 | |
| Number of elections | 51 |
|---|---|
| Voted Democratic | 26 |
| Voted Republican | 24 |
| Voted Democratic-Republican | 2 |
| Voted other | 0 |
| Voted for winning candidate | 42 |
| Voted for losing candidate | 10 |
Following is a table ofUnited States presidential elections in Illinois, ordered by year. Since its admission to statehood in 1818,Illinois has participated in every U.S. presidential election.
From 1896 to 1996, Illinois was a bellwether state, voting for the winner of the presidential election 24 of 26 times, the exceptions being 1916 and 1976. Since 1992, Illinois has consistently backed Democratic candidates.
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 | 172,171 | 50.7 | Stephen A. Douglas | 160,215 | 47.2 | John C. Breckinridge | 2,331 | 0.7 | John Bell | 4,914 | 1.4 | 11 |
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Other national candidates[a] | Votes | Percent | Electoral votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | James Buchanan | 105,528 | 44.09 | John C. Frémont | 96,275 | 40.23 | Millard Fillmore | 37,531 | 15.68 | 11 | |
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | 80,378 | 51.87 | Winfield Scott | 64,733 | 41.77 | John P. Hale | 9,863 | 6.36 | 11 | |
| 1848 | Zachary Taylor | 52,853 | 42.42 | Lewis Cass | 55,952 | 44.91 | Martin Van Buren | 15,702 | 12.6 | 9 | |
| 1844 | James K. Polk | 58,795 | 53.91 | Henry Clay | 45,854 | 42.05 | - | 9 | |||
| 1840 | William Henry Harrison | 45,574 | 48.91 | Martin Van Buren | 47,441 | 50.92 | - | 5 | |||
| 1836 | Martin Van Buren | 18,369 | 54.69 | William Henry Harrison | 15,220 | 45.31 | various[d] | 5 | |||
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson | 14,609 | 68.01 | Henry Clay | 6,745 | 31.40 | William Wirt | 97 | 0.45 | 5 | |
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson | 9,560 | 67.22 | John Quincy Adams | 4,662 | 32.78 | - | 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 | 1,272 | 27.23 | John Quincy Adams | 1,516 | 32.46 | Henry Clay | 1,036 | 22.18 | William H. Crawford | 847 | 18.13 | 3 (Electoral College split, 2 for Jackson and 1 for Adams) |
In the election of 1820, incumbent PresidentJames Monroe ran effectively unopposed, winning all electoral votes (including thethree electoral votes from Illinois) except one electoral vote in New Hampshire. The popular vote was primarily directed to filling the office of vice president.