10 Most Controversial US Elections
The United States, as a representative democracy, has long upheld the election process as the backbone of its political system. Over the centuries, this process has often been smooth and accepted by the public. However, some elections have proven to be extraordinarily contentious, sparking controversy, legal battles, and widespread public distrust. These elections have not only shaped the immediate political landscape but have also had lasting impacts on the nation’s laws, policies, and democratic norms.
In this article, American historians at WHE explore the most controversial elections in U.S. history, dissecting the events, candidates, outcomes, and the controversies that made them stand out. By examining these elections, we can better understand the complexities of the U.S. political system and how conflicts surrounding elections have shaped the country’s political and legal frameworks.
The Election of 1800: Thomas Jefferson vs. John Adams
The 1800 election, often referred to as the “Revolution of 1800,” was one of the most controversial and transformative in U.S. history. The Federalists, led by incumbent President John Adams, were pitted against the Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson. This election is infamous not only for its political and ideological clashes but also for the deadlock that ensued.
Controversy:
The electoral process at the time stipulated that each elector cast two votes for president, with the runner-up becoming vice president. Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, both received 73 electoral votes, throwing the election into the House of Representatives. The House was tasked with breaking the tie, but Federalist-controlled states preferred Burr over Jefferson, despite Burr being Jefferson’s intended vice president.
The election was deadlocked for 36 ballots before Jefferson was finally chosen as president. The tension between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans was at an all-time high, and some Federalists even threatened secession if Jefferson were to win. The controversy surrounding this election directly led to the passage of the 12th Amendment in 1804, which changed the process so that electors would cast separate votes for president and vice president.
What triggered the rivalry between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson?
The Election of 1824: John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson
The 1824 election is notable for being the first election in which no candidate secured a majority of the electoral votes, even though Andrew Jackson won both the popular vote and the most electoral votes. This led to the election being decided by the House of Representatives under the terms of the 12th Amendment.
Controversy:
There were four main candidates: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. Although Jackson won a plurality of both the popular and electoral votes, he did not secure the majority required to win the presidency. As a result, the election was sent to the House of Representatives.
What made this election especially controversial was the so-called “Corrupt Bargain.” Henry Clay, who came in fourth and was thus ineligible for consideration by the House, allegedly struck a deal with John Quincy Adams.
Clay used his influence as Speaker of the House to sway the vote in Adams’ favor, and in return, Adams appointed Clay as his Secretary of State. This appointment led Jackson’s supporters to cry foul, accusing Adams and Clay of stealing the presidency from Jackson, who had won the most votes. The accusation of a “corrupt bargain” haunted Adams throughout his presidency and contributed to Jackson’s landslide victory in 1828.
The Election of 1876: Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel Tilden
The 1876 election between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden is often considered the most disputed and controversial presidential election in U.S. history. It came at the tail end of the Reconstruction era, a period marked by intense political, racial, and social divisions following the Civil War.
Controversy:
Tilden won the popular vote and had 184 electoral votes, just one shy of the 185 needed to win the presidency. Hayes had 165 electoral votes, but 20 votes from four states (Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon) were contested due to allegations of electoral fraud, intimidation, and violence, particularly in the Southern states.
Both the Democrats and Republicans claimed victory in these states, and in January 1877, Congress established a bipartisan electoral commission to resolve the dispute. The commission, made up of 15 members, awarded all the disputed votes to Hayes, giving him 185 electoral votes to Tilden’s 184.
This decision was part of a larger political compromise, known as the Compromise of 1877, in which Democrats agreed to accept Hayes as president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. The compromise led to the disenfranchisement of African Americans and the establishment of Jim Crow laws in the South, while the election itself left many feeling that the presidency had been stolen from Tilden.
The Election of 1888: Benjamin Harrison vs. Grover Cleveland
The election of 1888 is one of the rare instances in U.S. history where the candidate who won the popular vote did not win the presidency. Incumbent President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, ran against the Republican candidate Benjamin Harrison.
Controversy:
Cleveland won the popular vote by about 90,000 votes but lost the electoral vote to Harrison, 233 to 168. The controversy stemmed from accusations that Republicans had engaged in widespread electoral fraud, particularly in Indiana and New York, two key swing states at the time.
