How would you have voted?: United States Presidential Elections

[Kitteh]

1788: George Washington (I)
1792: George Washington (I)
1796: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
1800: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
1804: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
1808: James Madison (DR)
1812: DeWitt Clinton (Federalist)
1816: James Monroe (DR)
1820: James Monroe (DR)
1824: John Quincy Adams (DR)
1828: John Quincy Adams (NR)
1832: Henry Clay (NR)
1836: No idea. I'd probably stay home.
1840: James G. Birney (Liberty)
1844: James G. Birney (Liberty)
1848: Martin Van Buren (FS)
1852: John P. Hale (FS)
1856: John C Fremont (R)
1860: Abraham Lincoln (R)
1864: Abraham Lincoln (NU)
1868: Ulysses S Grant (R) (Reluctantly, cause Seymour's an ass)
1872: Ulysses S Grant (R) (Victoria Woodhull if she was on the ballot)
1876: Peter Cooper (Greenback)
1880: James B. Weaver (Greenback)
1884: Benjamin F. Butler (Greenback)
1888: Alson Streeter (Union Labor)
1892: James Weaver (Populist)
1896: Charles Matchett (Socialist Labor)
1900: Eugene Debs (Social Democratic)
1904: Eugene Debs (Socialist)
1908: Eugene Debs (Socialist)
1912: Eugene Debs (Socialist)
1916: Allan Benson (Socialist)
1920: Eugene V Debs (Socialist)
1924: Robert LaFollette (P)
1928: Norman Thomas (S)
1932: Franklin D Roosevelt (D)
1936: Franklin D Roosevelt (D)
1940: Franklin D Roosevelt (D)
1944: Franklin D Roosevelt (D)
1948: Henry Wallace (Progressive)
1952: Adlai Stevenson (D)
1956: Adlai Stevenson (D) (I like Stevenson but I would have slightly considered voting for Vincent Hallinan in 52, so more committed this time around)
1960: John F Kennedy (D)
1964: Eric Hass (Socialist Labor) (It wasn't close, and I refuse to vote for Johnson)
1968: Hubert H Humphrey (D)
1972: George McGovern (D)
1976: Jimmy Carter (D)
1980: Jimmy Carter (D)
1984: Walter Mondale (D)
1988: Michael Dukakis (D)
1992: Ross Perot (I)
1996: Ralph Nader (Green)
2000: Ralph Nader (Green)
2004: Ralph Nader (I)
2008: Barack Obama (D)
2012: Barack Obama (D)


I put ones where I would be uncertain/reluctant in italics and ones where I would be particularly enthusiastic/committed in bold.

Surprising how few Democrats are on that list.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

2012- GE: Obama, Primary: Paul
2008- GE: Obama, Primary: Obama
2004- GE: Kerry, Primary: Clark, Dean
2000- GE: Bush, Primary: Gore
1996- GE: Clinton, Primary: Dole
1992- GE: Clinton, Primary: Clinton
1988- GE: Bush, Primary: Biden
1984- GE: Reagan, Primary: Hart
1980- GE: Anderson, Primary: Bush/Kennedy
1976- GE: Ford, Primary: Ford
1972- GE: Nixon, Primary: Jackson
1968- GE: Humphrey, Primary: Kennedy
1964- Johnson
1960- Kennedy
1956- Eisenhower
1952- Eisenhower
1948- Truman
1944- Roosevelt
1940- Roosevelt
1936- Roosevelt
1932- Roosevelt
1928- Hoover

[traininthedistance]

I'm actually really surprised so many of you prefer the Democratic-Republican party to the Federalists.  Washington was a federalist.  I honestly feel that if the Adams family was able to beat Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, the United States would have been a much more progressive country and slavery would have probably been abolished a lot sooner.  Also I would never vote for someone who did something as despicable as what Jefferson did in his personal life.

I agree that the Federalists were better on the issues than the Democratic-Republicans.  And John Quincy Adams was easily the best person to be elected president between Washington and Lincoln.  But, at least as far as 1800 goes, I'd probably be a single-issue voter and that issue would be kicking out the person who signed the abominable Alien and Sedition Acts, the most blatantly unconstitutional piece of legislation America has ever enacted.  (And at such a fragile time, too!)

Really, the only true reason somebody who lived today would have to vote for the Federalists would be economic positions (mostly trade).  It is a great insult to my intelligence to suggest that the Federalists were "the anti-slavery" party, considering the amount of plantation owning elites (think the Pinckneys) they had in their party.  Also, the Democratic Republicans had their own pretty fair share of anti-slavery advocates (mostly in the North).  As for "progressive", well I guess if you favor a strongly centralized government where only a tiny highly educated elite has the right to democracy, that would be considered progressive.
But no, let's act like the only issue that existed was slavery, shall we?

