Landslide Presidential Elections in the United States

George Washington was unanimously chosen as the nation's first president.

The Electoral College, not the popular vote, determines the election of presidents. The Electoral College consists of electors from the 50 states and Washington, D.C. The electors generally cast their votes for the winner of the popular vote in their states, and there have been several landslide presidential elections in the nation's history.

Election of 1820

One of the biggest landslides in presidential election history occurred in 1820 when James Monroe received nearly every single electoral vote. Monroe received 231 electoral votes, while his opponent John Quincy Adams received only one vote. Some historians believe that the New Hampshire delegate who voted for Adams did so to ensure that George Washington remained the only president unanimously chosen by the electoral college.

Election of 1936

The election of 1936 saw President Franklin Roosevelt opposed by Republican Alfred Landon. Roosevelt received 523 electoral votes to eight for Landon. Roosevelt won the popular vote by 60.8 to 36.5 percent. Roosevelt would become the only president elected to more than two terms and served 12 years at the nation's leader.

Election of 1964

In 1964, Lyndon Johnson scored one of the biggest landslides in presidential election history in terms of the popular vote when he received 61.1 percent. His opponent, Barry Goldwater, a Republican senator from Arizona, received only 38.5 percent. For Johnson, it marked the highest percentage of the popular vote ever received, barely topping Franklin Roosevelt's total of 60.8 percent in the election of 1936.

Election of 1972

Richard Nixon won a landslide victory in the 1972 election. Nixon received 60.7 percent of the popular vote to 37.5 percent for Democratic candidate, U.S. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota. Furthermore, Nixon received 520 electoral votes to 17 for McGovern. One electoral vote went to John Hospers of the Libertarian Party.

References

• ipl2: Potus: James Madison
• The Robinson Library: Alfred Mossman Landon
• Who Won When: Who Won US Presidential Elections?