Presidential Election Archives - Page 2 of 94

Wilson helped New Jersey Democrats sweep in 1912, then lost home state in 1916

February 16, 2026 12:11 amFebruary 15, 2026 8:18 pm

Democrat Woodrow Wilson remains the only New Jerseyan to win the presidency, but the former governor of New Jersey only carried New Jersey in one of his two White House bids. Wilson was elected in 1912, at the end of...

Grover Cleveland won New Jersey three times

February 16, 2026 12:10 amFebruary 15, 2026 8:18 pm

The only president born in New Jersey was Grover Cleveland, whose bid for the White House came after he had been elected mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York. Born in Caldwell, Cleveland remains the only Essex County native...

Lincoln lost New Jersey when he ran for re-election

February 16, 2026 12:09 amFebruary 15, 2026 8:19 pm

Abraham Lincoln lost New Jersey when he ran for re-election to a second term in 1864. New Jersey’s seven electoral votes went to George McClellan, a Civil War general and a resident of Orange, New Jersey. Electors for McClellan defeated...

How Abraham Lincoln won New Jersey

February 16, 2026 12:08 amFebruary 15, 2026 8:08 pm

Abraham Lincoln won four electoral votes in New Jersey in 1860, with three electors pledged to a fusion ticket that would back one of three Democrats who had the best shot at winning after Election Day. There was no public...

How John Kean cut a deal for a no-bid contract with Lincoln

February 16, 2026 12:07 amFebruary 15, 2026 8:06 pm

Col. John Kean, the great-great-grandfather of Rep. Thomas H. Kean, Jr., was among the founders of the New Jersey Republican Party in 1856. Kean was an insider’s insider. He was the grandson of John Kean, who served in the Continental...

New Jersey Democrats had no horse in 1860

February 16, 2026 12:06 amFebruary 15, 2026 8:04 pm

Democrats never really had a candidate to run against Abraham Lincoln in 1860, but they still managed to get three electoral votes with four going to the Republicans. Northern Democrats were backing Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois, Southern Democrats supported...

How a Jersey guy beat Lincoln for vice president

February 16, 2026 12:04 amFebruary 15, 2026 8:03 pm

An obscure New Jerseyan named William Dayton nearly knocked Abraham Lincoln out of his place in history. Dayton was elected to the New Jersey Legislature as a member of the Whig Party in 1837 and then became an associate justice...