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

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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 or became their party's nominee will be included. Only elections conducted since nationwide primaries were instituted in 1972 are shown.

History

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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 of candidates

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Primary votes received by year

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  Became their party's nominee
  Became president
Rank Candidate Party Home state Votes received Year Source
1 Joe Biden Democratic Delaware 19,076,052 2020 [1]
2 Donald Trump Republican Florida 18,159,752 2020 [2]
3 Hillary Clinton Democratic New York 17,857,501 2008 [3]
4 Barack Obama Democratic Illinois 17,584,692 2008 [3]
5 Hillary Clinton Democratic New York 16,917,853 2016 [4]
6 Donald Trump Republican Florida 16,245,867 2024 [5]
7 Joe Biden Democratic Delaware 14,183,228 2024 [6]
8 Donald Trump Republican New York 14,015,993 2016 [7]
9 Bernie Sanders Democratic Vermont 13,210,550 2016 [4]
10 George W. Bush Republican Texas 12,089,564 2000 [8]
11 Al Gore Democratic Tennessee 10,642,105 2000 [9]
12 Bill Clinton Democratic Arkansas 10,482,411 1992 [10]
13 Mitt Romney Republican Massachusetts 10,048,134 2012 [11]
14 John Kerry Democratic Massachusetts 10,045,891 2004 [12]
15 Jimmy Carter Democratic Georgia 10,043,016 1980 [13]
16 Michael Dukakis Democratic Massachusetts 9,898,750 1988 [14]
17 Bill Clinton Democratic Arkansas 9,706,802 1996 [15]
18 Bernie Sanders Democratic Vermont 9,679,213 2020 [1]
19 John McCain Republican Arizona 9,615,533 2008 [16]
20 George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 9,199,463 1992 [17]
21 Bob Dole Republican Kansas 9,024,742 1996 [18]
22 George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 8,258,512 1988 [19]
23 Barack Obama Democratic Illinois 8,044,659 2012 [20]
24 George W. Bush Republican Texas 7,853,863 2004 [21]
25 Ted Cruz Republican Texas 7,822,100 2016 [7]
26 Ronald Reagan Republican California 7,709,793 1980 [22]
27 Ted Kennedy Democratic Massachusetts 7,381,693 1980 [13]
28 Walter Mondale Democratic Minnesota 6,952,912 1984 [23]
29 Jesse Jackson Democratic South Carolina 6,788,991 1988 [14]
30 Gary Hart Democratic Colorado 6,504,842 1984 [23]
31 Ronald Reagan Republican California 6,484,987 1984 [24]
32 Jimmy Carter Democratic Georgia 6,235,609 1976 [25]
33 John McCain Republican Arizona 6,070,050 2000 [8]
34 Gerald Ford Republican Michigan 5,529,899 1976 [26]
35 Richard Nixon Republican California 5,378,704 1972 [27]
36 Ronald Reagan Republican California 4,760,222 1976 [26]
37 Mitt Romney Republican Massachusetts 4,567,127 2008 [16]
38 Nikki Haley Republican South Carolina 4,373,783 2024 [5]
39 John Kasich Republican Ohio 4,290,448 2016 [7]
40 Mike Huckabee Republican Arkansas 4,147,961 2008 [16]
41 Hubert Humphrey Democratic Minnesota 4,121,372 1972 [28]
42 Jerry Brown Democratic California 4,071,232 1992 [10]
43 George McGovern Democratic South Dakota 4,053,451 1972 [28]
44 Rick Santorum Republican Pennsylvania 3,938,527 2012 [11]
45 George Wallace Democratic Alabama 3,755,424 1972 [28]
46 Paul Tsongas Democratic Massachusetts 3,696,010 1992 [10]
47 Marco Rubio Republican Florida 3,515,576 2016 [7]
48 Jesse Jackson Democratic Illinois 3,282,431 1984 [23]
49 John Edwards Democratic North Carolina 3,207,048 2004 [12]
50 Al Gore Democratic Tennessee 3,185,806 1988 [14]
51 Pat Buchanan Republican Virginia 3,184,943 1996 [18]
52 George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 3,070,033 1980 [22]
53 Pat Buchanan Republican Virginia 2,899,488 1992 [17]
54 Elizabeth Warren Democratic Massachusetts 2,831,472 2020 [1]
55 Bill Bradley Democratic New Jersey 2,804,945 2000 [9]
56 Newt Gingrich Republican Georgia 2,737,442 2012 [11]
