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.

California narrowly voted for the Democratic nominee, United States Army officer Winfield Scott Hancock, over the Republican nominee, Ohio representative James A. Garfield. The 94-vote margin was the smallest in any statewide presidential election since Henry Clay won Maryland by only four votes in 1832, and as of 2024 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.

At the time, voters in California voted for individual electors, with the top six candidates being elected. One of the electors on the Democratic ticket was former Chief Justice David S. Terry, a controversial figure in California politics due to his killing of US Senator David C. Broderick in a duel in 1859. As a result, about five hundred Democratic voters scratched Terry's name off their ballots. Due to the closeness of the election, these lost votes caused Terry to receive fewer votes than the entire Republican ticket and thus a single Republican elector won the sixth-most votes to claim the last elector position. This was the first occasion in which California's electoral vote was split, rather than being awarded to a single candidate. This would subsequently occur in California three additional times in 1892, 1896, and 1912.

This result constituted the first Democratic victory in California since 1856Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; Presidential General Election Results Comparison – California when the Republican Party had only recently formed. It has been argued that the unexpected Democratic win was due almost entirely to Garfield being 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.Gold, Martin; Forbidden Citizens: Chinese Exclusion and the U.S. Congress: A Legislative History; p. 141

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. This was the first time ever that California voted for the losing candidate, which only occurred four times in the next 100 years- in 1884, 1912, 1960, and 1976.

Results + General Election ResultsParty Pledged to Elector Votes Democratic Party Winfield Scott Hancock R. F. Del Valle80,442 Democratic Party Winfield Scott Hancock Barclay Henley80,428 Democratic Party Winfield Scott Hancock William T. Wallace80,426 Democratic Party Winfield Scott Hancock J. C. Shorb80,420 Democratic Party Winfield Scott Hancock W. B. C. Brown80,413 Republican Party James A. Garfield Henry Edgerton80,348 Republican Party James A. Garfield John F. Miller80,282 Republican Party James A. Garfield John A. Bauer80,281 Republican Party James A. Garfield Thomas R. Bard80,253 Republican Party James A. Garfield W. W. McKaig80,245 Republican Party James A. Garfield Charles N. Fox80,229 Democratic Party Winfield Scott Hancock David S. Terry79,885 Greenback Party James B. Weaver J. E. Clark3,394 Greenback Party James B. Weaver F. P. Dann3,381 Greenback Party James B. Weaver James Kidney3,378 Greenback Party James B. Weaver George T. Elliott3,369 Greenback Party James B. Weaver T. J. McQuiddy3,365Greenback PartyJames B. WeaverJ. H. Redstone2,531 Greenback Party James B. Weaver B. K. Lowe830 Prohibition Party Neal S. Dow M. C. Winchester61 Prohibition Party Neal S. Dow G. W. Caldwell56 Prohibition Party Neal S. Dow W. O. Clark56 Prohibition Party Neal S. Dow John Woods56 Prohibition Party Neal S. Dow George Bramall54 Prohibition Party Neal S. Dow G. W. Webb49 Anti-Masonic Party John W. Phelps Liba Finch6 Anti-Masonic Party John W. Phelps M. A. Harrow6 Anti-Masonic Party John W. Phelps L. B. Lathrop6 Anti-Masonic Party John W. Phelps D. Morrill6 Anti-Masonic Party John W. Phelps P. Beck5Anti-Masonic PartyJohn W. PhelpsR. Metcalf5 Write-in Scattering70Votes cast 164,321

