What was the last election democrats won more counties

[Averroës Nix]

Elections in which the PV or EV loser won a majority of counties:

2016: Trump (PV only) (2,623-489 - this is the most lopsided county win for a candidate losing either the PV or the EV, and by a wide margin)
2012: Romney (2,420-693)
2008: McCain (2,238-875)
2000: Bush II (PV only) (2,397-659)
1996: Dole (1,587-1,526)
1992: Bush I (1,582-1,519-15)
1960: Nixon (1,857-1,200-71-1)
1896: Bryan (1,559-1363-?)
1888: Cleveland (EV only) (1,290-1,157-2-1)
1880: Hancock (1,242-1,061-9-6-1-1)
1876: Tilden (EV only, and not really even that) (1,301-947-1)
1860: Breckinridge (663-557-355-256-37-2-1)
1848: Cass (753-676-31-4)
1824: Jackson (EV only, obviously this is a weird case)

None of these are close enough for ambiguous county equivalent definitions in places like Alaska or Virginia to make a difference.


Other interesting notes:

1968 was the last election in which a third candidate came close to eclipsing either major party: Of the 3,130 counties/districts/independent cities making returns, Nixon won in 1,859 (59.39%) while Humphrey carried 693 (22.14%). Wallace was victorious in 578 counties (18.47%).

Since Truman, Carter (1976) and LBJ (1964) are the only two Democrats to win a majority of counties. Clinton, another Southerner, is the only other Democrat to even make the tally close.

McGovern (1972) won only 135 county equivalents. Mondale (1984) won only 334. Dukakis (1988) won 820.

WJB kept the county contest close in both 1900 and 1908: He lost to McKinley, 1,385-1,340 and to Taft 1,494-1,355.

Between Reconstruction and Civil Rights, the low point for Democratic county wins appears to be Al Smith (1928), who won 914 counties against Hoover's landslide victory. Almost all pre-Nixon Democrats won more counties in the ex-Confederate states alone than were won nationally by almost all post-Nixon Democrats! Even Horace Greeley (1872) won 833 counties - 38% of those that recorded votes - from beyond the grave.