List of African-American United States presidential and vice presidential candidates

The following is a list of African-American United States presidential and vice-presidential nominees and candidates for nomination. Nominees are candidates nominated or otherwise selected by political parties for particular offices. Listed are those African-Americans who achieved ballot access for the national election in at least one state. They may have won the nomination of one of the US political parties (either one of the major parties, or one of the third parties), or made the ballot as an independent, and in either case must have votes in the election to qualify for this list. Exception is made for candidates whose parties lost ballot status for additional runs.

In 1848, Frederick Douglass became the first African-American presidential candidate. His candidacy preceded black suffrage in the U.S.
In 2009, Barack Obama became the first African-American presidential candidate nominated by a major party, namely the Democrats. He was the first African-American to be elected (and re-elected) president of the United States.
In 2021, Kamala Harris is the first African-American and Asian-American vice president of the United States.

Not included in the second and third tables are African-Americans who ran campaigns in nominating conventions or primary elections for their party's nomination (or who have not yet completed that process), write-in candidates, potential candidates (suggested by media, objects of draft movements, etc.), or fictional candidates. The fourth table includes African-Americans who ran for their party's presidential nomination but who were not nominated, as well as those who are currently pursuing their party's presidential nomination (when applicable).

There have been two African Americans on a major party ticket in U.S. history: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in 2008 and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2020.

Barack Obama was the first African American and first biracial president of the United States, being elected in the 2008 election and re-elected in the 2012 election.

Kamala Harris became the first African American, Asian American, and female vice president of the United States of America, being elected in the 2020 election alongside former Vice President Joe Biden.

U.S. presidential candidates: party nominees

Denotes winning candidate.

Candidates receiving electoral votes
African-American presidential nominees, showing running mate and electoral votes received
Year Name Party Running mate Popular votes Electoral votes Total
electoral votes		 Opponent
2008 Barack Obama Democratic Party Joe Biden 69,498,215 365 538 John McCain
2012 Barack Obama Democratic Party Joe Biden 65,915,796 332 538 Mitt Romney
2016 Colin Powell Not applicable[1] Not applicable — 3 538
African-American presidential nominees, showing running mate and popular votes received
Year Name Party Running mate Popular votes
1904 George Edwin Taylor[2]National Liberty PartyW.C. PayneScattering[3]
1960 Clennon KingIndependent Afro-American PartyReginald Carter1,485
1964 Clifton DeBerrySocialist Workers PartyEd Shaw32,706
1968 Eldridge CleaverPeace and Freedom PartyVarious candidates36,623[4]
1968 Dick GregoryFreedom and Peace PartyVarious candidates47,097
1968 Charlene MitchellCommunist PartyMichael Zagarell1,076
1976 Margaret WrightPeople's PartyBenjamin Spock49,013
1980 Clifton DeBerrySocialist Workers PartyMatilde Zimmermann38,738
1980 Andrew PulleySocialist Workers PartyMatilde Zimmermann6,264[5]
1984 Larry HolmesWorkers World PartyGloria La Riva17,985
1984 Dennis L. SerretteNew Alliance PartyNancy Ross46,853
1984 Edward WinnSocialist Equality PartyHelen Halyard10,801
1988 Lenora FulaniNew Alliance PartyJoyce Dattner217,219
1988 Larry HolmesWorkers World PartyGloria La Riva7,846
1988 James WarrenSocialist Workers PartyKathleen Mickells15,602
1988 Edward WinnSocialist Equality PartyHelen Halyard18,693
1992 Ronald DanielsPeace and Freedom PartyAsiba Tupahache27,949
1992 Lenora FulaniNew Alliance PartyMaria Elizabeth Muñoz73,714
1992 Helen HalyardWorkers LeagueFred Mazelis3,050
1992 Isabell MastersLooking Back PartyWalter Masters327
1992 James WarrenSocialist Workers PartyVarious candidates23,533
1996 James HarrisSocialist Workers PartyLaura Garza8,476
1996 Monica MooreheadWorkers World PartyGloria La Riva29,083
1996 Isabell MastersLooking Back PartyShirley Jean Masters752
2000 James HarrisSocialist Workers PartyMargaret Trowe7,038
2000 Monica MooreheadWorkers World PartyGloria La Riva4,795
2000 Randall A. VensonIndependentGene Kelly547
2004 James Harris[6]Socialist Workers PartyMargaret Trowe7,102
2004 John ParkerWorkers World PartyTeresa Gutierrez1,646
2008 James Harris[6]Socialist Workers PartyAlyson Kennedy2,424
2008 Alan KeyesAmerica's Independent PartyBrian Rohrbough47,756[7]
2008 Cynthia McKinneyGreen PartyRosa Clemente150,061
2008 Barack Obama Democratic Party Joe Biden 69,498,215
2012 Stewart AlexanderSocialist PartyAlejandro Mendoza4,405[8]
2012 Andre BarnettReform PartyKen Cross956[8]
2012 James HarrisSocialist Workers PartyMaura DeLuca4,117[8]
2012 Peta LindsayParty for Socialism and LiberationYari Osorio7,791[8]
2012 Barack Obama Democratic Party Joe Biden 65,915,796[8]
2016 Monica MooreheadWorkers World PartyLamont Lilly4,314
2016 Khadijah Jacob-FambroRevolutionary PartyMilton Fambro748
2016 Clifton Roberts[9]Humane PartyBreeze Harper[10]86[11]
2020 President R19 Boddie[12][13]C.U.P.Eric Stoneham3,177
2020 Dario Hunter[14]Oregon Progressive PartyDawn Neptune Adams5,403
2020 Princess Khadijah Jacob-Fambro[14]UnaffiliatedKhadijah M. Jacob497
2020 Ricki Sue King[15]Genealogy Know Your Family HistoryDayna R. Chandler546
2020 Jade Simmons[16]IndependentClaudeliah Roze[17]6,958
2020 Kanye WestBirthday PartyMichelle Tidball70,294

