 8.53% |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson |
41.83% |  Theodore Roosevelt |
27.39% | 14.44% |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson |
49.25% | Charles Evans Hughes |
46.11% | 3.14% |
| 1920 | Warren Harding |
60.35% | James Cox |
34.12% | 26.23% |
| 1924 | Calvin Coolidge |
54.03% | John Davis |
28.82% | 25.21% |
| 1928 | Herbert Hoover |
58.22% | Alfred Smith |
40.79% | 17.43% |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
57.41% | Herbert Hoover |
39.65% | 17.76% |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
60.8% | Alfred Landon |
36.54% | 24.26% |
| 1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
54.72% | Wendell Willkie |
44.77% | 9.95% |
| 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
53.39% | Thomas Dewey |
45.89% | 7.50% |
| 1948 | Harry Truman |
49.55% | Thomas Dewey |
45.07% | 4.48% |
| 1952 | Dwight Eisenhower |
55.18% | Adlai Stevenson |
44.33% | 10.85% |
| 1956 | Dwight Eisenhower |
57.37% | Adlai Stevenson |
41.97% | 15.40% |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy |
49.72% | Richard Nixon |
49.55% | 0.17% |
| 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
61.05% | Barry Goldwater |
38.47% | 22.58% |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon |
43.42% | Hubert Humphrey |
42.72% | 0.70% |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon |
60.67% | George McGovern |
37.52% | 23.15% |
| 1976 | Jimmy Carter |
50.08% | Gerald Ford |
48.01% | 2.07% |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan |
50.75% | Jimmy Carter |
41.01% | 9.74% |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan |
58.77% | Walter Mondale |
40.56% | 18.21% |
| 1988 | George H.W. Bush |
53.37% | Michael Dukakis |
45.65% | 7.72% |
| 1992 | Bill Clinton |
43.01% | George H.W. Bush |
37.45% | 5.56% |
| 1996 | Bill Clinton |
49.23% | Bob Dole |
40.72% | 8.51% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
48.38% | George W. Bush |
47.87% | 0.51% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
50.73% | John Kerry |
48.26% | 2.47% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
52.86% | John McCain |
45.6% | 7.26% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
51.01% | Mitt Romney |
47.15% | 3.86% |
| 2016 | Hillary Clinton |
48.02% | Donald Trump |
45.93% | 2.09% |
