List of United States presidential candidates by number of primary votes received explained

In United States presidential politics, voters within both the Democratic and Republican parties select their candidates for the presidential election through a series of primary elections. For this list, any candidate that received at least 250,000 total votes in an election year's primary contests will be included. Only elections conducted since nationwide primaries were instituted in 1972 are shown.

History

The first state to hold a primary was Florida in 1901. In 1905, Wisconsin was the first state to hold a direct open primary. Five years later, in 1910, Oregon was the first state to hold a primary that bound its state's delegates to the convention based on election results. Between 1932 and 1968, twelve states held primaries consistently, while the remaining states chose which candidate received their delegates through state party bosses. In 1972, both parties held a primary or caucus in every state for the first time. However, Republican Richard Nixon was the incumbent president and was seeking re-election. As such, the Republican primary was uneventful that year, with Nixon winning every state easily. On the Democratic side, six candidates battled for the nomination. George McGovern of South Dakota won the first nationwide primary. Today, the first state to hold a caucus during primary season is Iowa, typically in early February. Shortly after that is the first primary, held in New Hampshire.

List

Rank	Candidate	Party	Home state	Votes received	Year	Source
1				19,076,052		^[1]
2				18,159,752		^[2]
3				17,857,501		^[3]
4				17,584,692	2008
5				16,917,853		^[4]
6				16,245,867		^[5]
7				14,183,228		^[6]
8				14,015,993		^[7]
9				13,210,550	2016
10				12,089,564		^[8]
11				10,642,105		^[9]
12				10,482,411		^[10]
13				10,048,134		^[11]
14				10,045,891		^[12]
15				10,043,016		^[13]
16				9,898,750		^[14]
17				9,706,802		^[15]
18				9,679,213	2020
19				9,615,533		^[16]
20				9,199,463		^[17]
21				9,024,742		^[18]
22				8,258,512		^[19]
23				8,044,659		^[20]
24				7,853,863		^[21]
25				7,822,100	2016
26				7,709,793		^[22]
27				7,381,693	1980
28				6,952,912		^[23]
29				6,788,991	1988
30				6,504,842	1984
31				6,484,987		^[24]
32				6,235,609		^[25]
33				6,070,050	2000
34				5,529,899		^[26]
35				5,378,704		^[27]
36				4,760,222	1976
37				4,567,127	2008
38				4,373,783	2024
39				4,290,448	2016
40				4,147,961	2008
41				4,121,372		^[28]
42				4,071,232	1992
43				4,053,451	1972
44				3,938,527	2012
45				3,755,424	1972
46				3,696,010	1992
47				3,515,576	2016
48				3,282,431	1984
49				3,207,048	2004
50				3,185,806	1988
51				3,184,943	1996
52				3,070,033	1980
53				2,899,488	1992
54				2,831,472	2020
55				2,804,945	2000
56				2,737,442	2012
57				2,488,734	2020
58				2,449,374	1976
59				2,333,375	1988
60				2,099,441	2012
61				1,955,388	1976
62				1,840,217	1972
63				1,751,187	1996
64				1,611,754	1976
65				1,572,174	1980
66				1,399,041	1988
67				1,145,138	2008
68				1,134,375	1976
69				1,097,446	1988
70				1,082,960	1988
71				995,555	2000
72				994,029	2008
73				937,015	2004
74				924,237	2020
75				857,039	2016
76				830,818	1976
77				643,067	2004
78				617,909	1984
79				596,422	1996
80				592,391	2008
81				575,296	1980
82				572,207	2004
83				553,990	1972
84				529,713	2020
85				529,486	2020
86				505,198	1972
87				495,590	1996
88				473,463	2024
89				471,716	1996
90				453,959	2020
91				430,703	1972
92				415,716	1988
93				383,683	2004
94				353,615	2024
95				340,309	1976
96				334,801	1984
97				331,415	1972
98				331,333	1988
99				318,457	1992
100				311,543	1972
101				306,772	2000
102				304,399	1976
103				287,581	2008
104				286,694	2016
105				280,340	1992
106				273,940	2020
107				259,792	2020