Also, James Buchanan, yeah the great evil slavery loving President, started out as a Federalist at a time when the party was well beyond the point of no return.

The Federalists were also the party of internal improvements (National Road, Erie Canal), a monetary policy that actually existed (the bank was not perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than no bank), and urban interests (growing manufacturing and industry rather than biasing things in favor of anti-intellectual agrarianism); and it is to the credit of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe that they were able to bring at least some of these ideas into their governance.  Really, the fact that they were pro-infrastructure is the biggie for me.

I do recognize that their attitude towards civil liberties was atrocious, and it would be a disqualifying factor most of the time even though their proposals were otherwise better for the nation's unity and well-being.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

as a CT voter:

1796: Federalist  (Adams)
1800: Republican (Jefferson)
1804: Republican (Jefferson)
1808: Republican (Madison)
1812: Anti-War Republicans (D. Clinton)
1816: Republican (Monroe)
1820: Monroe
1824: Crawford
1828: Adams
1832: Clay
1836: Van Buren
1840: Birney (Liberty)
1844: Clay
1848: Van Buren (Free Soil)
1852: Scott
1856: abstain/write-in: John McLean
1860: Lincoln
1864: McClellan
1868: Grant
1872: Greeley
1876: Tilden
1880: Garfield
1884: Cleveland
1888: Cleveland
1892: Cleveland
1896: McKinley
1900: Bryan/"Anti-Imperialist"
1904: Parker
1908: Taft
1912: Taft
1916: Hughes
1920: Harding
1924: Coolidge
1928: Smith
1932: Hoover
1936: Landon
1940: Willkie
1944: Dewey
1948: Dewey
1952: Eisenhower
1956: Eisenhower
1960: Nixon
1964: Goldwater
1968: Nixon
1972: write-in: Mark Hatfield
1976: Ford
1980: Reagan
1984: Reagan
1988: Bush
1992: Perot
1996: Dole
2000: Bush
2004: Badnarik
2008: McCain
2012: Johnson

[Kitteh]

I'm actually really surprised so many of you prefer the Democratic-Republican party to the Federalists.  Washington was a federalist.  I honestly feel that if the Adams family was able to beat Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, the United States would have been a much more progressive country and slavery would have probably been abolished a lot sooner.  Also I would never vote for someone who did something as despicable as what Jefferson did in his personal life.

I agree that the Federalists were better on the issues than the Democratic-Republicans.  And John Quincy Adams was easily the best person to be elected president between Washington and Lincoln.  But, at least as far as 1800 goes, I'd probably be a single-issue voter and that issue would be kicking out the person who signed the abominable Alien and Sedition Acts, the most blatantly unconstitutional piece of legislation America has ever enacted.  (And at such a fragile time, too!)

Really, the only true reason somebody who lived today would have to vote for the Federalists would be economic positions (mostly trade).  It is a great insult to my intelligence to suggest that the Federalists were "the anti-slavery" party, considering the amount of plantation owning elites (think the Pinckneys) they had in their party.  Also, the Democratic Republicans had their own pretty fair share of anti-slavery advocates (mostly in the North).  As for "progressive", well I guess if you favor a strongly centralized government where only a tiny highly educated elite has the right to democracy, that would be considered progressive.
But no, let's act like the only issue that existed was slavery, shall we?

Also, James Buchanan, yeah the great evil slavery loving President, started out as a Federalist at a time when the party was well beyond the point of no return.

The Federalists were also the party of internal improvements (National Road, Erie Canal), a monetary policy that actually existed (the bank was not perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than no bank), and urban interests (growing manufacturing and industry rather than biasing things in favor of anti-intellectual agrarianism); and it is to the credit of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe that they were able to bring at least some of these ideas into their governance.  Really, the fact that they were pro-infrastructure is the biggie for me.

I do recognize that their attitude towards civil liberties was atrocious, and it would be a disqualifying factor most of the time even though their proposals were otherwise better for the nation's unity and well-being.

For me, I probably do agree with the Federalists more on the issues, and the Democratic-Republicans have a rural populist tendency that I don't like, but overall I have to say I'd vote for the Democratic-Republicans in the early years because the biggest issue at that time was shaping how American democracy would play out and the Federalists are too elitist and undemocratic for me. At the time when the US was just starting out as a democracy I can't really support putting people who pass the Alien and Sedition Acts in power. I'd probably start drifting more towards the Federalist/Whig side later. In 1812 I'd vote for Clinton out of opposition to the war and by the 1820's I definitely would support John Quincy Adams (a great president) over Andrew Jackson (a terrible one).

[traininthedistance]

Updating this.  These choices are an admittedly hypocritical mix of foresight and lack thereof.

