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.
Not included in the first and second sections are African-Americans who ran unsuccessful 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 third section 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 major party tickets in U.S. history: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2020 and presidential nominee in 2024.
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 vice president of the United States of America, being elected in the 2020 election alongside President Joe Biden. She is also the first female vice president. She is the second biracial vice president, the first being Republican Charles Curtis.
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 votesreceived/total Opponent 2008 Democratic Party /538 John McCain 2012 Democratic Party /538 Mitt Romney 2016 Not applicableColin 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. Not applicable /538 2024 Democratic Party /538 Donald Trump
Candidates receiving popular votes + African-American presidential nominees, showing running mate and popular votes received Year Name Party Running mate Popular votes 1904 Wisconsin Labor Advocate, La Crosse, Wis. : Geo. E. Taylor, 1886- National Liberty Party W.C. Payne Scattering "they received only a few scattering votes of which there is no exact record." 1960 Independent Afro-American Party 1964 Socialist Workers Party 1968 Peace and Freedom Party Various candidates 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. 1968 Freedom and Peace Party Various candidates 1968 Communist Party 1976 People's Party 1980 Socialist Workers Party 1980 Socialist Workers Party 1984 Workers World Party 1984 New Alliance Party 1984 Socialist Equality Party 1988 New Alliance Party 1988 Workers World Party 1988 Socialist Workers Party 1988 Socialist Equality Party 1992 Peace and Freedom Party 1992 New Alliance Party 1992 Workers League 1992 Looking Back Party 1992 Socialist Workers Party Various candidates 1996 Socialist Workers Party 1996 Workers World Party 1996 Looking Back Party 2000 Socialist Workers Party 2000 Workers World Party 2000 Randall A. Venson Independent 2004 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. Socialist Workers Party 2004 Workers World Party 2008 Socialist Workers Party 2008 America's Independent Party 2008 Green Party 2008 Democratic Party 2012 Socialist Party 2012 Reform Party Ken Cross 2012 Socialist Workers Party 2012 Party for Socialism and Liberation 2012 Democratic Party 2016 Workers World Party 2016 Revolutionary Party 2016 Clifton Roberts Humane Party Breeze Harper 2020 C.U.P. 2020 Oregon Progressive Party 2020 Unaffiliated 497 2020 Genealogy Know Your Family History 546 2020 Independent Melissa Nixon was on the ballot instead of Roze only in Florida. 2020 NA 2024 Independent 2024 Democratic Party 2024 Godliness, Truth, Justice Party 2024 Green Party of Alaska Not on ballot 2024 Independent
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 votesreceived/total Popular votes Opponent 2020 Kamala Harris Democratic Party Joe Biden 306/538 81,268,867 Mike Pence
Candidates receiving popular votes + African-American vice presidential nominees, showing running mate and popular votes received Year Name Party Running mate Popular votes 1872 Douglass did not acknowledge the nomination or participate in the campaign. Equal Rights Party Unreported 1928 Simon P. Drew Interracial Independent PartyWalton, Hanes. Invisible politics: Black political behavior. p.92. Guzman, Jessie Parkhurst. Negro Year Book - An Annual Encyclopedia of the Negro 1931-1932 p.87. 