Every parties best state in every election

[ElectionsGuy]

With notes if needed and with historically significant third parties. Note: These are by the highest percentage, NOT the biggest margin. This may mess up elections like 1912 or 1992, but that's too bad.

Whig:

1840 - Kentucky (64.2% Harrison)
1844 - Rhode Island (59.5% Clay)
1848 - Rhode Island (60.8% Taylor)
1852 - Kentucky (51.4% Scott)
1856 - Maryland (54.6% Fillmore)

Democrats:

1828 - Georgia (96.8% Jackson)
1832 - Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri (100% Jackson)
1836 - New Hampshire (75.0% Van Buren)
1840 - Missouri (56.6% Van Buren)
1844 - Arkansas (63.0% Polk)
1848 - Texas (70.3% Cass)
1852 - Texas (73.1% Pierce)
1856 - Arkansas (67.1% Buchanan)
1860 - New Jersey (51.9% Douglas) - Due to Southern Dems and Constitutional Union
1864 - Kentucky (69.8% McClellan) - Only real southern state not seceded
1868 - Kentucky (74.5% Seymour)
1872 - Texas (57.1% Greeley)
1876 - Texas (70.0% Tilden)
1880 - South Carolina (65.5% Hancock)
1884 - South Carolina (75.3% Cleveland)
1888 - South Carolina (82.3% Cleveland)
1892 - Florida (85.0% Cleveland) - Harrison not on the ballot
1896 - Mississippi (91.0% Bryan)
1900 - South Carolina (93.0% Bryan)
1904 - South Carolina (95.4% Parker)
1908 - South Carolina (93.8% Bryan)
1912 - South Carolina (95.9% Wilson)
1916 - South Carolina (96.7% Wilson)
1920 - South Carolina (96.1% Cox)
1924 - South Carolina (96.6% Davis)
1928 - South Carolina (91.4% Smith)
1932 - South Carolina (98.0% Roosevelt)
1936 - South Carolina (98.6% Roosevelt)
1940 - Mississippi (95.7% Roosevelt)
1944 - Mississippi (93.6% Roosevelt)
1948 - Texas (66.0% Truman) - Strom Thurmond runs
1952 - Georgia (69.7% Stevenson)
1956 - Georgia (66.5% Stevenson)
1960 - Rhode Island (63.6% Kennedy)
1964 - Rhode Island (80.9% Johnson)
1968 - Rhode Island (64.0% Humphrey)
1972 - Massachusetts (54.2% McGovern)
1976 - Georgia (66.7% Carter) - Home state
1980 - Georgia (55.8% Carter) - Home state
1984 - Minnesota (49.7% Mondale) - Home state
1988 - Rhode Island (55.6% Dukakis)
1992 - Arkansas (53.2% Clinton) - Home state
1996 - Massachusetts (61.5% Clinton)
2000 - Rhode Island (61.0% Gore)
2004 - Massachusetts (61.9% Kerry) - Home state
2008 - Hawaii (71.8% Obama) - Birth state
2012 - Hawaii (70.6% Obama) - Birth state

Republicans:

1856 - Vermont (78.0% Fremont)
1860 - Vermont (75.9% Lincoln)
1864 - Kansas (79.2% Lincoln) - Just became a state
1868 - Vermont (78.6% Grant)
1872 - Vermont (78.3% Grant)
1876 - Vermont (68.3% Hayes)
1880 - Vermont (69.8% Garfield)
1884 - Vermont (66.5% Blaine)
1888 - Vermont (69.0% Harrison)
1892 - Vermont (68.1% Harrison)
1896 - Vermont (80.1% McKinley)
1900 - Vermont (75.7% McKinley)
1904 - Vermont (78.0% Roosevelt)
1908 - Vermont (75.1% Taft)
1912 - Utah (37.5% Taft)
1916 - Vermont (62.4% Hughes)
1920 - North Dakota (77.8% Harding)
1924 - Vermont (78.2% Coolidge) - Home state
1928 - Kansas (72.0% Hoover)
1932 - Vermont (57.7% Hoover)
1936 - Vermont (56.4% Landon)
1940 - South Dakota (57.4% Willkie)
1944 - Kansas (60.2% Dewey)
1948 - Vermont (61.5% Dewey)
1952 - Vermont (71.5% Eisenhower)
1956 - Vermont (72.2% Eisenhower)
1960 - Nebraska (62.1% Nixon)
1964 - Mississippi (87.1% Goldwater) - Highest republican % of any state or year in history
1968 - Nebraska (59.8% Nixon)
1972 - Mississippi (78.2% Nixon) - Southern strategy
1976 - Utah (62.4% Ford)
1980 - Utah (72.8% Reagan)
1984 - Utah (74.5% Reagan)
1988 - Utah (66.2% Bush)
1992 - Mississippi (49.7% Bush) - %, not margins
1996 - Utah (54.4% Dole)
2000 - Wyoming (67.8% Bush)
2004 - Utah (71.5% Bush)
2008 - Oklahoma (65.6% McCain) - No third parties
2012 - Utah (72.8% Romney)