1789: George Washington (unaffiliated)
1792: George Washington (unaffiliated)
1796: John Adams (F)  I would prefer the stronger central government, and support for infrastructure/industry/trade that the Federalists stood for.  I would not have expected the Alien and Sedition Acts.
1800: Thomas Jefferson (D-R) Said Alien and Sedition Acts would be the only reason for this vote, as Jefferson's Southern agrarianism (and hypocrisy re: slavery) would still rankle.
1804: Thomas Jefferson (D-R) This time around, the Louisiana Purchase would give me an actual reason to vote DR.
1808: James Madison (D-R) I'd hate to vote for the Democratic-Republicans after the Ograbme fiasco… but Pinckney was just such a Southern aristocrat HP.
1812: DeWitt Clinton (F) Finally, a Federalist I could enthusiastically support.
1816: James Monroe (D-R) Monroe finally adopted the bank, and while I'd be against the War of 1812, I'd be more against secession.  
1820: James Monroe (D-R)
1824: John Quincy Adams (D-R)
1828: John Quncy Adams (NR) JQA was the very definition of FF, Andrew Jackson the very definition of HP.  Easiest votes ever.
1832: Henry Clay (NR) Internal improvements good, Indian Removal bad.
1836: William Henry Harrison (W) I'd prefer Daniel Webster, but I don't live in Massachusetts.
1840: William Henry Harrison (W) If only he'd stayed alive.
1844: James Birney (L)
1848: Martin van Buren (FS)
1852: John Hale (FS) Slave Power Delenda Est.
1856: John Fremont (R) It would be nice to be able to vote for a major party again without compromising my conscience.  I  might've given consideration to Winfield Scott in 1852 since he was a Northerner, but I think I'd have probably stayed Free Soil since I'd definitely be a radical.
1860: Abraham Lincoln (R)
1864: Abraham Lincoln (NU)
1868: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
1872: Horace Greeley (LR) Primarily as a reaction to corruption in the Grant administration.  It'd be hard sharing a candidate with those Southern treasonists, though.
1876: Rutherford Hayes (R)
1880: James Weaver (G) My choices would be pretty horrible all through the Gilded Age.  On one hand, I'd have been a pro-equality Radical Republican in previous elections, but OTOH maybe I'd have been one of those urban immigrant poors who got free turkeys from Tammany in exchange for D votes, and in either case the gold standard was a horrible abomination of public policy that both parties loved.  So, uh, left-wing protest vote it is- though Arthur ended up pretty good for his era.
1884: Benjamin Butler (G) So, I'd be pro-Rum, pro-Romanism, and anti-Rebellion.  I'd also be anti-Bourbonist tight money.  Left-wing protest, again.
1888: Benjamin Harrison (R) I'm not a huge fan of tariffs today, but as a city dweller in 1888 I sure as hell would be.
1892: Benjamin Harrison (R)  Cleveland's hard money and anti-labor follies once again must be opposed.  I'd prefer Weaver's more radical monetary policies, but OTOH I'd also prefer Harrison's electability, and I'd be scared away by a possible Prohibition/Populist pact, since I'd also be a hardcore wet.
1896: William J. Bryan (D)  This is a real toughie.  On one hand, Bryan was absolutely right on monetary policy, the most important economic question of the time.  On the other hand, his appeal was rural, and drenched in religion and Prohibitionism, which was a horrible folly even worse than the gold standard.  Since the extent of his dry and fundamentalist positions were unknown in 1896, I'd give him the vote this once.  And then never, ever again.
1900: William McKinley (R)  The addition of VP Roosevelt would convert me back into a Republican...
1904: Theodore Roosevelt (R) … and just in time.  Progressive Republican is a label I'd wear proudly for the next few elections.
1908: William Taft (R)
1912: Theodore Roosevelt (P)
1916: Charles E. Hughes (R)
1920: Eugene Debs (S)  Alas, progressive Republicanism would no longer have a home in the '20s, as both parties became unacceptably conservative.  Lefty protest vote it is.
1924: Robert M. La Follette (P) And again.
1928: Al Smith (D) Strike a blow against anti-Catholic bigotry, and against the insanity of Prohibition.  Right about now is when the Republicans start to lose me, after usually being my favorite major party since their inception.
1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
1936: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
1944: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
1948: Harry Truman (D) Throughout the '50s and '60s I might have some sentimental attachment to liberal Republicanism on fading sectional grounds, so Dewey would get a look from me.  But Truman turned out well, and Thurmond's Southron defection because of integration would make a D vote more comfortable.
1952: Dwight Eisenhower (R)
1956: Dwight Eisenhower (R) Ike kept the New Deal in place, and while more he was incrementalist than I'd like, things did move forward.
1960: John F. Kennedy (D)
1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (D) LBJ lost the South for well more a generation.  But it was the right thing to do.
1968: Richard Nixon (R) I think I'd be spooked by the DNC riots and taken in by his "secret plan" to end the war.  Or maybe I just want him in office because I'm clairvoyant and feel like giving credit for the EPA and China trip.
1972: George McGovern (D) Yeah, that "secret plan" sure worked out well.  
1976: Jimmy Carter (D) There's a nontrivial chance I'd give Ford serious thought, since Carter's evangelism would turn me off and Ford was relatively moderate.  But Watergate.
1980: Jimmy Carter (D) However, Carter's energy policy would turn me on.  I'd consider Anderson, but with Reagan getting the nomination, the Republicans would have made themselves wholly unacceptable.
1984: Walter Mondale (D)
1988: Michael Dukakis (D)
1992: Bill Clinton (D)
1996: Bill Clinton (D)
2000: Al Gore (D)
2004: John Kerry (D)
2008: Barack Obama (D)
2012: Barack Obama (D) … And remain unacceptable to this day.  Though Bush the Elder wasn't that bad, all things considered.