List of presidential candidates by cumulative primary votes

Rank	Candidate	Party	Home state	Votes received	Year(s)
1	Donald Trump	Republican	NY, FL	47,559,705	2016, 2020, 2024
2	Hillary Clinton	Democratic	New York	34,775,354	2008, 2016
3	Barack Obama	Democratic	Illinois	25,629,351	2008, 2012
4	Bernie Sanders	Democratic	Vermont	22,889,763	2016, 2020
5	George H. W. Bush	Republican	Texas	20,528,008	1980, 1988, 1992
6	Bill Clinton	Democratic	Arkansas	20,189,213	1992, 1996
7	George W. Bush	Republican	Texas	19,943,427	2000, 2004
8	Joe Biden	Democratic	Delaware	19,155,806	2008, 2020
9	Ronald Reagan	Republican	California	18,955,002	1976, 1980, 1984
10	Jimmy Carter	Democratic	Georgia	16,278,625	1976, 1980
11	John McCain	Republican	Arizona	15,685,583	2000, 2008
12	Mitt Romney	Republican	Massachusetts	14,615,261	2008, 2012
13	Al Gore	Democratic	Tennessee	13,827,911	1988, 2000
14	Bob Dole	Republican	Kansas	11,365,321	1980, 1988, 1996
15	Jesse Jackson	Democratic	South Carolina	10,071,422	1984, 1988
16	John Kerry	Democratic	Massachusetts	10,045,891	2004
17	Michael Dukakis	Democratic	Massachusetts	9,898,750	1988
18	Ted Cruz	Republican	Texas	7,822,100	2016
19	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	Massachusetts	7,381,693	1980
20	Jerry Brown	Democratic	California	7,095,902	1976, 1980, 1992
21	Walter Mondale	Democratic	Minnesota	6,952,912	1984
22	Gary Hart	Democratic	Colorado	6,920,558	1984, 1988
23	Pat Buchanan	Republican	Virginia	6,084,431	1992, 1996
24	George Wallace	Democratic	Alabama	5,710,812	1972, 1976
25	Gerald Ford	Republican	Michigan	5,529,899	1976
26	Richard Nixon	Republican	California	5,378,704	1972
27	George McGovern	Democratic	South Dakota	4,388,252	1972, 1984
28	John Kasich	Republican	Ohio	4,290,448	2016
29	John Edwards	Democratic	North Carolina	4,201,077	2004, 2008
30	Mike Huckabee	Republican	Arkansas	4,199,411	2008, 2016
31	Hubert Humphrey	Democratic	Minnesota	4,183,364	1972, 1976
32	Rick Santorum	Republican	Pennsylvania	3,955,154	2012, 2016
33	Paul Tsongas	Democratic	Massachusetts	3,696,010	1992
34	Marco Rubio	Republican	Florida	3,515,576	2016
35	Ron Paul	Republican	Texas	3,259,844	2008, 2012
36	Elizabeth Warren	Democratic	Massachusetts	2,831,472	2020
37	Bill Bradley	Democratic	New Jersey	2,804,945	2000
38	Newt Gingrich	Republican	Georgia	2,737,442	2012
39	Michael Bloomberg	Democratic	New York	2,488,734	2020
40	Steve Forbes	Republican	New York	1,923,047	1996, 2000
41	Edmund Muskie	Democratic	Maine	1,840,217	1972
42	Henry M. Jackson	Democratic	Washington	1,639,573	1972, 1976
43	Mo Udall	Democratic	Arizona	1,611,754	1976
44	John B. Anderson	Republican	Illinois	1,572,174	1980
45	Alan Keyes	Republican	Maryland	1,467,271	1996, 2000
46	Dick Gephardt	Democratic	Missouri	1,462,943	1988, 2004
47	Pat Robertson	Republican	Virginia	1,097,446	1988
48	Paul Simon	Democratic	Illinois	1,082,960	1988
49	Lyndon LaRouche	Democratic	Virginia	1,080,978	1980, 1996, 2000
50	Howard Dean	Democratic	Vermont	937,015	2004
51	Pete Buttigieg	Democratic	Indiana	924,237	2020
52	Ben Carson	Republican	Florida	857,039	2016
53	Frank Church	Democratic	Idaho	830,818	1976
54	Dennis Kucinich	Democratic	Ohio	743,030	2004, 2008
55	John Glenn	Democratic	Ohio	617,909	1984
56	Rudy Giuliani	Republican	New York	592,391	2008
57	Wesley Clark	Democratic	Arkansas	572,207	2004
58	Eugene McCarthy	Democratic	Minnesota	553,990	1972
59	Amy Klobuchar	Democratic	Minnesota	529,713	2020
60	Lamar Alexander	Republican	Tennessee	495,590	1996
61	Bill Weld	Republican	Massachusetts	453,959	2020
62	Shirley Chisholm	Democratic	New York	430,703	1972
63	Al Sharpton	Democratic	New York	383,683	2004
64	Robert Byrd	Democratic	West Virginia	340,309	1976
65	Terry Sanford	Democratic	North Carolina	331,415	1972
66	Jack Kemp	Republican	New York	331,333	1988
67	Bob Kerrey	Democratic	Nebraska	318,457	1992
68	John M. Ashbrook	Republican	Ohio	311,543	1972
69	Sargent Shriver	Democratic	Maryland	304,399	1976
70	Fred Thompson	Republican	Tennessee	287,581	2008
71	Jeb Bush	Republican	Florida	286,694	2016
72	Tom Harkin	Democratic	Iowa	280,340	1992
73	Tulsi Gabbard	Democratic	Hawaii	273,940	2020
74	Tom Steyer	Democratic	California	259,792	2020

See also

• List of United States presidential candidates by number of votes received

Notes and References

1. Web site: Democratic Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 17 August 2020.
2. Web site: Republican Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 17 August 2020.
3. Web site: Democratic Convention - Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
4. Web site: Democratic Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
5. Web site: Republican Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 24 July 2024.
6. Web site: Democratic Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 24 July 2024.
7. Web site: Republican Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
8. Web site: Republican Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
9. Web site: Democratic Convention - Nationwide Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
10. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1992. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
11. Web site: Republican Convention - Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
12. Web site: Democratic Convention - Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
13. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 26, 1980. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
14. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1988. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
15. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1996. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
16. Web site: Republican Convention - Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
17. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1996. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
18. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - July 07, 1996. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
19. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1988. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
20. Web site: Democratic Convention - Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
21. Web site: Republican Convention - Popular Vote. The Green Papers. 22 July 2020.
22. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - Feb 17, 1980. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
23. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 20, 1984. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
24. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - Feb 20, 1984. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
25. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1976. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
26. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1976. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
27. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - Mar 07, 1972. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.
28. Web site: Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Mar 07, 1972. Our Campaigns. 2020-08-04.