Americans are a proud people. Many of us take our voting rights and responsibilities seriously, with each presidential election there is usually close debates and discussions about who the most suitable candidate would be. Of course, it’s every president’s dream to be the one to win all fifty states in the United States. Doing so requires a great deal of political savvy, luck, and a little bit of goodwill from the citizens. Here, we explore the men who have had the privilege of taking all fifty states.
Who are the US Presidents Who Won All 50 States?
Only four United States presidents have ever had the distinct accomplishment of winning the votes of every single state in the Union while on the campaign trail. Presidents, who were in office soon after the United States had become a formalized, unified nation, are ineligible as none of them held a national election.
These are the four US presidents who have achieved the distinction:
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Richard Nixon, 1972
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Ronald Reagan, 1984
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Bill Clinton, 1996
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Barack Obama, 2008
Each of these presidents went on to serve as US President for two terms and had distinguished careers of which one primary achievement would be the success in occupying the Oval Office for eight full years.
Richard Nixon – 1972
Richard Nixon was the first president to ever win all fifty states during a presidential election. In what was, at the time, the most lopsided victory in a presidential election ever, Nixon successfully won all fifty states against the Democratic candidate George McGovern.
On top of this, Nixon also won all fifty-seven electoral votes that could be gained in 1972. Richard Nixon stood on a platform of being tough on crime, and also on social issues, running on a platform of continued environment protections. After his win, he was able to enact some of the measures he had promised during his campaign.
Ronald Reagan – 1984
Ronald Reagan, the former actor who became the 40th President of the United States, won the 1984 presidential election in a landslide victory, becoming the second president to win the votes of all fifty states.
His opponent, the Democratic candidate Walter Mondale of Minnesota, ran a fun-loving campaign, airing commercials of him and his running mate Geraldine Ferraro bar hopping, swimming and ice skating around the country. But his semi-ludicrous antics were not enough to win over voters in the end.
Reagan won the Electoral College by an overwhelming majority, surpassing Richard Nixon’s previous record of 523-17. Not only did Reagan win the fifty states of the union, but he also won forty-nine states and the District of Columbia. Although Walter Mondale did win his home state of Minnesota, it was not enough to make up for Reagan’s wide-scale victory.
Bill Clinton – 1996
Bill Clinton was the third president to achieve the feat of winning all fifty states. He won his reelection campaign against opponent Bob Dole in 1996 in a very close race.
Despite some issues that had occurred during Clinton’s first term, such as the Monica Lewinsky Scandal, he still managed to eke out the win in an election year torn apart by beleaguered independent candidate Ross Perot. It’s an impressive accomplishment considering that the American public was split in half on the issue of Clinton’s character and lack of political humor.
The famous “It’s the Economy, Stupid” slogan had also come to Clinton’s rescue, helping him to sway voters to his side by capitalizing on the country’s thriving economic success.
Barack Obama – 2008
Barack Obama won the 2008 US presidential election in what is considered to be one of the modern world’s most significant political victories. He was the fourth and the most recent president to achieve the feat of winning all fifty states.
Obama ran on a platform of bringing change to Washington, further uniting the states, and restoring the American public’s trust in the government. His campaign resonated with much of the country and he was eventually declared the 44th President of the United States.
Obama had also been endorsed by former political opponents of both parties, including Senator John McCain, who realized the potential of Obama being the first African-American president of the nation. Obama eventually won a majority of the popular vote and a resounding victory in the electoral college, becoming the only candidate to win the popular vote for all fifty states.
Four men have been fortunate enough in their respective careers to win the votes of all fifty American states: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Each of these presidents have had their own respective platforms, and have all won the office for two terms. The history behind their wins are different, but now will all turn to the future as America looks to decide who the next president of the United States will be.
It’s all eyes on the candidates and the current president going forward, as the world anxiously awaits who will be the first person in history to win a third term, and the continuation of the United States.