[NVGonzalez]

Time for an update

1900: McKinley
1904: Roosevelt
1908: Bryan
1912: Roosevelt
1916: Wilson
1920: Cox
1924: La Follete
1928: Smith
1932-1944: FDR
1948: Truman
1952: Stevenson
1956: Eisenhower
1960: Kennedy
1964: Johnson
1968: Humphrey
1972: McGovern
1976: Carter
1980: Carter
1984: Mondale
1988: Dukakis
1992: Clinton
1996: Clinton
2000: Gore
2004: Kerry
2008: Obama
2012: Obama

Primaries:
1960: Kennedy
1964: Johnson
1968: Kennedy
1972: Muskie
1976: Carter
1980: Kennedy
1984: Glenn
1988: Biden
1992: Clinton
1996: Clinton
2000: Bradley
2004: Dean
2008: Obama
2012: Obama

Not much of a change, only in 1908 GE and the 1984 primary.

[Spamage]

1788: George Washington
1792: George Washington
1796: John Adams
1800: John Adams
1804: Thomas Jefferson
1808: James Madison
1812: DeWitt Clinton
1816: James Monroe
1820: James Monroe
1824: Henry Clay
1828: John Quincy Adams
1832: Henry Clay
1836: Daniel Webster
1840: William Harrison
1844: James Polk
1848: Zachary Taylor
1852: Winfield Scott
1856: James Buchanan
1860: Abraham Lincoln
1864: Abraham Lincoln
1868: U.S. Grant
1872: U.S. Grant
1876: Samuel Tilden
1880: Winfield S. Hancock
1884: Grover Cleveland
1888: Grover Cleveland
1892: Grover Cleveland
1896: William McKinley
1900: William McKinley
1904: Theodore Roosevelt
1908: William Howard Taft
1912: Theodore Roosevelt
1916: Woodrow Wilson
1920: Warren Harding
1924: Calvin Coolidge
1928: Al Smith
1932: Franklin Roosevelt
1936: Alf Landon
1940: Wendell Willikie
1944: Thomas E. Dewey
1948: Harry Truman
1952: Dwight Eisenhower
1956: Dwight Eisenhower
1960: John F. Kennedy
1964: Lyndon Johnson
1968: Richard Nixon
1972: Richard Nixon
1976: Gerald Ford
1980: Ronald Reagan
1984: Ronald Reagan
1988: George H. W. Bush
1992: George H. W. Bush
1996: Bob Dole
2000: George W. Bush
2004: George W. Bush
2008: John McCain
2012: Mitt Romney

Republican: 27
Democratic: 13
Whig: 7
Federalist: 3
Democratic Republican: 4
Progressive: 1
N/A: 1

[Maxwell]

1788: George Washington
1792: George Washington
1796: Thomas Jefferson
1800: Thomas Jefferson
1804: Thomas Jefferson
1808: James Madison
1812: James Madison
1816: James Monroe
1820: James Monroe
1824: Andrew Jackson
1828: Andrew Jackson
1832: Andrew Jackson
1836: Martin Van Buren
1840: Martin Van Buren
1844: James Polk
1848: Lewis Cass
1852: Franklin Pierce
1856: John C. Fremont
1860: Abraham Lincoln
1864: Abraham Lincoln
1868: U.S. Grant
1872: U.S. Grant
1876: Samuel Tilden
1880: James Garfield
1884: Grover Cleveland
1888: Grover Cleveland
1892: Grover Cleveland
1896: William McKinley
1900: William McKinley
1904: Alton B. Parker
1908: William Howard Taft
1912: William Howard Taft
1916: Charles Hughes
1920: Warren Harding
1924: Calvin Coolidge
1928: Al Smith
1932: Franklin Roosevelt
1936: Alf Landon
1940: Wendell Willikie
1944: Thomas E. Dewey
1948: Thomas E. Dewey
1952: Dwight Eisenhower
1956: Dwight Eisenhower
1960: Richard Nixon
1964: Barry Goldwater
1968: Would not vote!
1972: George McGovern
1976: Gerald Ford
1980: Ronald Reagan
1984: Ronald Reagan
1988: Michael Dukakis
1992: Bill Clinton
1996: Bill Clinton
2000: Harry Browne
2004: Michael Badnarik
2008: Barack Obama
2012: Gary Johnson

