This list details the major Democratic Party candidates who ran in presidential primaries and caucuses. Candidates are included if they were considered major contenders during the primaries and caucuses, had held significant elective office, received substantial media coverage, or received at least one delegate at the nominating convention.
The Democratic Party emerged following the dissolution of the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1820s and has nominated a presidential candidate in every presidential election since the party's first convention in 1832.
The list is divided into two sections, reflecting the increasing importance of primaries and caucuses following the changes stemming from the McGovern–Fraser Commission.
Candidates
1832–1968 N.B. Bold indicates that the candidate was nominated as the Presidential candidate + YearCandidateBornExperienceStateFirst BallotFinal Contested BallotDelegates%Delegates%18321767President of the United States (1829-1832) U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1823-1825)TennesseeN/A100 - -18351782Vice President of the United States (1833-1835) U.S. Senator from New York (1821-1828)100 - -18401782President of the United States (1837-1841)100 - -18441795Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841) Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1835-1839)Tennessee0 86.81782President of the United States (1837-1841)54.9 0.71782Ambassador to France (1836-1842)31.2 10.91780Vice President of the United States (1837-1841)Kentucky9 01791U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (1834-1845)Pennsylvania1.501782Secretary of State (1844-1845)South Carolina2.30.81789Secretary of the Treasury (1834-1841)New Hampshire0.8018481782U.S. Senator from Michigan (1845-1848)49.2 70.51789Associate Supreme Court Justice (1845-1851)New Hampshire20.9151791Secretary of State (1845-1849)Pennsylvania21.71318521804U.S. Senator from New Hampshire (1849-1857)New HampshireN/A 951782U.S. Senator from Michigan (1849-1857)39.20.71791Secretary of State (1845-1849)Pennsylvania31.401786Secretary of War (1845-1849)9.101813U.S. Senator from Illinois(1847-1861)Illinois6.80.718561791Minister to Great Britain (1853-1856)Pennsylvania45.8 56.81804President of the United States (1853-1857)New Hampshire41.401813U.S. Senator from Illinois (1847-1861)Illinois11.1 41.218601813U.S. Senator from Illinois(1847-1861)Illinois57.5 59.91792Secretary of the Treasury (1853-1857)Kentucky14.1261809U.S. Senator from Virginia (1847-1861)16.76.318641826Major GeneralNew Jersey89.6 - -1807Governor of Connecticut (1850-1853)Connecticut10.4 - -18681810Governor of New York (1853-1854; 1863-1864)0 6.91825U.S. Representative from Ohio (1857–1865)Ohio33.1 01819U.S. Senator from Indiana (1863-1869)Indiana0.8 45.91824Major GeneralPennsylvania10.632.61808President of the United States (1865-1869)Tennessee20.5 1.31815Lieutenant Governor of New York (1851-1854)10.701872Horace Greeley181193.7 - -1876Samuel J. Tilden1814Governor54.4 - -Thomas A. Hendricks1819GovernorIndiana1911.5Winfield Scott Hancock1824GeneralPennsylvania10.2 7.91880Winfield Scott Hancock1824GeneralPennsylvania23.1 Thomas F. Bayard1828SenatorDelaware20.815.2Samuel J. Randall1828SpeakerPennsylvania0.817.4Henry B. Payne1811 01884Grover Cleveland1837Governor64 Thomas F. Bayard1828SenatorDelaware27.824.8Allen G. Thurman1813Ohio14.49.8Samuel J. Randall1828Pennsylvania100.71888Grover Cleveland1837President of the United States100 - -1892Grover Cleveland1837 of the United States67.8 - -David B. Hill18Senator12.5 - -Horace Boies18GovernorIowa11.3 - -1896William Jennings Bryan1860Nebraska14.7 Richard P. Bland1835Missouri25.3 1.2Robert E. Pattison18Pennsylvania10.4 10.21900William Jennings Bryan1860U.S. RepresentativeNebraska100 - -1904Alton Parker185265.8 - -William Randolph Hearst1863Representative20 - -1908William Jennings Bryan1860U.S. RepresentativeNebraska88.7 - -1912Woodrow Wilson1856Governor29.8 Champ Clark1850SpeakerMissouri40.57.7Judson Harmon1846Governor13.61.1Oscar Underwood1862Representative10.801916Woodrow Wilson1856President of the United States100 - -1920James M. Cox1870Governor12.7 William Gibbs McAdoo186325.1 25.5A. Mitchell Palmer1872Attorney General24.2 0.1Al Smith1873Governor10.301924John W. Davis1873West Virginia2.818.7William Gibbs McAdoo186339.4 17.5Al Smith1873Governor30.432.41928Al Smith1873Governor77.2 - -1932Franklin D. Roosevelt1882Governor57.7 Al Smith187317.516.51936Franklin D. Roosevelt1882President of the United States100 - -1940Franklin D. Roosevelt1882President of the United States86.3 - -1944Franklin D. Roosevelt1882President of the United States92.4 - -1948Harry S. Truman1884President of the United States75 - -Richard Russell, Jr.1897Senator21.6 - -1952Adlai Stevenson II1900Governor10.2Estes Kefauver1903Senator24.422.7Richard Russell, Jr.1897Senator21.721.3W. Averell Harriman189110.201956Adlai Stevenson II190065.9 - -W. Averell Harriman1891Governor15.3 - -1960John F. Kennedy1917Senator52.9 - -Lyndon B. Johnson1908Senator26.8 - -1964Lyndon B. Johnson1908President of the United States100 - -1968Hubert Humphrey1911Vice President of the United States67.5 - -Eugene McCarthy1916Senator23.1 - -
