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Presidential election in Georgia, 2016

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General election in Georgia
  Date: November 8, 2016
2016 winner: Donald Trump (R)
Electoral votes: 16
2012 winner: Mitt Romney (R)
Democratic Primary
  Date: March 1, 2016
Winner: Hillary Clinton
Republican Primary
  Date: March 1, 2016
Winner: Donald Trump
Down ballot races in Georgia
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Georgia held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. The Democratic and Republican parties held primary elections for president on March 1, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Donald Trump (R) won Georgia in the general election.
  • In 2016, Georgia had 16 electoral votes, which was 3 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs and 6 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election.
  • Between 1900 and 2016, Georgia cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 53.33 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Georgia supported Democratic candidates for president more often than Republican candidates, 63.33 to 36.67 percent. The state, however, supported Republican candidates in every election between 2000 and 2016.
  • Presidential primary elections in Georgia took place on March 1, 2016. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary with 71.3 percent of the vote. Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 38.8 percent.

    • General election candidates

    See also: Ballot access for presidential candidates

    The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Georgia secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.

    Presidential candidates on the ballot in Georgia

    ☑ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)
    ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
    ☐ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)

    Results

    U.S. presidential election, Georgia, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 45.6% 1,877,963 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump/Mike Pence 50.8% 2,089,104 16
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 3% 125,306 0
         - Other/Write-in 0.5% 22,359 0
    Total Votes 4,114,732 16
    Election results via: Federal Election Commission

    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties: The counties that voted Obama-Obama-Trump from 2008-2016

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, in 34 states.[1] Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes, and had an average margin of victory of 11.45 percent. The political shift in these counties could have a broad impact on elections at every level of government for the next four years.

    Historical election trends

    See also: Presidential election accuracy

    Below is an analysis of Georgia's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.

    Presidential election voting record in Georgia, 1900-2016

    Between 1900 and 2016:

    • Georgia participated in 30 presidential elections.
    • Georgia voted for the winning presidential candidate 53.33 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[2]
    • Georgia voted Democratic 63.33 percent of the time and Republican 36.67 percent of the time.

    Third party vote

    In 1968, Richard Nixon ran as the Republican, Hubert H. Humphrey ran as the Democrat, and George Wallace ran under the American Independent Party and won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.[3]

    Presidential election voting record in Georgia, 2000-2016

    *An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.

    Election results

    2012

    U.S. presidential election, Georgia, 2012
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 45.5% 1,773,827 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMitt Romney/Paul Ryan 53.3% 2,078,688 16
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Jim Gray 1.2% 45,324 0
         Write-in Write-in candidates 0.1% 2,211 0
    Total Votes 3,900,050 16
    Election results via: Georgia Secretary of State

    2008

    U.S. presidential election, Georgia, 2008
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Barack Obama/Joe Biden 47% 1,844,123 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn McCain/Sarah Palin 52.2% 2,048,759 15
         Libertarian Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root 0.7% 28,731 0
         Write-in Write-in candidates 0.1% 2,873 0
    Total Votes 3,924,486 15
    Election results via: Georgia Secretary of State

    Electoral votes

    See also: Electoral College

    The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.

    Georgia electors

    In 2016, Georgia had 16 electoral votes. Georgia's share of electoral votes represented 3 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 6 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president. Republican electors in Georgia were selected by a Republican state central committee. Ballotpedia was not able to determine how Democratic electors in Georgia were selected.

    "Faithless electors"

    The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.

    Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[5][6]

    Georgia was one of 20 states in 2016 without a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.

    Down ballot races

    See also: Georgia elections, 2016

    Below is a list of down ballot races in Georgia covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.

    Primary election

    Quick facts

    Democrats: Republicans

    *The Georgia GOP includes a provision in its nominating rules allowing any candidate who wins 50 percent of the vote cast within the state or each of the congressional districts to receive all of the state’s at-large and congressional district delegates. For more on this provision, see here.