[Goodwin]

If I was an American voter

From 1960s onwards:
1960 Kennedy (D)
1964 Goldwater (R)
1968 Nixon (R)
1972 McGovern (D)
1976 Carter (D)
1980 Reagan (R)
1984 Reagan (R)
1988 George H. W. Bush (R)
1992 Perot (I)
1996 Clinton (D)
2000 George W. Bush (R)
2004 Kerry (D)
2008 Obama (D)
2012 Johnson (L)

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

1832 H Clay
1836, 1840 H. Harrison
1844 H Clay
1848 Z Taylor
1852 Winfield Scott
1856 Fremont
1860, 1864 Lincoln
1868,1872 Grant
1876 Hayes
1880 Garfield
1884 Blaine
1888, 1892 B Harrison
1896, 1900 McKinley
1904 T Roosevelt
1908 Taft
1912 Wilson
1916 Hughes
1920 Harding
1924 Coolidge
1928 Alfred Smith
1932-1944 FDR
1948 Truman
1952, 1956 Ike
1960 JFK
1964 LBJ
1968 Humphrey
1972 McGovern
1976 Carter
1980 P Kennedy
1984 P Gary Hart
1988 P Jesse Jackson
1992 P Jerry Brown
1996 Clinton
2000 P Bradley
2004 Kerry
2008, 2012 Obama

[TNF]

1824: Henry Clay (Democratic-Republican)
1828: John Quincy Adams (National Republican)
1832: Henry Clay (National Republican)
1836: William Henry Harrison (Whig)
1840: William Henry Harrison (Whig)
1844: Henry Clay (Whig)
1848: Zachary Taylor (Whig)
1852: Winfield Scott (Whig) [1]
1856: James Buchanan (Democratic) [2]
1860: Abraham Lincoln (Republican)
1864: Abraham Lincoln (Union Republican)
1868: Ulysses Grant (Republican)
1872: Ulysses Grant (Republican)
1876: Rutherford Hayes (Republican)
1880: James Weaver (Greenback)
1884: Benjamin Butler (Greenback)
1888: Alson Streeter (Union Labor)
1892: James Weaver (People's)
1896: William Bryan (Democratic)
1900: William Bryan (Democratic)
1904: Theodore Roosevelt (Republican)
1908: William Taft (Republican)
1912: Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive)
1916: Woodrow Wilson (Democratic)
1920: James Cox (Democratic)
1924: John Davis (Democratic) [3]
1928: Al Smith (Democratic)
1932: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1936: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1940: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1944: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1948: Harry Truman (Democratic)
1952: Adlai Stevenson (Democratic)
1956: Adlai Stevenson (Democratic)
1960: John Kennedy (Democratic)
1964: Lyndon Johnson (Democratic)
1968: Hubert Humphrey (Democratic)
1972: Write-in: Hubert Humphrey (Democratic)
1976: Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
1980: Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
1984: Walter Mondale (Democratic) [4]
1988: Michael Dukakis (Democratic)
1992: Bill Clinton (Democratic) [5]
1996: Bill Clinton (Democratic) [6]
2000: Al Gore (Democratic)
2004: John Kerry (Democratic)
2008: Barack Obama (Democratic)
2012: Barack Obama (Democratic) [7]

[1] Tactical vote to keep Franklin Pierce from winning the state. I'd probably otherwise have voted for John Parker Hale, the Free Soil nominee.

[2] The only other option on the ballot in Kentucky is Millard Fillmore, running under the American Party banner. I'd give my vote to Buchanan here begrudgingly.

[3] Tactical vote to keep out Calvin Coolidge.

[4] Though I'd be very weary about voting for Mondale during the Second Cold War, I'd still ultimately do it because of Reagan's policies towards labor.

[5] Tactical vote against Bush.

[6] Tactical vote against Dole.

[7] My first actual vote.