57 Michael Bloomberg Democratic New York 2,488,734 2020 [1]
58 Jerry Brown Democratic California 2,449,374 1976 [25]
59 Bob Dole Republican Kansas 2,333,375 1988 [19]
60 Ron Paul Republican Texas 2,099,441 2012 [11]
61 George Wallace Democratic Alabama 1,955,388 1976 [25]
62 Edmund Muskie Democratic Maine 1,840,217 1972 [28]
63 Steve Forbes Republican New York 1,751,187 1996 [18]
64 Mo Udall Democratic Arizona 1,611,754 1976 [25]
65 John Anderson Republican Illinois 1,572,174 1980 [22]
66 Dick Gephardt Democratic Missouri 1,399,041 1988 [14]
67 Ron Paul Republican Texas 1,145,138 2008 [16]
68 Henry Jackson Democratic Washington 1,134,375 1976 [25]
69 Pat Robertson Republican Virginia 1,097,446 1988 [19]
70 Paul Simon Democratic Illinois 1,082,960 1988 [14]
71 Alan Keyes Republican Maryland 995,555 2000 [8]
72 John Edwards Democratic North Carolina 994,029 2008 [3]
73 Howard Dean Democratic Vermont 937,015 2004 [12]
74 Pete Buttigieg Democratic Indiana 924,237 2020 [1]
75 Ben Carson Republican Florida 857,039 2016 [7]
76 Frank Church Democratic Idaho 830,818 1976 [25]
77 Dennis Kucinich Democratic Ohio 643,067 2004 [12]
78 John Glenn Democratic Ohio 617,909 1984 [23]
79 Lyndon LaRouche Democratic Virginia 596,422 1996 [15]
80 Rudy Giuliani Republican New York 592,391 2008 [16]
81 Jerry Brown Democratic California 575,296 1980 [13]
82 Wesley Clark Democratic Arkansas 572,207 2004 [12]
83 Eugene McCarthy Democratic Minnesota 553,990 1972 [28]
84 Amy Klobuchar Democratic Minnesota 529,713 2020 [1]
85 Dean Phillips Democratic Minnesota 529,486 2020 [6]
86 Henry Jackson Democratic Washington 505,198 1972 [28]
87 Lamar Alexander Republican Tennessee 495,590 1996 [18]
88 Marianne Williamson Democratic California 473,463 2024 [6]
89 Alan Keyes Republican Maryland 471,716 1996 [18]
90 Bill Weld Republican Massachusetts 453,959 2020 [2]
91 Shirley Chisholm Democratic New York 430,703 1972 [28]
92 Gary Hart Democratic Colorado 415,716 1988 [14]
93 Al Sharpton Democratic New York 383,683 2004 [12]
94 Ron DeSantis Republican Florida 353,615 2024 [5]
95 Robert Byrd Democratic West Virginia 340,309 1976 [25]
96 George McGovern Democratic South Dakota 334,801 1984 [23]
97 Terry Sanford Democratic North Carolina 331,415 1972 [28]
98 Jack Kemp Republican New York 331,333 1988 [19]
99 Bob Kerrey Democratic Nebraska 318,457 1992 [10]
100 John M. Ashbrook Republican Ohio 311,543 1972 [27]
101 Lyndon LaRouche Democratic Virginia 306,772 2000 [9]
102 Sargent Shriver Democratic Maryland 304,399 1976 [25]
103 Fred Thompson Republican Tennessee 287,581 2008 [16]
104 Jeb Bush Republican Florida 286,694 2016 [7]
105 Tom Harkin Democratic Iowa 280,340 1992 [10]
106 Tulsi Gabbard Democratic Hawaii 273,940 2020 [1]
107 Tom Steyer Democratic California 259,792 2020 [1]
108 Kamala Harris Democratic California 844 2020 [1]
109 Kamala Harris Democratic California 23[a] 2024 [6]

Cumulative primary votes

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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 Joe Biden Democratic Delaware 33,339,034 2008, 2020, 2024
4 Barack Obama Democratic Illinois 25,629,351 2008, 2012
5 Bernie Sanders Democratic Vermont 22,889,763 2016, 2020
6 George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 20,528,008 1980, 1988, 1992
7 Bill Clinton Democratic Arkansas 20,189,213 1992, 1996
8 George W. Bush Republican Texas 19,943,427 2000, 2004
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
75 Kamala Harris Democratic California 867 2020, 2024

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ After incumbent President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 Presidential Election, his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, became their party's nominee at the 2024 Democratic National Convention having received 23 primary votes.

References

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