U.S. vice-presidential candidates: party nominees

Denotes winning candidate.

Candidates receiving electoral votes

Until the 2020 presidential election, no African-American candidates had received electoral votes for vice president.

African-American vice-presidential nominees of major parties, showing running mate and votes received
Year Name Party Running mate Electoral votes Total
electoral votes		 Popular votes Opponent
2020 Kamala Harris Democratic Party Joe Biden 306 538 81,268,867 Mike Pence
African-American vice presidential nominees, showing running mate and popular votes received
Year Name Party Running mate Popular votes
1872 Frederick Douglass[18]Equal Rights PartyVictoria WoodhullUnreported
1928 Simon P. DrewInterracial Independent Party[19]Jacob S. Coxey[20][21]
1932 James W. FordCommunist PartyWilliam Z. Foster102,991
1936 James W. FordCommunist PartyEarl Browder80,195
1940 James W. FordCommunist PartyEarl Browder
1952 Charlotta BassProgressive PartyVincent Hallinan140,023
1968 Paul BoutelleSocialist Workers PartyFred Halstead
1972 Julius HobsonPeople's PartyBenjamin Spock78,759
1972 Jarvis TynerCommunist PartyGus Hall
1976 Willie Mae ReidSocialist Workers PartyPeter Camejo90,986
1976 Jarvis TynerCommunist PartyGus Hall
1980 Angela DavisCommunist PartyGus Hall43,871
1984 Angela DavisCommunist PartyGus Hall36,386
1984 Helen Halyard[22]Socialist Equality PartyEdward Winn10,801
1988 B. Kwaku Duren[23]New Alliance PartyLenora Fulani31,180
1988 Helen HalyardSocialist Equality PartyEdward Winn18,693
1988 Mamie Moore[24]New Alliance PartyLenora Fulani26,487
1988 Florence M. Rice[25]Consumer PartyEugene McCarthy25,109
1992 Willie Mae ReidSocialist Workers PartyJames "Mac" Warren
1996 Shirley Jean MastersLooking Back PartyIsabell Masters752
2000 Ezola B. FosterReform PartyPat Buchanan449,225
2004 Arrin HawkinsSocialist Workers PartyRóger Calero3,689
2004 Jim LawrenceSocialist Equality PartyBill Van Auken1,857
2008 Stewart AlexanderSocialist PartyBrian Moore7,315
2008 Eugene PuryearParty for Socialism and LiberationGloria La Riva7,478
2016 Ajamu BarakaGreen PartyJill Stein1,457,044
2016 Osborne HartSocialist Workers PartyAlyson Kennedy11,667
2016 Lamont LillyWorkers World PartyMonica Moorehead4,003
2016 Eugene PuryearPeace and Freedom PartyGloria La Riva43,445
2016 Angela Nicole WalkerSocialist Party USAMimi Soltysik2,579
2016 Milton FambroRevolutionary PartyKhadijah Jacob-Fambro748
2016 Breeze Harper[10]Humane PartyClifton Roberts[9]86[11]
2020 Karla Ballard[26]IndependentBrock Pierce49,700
2020 Dayna R. Chandler[15]Genealogy Know Your Family HistoryRicki Sue King
2020 Kamala HarrisDemocratic PartyJoe Biden81,268,867
2020 Khadijah M. Jacob[14]UnaffiliatedPrincess Khadijah Jacob-Fambro
2020 Malcolm Jarrett[27]Socialist Workers PartyAlyson Kennedy6,791
2020 Cynthia McKinney[28]Green Party of AlaskaJesse Ventura3,291
2020 Melissa Nixon[17]IndependentJade Simmons181
2020 Raechelle PopeIndependentMichael Laboch
2020 Claudeliah Roze[29]IndependentJade Simmons6,777
2020 Angela Nicole WalkerGreen Party and Socialist Party USAHowie Hawkins404,021
2020 Adrian WallaceIndependentMark Charles3,040
2020 Kanye West[30]American Independent PartyRocky De La Fuente60,160