Southern Democrat:

1860 - Texas (75.5% Breckenridge) - Douglas not on the ballot

Constitutional Union:

1860 - Tennessee (47.7% Bell)

Populist:

1892 - Nevada (66.8% Weaver)

Progressive:

1912 - South Dakota (50.6% Roosevelt) - Taft not on the ballot
1924 - Wisconsin (54.0% LaFollette) - Home state

American Independent:

1968 - Alabama (65.9% Wallace) - Home state

State's Rights:

1948 - Mississippi (87.2% Thurmond)

National Republican:

1828 - Rhode Island (77.0% Adams)
1832 - Rhode Island (56.9% Clay)

[ElectionsGuy]

Vermont was #1 for republicans 20/26 times from 1856-1956, and by far too. For such a small state its so interesting politically. Once Vermont became not-as-republican from 1960-1988, either southern states in some weird but prominent elections or plains/mountain states became the most republican.

For democrats, South Carolina seems to take the cake, with it being the most democratic 13/15 times from 1880-1936. That state had to be so corrupt, its pretty hard to have 95+% of people voting one way in any place. Eventually the Northeast became the most democratic area in America once the 60's hit. Massachusetts/Rhode Island basically traded off for a while, with the exception of elections with massive home state boosts (1976, 1992, etc.)

[ElectionsGuy]

ElectionsGuy,

Really good effort!

The best-performed states should be recorded based on percentage margin carried.

If I have it correct, Utah has been the Republicans' best-performed state in the presidential election cycles of 1976 to 2012 with sole exception of 2008.

Yes, and in 2008 Wyoming was actually the best McCain state based on margin. For Democrats, 1992 Clinton's biggest margin was actually Massachusetts, not Arkansas.

[ElectionsGuy]

Republicans:

1856 - Vermont (78.0% Fremont)
1860 - Vermont (75.9% Lincoln)
1868 - Vermont (78.6% Grant)
1872 - Vermont (78.3% Grant)
1876 - Vermont (68.3% Hayes)
1880 - Vermont (69.8% Garfield)
1884 - Vermont (66.5% Blaine)
1888 - Vermont (69.0% Harrison)
1892 - Vermont (68.1% Harrison)
1896 - Vermont (80.1% McKinley)
1900 - Vermont (75.7% McKinley)
1904 - Vermont (78.0% Roosevelt)
1908 - Vermont (75.1% Taft)
1916 - Vermont (62.4% Hughes)
1924 - Vermont (78.2% Coolidge) - Home state
1932 - Vermont (57.7% Hoover)
1936 - Vermont (56.4% Landon)
1948 - Vermont (61.5% Dewey)
1952 - Vermont (71.5% Eisenhower)
1956 - Vermont (72.2% Eisenhower)

LOL.

Yep, that was a very, very different state than the one we see today.

Or the GOP is just a very, very different party.

I would actually argue that Vermont had been different for a long time. This was one of two non-Wilson states in 1912 that voted for Taft (instead of Roosevelt). It is a state that voted only 6% for LaFollette (the progressive) but 78% for FisCon Coolidge. It is a state that never voted for FDR, the modern liberal gold standard. It took until '64 for them to vote for a D, when the Republican opposed the CRA. I think to Vermonters, Civil Rights has always been very important. They were the first state the abolish slavery, had no laws passed against interracial marriage, and were the 2nd first state to legalize gay marriage. They always thought the Republicans were the party of Civil Rights. That began to change slowly after the 60's, when the Republicans co-opted former southern racists. I would argue between 1960 and 2000, the population increased 50% (from 400K to 600K) and that influx (as Rockefeller GOP pointed out) has a good amount to do with the change.

While its right to say the parties have changed, its wasn't always what you'd call a liberal state. Today, they have a fracking ban and state-level single payer health care system, things that would cease to exist without the liberal swing.