1880 United States presidential election in California

The 1880 United States presidential election in California was held on November 2, 1880 as part of the 1880 United States presidential election. State voters chose six representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1880 United States presidential election in California

November 2, 1880
 
Nominee Winfield S. Hancock James A. Garfield
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Pennsylvania Ohio
Running mate William Hayden English Chester A. Arthur
Electoral vote 5 1
Popular vote 80,426 80,282
Percentage 48.98% 48.89%

County Results

President before election

Rutherford B. Hayes
Republican

Elected President

James A. Garfield
Republican

California narrowly voted for the Democratic nominee, United States Army officer Winfield Hancock, over the Republican nominee, Ohio representative James A. Garfield. The 144-vote margin was the smallest in any statewide presidential election since Henry Clay won Maryland by only four votes in 1832, and as of 2020 it stands as by percentage of the vote the eleventh-closest statewide presidential election result on record – although California would later see even closer results in 1892 and 1912.[lower-alpha 1] One elector cast a vote for Garfield.

This result constituted the first Democratic victory in California since 1856[1] when the Republican Party had only recently formed. The Democrats wouldn't carry the state again until 1892. The unexpected Democratic win was due almost entirely to the fact that Garfield was viewed as weaker than Hancock on the hot-bed issue of controlling immigration from China – which both major parties promised to do and which the California electorate was overwhelmingly in favor of.[2]

As a result of Garfield's loss, he became the first Republican to win the presidency without carrying California. This would not occur again until 120 years later.

Results

1880 United States presidential election in California[3]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Winfield Hancock 80,426 48.98% 5
Republican James A. Garfield 80,282 48.89% 1
Greenback James Weaver 3,381 2.06% 0
No party Write-ins 70 0.04% 0
Prohibition Neal S. Dow 54 0.03% 0
Anti-Masonic John W. Phelps 5 0.00% 0
Invalid or blank votes
Totals 167,218 100.00% 6
Voter turnout