    Democrats

    Hillary Clinton won the 2016 Georgia Democratic primary with 71.2 percent of the vote.[7] This was a substantial improvement over her 2008 performance against Barack Obama where she only won 31.1 percent.[8] Clinton also swept the state except for one county; Bernie Sanders claimed that victory in Echols County.[9]

    According to exit polling from CNN, Clinton won with nearly every demographic group, including men, women, self-identified liberals and moderates and voters of all income and education levels. Eighty-five percent of African-American voters supported Clinton. Sanders narrowly outperformed with voters 29 years of age or younger and white men.[10]

    Republicans

    Donald Trump won the 2016 Georgia Republican primary with nearly 39 percent of the vote.[7] Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz followed with 24.5 percent and 23.6 percent, respectively.[9] According to NBC News, Trump and his allies spent less than $100,000 in the state. This was significantly less than the $1.6 million pro-Cruz forces spent in Georgia.[11]

    Nevertheless, Trump managed to win with a wide range of demographic groups, including men, women, voters of all ages, high school and college graduates and voters who identified as somewhat conservative or moderate. Rubio outperformed Trump with voters who had incomes of $100,000 or more and postgraduate education. He also won with non-white voters.[12]

    Primary results

    Democrats

    Georgia Democratic Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton 71.3% 545,674 73
    Bernie Sanders 28.2% 215,797 29
    Martin O'Malley 0.3% 2,129 0
    Michael Steinberg 0.2% 1,766
    Totals 765,366 102
    Source: Georgia Secretary of State and CNN

    Republicans

    Georgia Republican Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump 38.8% 502,994 42
    Marco Rubio 24.4% 316,836 16
    Ted Cruz 23.6% 305,847 18
    John Kasich 5.6% 72,508 0
    Ben Carson 6.2% 80,723 0
    Jeb Bush 0.6% 7,686 0
    Chris Christie 0.1% 1,486 0
    Carly Fiorina 0.1% 1,146 0
    Lindsey Graham 0% 428 0
    Mike Huckabee 0.2% 2,625 0
    George Pataki 0% 236 0
    Rand Paul 0.2% 2,910 0
    Rick Santorum 0% 539 0
    Totals 1,295,964 76
    Source: Georgia Secretary of State and CNN

    Candidate list

    Democrats[13]

    Hillary Clinton
    Martin O'Malley


    Bernie Sanders
    Michael Steinberg

    Republicans[13]

    Jeb Bush
    Ben Carson
    Chris Christie
    Ted Cruz
    Carly Fiorina


    Lindsey Graham
    Mike Huckabee
    John Kasich
    George Pataki


    Rand Paul
    Marco Rubio
    Rick Santorum
    Donald Trump

    Polls

    Democratic primary

    Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential primary polling (Georgia)
    Poll Hillary Clinton Bernie SandersUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    WSB-TV 2
    February 28, 2016    		70%23%7%+/-3.5800
    NBC News/WSJ/Marist Poll
    February 2016 (No date range specified.)    		64%30%5%+/-4.6461
    CBS News/YouGov
    February 22-26, 2016    		63%35%2%+/-8.6492
    Landmark/RosettaStone
    February 26, 2016    		68.2%22.4%9.4%+/-3.5800
    SurveyUSA/TEGNA/11Alive Atlanta
    February 22-23, 2016    		66%27%7%+/-4.2501
    Opinion Savvy
    February 22-23, 2016    		57%28.6%14.4%+/-4.4491
    WSB-TV/Landmark
    February 21, 2016    		72%19.8%8.1%+/-3.7700
    Public Policy Polling
    February 14-16, 2016    		60%26%13%+/-4.4500
    WXIA-TV/Survey USA
    October 15-26, 2015    		73%16%10%+/-4481
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Note: In October 2015, Joe Biden announced that he would not run for president in 2016. During the same month, Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee and Lawrence Lessig ended their campaigns for the presidential election in 2016. The Democratic polls below reflect polling during the time when their campaigns were still active, and it was widely expected that Biden would run in 2016.

    Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential favorability polling (Georgia)
    Poll Hillary Clinton Bernie SandersJoe BidenMartin O'MalleyJim WebbLincoln ChafeeUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    OpinionSavvy/Insider Advantage Poll for FOX 5 and the Morris News Service
    September 2, 2015
    		51%24%15%0%0%5%5%+/-4.8413
    WSB/Landmark
    August 5, 2015
    		56%11%18%1%2%0%12%+/-4600
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Republican primary