Results by county CountyWinfield Scott HancockOriginal Manuscript Returns, California State ArchivesDemocratic James Abram GarfieldRepublican James Baird WeaverGreenback Neal S. DowProhibition John W. PhelpsAnti-Masonic ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # % # %Alameda3,89439.35%5,89759.58%810.82%00.00%00.00%250.25%-2,003-20.24%9,897Alpine4138.32%6661.68%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%-25-23.36%107Amador1,41151.12%1,34548.73%40.14%00.00%00.00%00.00%662.39%2,760Butte1,83250.25%1,81449.75%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%180.49%3,646Calaveras1,13749.18%1,15750.04%180.78%00.00%00.00%00.00%-20-0.87%2,312Colusa1,60764.49%88235.39%30.12%00.00%00.00%00.00%72529.09%2,492Contra Costa1,01043.69%1,30256.31%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%-292-12.63%2,312Del Norte29752.85%26346.80%20.36%00.00%00.00%00.00%346.05%562El Dorado1,52051.30%1,41947.89%240.81%00.00%00.00%00.00%1013.41%2,963Fresno1,13364.60%61334.95%80.46%00.00%00.00%00.00%52029.65%1,754Humboldt73525.51%1,42049.29%72525.16%10.03%00.00%00.00%-685-23.78%2,881Inyo27446.05%32153.95%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%-47-7.90%595Kern66158.44%46340.94%70.62%00.00%00.00%00.00%19817.51%1,131Lake67759.33%45439.79%100.88%00.00%00.00%00.00%22319.54%1,141Lassen30143.50%32346.68%649.25%20.29%00.00%20.29%-22-3.18%692Los Angeles2,85346.90%2,91447.90%3065.03%100.16%00.00%00.00%-61-1.00%6,083Marin56141.71%76156.58%231.71%00.00%00.00%00.00%-200-14.87%1,345Mariposa59858.06%43241.94%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%16616.12%1,030Mendocino1,31357.34%96942.31%40.17%10.04%00.00%30.13%34415.02%2,290Merced73658.60%51641.08%40.32%00.00%00.00%00.00%22017.52%1,256Modoc49054.08%41045.25%00.00%60.66%00.00%00.00%808.83%906Mono82146.36%91351.55%221.24%80.45%00.00%80.45%-92-5.19%1,772Monterey1,20548.16%1,26050.36%371.48%00.00%00.00%00.00%-55-2.20%2,502Napa1,08246.84%1,19951.90%261.13%30.13%00.00%00.00%-117-5.06%2,310Nevada2,02947.27%2,24152.21%220.51%00.00%00.00%00.00%-212-4.94%4,292Placer1,41645.43%1,64352.71%581.86%00.00%00.00%00.00%-227-7.28%3,117Plumas64547.99%69851.93%10.07%00.00%00.00%00.00%-53-3.94%1,344Sacramento2,81741.66%3,79456.11%1502.22%00.00%00.00%10.01%-977-14.45%6,762San Benito64659.81%42939.72%40.37%00.00%10.09%00.00%21720.09%1,080San Bernardino71147.81%73049.09%463.09%00.00%00.00%00.00%-19-1.28%1,487San Diego54641.74%74356.80%191.45%00.00%00.00%00.00%-197-15.06%1,308San Francisco21,47152.06%19,08046.27%6721.63%00.00%00.00%160.04%2,3915.80%41,239San Joaquin2,40948.32%2,56851.51%70.14%00.00%10.02%00.00%-159-3.19%4,985San Luis Obispo72941.99%83047.81%1719.85%60.35%00.00%00.00%-101-5.82%1,736San Mateo72048.32%76051.01%100.67%00.00%00.00%00.00%-40-2.68%1,490Santa Barbara71737.38%90747.29%29315.28%00.00%00.00%10.05%-190-9.91%1,918Santa Clara2,82146.67%3,11351.50%1051.74%00.00%00.00%60.10%-292-4.83%6,045Santa Cruz1,10244.96%1,23650.43%1104.49%20.08%00.00%10.04%-134-5.47%2,451Shasta87749.97%86849.46%100.57%00.00%00.00%00.00%90.51%1,755Sierra55935.65%99763.58%120.77%00.00%00.00%00.00%-438-27.93%1,568Siskiyou90052.36%80046.54%181.05%10.06%00.00%00.00%1005.82%1,719Solano1,95949.70%1,96349.80%130.33%00.00%00.00%70.18%-4-0.10%3,942Sonoma2,62852.14%2,29045.44%1112.20%110.22%00.00%00.00%3386.71%5,040Stanislaus1,16160.69%75239.31%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%40921.38%1,913Sutter59149.33%60250.25%00.00%50.42%00.00%00.00%-11-0.92%1,198Tehama95452.33%86847.61%10.05%00.00%00.00%00.00%864.72%1,823Trinity45749.14%46449.89%90.97%00.00%00.00%00.00%-7-0.75%930Tulare1,30655.13%91738.71%1466.16%00.00%00.00%00.00%38916.42%2,369Tuolumne1,00151.65%92247.57%150.77%00.00%00.00%00.00%794.08%1,938Ventura52246.40%59953.24%40.36%00.00%00.00%00.00%-77-6.84%1,125Yolo1,37451.83%1,25647.38%120.45%50.19%40.15%00.00%1184.45%2,651Yuba1,18550.28%1,16549.43%70.30%00.00%00.00%00.00%200.85%2,357Total 80,44248.954%80,34848.897%3,3942.07%610.04%60.00%700.04%940.057%164,321

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Butte San Francisco Yuba

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Calaveras Inyo Los Angeles San Luis Obispo Sutter Trinity

See also United States presidential elections in California

Notes

References