This is a list of electoral candidates for the offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States of the modern Democratic Party, either duly preselected and nominated, or the presumptive nominees of a future preselection and election. Opponents who received over one percent of the popular vote or ran an official campaign that received Electoral College votes are listed. Offices held prior to Election Day are included, and those held on Election Day have an italicized end date.
19th century 1828, 1832 Presidentialnominee1828 (won), 1832 (won)Vice presidentialnomineeAndrew Jackson of TN(1767–1845)Prior public experience U.S. House of Representatives (1796–1797) U.S. Senate (1797–1798, 1823–1825) Chair of the Senate Military Affairs Committee (1823–1825) Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1823–1824) Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court (1798–1804) Governor of Florida (1821) President (1829–1837)
Higher education NonePrior public experience South Carolina House of Representatives (1808–1809) U.S. House of Representatives (1811–1817) U.S. Secretary of War (1817–1825) Vice President (1825–1832)
Higher education Yale University (attended) Litchfield Law School (attended)John C. Calhoun of SC(1782–1850)(1828)Prior public experience New York Senate (1813–1820) Attorney General of New York (1815–1819) U.S. Senate (1821–1828) Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee (1823–1828) Governor of New York (1829) U.S. Secretary of State (1829–1831) U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom (1831–1832)
Higher education NoneMartin Van Buren of NY(1782–1862)(1832)Opponent(s)John Quincy Adams (National Republican)Electoral vote (President) Jackson: 178 (68.2%) Adams: 83 (31.8%)
Electoral vote (Vice President)If not for unpledged electors, Rush would have won 178 (68.2%) votes. Calhoun: 171 (65.5%) Rush: 83 (31.8%) Smith: 7 (2.7%)
Popular vote Jackson/Calhoun: 642,553 (55.9%) Adams/Rush: 500,897 (43.7%)Opponent(s)Richard Rush (National Republican)Opponent(s)Henry Clay (Whig)William Wirt (Anti-Masonic)Electoral vote (President)South Carolina's delegates were selected by the state legislature and not by popular vote, which went to the Nullifier ticket of Floyd/Lee, which did not campaign, while 30 Pennsylvania delegates voted Wilkins for vice president. Two Maryland delegates did not cast votes. Jackson: 219 (76.0%) Clay: 49 (17.0%) Floyd: 11 (3.8%) Wirt: 7 (2.4%) None: 2 (0.7%)
Electoral vote (Vice President) Van Buren: 189 (65.6%) Sargent: 49 (17.0%) Wilkins: 30 (10.4%) Lee: 11 (3.8%) Ellmaker: 7 (2.4%) None: 2 (0.7%)
Popular vote Jackson/Van Buren: 701,780 (54.7%) Clay/Sargent: 484,205 (36.9%) Wirt/Ellmaker: 100,715 (7.8%)Opponent(s)John Sergeant (Whig)Amos Ellmaker (Anti-Masonic)
1836, 1840 Presidentialnominee1836 (won), 1840 (lost)Vice presidentialnomineeMartin Van Buren of NY(1782–1862)Prior public experience New York Senate (1813–1820) Attorney General of New York (1815–1819) U.S. Senate (1821–1828) Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee (1823–1828) Governor of New York (1829) U.S. Secretary of State (1829–1831) U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom (1831–1832) Vice President (1833–1837) President (1837–1841)
Higher education NonePrior public experience Kentucky House of Representatives (1804–1806, 1819) U.S. House of Representatives (1807–1819, 1829–1837) Chair of the House Claims Committee (1810–1811) Chair of the War Department Expenditures Committee (1817–1819) Chair of the House Post Office Committee (1829–1832) Chair of the House Military Affairs Committee (1832–1837) U.S. Senate (1819–1829) Chair of the Senate Post Office Committee (1829–1832) Vice President (1837–1841)