U.S. president: other candidates for party nomination

Candidates who failed to receive their party's nomination (or who are currently campaigning for their party's nomination). Candidates who won the nomination belong in the above tables only.

African-American candidates who unsuccessfully sought presidential nomination
Year Name Party Details Nominee
1848 Frederick DouglassLiberty Party1 vote at national convention[31]Gerrit Smith
1888 Frederick DouglassRepublican Party1 vote at national conventionBenjamin Harrison
1968 Channing E. PhillipsDemocratic Party67.5 votes at national conventionHubert Humphrey
1972 Shirley ChisholmDemocratic Party152 votes at national conventionGeorge McGovern
1972 Walter FauntroyDemocratic Party1 vote at national convention; 21,217 votes (71.78%) and winner of Washington, D.C., primary
1976 Barbara JordanDemocratic Party1 vote at national conventionJimmy Carter
1976 Walter FauntroyDemocratic Party10,149 votes (30.49%) (2nd place) in Washington, D.C. primary
1984 Jesse JacksonDemocratic Party466 votes at national conventionWalter Mondale
1988 Jesse JacksonDemocratic Party1218.5 votes at national conventionMichael Dukakis
1992 Douglas WilderDemocratic PartyWithdrew before Iowa caucusesBill Clinton
1992 Alan KeyesRepublican Party1 vote at national convention. Keyes was the Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate election in Maryland at the time, and was not actively seeking the presidency in 1992.George H.W. Bush
1996 Alan KeyesRepublican Party1 vote at national conventionBob Dole
1996 Isabell MastersRepublican Party1052 votes (7th place) in Oklahoma primary[32]
2000 Alan KeyesRepublican Party6 votes at national conventionGeorge W. Bush
2000 Angel Joy Rocker[33]Republican Party6 votes in Alabama straw poll[34]
2004 Carol Moseley BraunDemocratic PartyWithdrew before Iowa caucusesJohn Kerry
2004 Al SharptonDemocratic PartyEarned 26 delegates in 5 primaries and caucuses
2008 Alan KeyesRepublican PartyKeyes withdrew from Republican Party on April 15, 2008, but remained on the Republican ballot in several states.John McCain
2008 Alan KeyesConstitution Party125.7 votes (24.36%) (2nd place) at national convention.Chuck Baldwin
2012 Herman CainRepublican PartyWithdrew on December 3, 2011.Mitt Romney
2016 Willie WilsonDemocratic PartyAnnounced candidacy on June 1, 2015.Hillary Clinton
2016 John Fitzgerald JohnsonDemocratic PartyAnnounced candidacy on August 23, 2015.
2016 Sedinam Moyowasifza-CurryGreen Party14.5 votes (3rd place) at national conventionJill Stein
2016 Monica MooreheadPeace and Freedom Party1,369 votes (30%) (2nd place) in California primary[35]Gloria La Riva
2016 Ben CarsonRepublican PartyAnnounced candidacy on May 3, 2015. Withdrew on March 4, 2016. Earned 9 delegates.Donald Trump
2020 Cory BookerDemocratic PartyWithdrew before Iowa caucusesJoe Biden
2020 Kamala HarrisDemocratic PartyWithdrew before Iowa caucuses. Harris later became the 2020 Democratic nominee for vice president.
2020 Wayne MessamDemocratic PartyWithdrew before Iowa caucuses
2020 Deval PatrickDemocratic PartyAnnounced candidacy on November 14, 2019. Withdrew on February 12, 2020.
2020 Sedinam Moyowasifza-CurryGreen Party11.5 votes (3rd place) at national conventionHowie Hawkins

