List of United States presidential candidates by number of primary votes received

In United States presidential politics, voters within both the Democratic and Republican parties select their candidates for the presidential election through a series of primary elections. For this list, any candidate that received at least 250,000 total votes in an election year's primary contests or became their party's nominee will be included. Only elections conducted since nationwide primaries were instituted in 1972 are shown.

History The first state to hold a primary was Florida in 1901. In 1905, Wisconsin was the first state to hold a direct open primary. Five years later, in 1910, Oregon was the first state to hold a primary that bound its state's delegates to the convention based on election results. Between 1932 and 1968, twelve states held primaries consistently, while the remaining states chose which candidate received their delegates through state party bosses. In 1972, both parties held a primary or caucus in every state for the first time. However, Republican Richard Nixon was the incumbent president and was seeking re-election. As such, the Republican primary was uneventful that year, with Nixon winning every state easily. On the Democratic side, six candidates battled for the nomination. George McGovern of South Dakota won the first nationwide primary. Today, the first state to hold a caucus during primary season is Iowa, typically in early February. Shortly after that is the first primary, held in New Hampshire.

List of candidates Primary votes received by year

Rank Candidate Party Home state Votes received Year Source1 Joe Biden Democratic Delaware 19,076,052 2020 2 Donald Trump Republican Florida 18,159,752 2020 3 Hillary Clinton Democratic New York 17,857,501 2008 4 Barack Obama Democratic Illinois 17,584,692 2008 5 Hillary Clinton Democratic New York 16,917,853 2016 6 Donald Trump Republican Florida 16,245,867 2024 7 Joe Biden Democratic Delaware 14,183,228 2024 8 Donald Trump Republican New York 14,015,993 2016 9 Bernie Sanders Democratic Vermont 13,210,550 2016 10 George W. Bush Republican Texas 12,089,564 2000 11 Al Gore Democratic Tennessee 10,642,105 2000 12 Bill Clinton Democratic Arkansas 10,482,411 1992 13 Mitt Romney Republican Massachusetts 10,048,134 2012 14 John Kerry Democratic Massachusetts 10,045,891 2004 15 Jimmy Carter Democratic Georgia 10,043,016 1980 16 Michael Dukakis Democratic Massachusetts 9,898,750 1988 17 Bill Clinton Democratic Arkansas 9,706,802 1996 18 Bernie Sanders Democratic Vermont 9,679,213 2020 19 John McCain Republican Arizona 9,615,533 2008 20 George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 9,199,463 1992 21 Bob Dole Republican Kansas 9,024,742 1996 22 George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 8,258,512 1988 23 Barack Obama Democratic Illinois 8,044,659 2012 24 George W. Bush Republican Texas 7,853,863 2004 25 Ted Cruz Republican Texas 7,822,100 2016 26 Ronald Reagan Republican California 7,709,793 1980 27 Ted Kennedy Democratic Massachusetts 7,381,693 1980 28 Walter Mondale Democratic Minnesota 6,952,912 1984 29 Jesse Jackson Democratic South Carolina 6,788,991 1988 30 Gary Hart Democratic Colorado 6,504,842 1984 31 Ronald Reagan Republican California 6,484,987 1984 32 Jimmy Carter Democratic Georgia 6,235,609 1976 33 John McCain Republican Arizona 6,070,050 2000 34 Gerald Ford Republican Michigan 5,529,899 1976 35 Richard Nixon Republican California 5,378,704 1972 36 Ronald Reagan Republican California 4,760,222 1976 37 Mitt Romney Republican Massachusetts 4,567,127 2008 38 Nikki Haley Republican South