Higher education Transylvania University (attended)Richard Johnson of KY(1780–1850)Opponent(s)William Harrison (Northern Whig)Hugh White (Southern Whig)Electoral vote (President)The Whig Party ran regional candidates in 1836. William H. Harrison and Francis Granger ran in Northern states, while Hugh Lawson White and John Tyler ran in Southern states. Daniel Webster was on the ballot in Massachusetts and Willie Person Mangum received votes from the Electoral College without being on the ballot. Van Buren: 170 (57.8%) Harrison: 73 (24.8%) White: 26 (8.8%) Webster: 14 (4.8%) Magnum: 11 (3.7%)
Contingent vote (Vice President) Johnson 33 (63.5%) Granger: 16 (30.8%) Blank: 3 (5.8%)
Electoral vote (Vice President) Johnson 147 (50.0%) Granger: 77 (26.2%) Tyler: 47 (16.0%) Smith: 23 (7.8%)
Popular vote Van Buren/Johnson: 764,176 (50.8%) Harrison/Granger: 550,816 (36.6%) White/Tyler: 146,109 (9.7%) Webster/Granger: 41,201 (2.7%)Opponent(s)Francis Granger (Northern Whig)John Tyler (Southern Whig)Opponent(s)William Harrison (Whig)Electoral vote (President) Harrison: 234 (79.6%) Van Buren: 60 (20.4%)
Electoral vote (Vice President) Tyler: 234 (79.6%) Johnson: 48 (16.3%) Tazewell: 11 (3.7%) Polk: 1 (0.3%)
Popular vote Harrison/Tyler: 1,275,390 (52.9%) Van Buren/Johnson: 1,128,854 (46.8%)Opponent(s)John Tyler (Whig)
1844 Presidentialnominee1844 (won)Vice presidentialnomineeJames Polk of TN(1795–1849)Prior public experience Tennessee House of Representatives (1823–1825) U.S. House of Representatives (1825–1839) Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee (1833–1835) Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1835–1839) Governor of Tennessee (1839–1841)
Higher education University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA)Prior public experience U.S. House of Representatives (1827–1829) Comptroller of New York (1829–1833) U.S. Senate (1833–1844) Chair of the Senate Finance Committee (1836–1841)
Higher education Middlebury College (BA)Silas Wright of NY(1795–1847)(1844)Wright declined after being nominated by the convention.Prior public experience Mayor of Philadelphia, PA (1828–1829) U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1829–1831) Attorney General of Pennsylvania (1833–1835) U.S. Minister to Russia (1837–1839) U.S. Senate (1831–1833) Chair of the Senate Naval Affairs Committee (1832–1833)
Higher education Princeton University (BA)George Dallas of PA(1792–1864)(1844)Opponent(s)Henry Clay (Whig)James Birney (Liberty)Electoral vote Polk/Dallas: 170 (61.8%) Clay/Frelinghuysen: 105 (38.2%)
Popular vote Polk/Dallas: 1,339,494 (49.5%) Clay/Frelinghuysen: 1,300,004 (49.1%) Birney/Morris: 62,103 (2.3%)Opponent(s)Theodore Frelinghuysen (Whig)Thomas Morris (Liberty)
1848 Presidentialnominee1848 (lost)Vice presidentialnomineeLewis Cass of MI(1782–1866)Prior public experience Ohio House of Representatives (1806) Governor of Michigan (1813–1831) U.S. Secretary of War (1831–1836) U.S. Minister to France (1836–1842) U.S. Senate (1845–1848) Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee (1847–1848)
Higher education NonePrior public experience Kentucky House of Representatives (1817–1818) U.S. House of Representatives (1839–1843)
Higher education Transylvania University (BA)William Butler of KY(1791–1880)Opponent(s)Zachary Taylor (Whig)Martin Van Buren (Free Soil)Electoral vote Taylor/Fillmore: 163 (56.2%) Cass/Butler: 127 (43.8%)
Popular vote Taylor/Fillmore: 1,361,393 (47.1%) Cass/Butler: 1,223,460 (42.5%) Van Buren/Adams 291,501 (10.1%)Opponent(s)Millard Fillmore (Whig)Charles Adams (Free Soil)
1852 Presidentialnominee1852 (won)Vice presidentialnomineeFranklin Pierce of NH(1804–1869)Prior public experience New Hampshire House of Representatives (1829–1833) Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (1831–1833) U.S. House of Representatives (1833–1837) U.S. Senate (1837–1842) Chair of the Senate Pensions Committee (1839–1841) U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire (1845)
Higher education Bowdoin College (attended) Northampton Law School (attended)Prior public experience North Carolina House of Representatives (1807–1809) U.S. House of Representatives (1811–1816) U.S. Senate (1819–1844, 1848–1852) Chair of the Senate Public Lands Committee (1831–1832) Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee (1832–1833, 1837–1841) President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate (1836–1841, 1850–1852) Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1849–1850) Chair of the Senate Pensions Committee (1849–1850) U.S. Minister to France (1844–1846)
