1916 United States presidential election — 33rd quadrennial U.S. presidential election
Wilson became the first incumbent Democrat since 1832 to win consecutive re-election, defeating Hughes by roughly 600,000 popular votes.
Key Facts
- Election date
- November 7, 1916
- Total votes cast
- ~18.5 million votes
- Wilson's popular vote margin
- ~600,000 votes
- California margin (tipping point)
- 3,773 electoral votes difference votes
- Socialist party vote share
- 3.19 %
- Prohibition party vote share
- 1.19 %
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Republican Party, badly split in 1912 between Taft and Roosevelt factions, sought unity by nominating Charles Evans Hughes, a Supreme Court justice who had avoided the factional disputes of that year. Democrats renominated incumbent President Woodrow Wilson and Vice President Thomas Marshall unopposed, running on a platform of progressive reforms and keeping the United States out of the ongoing European war.
On November 7, 1916, American voters chose between incumbent Democrat Woodrow Wilson and Republican Charles Evans Hughes in a closely contested election. Wilson swept the Solid South and carried several western swing states by thin margins, including California, securing a narrow Electoral College majority despite losing major northeastern and midwestern states such as New York, Illinois, and his home state of New Jersey.
Wilson's re-election allowed him to continue directing U.S. foreign policy during World War I, though the United States entered the war in April 1917. Hughes's defeat marked the last time a former or sitting Supreme Court justice was nominated for the presidency by a major party. The result demonstrated the competitive realignment of the electorate compared to Wilson's broader 1912 victory.
Political Outcome
Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) re-elected; defeated Charles Evans Hughes (Republican) by ~600,000 popular votes and a narrow Electoral College majority.
Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) in first term
Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) begins second consecutive term