Popularity And The Presidents Since 1900

Barack Obama’s Election: Presidential Winners, 1900-2008 at Death By 1000 Papercuts brings us the list of presidents in this time frame, and how they scored in both the popular vote and the electoral college vote since 1900.

In the 28 U.S. elections held since 1900, Obama finishes in the bottom half in both popular vote percentage and electoral vote totals.

Obama’s 65+ million votes is the most in terms of absolute votes cast. But, by that standard of popularity, George Washington is the least popular president ever. It’s likely that the number of votes the winning candidate receives will continue to go up with each election, as the U.S. population increases.

Presidential Electionsm 1798 – 2008 at Info Please. 

Popular Vote Percentage
U.S. Presidential Elections, 1900-2008

1. 61.1% – Lyndon Johnson 1964
2. 60.8% – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936
3. 60.7% – Richard M. Nixon 1972
4. 58.8% – Ronald Reagan 1984
5. 60.3% – Warren G. Harding 1920
6. 58.2% – Herbert Hoover 1928
7. 57.4% – Dwight D. Eisenhower 1956
8. 57.4% – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1932
9. 56.4% – Theodore Roosevelt 1904
10. 55.2% – Dwight D. Eisenhower 1952
11. 54.7% – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940
12. 54.0% – Calvin Coolidge 1924
13. 53.4% – George H.W. Bush 1988
14. 53.4% – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944
15. 52.6% – Barack Obama 2008
16. 51.6% – William H. Taft 1908
17. 51.6% – William B. McKinley 1900
18. 50.7% – Ronald Reagan 1980
19. 50.7% – George W. Bush 2004
20. 50.1% – Jimmy Carter 1976
21. 49.7% – John F. Kennedy 1960
22. 49.6% – Harry Truman 1948
23. 49.24%- Bill Clinton 1996
24. 49.2% – Woodrow Wilson 1916
25. 47.9% – George W. Bush 2000
26. 43.4% – Richard M. Nixon 1968
27. 43.0% – Bill Clinton 1992
28. 41.8% – Woodrow Wilson 1912

Electoral Vote Total,
U.S. Presidential Elections 1900-2008

1. 525 – Ronald Reagan 1984
2. 523 – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936
3. 520 – Richard Nixon 1972
4. 489 – Ronald Reagan 1980
5. 486 – Lyndon Johnson 1964
6. 472 – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1932
7. 457 – Dwight D. Eisenhower 1956
8. 449 – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940
9. 444 – Herbert Hoover 1928
10. 442 – Dwight D. Eisenhower 1952
11. 435 – Woodrow Wilson 1912
12. 432 – Franklin D. Roosevelt 1944
13. 426 – George H.W. Bush 1988
14. 404 – Warren G. Harding 1920
15. 382 – Calvin Coolidge 1924
16. 379 – Bill Clinton 1992
17. 370 – Bill Clinton 1992
18. 364 – Barack Obama 2008
19. 336 – Theodore Roosevelt 1904
20. 321 – William H. Taft 1908
21. 303 – Harry Truman 1948
22. 303 – John F. Kennedy 1960
23. 301 – Richard Nixon 1968
24. 297 – Jimmy Carter 1976
25. 292 – William McKinley 1900
26. 286 – George W. Bush 2004
27. 277 – Woodrow Wilson 1916
28. 271 – George W. Bush 2000

DBKP goes on to point out, for the magazine-fawning crowd, that Obama has been on the most covers for Time magazine, at 10 times  He beat out Princess Diana and the Virgin Mary  with 8 apeice.

Master of the Time cover award goes to Richard Nixon however, at 55.