Higher education University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA)William King of AL(1786–1853)Opponent(s)Winfield Scott (Whig)John Hale (Free Soil)Electoral vote Pierce/King: 254 (85.8%) Scott/Graham: 42 (14.2%)
Popular vote Pierce/King: 1,607,510 (50.8%) Scott/Graham: 1,386,942 (43.9%) Hale/Julian: 155,210 (4.9%)Opponent(s)William Graham (Whig)George Julian (Free Soil)
1856 Presidentialnominee1856 (won)Vice presidentialnomineeJames Buchanan of PA(1791–1868)Prior public experience Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1814–1816) U.S. House of Representatives (1821–1831) Chair of the House Judiciary Committee (1829–1831) U.S. Minister to Russia (1832–1833) U.S. Senate (1834–1845) Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1836–1841) Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1841–1845) U.S. Secretary of State (1845–1849) U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom (1853–1856)
Higher education Dickinson College (BA)Prior public experience Kentucky House of Representatives (1849–1851) U.S. House of Representatives (1851–1855)
Higher education Centre College (BA) Princeton University (attended) Transylvania University (attended)John Breckinridge of KY(1821–1875)Opponent(s)John Frémont (Republican)Millard Fillmore (Know Nothing)Electoral vote Buchanan/Breckinridge: 174 (58.8%) Frémont/Dayton: 114 (38.5%) Fillmore/Donelson: 8 (2.7%)
Popular vote Buchanan/Breckinridge: 1,836,072 (45.3%) Frémont/Dayton: 1,342,345 (33.1%) Fillmore/Donelson: 873,053 (21.5%)Opponent(s)William Dayton (Republican)Andrew Donelson (Know Nothing)
1860 Presidentialnominee1860 (lost)Douglas and Johnson were chosen at the national nominating convention after most of the Southern delegations walked out, who held a separate national nominating convention to nominate Breckinridge and Lane.Vice presidentialnomineeStephen Douglas of IL(1813–1861)Prior public experience Illinois House of Representatives (1836–1838) Secretary of State of Illinois (1840–1841) Associate Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court (1841–1843) U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847) Chair of the House Territories Committee (1845–1847) U.S. Senate (1847–1861) Chair of the Senate Territories Committee (1847–1858) Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1850–1851)
Higher education NonePrior public experience U.S. Senate (1848–1849) Chair of the Senate District of Columbia Committee (1848–1849) Governor of Georgia (1853–1857)
Higher education University of Georgia (BA)Herschel Johnson of GA(1812–1880)Opponent(s)Abraham Lincoln (Republican)John Breckinridge (Southern Democrats)John Bell (Constitutional Union)Electoral vote Lincoln/Hamlin: 180 (59.4%) Breckinridge/Lane: 72 (23.8%) Bell/Everett: 39 (12.9%) Douglas/Johnson: 12 (4.0%)
Popular vote Lincoln/Hamlin: 1,865,908 (39.7%) Douglas/Johnson: 1,380,202 (29.5%) Breckinridge/Lane: 848,019 (18.2%) Bell/Everett: 590,901 (12.7%)Opponent(s)Hannibal Hamlin (Republican)Joe Lane (Southern Democrats)Edward Everett (Constitutional Union)
1864 Presidentialnominee1864 (lost)Vice presidentialnomineeGeorge McClellan of NJ(1826–1885)Prior public experience Commanding General of the U.S. Army (1861–1862)
Higher education University of Pennsylvania (attended) U.S. Military Academy (BS)Prior public experience Ohio Senate (1854–1856) U.S. House of Representatives (1857–1865)
Higher education University of Cincinnati (attended) Heidelberg University (attended)George Pendleton of OH(1825–1889)Opponent(s)Abraham Lincoln (National Union)Electoral vote Lincoln/Johnson: 212 (91.0%)If not for 17 invalidated electors from Union-occupied Louisiana and Tennessee, Lincoln and Johnson would have won 229 (91.6%) votes.