1972–present + YearNo Candidate Born Experience StatePrimariesLogoDelegatesContestswon ofdelegates 197230 1922 U.S. Senator from South Dakota (1963-1981) – 1919 Governor of Alabama (1963-1967; 1971-1979; 1983-1987) 1911 Vice President of the United States (1965-1969) 1914 Senator 1912 Senator 1917 1921 Mayor Walter Fauntroy 1933 Delegate 1924 Representative 1916 197631 1924 – 1938 Governor 1919 Governor 1922 Senator 1912 Senator Frank Church 1924 Senator Robert Byrd 1917 Senator Birch Bayh 1928 Senator Lloyd Bentsen 1921 Senator Walter Fauntroy 1933 Delegate Fred R. Harris 1930 Sargent Shriver 1915 1980(31) 1924 President of the United States (1977-1981) - 1932 U.S. Senator from Massachusetts(1963-1981) 1938 Governor of California (1975-1983) Cliff Finch 1927 Governor MS 198432 Walter Mondale 1928 MN - Gary Hart 1936 Senator CO Jesse Jackson 1941 Minister John Glenn 1921 Senator George McGovern 1922 SD Reubin Askew 1928 FL Alan Cranston 1914 Senator Ernest Hollings 1922 Senator SC 198833 Michael Dukakis 1933 Governor MA - Jesse Jackson 1941 Minister Al Gore 1948 Senator Dick Gephardt 1941 Representative MO Paul Simon 1928 Senator Gary Hart 1936 CO Bruce Babbitt 1938 AZ 199234 (age ) Hope, Arkansas Governor of Arkansas(1979–1981, 1983–1992) - (age ) San Francisco, California Governor of California(1975–1983) (age ) Lowell, Massachusetts U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1979–1985) (age ) Lincoln, Nebraska U.S. Senator from Nebraska (1989–2001) (age ) Cumming, Iowa U.S. Senator from Iowa (1985–2015) (age ) Chicago, IllinoisMayor of Irvine, California (1982–1984, 1986–1990) 1996(34) (age ) Hope, Arkansas President of the United States (1993–2001) -(age ) Lake City, MinnesotaRepublican primary candidate for 1976 United States Senate election in Minnesota(age ) Rochester, New HampshirePerennial candidate for President in 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988 and 1992 elections.(age ) Buffalo, New YorkMayor of Buffalo (1978–1993) 200035 (age )Washington, D.C. Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) – (age )Crystal City, Missouri U.S. Senator from New Jersey (1979–1997) 200436 (age )Aurora, Colorado U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1985–2013) - (age )Seneca, South Carolina U.S. Senator from North Carolina (1999–2005) (age )East Hampton, New York Former Governor of Vermont (1991–2003) (age )Chicago, Illinois Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1997–2000) (age )Cleveland, Ohio U.S. Representative from Ohio (1997–2013) (age )New York City Activist and television host (age )Stamford, Connecticut U.S. Senator from Connecticut (1989–2013) (age )St. Louis, Missouri House Minority Leader (1995–2003) (age )Chicago, Illinois Former U.S. Senator from Illinois (1993–1999) 200837 (age )Honolulu, Hawaii U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005–2008) - (age )Chicago, Illinois First Lady of the United States (1993–2001) U.S. Senator from New York (2001–2009) (age )Seneca, South Carolina U.S. Senator from North Carolina (1999–2005) (age )Pasadena, California Governor of New Mexico (2003–2011) (age )Scranton, Pennsylvania U.S. Senator from Delaware (1973–2009)Candidate for President in 1988 and 2008 (age )Willimantic, Connecticut U.S. Senator from Connecticut (1981–2011) (age )Springfield, Massachusetts U.S. Senator from Alaska (1969–1981) (age )Cleveland, Ohio U.S. Representative for Ohio's 10th (1997–2013) 2012(37) (age )Honolulu, Hawaii President of the United States (2009–2017) -(age )Nashville, TennesseeCandidate for Tennessee's 3rd congressional district elections in 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2010 201638 (age )Chicago, Illinois U.S. Secretary of State(2009–2013) - (age )Brooklyn, New York U.S. Senator from Vermont (2007–present) (age )Washington, D.C.61st Governor of Maryland (2007–2015) 202039 (age )Scranton, Pennsylvania Vice President of the United States (2009–2017)U.S. Senator from Delaware (1973–2009)Candidate for President in 1988 and 2008 - (age )Brooklyn, New York U.S. Senator from Vermont (2007–present)U.S. representative from VT-AL (1991–2007)Candidate for president in 2016 and 2020 (age )Oklahoma City, Oklahoma U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (2013–present) (age )Boston, Massachusetts Mayor of New York City, New York (2002–2013)CEO of Bloomberg L.P. (age )South Bend, Indiana Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020) (age )Plymouth, Minnesota U.S. Senator from Minnesota (2007–present) (age )Leloaloa, American Samoa U.S. representative from HI-02 (2013–2021) (age )Manhattan, New YorkHedge fund manager Founder of Farallon Capital and Beneficial State Bank(age )Chicago, IllinoisGovernor of Massachusetts (2007–2015)(age )New Delhi, IndiaU.S. Senator from Colorado (2009–present)(age )Schenectady, New YorkEntrepreneur Founder of Venture for America 202440 (age )Oakland, California Vice President of the United States (2021–2025)U.S. Senator from California (2017–2021) - (age )Scranton, Pennsylvania President of the United States (2021–2025)Vice President of the United States (2009–2017)U.S. Senator from Delaware (1973–2009) (age )Saint Paul, Minnesota U.S. representative from (2019–present)CEO of Phillips Distilling Company (2000–2012) (age )Aberdeen, Maryland Venture capitalist (age )Houston, Texas AuthorFounder of Project Angel FoodCandidate for president in 2020
Notes and references
Notes
References