[McGovern]

1904: Parker (Democrat)
1908: Byran (Democrat)
1912: Debs (Socialist)
1916: Wilson (Democrat)
1920: Cox (Democrat)
1924: Coolidge (Republican, lesser of two evils)
1928: Smith (Democrat)
1932: FDR (Democrat)
1936: FDR (Democrat)
1940: FDR (Democrat)
1944: FDR (Democrat)
1948: Truman (Democrat)
1952: Primary: Truman; General: Stevenson (Democrat)
1956: Primary: Stevenson; General: Stevenson (Democrat)
1960: Primary: Kennedy; General: Kennedy (Democrat)
1964: Johnson (Democrat)
1968: Primary: McCarthy; General: Humphrey (Democrat)
1972: Primary: Jackson; General: McGovern (Democrat)
1976: Primary: Jackson; General: Carter (Democrat)
1980: Primary: Kennedy; General: Carter (Democrat, possibility Anderson)
1984: Primary: Mondale; General: Mondale (Democrat)
1988: Primary: Dukakis; General: Dukakis (Democrat)
1992: Primary: Clinton; General: Perot (Independent)
1996: General: Perot (Reform)
2000: Primary: Gore; General: Gore (Democrat)
2004: Primary: Dean; General: Kerry (Democrat)

[Peter the Lefty]

1876: Peter Cooper (Greenback-Labor)
1880: James B. Weaver (Greenback-Labor)
1884: Benjamin F. Butler (Greenback-Labor/Anti Monopoly)
1888: Alson Streeter (Union Labor)
1892: James B. Weaver (Populist)
1896: Charles Matchett (Socialist Labor)
1900: Eugene V. Debs (Social Democratic)
1904: Eugene V. Debs (Sociaist)
1908: Eugene V. Debs (Sociaist)
1912: Eugene V. Debs (Sociaist)
1916: Allan Benson (Sociaist)
1920: Eugene V. Debs (Sociaist)
1924: Robert M. La Follette (Progressive)
1928: Norman Thomas (Socialist)
1932: Norman Thomas (Socialist).  FDR was running as a fiscal conservative in 1932 (really).
1936: Norman Thomas (Socialist).  FDR let the bankers off the hook.
1940: FDR (Democratic).  A bunch of crazy "revolutionary" socialists were taking over the SPA and Thomas wasn't doing anything to stop them.  Plus, Wallace was really good at that time.
1944: Norman Thomas (Socialist).  Thomas had finally stood up to the pigheads in the SPA.
1948: Norman Thomas (Socialist).  Truman was a machine politician who'd threatened to draft striking workers into the army.  And Wallace was controlled by the Commies.
1952: Darlington Hoopes (Socialist).  Stevenson was also a machine politician (and an anti-New Dealer, in fact) with a racist running-mate. 
1956: Adlai Stevenson (Democratic).  He was running on a progressive platform this time.  Plus there was no socialist candidate, unfortunately. 
1960: JFK (Democratic).
1964: LBJ (Democratic).
1968: Hubert Humphrey (Democratic) if I lived in a state where it mattered.  If I were in an ultra-liberal state where it wouldn't matter, I'd write in McGovern or Ribicoff, maybe. 
1972: George McGovern (Democratic)
1976: Frank Zeidler (Socialist).  Carter's conservatism combined with Socialist nostalgia.
1980: Barry Commoner (Citizens).
1984: Walter Mondale (Democratic)
1988: Michael Dukakis (Democratic)
1992: J. Quinn Brisben (Socialist)
1996: Ralph Nader (Green)
2000: Ralph Nader (Green)
2004: Ralph Nader (Independent)
2008: Barack Obama (Democratic), Nader with hindsight
2012: Rocky Anderson (Justice)

[Peter the Lefty]

Democratic primaries, 1952 to present (I would've joined in 1952 to support Kefauver)
1952: Estes Kefauver
1956: Estes Kefauver
1960: Hubert Humphrey, then JFK after he pulled out.
1964: LBJ
1968: First Eugene McCarthy.  Then RFK after he jumped in.  Then McCarthy again after RFK was shot until McGovern's last-minute entry.
1972: George McGovern
1976: Mo Udall.
1980: Ted Kennedy.
1984: Jesse Jackson at first, until the "hymies" remark came out.  Walter Mondale after that.
1988: Joe Biden at first.  Then Dukakis after he backed out.  Again, Jackson were it not for his past statements.
1992: Tom Harkin.  Then I'd be so pissed about the lack of a liberal that I wouldn't vote for any of 'em.
1996: No one.
2000: Bill Bradley
2004: Dennis Kucinich.  Howard Dean with hindsight (ahem Gaddafi)
2008: First Kucinich (not with hindsight), then Obama (without hindsight).  With hindsight, I'd have just ended all plans to vote in the Dem primaries altogether

[Oldiesfreak1854]

1952: Primary: Truman; General: Stevenson

Truman didn't run in 1952, I don't think.

[Peter the Lefty]

1952: Primary: Truman; General: Stevenson

Truman didn't run in 1952, I don't think.