Results by county

County Winfield Scott Hancock[4]
Democratic
James Abram Garfield[4]
Republican
James Baird Weaver[5]
Greenback
Various candidates[5]
Other parties
Margin
% # % # % # % # % #
Fresno 64.60% 1,133 34.95% 613 0.46% 8 29.65% 520
Colusa 64.49% 1,607 35.39% 882 0.12% 3 29.09% 725
Stanislaus 60.69% 1,161 39.31% 752 0.00% 0 21.38% 409
San Benito 59.81% 646 39.72% 429 0.37% 4 0.09% 1 20.09% 217
Lake 59.33% 677 39.79% 454 0.88% 10 19.54% 223
Merced 58.60% 736 41.08% 516 0.32% 4 17.52% 220
Kern 58.44% 661 40.94% 463 0.62% 7 17.51% 198
Tulare 55.13% 1,306 38.71% 917 6.16% 146 16.42% 389
Mariposa 58.06% 598 41.94% 432 0.00% 0 16.12% 166
Mendocino 57.34% 1,313 42.31% 969 0.17% 4 0.17% 4 15.02% 344
Modoc 54.08% 490 45.25% 410 0.00% 0 0.66% 6 8.83% 80
Sonoma 52.14% 2,628 45.44% 2,290 2.20% 111 0.22% 11 6.71% 338
Del Norte 52.85% 297 46.80% 263 0.36% 2 6.05% 34
Siskiyou 52.36% 900 46.54% 800 1.05% 18 0.06% 1 5.82% 100
San Francisco 52.06% 21,471 46.27% 19,080 1.63% 672 0.04% 16 5.80% 2,391
Tehama 52.33% 954 47.61% 868 0.05% 1 4.72% 86
Yolo 51.83% 1,374 47.38% 1,256 0.64% 17 0.15% 4 4.45% 118
Tuolumne 51.65% 1,001 47.57% 922 0.77% 15 4.08% 79
El Dorado 51.30% 1,520 47.89% 1,419 0.81% 24 3.41% 101
Amador 51.12% 1,411 48.73% 1,345 0.14% 4 2.39% 66
Yuba 50.28% 1,185 49.43% 1,165 0.30% 7 0.85% 20
Shasta 49.97% 877 49.46% 868 0.57% 10 0.51% 9
Butte 50.25% 1,832 49.75% 1,814 0.00% 0 0.49% 18
Solano 49.70% 1,959 49.80% 1,963 0.33% 13 0.18% 7 -0.10% -4
Trinity 49.14% 457 49.89% 464 0.97% 9 -0.75% -7
Calaveras 49.18% 1,137 50.04% 1,157 0.78% 18 -0.87% -20
Sutter 49.33% 591 50.25% 602 0.08% 1 0.33% 4 -0.92% -11
Los Angeles 46.90% 2,853 47.90% 2,914 5.03% 306 0.16% 10 -1.00% -61
San Bernardino 47.81% 711 49.09% 730 3.09% 46 -1.28% -19
Monterey 48.16% 1,205 50.36% 1,260 1.48% 37 -2.20% -55
San Mateo 48.32% 720 51.01% 760 0.67% 10 -2.68% -40
Lassen 43.50% 301 46.68% 323 9.54% 66 0.29% 2 -3.18% -22
San Joaquin 48.32% 2,409 51.51% 2,568 0.14% 7 0.02% 1 -3.19% -159
Plumas 47.99% 645 51.93% 698 0.07% 1 -3.94% -53
Santa Clara 46.67% 2,821 51.50% 3,113 1.74% 105 0.10% 6 -4.83% -292
Nevada 47.27% 2,029 52.21% 2,241 0.51% 22 -4.94% -212
Napa 46.84% 1,082 51.90% 1,199 1.13% 26 0.13% 3 -5.06% -117
Mono 46.36% 821 51.55% 913 1.19% 21 0.90% 16 -5.19% -92
Santa Cruz 44.96% 1,102 50.43% 1,236 4.49% 110 0.12% 3 -5.47% -134
San Luis Obispo 41.99% 729 47.81% 830 9.85% 171 0.35% 6 -5.82% -101
Ventura 46.40% 522 53.24% 599 0.36% 4 -6.84% -77
Placer 45.43% 1,416 52.71% 1,643 1.86% 58 -7.28% -227
Inyo 46.05% 274 53.95% 321 0.00% 0 -7.90% -47
Santa Barbara 37.38% 717 47.29% 907 15.28% 293 0.05% 1 -9.91% -190
Contra Costa 43.69% 1,010 56.31% 1,302 0.00% 0 -12.63% -292
Sacramento 41.66% 2,817 56.11% 3,794 2.22% 150 0.01% 1 -14.45% -977
Marin 41.71% 561 56.58% 761 1.71% 23 -14.87% -200
San Diego 41.74% 546 56.80% 743 1.45% 19 -15.06% -197
Alameda 39.34% 3,894 59.59% 5,899 0.82% 81 0.25% 25 -20.25% -2,005
Alpine 38.32% 41 61.68% 66 0.00% 0 -23.36% -25
Humboldt 24.91% 735 50.49% 1,490 24.57% 725 0.03% 1 -25.58% -755
Sierra 35.65% 559 63.58% 997 0.77% 12 -27.93% -438

Notes

  1. Other closer results have been Florida in 2000 (closest), Maryland in 1904 (although voters voted for individual electors), Maryland in 1832, New Mexico in 2000, Kentucky in 1896 and Kentucky in 1952, Hawaii in 1960 and in New Hampshire in 1916.

References

  1. Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; Presidential General Election Results Comparison – California
  2. Gold, Martin; Forbidden Citizens: Chinese Exclusion and the U.S. Congress: A Legislative History; p. 141 ISBN 1587332353
  3. "1880 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
  4. Géoelections; Presidential election of 1880 Popular Vote (.xlsx file for €15)
  5. Géoelections; Presidential election of 1880 Popular Vote for James B. Weaver (.xlsx file for €15)
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