Carolina 4,373,783 2024 39 John Kasich Republican Ohio 4,290,448 2016 40 Mike Huckabee Republican Arkansas 4,147,961 2008 41 Hubert Humphrey Democratic Minnesota 4,121,372 1972 42 Jerry Brown Democratic California 4,071,232 1992 43 George McGovern Democratic South Dakota 4,053,451 1972 44 Rick Santorum Republican Pennsylvania 3,938,527 2012 45 George Wallace Democratic Alabama 3,755,424 1972 46 Paul Tsongas Democratic Massachusetts 3,696,010 1992 47 Marco Rubio Republican Florida 3,515,576 2016 48 Jesse Jackson Democratic Illinois 3,282,431 1984 49 John Edwards Democratic North Carolina 3,207,048 2004 50 Al Gore Democratic Tennessee 3,185,806 1988 51 Pat Buchanan Republican Virginia 3,184,943 1996 52 George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 3,070,033 1980 53 Pat Buchanan Republican Virginia 2,899,488 1992 54 Elizabeth Warren Democratic Massachusetts 2,831,472 2020 55 Bill Bradley Democratic New Jersey 2,804,945 2000 56 Newt Gingrich Republican Georgia 2,737,442 2012 57 Michael Bloomberg Democratic New York 2,488,734 2020 58 Jerry Brown Democratic California 2,449,374 1976 59 Bob Dole Republican Kansas 2,333,375 1988 60 Ron Paul Republican Texas 2,099,441 2012 61 George Wallace Democratic Alabama 1,955,388 1976 62 Edmund Muskie Democratic Maine 1,840,217 1972 63 Steve Forbes Republican New York 1,751,187 1996 64 Mo Udall Democratic Arizona 1,611,754 1976 65 John Anderson Republican Illinois 1,572,174 1980 66 Dick Gephardt Democratic Missouri 1,399,041 1988 67 Ron Paul Republican Texas 1,145,138 2008 68 Henry Jackson Democratic Washington 1,134,375 1976 69 Pat Robertson Republican Virginia 1,097,446 1988 70 Paul Simon Democratic Illinois 1,082,960 1988 71 Alan Keyes Republican Maryland 995,555 2000 72 John Edwards Democratic North Carolina 994,029 2008 73 Howard Dean Democratic Vermont 937,015 2004 74 Pete Buttigieg Democratic Indiana 924,237 2020 75 Ben Carson Republican Florida 857,039 2016 76 Frank Church Democratic Idaho 830,818 1976 77 Dennis Kucinich Democratic Ohio 643,067 2004 78 John Glenn Democratic Ohio 617,909 1984 79 Lyndon LaRouche Democratic Virginia 596,422 1996 80 Rudy Giuliani Republican New York 592,391 2008 81 Jerry Brown Democratic California 575,296 1980 82 Wesley Clark Democratic Arkansas 572,207 2004 83 Eugene McCarthy Democratic Minnesota 553,990 1972 84 Amy Klobuchar Democratic Minnesota 529,713 2020 85 Dean Phillips Democratic Minnesota 529,486 2020 86 Henry Jackson Democratic Washington 505,198 1972 87 Lamar Alexander Republican Tennessee 495,590 1996 88 Marianne Williamson Democratic California 473,463 2024 89 Alan Keyes Republican Maryland 471,716 1996 90 Bill Weld Republican Massachusetts 453,959 2020 91 Shirley Chisholm Democratic New York 430,703 1972 92 Gary Hart Democratic Colorado 415,716 1988 93 Al Sharpton Democratic New York 383,683 2004 94 Ron DeSantis Republican Florida 353,615 2024 95 Robert Byrd Democratic West Virginia 340,309 1976 96 George McGovern Democratic South Dakota 334,801 1984 97 Terry Sanford Democratic North Carolina 331,415 1972 98 Jack Kemp Republican New York 331,333 1988 99 Bob Kerrey Democratic Nebraska 318,457 1992 100 John M. Ashbrook Republican Ohio 311,543 1972 101 Lyndon LaRouche Democratic Virginia 306,772 2000 102 Sargent Shriver Democratic Maryland 304,399 1976 103 Fred Thompson Republican Tennessee 287,581 2008 104 Jeb Bush Republican Florida 286,694 2016 105 Tom Harkin Democratic Iowa 280,340 1992 106 Tulsi Gabbard Democratic Hawaii 273,940 2020 107 Tom Steyer Democratic California 259,792 2020 108 Kamala Harris Democratic California 844 2020 109 Kamala Harris Democratic California n/a 2024