Only at the beginning.  After Kefauver kicked his @$$ (I'm not sure if he actually won or just came really close) in the NH primary, he pulled out.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

1952: Primary: Truman; General: Stevenson

Truman didn't run in 1952, I don't think.

Only at the beginning.  After Kefauver kicked his @$$ (I'm not sure if he actually won or just came really close) in the NH primary, he pulled out.

Unlike LBJ twenty years later, Truman literally lost in NH. 54.62% to 43.93%, devastating for a sitting President.

[emcee0]

1932-1944- FDR
1948- Truman
1952- Ike
1956- Ike
1960- Kennedy
1964- Johnson
1968- Humphrey I guess
1972- Probably wouldn't have voted
1976- Carter at that time
1980-Reagan
1984- Reagan
1988- I would have held my nose and voted for Bush
1992- Clinton
1996- Clinton
2000- Gore
2004-Kerry
2008- Obama
2012- Obama
2016- Hopefully Hillary

[Gamecock]

1912: William Howard Taft (R)
1916: Charles Evan Hughes (R)
1920: Warren Harding (R)
1924: Calvin Coolidge (R)
1928: Ick...probably Hoover (R) at the time, Smith (D) in retrospect.
1932: Herbert Hoover (R)
1936: Alf Landon (R)
1940: Wendell Willkie (R)
1944: Thomas Dewey (R)
1948: Harry Truman (D)
1952: Dwight Eisenhower (R)
1956: Dwight Eisenhower (R)
1960: Richard Nixon (R)
1964: Barry Goldwater (R)
1968: Richard Nixon (R)
1972: Richard Nixon (R)
1976: Gerald Ford (R)
1980: Ronald Reagan (R)
1984: Ronald Reagan (R)
1988: If I were one to sit out...eh...but I'm not-Bush (R)
1992: If I were one to sit out...eh...but I'm not-Bush (R)
1996: Robert Dole (R)
2000: George W. Bush (R)
2004: George W. Bush (R)
2008: If I were one to sit out...eh...but I'm not-McCain (R)
2012: Mitt Romney (R)

[sg0508]

My grandparents voted for Uncle Barry in '64.

[Goldwater]

1789: Washington (I)
1792: Washington (I)
1796: Adams (F)
1800: Jefferson (D-R)
1804: Jefferson (D-R)
1808: Madison (D-R)
1812: Madison (D-R)
1816: Monroe (D-R)
1820: Monroe (D-R)
1824: Jackson (D-R)
1828: Jackson (D)
1832: Jackson (D)
1836: Van Buren (D)
1840: Van Buren (D)
1844: Polk (D)
1848: Van Buren (FS)
1852: Scott (W)
1856: Fremont (R)
1860: Lincoln (R)
1864: Lincoln (R/NU)
1868: Grant (R)
1872: Grant (R)
1876: Tilden (D)
1880: Hancock (D)
1884: Cleveland (D)
1888: Cleveland (D)
1892: Cleveland (D)
1896: McKinley (R)
1900: McKinley (R)
1904: Roosevelt (R)
1908: Taft (R)
1912: Taft (R)
1916: Hughes (R)
1920: Harding (R)
1924: Coolidge (R)
1928: Smith (D)
1932: Roosevelt (D)
1936: Landon (R)
1940: Willkie (R)
1944: Roosevelt (D)
1948: Truman (D)
1952: Eisenhower (R)
1956: Eisenhower (R)
1960: Kennedy (D)
1964: Goldwater (R)
1968: Nixon (R)
1972: Nixon (R)
1976: Ford (R)
1980: Reagan (R)
1984: Reagan (R)
1988: Bush (R)
1992: Bush (R)
1996: Dole (R)
2000: Bush (R)
2004: Bush (R)
2008: McCain (R)
2012: Romney (R)

[The Constable]

