How did the South vote in previous presidential elections?

[ElectionsGuy]

I decided to add up all the southern states votes for every presidential election and show them here. I do realize there is a results by census division thread. However, that thread addresses the south with DE, MD, and DC. This one does not, as I think most of us agree those don't belong in the south (anymore at least). Plus, you get to see real votes and percentages. Keep in mind the upper south (which I define as WV, VA, KY, TN, and NC) may have a greater influence than the deep south, due to terrible turnout in the deep south in result of mass voter suppression, in certain time periods. So the south may actually be less democratic than it looks. I will include third parties who get >5% of the vote.

2020:

Donald Trump (R): 29,086,380 (53.4%)
Joe Biden (D): 24,544,252 (45.1%)

2016:

Donald Trump (R): 24,726,382 (53.3%)
Hillary Clinton (D): 19,771,012 (42.6%)

2012:

Mitt Romney (R): 23,601,717 (54.4%)
Barack Obama (D): 19,219,949 (44.3%)

2008:

John McCain (R): 23,124,777 (53.2%)
Barack Obama (D): 19,838,691 (45.7%)

2004:

George W. Bush (R): 22,394,579 (57.2%)
John Kerry (D): 16,445,366 (42.0%)

2000:

George W. Bush (R): 17,920,931 (54.5%)
Al Gore (D): 14,209,319 (43.2%)

1996:

Bill Clinton (D): 13,584,234 (46.0%)
Bob Dole (R): 13,549,250 (45.9%)
Ross Perot (I): 2,167,339 (7.3%)

1992:

George H.W. Bush (R): 13,183,485 (42.4%)
Bill Clinton (D): 12,810,509 (41.2%)
Ross Perot (I): 4,974,844 (16.0%)

1988:

George H.W. Bush (R): 15,283,600 (57.9%)
Michael Dukakis (D): 10,909,486 (41.3%)

1984:

Ronald Reagan (R): 16,638,004 (62.3%)
Walter Mondale (D): 9,928,558 (37.2%)

1980:

Ronald Reagan (R): 12,301,767 (51.6%)
Jimmy Carter (D): 10,588,185 (44.4%)

1976:

Jimmy Carter (D): 11,501,224 (53.9%)
Gerald Ford (R): 9,584,632 (44.9%)

1972:

Richard Nixon (R): 12,659,971 (69.2%)
George McGovern (D): 5,362,579 (29.3%)

1968:

Richard Nixon (R): 6,340,623 (36.1%)
Hubert Humphrey (D): 5,648,286 (32.2%)
George Wallace (AI): 5,532,359 (31.5%)

1964:

Lyndon Johnson (D): 7,824,569 (51.9%)*
Barry Goldwater (R): 7,032,979 (46.6%)

1960:

John Kennedy (D): 6,512,755 (49.6%)
Richard Nixon (R): 6,255,005 (47.6%)

1956:

Dwight Eisenhower (R): 5,707,600 (50.2%)
Adlai Stevenson (D): 5,358,756 (47.2%)

1952:

Adlai Stevenson (D): 5,808,409 (51.1%)
Dwight Eisenhower (R): 5,546,587 (48.8%)

1948:

Harry Truman (D): 3,979,663 (53.0%)
Thomas Dewey (R): 2,309,247 (30.8%)
Strom Thurmond (SR): 1,171,803 (15.6%)

1944:

Franklin Roosevelt (D): 4,662,993 (66.2%)
Thomas Dewey (R): 2,229,972 (31.6%)

1940:

Franklin Roosevelt (D): 5,251,212 (70.8%)
Wendell Willkie (R): 2,157,504 (29.1%)

1936:

Franklin Roosevelt (D): 4,917,211 (73.5%)
Alfred Landon (R): 1,738,473 (26.0%)

1932:

Franklin Roosevelt (D): 4,553,402 (73.3%)
Herbert Hoover (R): 1,614,490 (26.0%)

1928:

Herbert Hoover (R): 2,930,470 (52.5%)
Alfred Smith (D): 2,629,028 (47.1%)

1924:

John Davis (D): 2,581,074 (58.0%)
Calvin Coolidge (R): 1,616,058 (36.3%)
Robert LaFollette (Prog): 238,725 (5.4%)

1920:

James Cox (D): 2,523,393 (54.7%)
Warren Harding (R): 1,939,361 (42.0%)

1916:

Woodrow Wilson (D): 1,887,008 (63.4%)
Charles Hughes (R): 949,394 (31.9%)

1912:

Woodrow Wilson (D): 1,485,420 (59.0%)
William Taft (R): 455,183 (18.1%)
Theodore Roosevelt (Prog): 437,560 (17.4%)

1908:

William Bryan (D): 1,501,660 (57.9%)
William Taft (R): 986,616 (38.1%)

1904:

Alton Parker (D): 1,229,515 (59.9%)
Theodore Roosevelt (R): 737,993 (35.9%)

1900:

William Bryan (D): 1,490,748 (58.0%)
William McKinley (R): 1,015,023 (39.5%)

1896:

William Bryan (D): 1,745,465 (59.6%)
William McKinley (R): 1,130,301 (38.6%)

1892:

Grover Cleveland (D): 1,500,835 (56.6%)
Benjamin Harrison (R): 757,249 (28.6%)
James Weaver (Pop): 364,006 (13.7%)

1888:

Grover Cleveland (D): 1,535,728 (58.9%)
Benjamin Harrison (R): 1,004,340 (38.5%)

1884:

Grover Cleveland (D): 1,369,745 (58.2%)
James Blaine (R): 961,793 (40.9%)

1880:

Winfield Hancock (D): 1,279,146 (58.7%)
James Garfield (R): 825,363 (37.9%)

1876:

Samuel Tilden (D): 1,308,472 (59.7%)
Rutherford Hayes (R): 879,376 (40.1%)

1872:

Ulysses Grant (R): 880,530 (52.6%)
Horace Greeley (D): 787,405 (47.0%)

1868:

Horatio Seymour (D): 567,051 (54.5%)
Ulysses Grant (R): 473,600 (45.5%)

1860:

John Breckinridge (SD): 490,262 (48.9%)
John Bell (CU): 411,742 (41.1%)
Stephen Douglas (D): 97,553 (9.7%)

*Assuming all the Unpledged votes in Alabama were Johnson votes, Johnson's vote total goes up to 8,035,301 and his percentage goes up to 53.3%.

[ElectionsGuy]

It just goes to show that Barry Goldwater and The Civil Rights Act (and later Nixon and the Southern Strategy) is given far too much credit in turning the South to the GOP. The South was moving towards the GOP even before Eisenhower appeared.

I am thinking that part of the reason why the South began to turn towards the Republicans in the  1950s was due to population changes, as many people from the Northern and Midwestern states who voted Republican began to move to the South in order to take advantage of the booming economy of the era.

This is true for Florida (especially), Texas, and Virginia. However for the deep south there was obviously other reasons. The republican party was becoming more conservative, the democratic party more liberal. Endorsement of civil rights in 1948 by democrats turned them off of the democratic party, and some conservatives started using small government reasons to be against government intervention in segregated schools, 'forced busing', etc. and to generally argue that its a states rights issue.

[ElectionsGuy]

1856:

James Buchanan (D) - 503,049 (57.3%)
Millard Fillmore (W) - 375,259 (42.7%)

1852:

Franklin Pierce (D) - 367,492 (54.8%)
Winfield Scott (W) - 295,597 (44.0%)

1848:

Zachary Taylor (W) - 359,413 (52.0%)
Lewis Cass (D) - 331,307 (48.0%)

1844:

James Polk (D) - 332,593 (51.3%)
Henry Clay (W) - 314,328 (48.7%)

1840:

William Harrison (W) - 312,711 (55.0%)
Martin Van Buren (D) - 255,776 (45.0%)

1836:

Martin Van Buren (D) - 176,521 (50.1%)
Hugh White (W) - 138,770 (39.4%)
William Harrison (W) - 36,861 (10.5%)

1832:

Andrew Jackson (D) - 168,568 (72.7%)
Henry Clay (NR) - 63,204 (27.3%)

1828:

Andrew Jackson (D) - 195,735 (77.2%)
John Q. Adams (NR) - 57,879 (22.8%)

I'm somewhat surprised that South Carolina didn't even hold a popular vote for presidential elections until 1868, when they were forced to.

[ElectionsGuy]

I'm somewhat surprised that South Carolina didn't even hold a popular vote for presidential elections until 1868, when they were forced to.

Why is it surprising? The same was true with the governor until 1865.

Well... most states had popular vote by the 1820's. Its just sort of surprising that it took that long for it to happen.

[ElectionsGuy]

Updated for 2016 and 2020.