Cumulative primary votes RankCandidatePartyHome stateVotes receivedYear(s)1Donald TrumpRepublicanNY, FL47,559,7052016, 2020, 20242Hillary ClintonDemocraticNew York34,775,3542008, 20163Joe BidenDemocraticDelaware33,339,0342008, 2020, 20244Barack ObamaDemocraticIllinois25,629,3512008, 20125Bernie SandersDemocraticVermont22,889,7632016, 20206George H. W. BushRepublicanTexas20,528,0081980, 1988, 19927Bill ClintonDemocraticArkansas20,189,2131992, 19968George W. BushRepublicanTexas19,943,4272000, 20049Ronald ReaganRepublicanCalifornia18,955,0021976, 1980, 198410Jimmy CarterDemocraticGeorgia16,278,6251976, 198011John McCainRepublicanArizona15,685,5832000, 200812Mitt RomneyRepublicanMassachusetts14,615,2612008, 201213Al GoreDemocraticTennessee13,827,9111988, 200014Bob DoleRepublicanKansas11,365,3211980, 1988, 199615Jesse JacksonDemocraticSouth Carolina10,071,4221984, 198816John KerryDemocraticMassachusetts10,045,891200417Michael DukakisDemocraticMassachusetts9,898,750198818Ted CruzRepublicanTexas7,822,100201619Ted KennedyDemocraticMassachusetts7,381,693198020Jerry BrownDemocraticCalifornia7,095,9021976, 1980, 199221Walter MondaleDemocraticMinnesota6,952,912198422Gary HartDemocraticColorado6,920,5581984, 198823Pat BuchananRepublicanVirginia6,084,4311992, 199624George WallaceDemocraticAlabama5,710,8121972, 197625Gerald FordRepublicanMichigan5,529,899197626Richard NixonRepublicanCalifornia5,378,704197227George McGovernDemocraticSouth Dakota4,388,2521972, 198428John KasichRepublicanOhio4,290,448201629John EdwardsDemocraticNorth Carolina4,201,0772004, 200830Mike HuckabeeRepublicanArkansas4,199,4112008, 201631Hubert HumphreyDemocraticMinnesota4,183,3641972, 197632Rick SantorumRepublicanPennsylvania3,955,1542012, 201633Paul TsongasDemocraticMassachusetts3,696,010199234Marco RubioRepublicanFlorida3,515,576201635Ron PaulRepublicanTexas3,259,8442008, 201236Elizabeth WarrenDemocraticMassachusetts2,831,472202037Bill BradleyDemocraticNew Jersey2,804,945200038Newt GingrichRepublicanGeorgia2,737,442201239Michael BloombergDemocraticNew York2,488,734202040Steve ForbesRepublicanNew York1,923,0471996, 200041Edmund MuskieDemocraticMaine1,840,217197242Henry M. JacksonDemocraticWashington1,639,5731972, 197643Mo UdallDemocraticArizona1,611,754197644John B. AndersonRepublicanIllinois1,572,174198045Alan KeyesRepublicanMaryland1,467,2711996, 200046Dick GephardtDemocraticMissouri1,462,9431988, 200447Pat RobertsonRepublicanVirginia1,097,446198848Paul SimonDemocraticIllinois1,082,960198849Lyndon LaRoucheDemocraticVirginia1,080,9781980, 1996, 200050Howard DeanDemocraticVermont937,015200451Pete ButtigiegDemocraticIndiana924,237202052Ben CarsonRepublicanFlorida857,039201653Frank ChurchDemocraticIdaho830,818197654Dennis KucinichDemocraticOhio743,0302004, 200855John GlennDemocraticOhio617,909198456Rudy GiulianiRepublicanNew York592,391200857Wesley ClarkDemocraticArkansas572,207200458Eugene McCarthyDemocraticMinnesota553,990197259Amy KlobucharDemocraticMinnesota529,713202060Lamar AlexanderRepublicanTennessee495,590199661Bill WeldRepublicanMassachusetts453,959202062Shirley ChisholmDemocraticNew York430,703197263Al SharptonDemocraticNew York383,683200464Robert ByrdDemocraticWest Virginia340,309197665Terry SanfordDemocraticNorth Carolina331,415197266Jack KempRepublicanNew York331,333198867Bob KerreyDemocraticNebraska318,457199268John M. AshbrookRepublicanOhio311,543197269Sargent ShriverDemocraticMaryland304,399197670Fred ThompsonRepublicanTennessee287,581200871Jeb BushRepublicanFlorida286,694201672Tom HarkinDemocraticIowa280,340199273Tulsi GabbardDemocraticHawaii273,940202074Tom SteyerDemocraticCalifornia259,792202075Kamala HarrisDemocraticCalifornia8442020

See also List of United States presidential candidates by number of votes received

Notes

References