Most popular votes ever cast for a presidential candidate
81,283,501 is the most votes ever cast for a U.S. presidential candidate: Joe Biden in 2020, the first to clear 80 million. Donald Trump’s 77,302,580 in 2024 ranks second.
| # | Candidate | Election | Popular votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Biden D | 2020 | 81,283,501 | Won |
| 2 | Donald Trump R | 2024 | 77,302,580 | Won |
| 3 | Kamala Harris D | 2024 | 75,017,613 | Lost |
| 4 | Donald Trump R | 2020 | 74,223,975 | Lost |
| 5 | Barack Obama D | 2008 | 69,498,516 | Won |
| 6 | Barack Obama D | 2012 | 65,915,795 | Won |
| 7 | Hillary Clinton D | 2016 | 65,853,514 | Lost |
| 8 | Donald Trump R | 2016 | 62,984,828 | Won |
| 9 | George W. Bush R | 2004 | 62,040,610 | Won |
| 10 | Mitt Romney R | 2012 | 60,933,504 | Lost |
| 11 | John McCain R | 2008 | 59,948,323 | Lost |
| 12 | John Kerry D | 2004 | 59,028,444 | Lost |
| 13 | Ronald Reagan R | 1984 | 54,455,472 | Won |
| 14 | Al Gore D | 2000 | 50,999,897 | Lost |
| 15 | George W. Bush R | 2000 | 50,456,002 | Won |
| 16 | George H. W. Bush R | 1988 | 48,886,597 | Won |
| 17 | Bill Clinton D | 1996 | 47,401,185 | Won |
| 18 | Richard Nixon R | 1972 | 47,168,710 | Won |
| 19 | Bill Clinton D | 1992 | 44,909,806 | Won |
| 20 | Ronald Reagan R | 1980 | 43,903,230 | Won |
| 21 | Lyndon B. Johnson D | 1964 | 43,129,040 | Won |
| 22 | Michael Dukakis D | 1988 | 41,809,476 | Lost |
| 23 | Jimmy Carter D | 1976 | 40,831,881 | Won |
| 24 | Bob Dole R | 1996 | 39,197,469 | Lost |
| 25 | Gerald Ford R | 1976 | 39,148,634 | Lost |
How this ranking is measured
Every top-of-ticket presidential candidate ranked by the raw popular votes they received in one general election (1824–present). Because the electorate grows every cycle, the list skews modern, and several of the highest totals belong to candidates who lost (the “Result” column shows which). Vice-presidential running mates inherit the ticket’s votes on their own profiles but are not listed separately here.