1789 - George Washington
1792 - George Washington
1796 - John Adams
1800 - John Adams
1804 - Coatesworth Pinckney
1808 - Coatesworth Pinckney
1812 - DeWitt Clinton
1816 - Rufus King
1820 - DeWitt Clinton
1824 - John Quincy Adams
1828 - John Quincy Adams
1832 - Henry Clay
1836 - William Henry Harrison
1840 - William Henry Harrison
1844 - Henry Clay
1848 - Martin van Buren
1852 - Winfield Scott
1856 - John C. Frémont
1860 - Abraham Lincoln
1864 - Abraham Lincoln
1868 - United States Grant
1872 - United States Grant
1876 - Pete Cooper
1880 - James Bravo Weaver
1884 - James Golf Blaine
1888 - Alson Streeter
1892 - James Bravo Weaver
1896 - Billium Jennings Bryan
1900 - Eugene Victor Debs
1904 - Eugene Victor Debs
1908 - Eugene Victor Debs
1912 - Eugene Victor Debs
1916 - Woodrow Wilson
1920 - Eugene Victor Debs
1924 - Robert Mike LaFollette
1928 - Norman Thomas
1932 - Norman Thomas
1936 - Franklin Delta Roosevelt
1940 - Norman Thomas
1944 - Franklin Delta Roosevelt
1948 - Harry Sierra Truman
1952 - Adlai Stevenson
1956 - Adlai Stevenson
1960 - Richard Mike Nixon
1964 - Little Beagle Johnson
1968 - Hubert Hotel Humphrey
1972 - George McGovern
1976 - Gerald Romeo Ford
1980 - John Anderson
1984 - Walter Mondale
1988 - George Hotel Whiskey Bush
1992 - Ross Perot
1996 - Billium Juliet Clinton
2000 - Albert Gore
2004 - John Foxtrot Kerry
2008 - Barack Hotel Obama
2012 - Barack Hotel Obama

[TNF]

1824: Henry Clay (Democratic-Republican)
1828: John Quincy Adams (National Republican)
1832: Henry Clay (National Republican)
1836: William Henry Harrison (Whig)
1840: William Henry Harrison (Whig)
1844: Henry Clay (Whig)
1848: Martin Van Buren (Free Soil)
1852: John Parker Hale (Free Soil)
1856: John C. Fremont (Republican)
1860: Abraham Lincoln (Republican)
1864: Abraham Lincoln (National Union)
1868: Ulysses Grant (Republican)
1872: Ulysses Grant (Republican)
1876: Rutherford Hayes (Republican)
1880: James Weaver (Greenback)
1884: Benjamin Butler (Greenback)
1888: Alson Streeter (Union Labor)
1892: James Weaver (People's)
1896: William Jennings Bryan (Democratic)
1900: William Jennings Bryan (Democratic)
1904: Eugene Debs (Socialist)
1908:Eugene Debs (Socialist)
1912: Eugene Debs (Socialist)
1916: Woodrow Wilson (Democratic)
1920: Eugene Debs (Socialist)
1924: Robert La Follette (Progressive)
1928: Norman Thomas (Socialist)
1932: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1936: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1940: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1944: Franklin Roosevelt (Democratic)
1948: Harry Truman (Democratic)
1952: Adlai Stevenson (Democratic)
1956: Adlai Stevenson (Democratic)
1960: John Kennedy (Democratic)
1964: Lyndon Johnson (Democratic)
1968: Hubert Humphrey (Democratic)
1972: N/A
1976: Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
1980: Jimmy Carter (Democratic)
1984: Walter Mondale (Democratic)
1988: Michael Dukakis (Democratic)
1992: Bill Clinton (Democratic)
1996: Bill Clinton (Democratic)
2000: Al Gore (Democratic)
2004: John Kerry (Democratic)
2008: Barack Obama (Democratic)
2012: Barack Obama (Democratic)

[Phony Moderate]

1789:  Washington (no party)
1792:  Washington (no party)
1796:  Jefferson (D-R)
1800:  Jefferson (D-R)
1804:  Jefferson (D-R)
1808:  Madison (D-R)
1812:  Clinton (F)
1816:  Monroe (D-R)
1820:  Monroe (D-R)
1824:  Clay (D-R)
1828:  Adams (NR)
1832:  Clay (NR)
1836:  Harrison (W)
1840:  Harrison (W)
1844:  Clay (W)
1848:  Van Buren (FS)
1852:  Hale (FS)
1856:  Fremont (R)
1860:  Lincoln (R)
1864:  Lincoln (R)
1868:  Grant (R)
1872:  Greeley (LR)
1876:  Cooper (G)
1880:  Weaver (G)
1884:  Blaine (R)
1888:  Streeter (UL)
1892:  Weaver (P)
1896:  Bryan (D)
1900:  Debs (SD)
1904:  Debs (S)
1908:  Debs (S)
1912:  Debs (S)
1916:  Benson (S)
1920:  Debs (S)
1924:  La Follette (P)
1928:  Smith (D)
1932:  FDR (D)
1936:  FDR (D)
1940:  FDR (D)
1944:  FDR (D)
1948:  Wallace (P)
1952:  Eisenhower (R)
1956:  Stevenson (D)
1960:  JFK (D)
1964:  LBJ (D)
1968:  Humphrey (D)
1972:  McGovern (D)
1976:  Carter (D)
1980:  Carter (D)
1984:  Mondale (D)
1988:  Dukakis (D)
1992:  Clinton (D)
1996:  Nader (G)
2000:  Gore (D)
2004:  Kerry (D)
2008:  Obama (D)
2012:  Obama (D)