U.S. vice president: other candidates for party nomination
African-American candidates who unsuccessfully sought vice presidential nomination
Year Name Party Details Nominee
1856 Frederick DouglassPolitical Abolitionist[19]Samuel T. McFarland[36]
1880 Blanche BruceRepublican Party8 votes at national convention[37]Chester A. Arthur
1888 Blanche BruceRepublican Party11 votes at national convention[37]Levi P. Morton
1968 Julian BondDemocratic Party48.5 votes at national conventionEdmund Muskie
1972 Julian BondDemocratic Party1 vote at national conventionThomas Eagleton
1972 Shirley ChisholmDemocratic Party20 votes at national conventionThomas Eagleton
1972 Ron DellumsDemocratic Party4 votes at national conventionThomas Eagleton
1976 Barbara JordanDemocratic Party17 votes in national conventionWalter Mondale
1980 Mel BoozerDemocratic Party49 votes in national convention[38]Walter Mondale
2016 Larry Sharpe Libertarian Party 264 votes in national convention (1st ballot); 409 votes in national convention (2nd ballot)William Weld
2016 Derrick Grayson Libertarian Party 48 votes in national convention (1st ballot); 9 votes in national convention (2nd ballot)

See also

Notes
  1. Colin Powell did not run for president in 2016. He received the votes of 3 faithless electors from Washington. Powell, a Republican, had endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and received his electoral votes from Democratic electors.
  2. Wisconsin Labor Advocate, La Crosse, Wis. : Geo. E. Taylor, 1886- Archived September 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. The World Almanac & Encyclopedia. 1908. p. 268. "they received only a few scattering votes of which there is no exact record."
  4. Does not include 27,887 votes cast for the party's ticket in California and Utah, where Cleaver's name did not appear on the ballot because he was under 35 years old.
  5. Leip, David (2005). "1980 Presidential General Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
  6. In 2004 and 2008, Harris served as a stand-in nominee for the Socialist Workers Party in states where the party's main presidential nominee, Róger Calero, was ineligible because he was not a natural-born citizen.
  7. Winger, Richard (January 9, 2009). "2008 Presidential Vote (not final)". Ballot Access News. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
  8. Federal Elections 2012 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Federal Election Commission. 2013. p. 5.
  9. Gunzburger, Ron (2016). "2016 Presidential Candidates". Politics1. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  10. "Breaking: Humane Party announces Dr. Breeze Harper as Vice Presidential nominee". The Onion Knight Show. June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  11. "2016 Presidential Election by State". The Green Papers. February 5, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  12. "President R19 Boddie". Media and American Politics. February 6, 2020.
  13. "Candidate Inquiry". voterportal.sos.la.gov.
  14. "2020 General Election Candidate List". Colorado Secretary of State. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  15. "Iowa's first Black woman presidential candidate doesn't want your vote". Bleeding Heartland. August 16, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  16. "Native Charlestonian Jade Simmons Running For President 2020". The Charleston Chronicle. July 9, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  17. Melissa Nixon was on the ballot instead of Roze only in Florida.
  18. Douglass did not acknowledge the nomination or participate in the campaign.
  19. Walton, Hanes. Invisible politics: Black political behavior. p.92.
  20. Guzman, Jessie Parkhurst. Negro Year Book - An Annual Encyclopedia of the Negro 1931-1932 p.87.
  21. "National Affairs: Fifth Party". Time. June 18, 1928.
  22. Edward Bergonzi was an alternate candidate for Helen Halyard in some states, including Ohio.
  23. Duren was on the ballot only in California.
  24. Moore was on the ballot as an alternate candidate for Joyce Dattner in some states, including Minnesota.
  25. Rice was on the ballot in three states, including Michigan.
  26. "Entrepreneur, Karla Ballard, Joins Brock Pierce for President as Vice President". PR Newswire. July 20, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  27. "Meet the SWP candidates: Alyson Kennedy & Malcolm Jarrett". The Militant. Vol. 85 no. 5. February 1, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  28. Green Party of Alaska (September 1, 2020). "Green Party Of Alaska Rejects National Candidate, Nominates Jesse Ventura" (Press release). Anchorage Press. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  29. "Independent Presidential Candidate, Jade Simmons, Announces Her VP Running Mate, Claudeliah J. Roze". PRLog. September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  30. Winger, Richard (August 15, 2020). "American Independent Party Nominates Rocky De La Fuente for President and Kanye West for Vice-President". Ballot Access News. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  31. "Proceedings of the National Liberty Convention, held at Buffalo, N.Y., June..." 1848. Archived from the original on February 9, 2001. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  32. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  33. "White House bid wants serious attention", St. Petersburg Times, March 24, 1999. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  34. "Republican Party". Archived from the original on February 9, 2001.
  35. "President Peace and Freedom - Statewide Results". Office of the Secretary of State of California. Government of California. June 8, 2016. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012.
  36. Wesley, Dr. Charles H. (March 14, 1953). "The Greatest American". The Afro-American. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  37. Ragsdale, Bruce; Joel D. Treese (1990). Black Americans in Congress, 1870-1989. Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. p. 8.
  38. Sears, p. 389

References
  • Sears, Thomas James (2001). Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2964-6.
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