In Indiana, Republicans were accused of paying for votes, while in New York, both parties engaged in questionable tactics to sway voters. Harrison’s victory in the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote led to widespread debate about the fairness of the electoral system, though no significant reforms were enacted at the time.
Cleveland’s loss was particularly bitter for his supporters, as it was widely believed that without the fraudulent tactics used by the Republicans, he would have won re-election. Cleveland went on to win the presidency again in 1892, making him the only president in U.S. history to serve two non-consecutive terms.
The Election of 1948: Harry S. Truman vs. Thomas Dewey
The 1948 presidential election is often remembered for the famous incorrect headline “Dewey Defeats Truman” published by the Chicago Daily Tribune. Incumbent President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, faced off against Republican candidate Thomas Dewey, with nearly everyone expecting Dewey to win.
Controversy:
Dewey, the governor of New York, was widely seen as a moderate, while Truman had faced low approval ratings due to economic problems, labor strikes, and a divided Democratic Party. The Democrats had splintered into three factions, with the Southern Democrats forming the States’ Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) under Strom Thurmond, and Henry Wallace leading the Progressive Party. This division seemed to spell doom for Truman’s chances.
Pollsters, pundits, and the media were so confident of a Dewey victory that many newspapers preemptively ran stories predicting his win. The Chicago Daily Tribune famously printed its now-iconic headline before the final results were in. However, Truman ran a vigorous campaign, traveling by train across the country in what became known as the “Whistle-Stop Tour.” His efforts paid off, as he won a surprising victory with 303 electoral votes to Dewey’s 189, despite most predictions to the contrary.
The 1948 election is a prime example of how polling, media narratives, and assumptions can lead to incorrect conclusions, making it one of the most surprising and controversial elections in U.S. history.
The Election of 1960: John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon
The 1960 election between Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard Nixon is one of the closest and most controversial presidential elections in U.S. history. The election was significant for several reasons, including the advent of televised debates and allegations of voter fraud.
Controversy:
Kennedy won the popular vote by a razor-thin margin—34,220,984 votes to Nixon’s 34,108,157—a difference of only about 112,000 votes. The electoral vote was more decisive, with Kennedy winning 303 votes to Nixon’s 219. However, the controversy arose over alleged voter fraud in key states like Illinois and Texas.
In Illinois, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, a Democrat, was accused of manipulating votes to ensure Kennedy’s victory in the state. Kennedy’s narrow win in Illinois, where he received 8,858 more votes than Nixon, gave him the state’s 27 electoral votes. Additionally, allegations of fraud in Texas, where Kennedy won by a similarly narrow margin, further fueled claims that the election had been stolen.
Despite calls for a recount and an investigation into voter fraud, Nixon chose not to contest the results, citing concerns about damaging the nation’s political stability. The 1960 election highlighted the role of political machines and electoral corruption, as well as the growing influence of television on American politics, as the first-ever televised presidential debates helped boost Kennedy’s image and appeal to voters.
The Election of 1968: Richard Nixon vs. Hubert Humphrey
The 1968 election occurred during one of the most turbulent years in American history, marked by the Vietnam War, civil rights protests, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. The election pitted Republican Richard Nixon against Democrat Hubert Humphrey, with third-party candidate George Wallace representing the segregationist American Independent Party.
Controversy:
The Vietnam War was a central issue in the campaign, with Humphrey struggling to distance himself from the policies of the unpopular incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson, under whom he served as vice president. Nixon promised to restore “law and order” and to bring an “honorable end” to the Vietnam War, though his actual plan remained vague.
The controversy surrounding the 1968 election centers on allegations that Nixon’s campaign interfered with peace talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam in the final days of the election. According to later reports and declassified documents, Nixon’s team secretly urged the South Vietnamese government to delay negotiations, promising them a better deal if Nixon won the presidency. This interference, known as the “Chennault Affair,” may have prolonged the war and contributed to Nixon’s narrow victory over Humphrey, who lost the popular vote by just over 500,000 votes.
Although Nixon won a decisive electoral victory, the allegations of interference in the peace talks and the deep divisions within the country over civil rights and the Vietnam War made the 1968 election one of the most controversial and consequential in American history.
The Election of 2000: George W. Bush vs. Al Gore
The 2000 election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore was one of the most hotly contested and controversial elections in U.S. history. The outcome hinged on the results in Florida, where a razor-thin margin triggered a statewide recount and a legal battle that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
Image: George W. Bush (left) vs. Al Gore (right).
