1920 Presidential Election

The Return to Normalcy

November 2, 1920 · Progressive Era to Normalcy · 531 electoral votes, 266 to win

Harding's 60.3% remains among the largest popular-vote shares ever, a repudiation of Wilsonian internationalism in the first election with nationwide women's suffrage and the first with radio-reported returns. Debs polled 900,000 votes from a federal prison cell.

Elected

Warren G. Harding

Republican

Electoral vote

404 of 531

Popular vote

60.3%

16,114,093 votes

Turnout

49.2%

The result

EV share
Warren G. HardingRepublicanCalvin Coolidge404
16,114,09360.30%37
James M. CoxDemocraticFranklin D. Roosevelt127
9,139,66134.20%11
Eugene V. DebsSocialistSeymour Stedman—914,1913.41%—
Parley P. ChristensenFarmer–LaborMax S. Hayes—265,3950.99%—
Aaron S. WatkinsProhibitionD. Leigh Colvin—188,7090.70%—
James E. FergusonAmerican Party (Texas)William J. Hough—47,9680.18%—

26,670,017 votes recorded for the candidates listed.

Results by state

AlabamaJames M. Cox66.7%11Warren G. Harding · 31.9%
ArizonaWarren G. Harding55.6%3James M. Cox · 44.4%
ArkansasJames M. Cox58.5%9Warren G. Harding · 38.7%
CaliforniaWarren G. Harding66.2%13James M. Cox · 24.3%
ColoradoWarren G. Harding59.4%6James M. Cox · 35.9%
ConnecticutWarren G. Harding62.7%7James M. Cox · 33.0%
DelawareWarren G. Harding55.7%3James M. Cox · 42.1%
FloridaJames M. Cox62.0%6Warren G. Harding · 30.8%
GeorgiaJames M. Cox70.9%14Warren G. Harding · 28.7%
IdahoWarren G. Harding65.6%4James M. Cox · 34.3%
IllinoisWarren G. Harding67.8%29James M. Cox · 25.5%
IndianaWarren G. Harding55.1%15James M. Cox · 40.5%
IowaWarren G. Harding70.9%13James M. Cox · 25.5%
KansasWarren G. Harding64.8%10James M. Cox · 32.5%
KentuckyJames M. Cox49.8%13Warren G. Harding · 49.2%
LouisianaJames M. Cox69.2%10Warren G. Harding · 30.5%
MaineWarren G. Harding65.5%6James M. Cox · 33.3%
MarylandWarren G. Harding55.1%8James M. Cox · 42.2%
MassachusettsWarren G. Harding68.6%18James M. Cox · 27.8%
MichiganWarren G. Harding72.8%15James M. Cox · 22.3%
MinnesotaWarren G. Harding70.6%12James M. Cox · 19.4%
MississippiJames M. Cox84.0%10Warren G. Harding · 14.0%
MissouriWarren G. Harding54.6%18James M. Cox · 43.2%
MontanaWarren G. Harding61.0%4James M. Cox · 32.1%
NebraskaWarren G. Harding64.7%8James M. Cox · 31.3%
NevadaWarren G. Harding56.9%3James M. Cox · 36.2%
New HampshireWarren G. Harding59.8%4James M. Cox · 39.4%
New JerseyWarren G. Harding67.7%14James M. Cox · 28.4%
New MexicoWarren G. Harding54.7%3James M. Cox · 44.3%
New YorkWarren G. Harding64.6%45James M. Cox · 27.0%
North CarolinaJames M. Cox56.7%12Warren G. Harding · 43.2%
North DakotaWarren G. Harding77.7%5James M. Cox · 18.3%
OhioWarren G. Harding58.5%24James M. Cox · 38.6%
OklahomaWarren G. Harding50.2%10James M. Cox · 44.5%
OregonWarren G. Harding60.2%5James M. Cox · 33.6%
PennsylvaniaWarren G. Harding65.8%38James M. Cox · 27.2%
Rhode IslandWarren G. Harding64.0%5James M. Cox · 32.8%
South CarolinaJames M. Cox96.1%9Warren G. Harding · 3.4%
South DakotaWarren G. Harding60.7%5James M. Cox · 19.8%
TennesseeWarren G. Harding51.2%12James M. Cox · 48.3%
TexasJames M. Cox59.4%20Warren G. Harding · 23.5%
UtahWarren G. Harding55.9%4James M. Cox · 38.8%
VermontWarren G. Harding75.8%4James M. Cox · 23.3%
VirginiaJames M. Cox61.3%12Warren G. Harding · 37.9%
WashingtonWarren G. Harding56.0%7James M. Cox · 21.1%
West VirginiaWarren G. Harding55.3%8James M. Cox · 43.2%
WisconsinWarren G. Harding71.1%13James M. Cox · 16.2%
WyomingWarren G. Harding64.2%3James M. Cox · 31.9%

The state table accounts for 126 of James M. Cox's 127 official electoral votes. The remainder reflect split delegations, district allocations, faithless electors or votes not counted, as recorded at the electoral count.

The Congress it seated

67th Congress

1921–1923

Unified government

Senate

37–59

Democratic vs Republican

House

132–300

Democratic vs Republican · 1 others