 | |
| Number of elections | 52 |
|---|---|
| Voted Democratic | 30 |
| Voted Republican | 20 |
| Voted Democratic-Republican | 2 |
| Voted other | 0 |
| Voted for winning candidate | 38 |
| Voted for losing candidate | 14 |
The tables below list theUnited States presidential elections in Missouri, ordered by year. Since 1904,Missouri has voted for the eventual winner of the presidential election with only four exceptions:1956,2008,2012, and2020, although the popular vote winner failed the win the electoral vote in2000 and2016. Missouri was historically viewed as abellwether state, but the consecutive votes against the winning candidate in 2008 and 2012 introduced doubts about its continued status as a bellwether, and an 18.5-pointRepublican victory in2016 indicated that it had become a safe red state.
Winners of the state are inbold. The shading refers to thestate winner, and not the national winner.
The election of 1860 was a complex realigning election in which the breakdown of the previous two-party alignment culminated in four parties each competing for influence in different parts of the country. The result of the election, with the victory of an ardent opponent ofslavery, spurred the secession of eleven states and brought about theAmerican Civil War.
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | 17,028 | 10.3 | Stephen A. Douglas | 58,801 | 35.5 | John C. Breckinridge | 31,362 | 18.9 | John Bell | 58,372 | 35.3 | 9 |
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Other national candidates[a] | Votes | Percent | Electoral votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | James Buchanan | 57,964 | 54.43 | John C. Frémont | no ballots | Millard Fillmore | 48,522 | 45.57 | 9 | ||
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | 38,817 | 56.42 | Winfield Scott | 29,984 | 43.58 | John P. Hale | no ballots | 9 | ||
| 1848 | Zachary Taylor | 32,671 | 44.91 | Lewis Cass | 40,077 | 55.09 | Martin Van Buren | no ballots | 7 | ||
| 1844 | James K. Polk | 41,322 | 56.98 | Henry Clay | 31,200 | 43.02 | - | 7 | |||
| 1840 | William Henry Harrison | 22,954 | 43.37 | Martin Van Buren | 29,969 | 56.63 | - | 4 | |||
| 1836 | Martin Van Buren | 10,995 | 59.98 | Hugh Lawson White | 7,337 | 40.02 | various[d] | no ballots | - | 4 | |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson | 5,192 | 100 | Henry Clay | no ballots | William Wirt | no ballots | 4 | |||
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson | 8,232 | 70.64 | John Quincy Adams | 3,422 | 29.36 | - | 3 |
The election of 1824 was a complex realigning election following the collapse of the prevailingDemocratic-Republican Party, resulting in four different candidates each claiming to carry the banner of the party, and competing for influence in different parts of the country. The election was the only one in history to be decided by the House of Representatives under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution after no candidate secured a majority of the electoral vote. It was also the only presidential election in which the candidate who received a plurality of electoral votes (Andrew Jackson) did not become president, a source of great bitterness for Jackson and his supporters, who proclaimed the election of Adams acorrupt bargain.
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1824 | Andrew Jackson | 1,166 | 33.97 | John Quincy Adams | 159 | 4.63 | Henry Clay | 2,042 | 59.50 | William H. Crawford | 32 | 0.93 | 3 |
In theelection of 1820, incumbent PresidentJames Monroe ran effectively unopposed, winning all electoral votes except one vote in New Hampshire. The popular vote was primarily directed to filling the office of vice president.
Missouri's participation in the election was a point of political dispute. On March 9, 1820, Congress had passed a law directing Missouri to hold a convention to form a constitution and a state government. This law stated that "the said state, when formed, shall be admitted into the Union, upon an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatsoever."[8] However, when Congress reconvened in November 1820, the admission of Missouri became an issue of contention. Proponents claimed that Missouri had fulfilled the conditions of the law and therefore was a state; detractors contended that certain provisions of the Missouri Constitution violated the United States Constitution.
By the time Congress was due to meet to count the electoral votes from the election, this dispute had lasted over two months. The counting raised a ticklish problem: if Congress counted Missouri's votes, that would count as recognition that Missouri was a state; on the other hand, if Congress failed to count Missouri's vote, it would count as recognition that Missouri was not a state. Knowing ahead of time that Monroe had won in a landslide and that Missouri's vote would therefore make no difference in the final result, the Senate passed a resolution on February 13, 1821, stating that if a protest were made, there would be no consideration of the matter unless the vote of Missouri would change who would become president. Instead, the President of the Senate would announce the final tally twice, once with Missouri included and once with it excluded.[9]
The next day this resolution was introduced in the full House. After a lively debate, it was passed. Nonetheless, during the counting of the electoral votes on February 14, 1821, an objection was raised to the votes from Missouri by RepresentativeArthur Livermore of New Hampshire. He argued that since Missouri had not yet officially become a state, it had no right to cast any electoral votes. Immediately, RepresentativeJohn Floyd of Virginia argued that Missouri's votes must be counted. Chaos ensued, and order was restored only with the counting of the vote as per the resolution and then adjournment for the day.[10]
Excluding two-campaign two-term presidents, including candidates who eventually lost
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