    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (Georgia)
    Poll Donald Trump Marco RubioTed CruzBen CarsonJohn KasichUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    WSB-TV 2
    February 28, 2016    		39%20%15%9%8%9%+/-2.61,400
    Opinion Savvy
    February 27-28, 2016    		32.5%23.2%23.2%6.1%10.7%4.3%+/-3.7710
    Trafalgar Group
    February 26-28, 2016    		38.6%23.54%20.74%6.14%7.03%3.95%+/-3.141,350
    NBC News/WSJ/Marist Poll
    February 2016 (No date range specified.)    		30%23%23%9%9%6%+/-4.2543
    CBS News/YouGov
    February 22-26, 2016    		40%22%29%7%2%0%+/-7493
    SurveyUSA/TEGNA/11Alive Atlanta
    February 22-23, 2016    		45%19%16%8%6%6%+/-3.8684
    Opinion Savvy
    February 22-23, 2016    		33.6%22.2%20.4%7.7%8.9%7.2%+/-3.6745
    WSB-TV/Landmark
    February 21, 2016    		31.7%22.7%18.7%8.1%7.9%10.9%+/-4.4500
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (Georgia)
    Poll Donald Trump Ted CruzBen CarsonMarco RubioJeb BushCarly FiorinaChris ChristieJohn KasichMike HuckabeeRand PaulUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Opinion Savvy
    January 17, 2016    		33.4%23.4%7.3%8.2%7.1%3.5%3.7%3.8%3.2%3.5%2.7%+/-3.4803
    Fox 5 Atlanta
    December 16, 2015    		34.6%15.8%6.4%12%6%5.1%5.6%2.3%1.4%2.1%8.7%+/-4.2538
    WSB/Landmark
    December 10, 2015    		43.1%16.2%6.7%10.6%4.8%1.8%0%1.5%1.9%<1%12.9%+/-3.3800
    Fox 5/Morris News Service
    November 9-10, 2015    		8%26%4%14%6%0%2%2%1%9%4%+/-4.7674
    WXIA-TV/Survey USA
    October 15-26, 2015    		35%8%28%12%4%3%0%2%3%0%6%+/-4629
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Delegates

    Delegate selection

    See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

    Democratic Party

    Democratic Party Logo.png

    Georgia had 117 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 102 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[14][15]

    Fifteen party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[14][16]

    Georgia superdelegates

    See also: Superdelegates from Georgia, 2016 and Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

    Republican Party

    Logo-GOP.png

    Georgia had 76 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 42 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 14 congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated proportionally; the highest vote-getter in a congressional district received two of that district's delegates, and the second highest vote-getter received the remaining delegate. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a given district, he or she won all three of that district's delegates.[17][18]

    Of the remaining 34 delegates, 31 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide vote in order to be eligible to win any of Georgia's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[17][18]

    Georgia Delegates

    Presidential voting history

    Georgia presidential election results (1900-2024)

    • 20 Democratic wins
    • 11 Republican wins
    • 1 other win
    Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
    Winning Party D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R AI[19] R D D R R D R R R R R R D R

    State profile

    Demographic data for Georgia
     GeorgiaU.S.
    Total population:10,199,398316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):57,5133,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:60.2%73.6%
    Black/African American:30.9%12.6%
    Asian:3.6%5.1%
    Native American:0.3%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:2.1%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:9.1%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:85.4%86.7%
    College graduation rate:28.8%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$49,620$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:21.1%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Georgia.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Georgia

    Georgia voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

    Pivot Counties (2016)

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Georgia, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[20]

    Pivot Counties (2020)

    In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Georgia had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

    More Georgia coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
    2. ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
    3. ↑ U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, "Electoral Votes, 1964-1972," accessed June 21, 2016
    4. ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
    5. ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
    6. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 CNN, "Super Tuesday: Live updates," March 1, 2016
    8. ↑ The New York Times, "Georgia Primary Results, 2008," accessed March 2, 2016
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 The New York Times, "Georgia Primary Results, 2016," accessed March 2, 2016
    10. ↑ CNN, "Georgia Exit Polls (Democratic)," March 1, 2016
    11. ↑ NBC News, "Ted Cruz Dominates GOP Ad Spending in Super Tuesday States," February 29, 2016
    12. ↑ CNN, "Georgia Exit Polls (Republican)," March 1, 2016
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch, "List of Georgia's Presidential Primary Candidates Released," December 8, 2015
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    15. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    16. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
    17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
    18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
    19. ↑ American Independent Party
    20. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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