1932 Communist Party 102,991 1936 Communist Party 80,195 1940 Communist Party 1952 Progressive Party 140,023 1968 Socialist Workers Party 1972 People's Party 78,759 1972 Communist Party 1976 Socialist Workers Party 90,986 1976 Communist Party 1980 Communist Party 43,871 1984 Communist Party 36,386 1984 Edward Bergonzi was an alternate candidate for Helen Halyard in some states, including Ohio. Socialist Equality Party 10,801 1988 Duren was on the ballot only in California. New Alliance Party 31,180 1988 Socialist Equality Party 18,693 1988 Mamie MooreMoore was on the ballot as an alternate candidate for Joyce Dattner in some states, including Minnesota. New Alliance Party 26,487 1988 Rice was on the ballot in three states, including Michigan. Consumer Party 25,109 1992 Socialist Workers Party 1996 Looking Back Party 752 2000 Reform Party 449,225 2004 Socialist Workers Party 3,689 2004 Socialist Equality Party 1,857 2008 Socialist Party 7,315 2008 Party for Socialism and Liberation 7,478 2016 Green Party 1,457,044 2016 Socialist Workers Party 11,667 2016 Workers World Party 4,003 2016 Peace and Freedom Party 43,445 2016 Socialist Party USA 2,579 2016 Revolutionary Party 748 2016 Humane Party Clifton Roberts 86 2020 Independent 49,700 2020 Genealogy Know Your Family History 2020 Democratic Party 81,268,867 2020 Unaffiliated 2020 Socialist Workers Party 6,791 2020 Green Party of Alaska 3,291 2020 Independent 181 2020 Independent 2020 Independent 6,777 2020 Green Party and Socialist Party USA 404,021 2020 Independent 3,040 2020 American Independent Party 60,160 2024 Independent 2024 Constitution Party
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 Liberty Party 1 vote at national convention 1888 Republican Party 1 vote at national convention 1968 Democratic Party 67.5 votes at national convention 1972 Democratic Party 152 votes at national convention 1972 Democratic Party 1 vote at national convention; 21,217 votes (71.78%) and winner of Washington, D.C., primary 1976 Democratic Party 1 vote at national convention 1976 Democratic Party 10,149 votes (30.49%, 2nd place) in Washington, D.C. primary 1984 Democratic Party 466 votes at national convention 1988 Democratic Party 1218.5 votes at national convention 1992 Democratic Party Withdrew before Iowa caucuses 1992 Republican Party 1 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. 1996 Republican Party 1 vote at national convention 1996 Republican Party 1052 votes (7th place) in Oklahoma primary 2000 Republican Party 6 votes at national convention 2000 "White House bid wants serious attention", St. Petersburg Times, March 24, 1999. Retrieved July 8, 2008. Republican Party 6 votes in Alabama straw poll 2004 Democratic Party Withdrew before Iowa caucuses 2004 Democratic Party Earned 26 delegates in 5 primaries and caucuses 2008 Republican Party Keyes withdrew from Republican Party on April 15, 2008, but remained on the Republican ballot in several states. 2008 Constitution Party 125.7 votes (24.36%, 2nd place) at national convention. 2012 Republican Party Withdrew on December 3, 2011. 2016 Democratic Party Announced candidacy on June 1, 2015. 2016 John Fitzgerald Johnson Democratic Party Announced candidacy on August 23, 2015. 2016 Green Party 14.5 votes (3rd place) at national convention Jill Stein 2016 Peace and Freedom Party 1,369 votes (30%, 2nd place) in California primary 2016 Republican Party Announced candidacy on May 3, 2015. Withdrew on March 4, 2016. Earned 9 delegates. 2020 Democratic Party Withdrew before Iowa caucuses 2020 Democratic Party Withdrew before Iowa caucuses. Harris later became the 2020 Democratic nominee for vice president. 2020 Democratic Party Withdrew before Iowa caucuses 2020 Democratic Party Announced candidacy on November 14, 2019. Withdrew on February 12, 2020. 2020 Green Party 11.5 votes (3rd place) at national convention Howie Hawkins 2024 Democratic Party Was on the ballot in California and New Hampshire. 2024 Democratic Party Was on the ballot in California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and North Dakota. 2024 Republican Party Announced candidacy on April 20, 2023. Withdrew on October 26, 2023. 2024 Republican Party Announced candidacy on June 22, 2023. Withdrew on October 9, 2023. 2024 Republican Party Failed to obtain ballot access. 2024 Democratic Party Was on the ballot in New Hampshire. 2024 Republican Party Announced candidacy on May 22, 2023. Withdrew on November 12, 2023. 2024 Green Party 72 votes (2nd place) at national convention; Green Party of Alaska nominee but not on state ballots. Peace and Freedom Party 1,795 votes (13.1%, 2nd place) in non-binding preference primary
U.S. vice president: other candidates for party nomination