Controversy:
On election night, the results in Florida were too close to call, with initial reports suggesting that Gore had won the state, only for later reports to declare Bush the winner. The margin of victory was just a few hundred votes, leading to an automatic recount under Florida law.
The recount process was chaotic, with allegations of voter suppression, confusing “butterfly ballots,” and improper handling of absentee ballots. As the recount dragged on, the Gore campaign requested a manual recount in four counties, but the Bush campaign challenged this in court. The legal battle culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore, which effectively halted the recount and awarded Florida’s 25 electoral votes to Bush, giving him a 271-266 victory in the Electoral College, despite Gore winning the popular vote by over 500,000 votes.
The 2000 election highlighted flaws in the U.S. electoral system, particularly in the use of outdated voting technology and the potential for legal disputes to decide the presidency. It also reignited debates over the fairness of the Electoral College, as Bush’s victory despite losing the popular vote led to widespread calls for electoral reform.
The Election of 2016: Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton
The 2016 election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton is one of the most contentious in recent history, marked by deep political polarization, allegations of foreign interference, and intense media scrutiny. The election resulted in Trump’s surprise victory despite Clinton winning the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.
Image: Donald Trump (left) vs. Hillary Clinton (right).
Controversy:
The 2016 election was controversial for several reasons. First, Trump’s campaign was marked by inflammatory rhetoric, including xenophobic and misogynistic statements, which polarized the electorate. Clinton, on the other hand, faced criticism for her use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State, which became a central issue in the campaign.
The most significant controversy, however, was the revelation that Russia had interfered in the election through cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and attempts to influence public opinion via social media. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia’s goal was to sow discord and undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, though there was no direct evidence that votes were changed.
Trump’s victory, despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million, also reignited debates about the Electoral College and its role in determining the outcome of elections. Clinton won large majorities in populous states like California and New York, but Trump’s victories in key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin gave him an Electoral College majority of 304-227.
The 2016 election continues to be a source of controversy, with debates over foreign interference, electoral fairness, and political polarization shaping the nation’s political landscape in subsequent years.
The Election of 2020: Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump
The 2020 election between incumbent President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden was one of the most polarized and contentious elections in U.S. history. Held during the COVID-19 pandemic, the election saw an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots, which became a central point of controversy.
Controversy:
Trump and his supporters repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud occurred due to the increased use of mail-in ballots. As the results came in, it became clear that Biden had won a decisive victory, both in the popular vote (by over 7 million votes) and the Electoral College (306-232). However, Trump refused to concede, launching multiple legal challenges in key swing states.
These legal efforts culminated in the January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters, an event that shocked the nation and further deepened political divisions. Despite Trump’s claims, no court or state investigation found evidence of widespread fraud, and Biden’s victory was certified by Congress.
The 2020 election was significant not only for its outcome but also for the unprecedented challenges to the integrity of the U.S. electoral process. It raised concerns about the future of American democracy and the peaceful transfer of power, making it one of the most controversial elections in U.S. history.
Conclusion
Each of these elections showcases the vulnerabilities, challenges, and complexities of the U.S. electoral system. From the “Corrupt Bargain” of 1824 to the modern-day controversies surrounding mail-in ballots and foreign interference, elections in the U.S. have often been a battleground for political power, public opinion, and legal disputes.
Questions and Answers
What scandal affected Richard Mentor Johnson’s vice-presidential candidacy?
Martin Van Buren ran for president in 1836 with Richard Mentor Johnson as his running mate.
Johnson’s relationships with enslaved women and fathering children with one hurt his candidacy, particularly in the South.
How did Grover Cleveland respond to accusations of fathering a child out of wedlock during the 1884 election?
Cleveland admitted the possibility while suggesting other men might have been the father, choosing not to deny the affair.
What scandals surrounded Warren G. Harding’s 1920 presidential campaign?
Harding faced rumors of African American ancestry and extramarital affairs, including one with Carrie Fulton Phillips and another that allegedly resulted in a child.
How did Richard Nixon address accusations of financial misconduct during the 1952 election?
Nixon gave the televised “Checkers Speech,” where he disclosed his finances and mentioned the family dog, Checkers, winning public sympathy.
What led to Senator Thomas Eagleton stepping down as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1972?
Eagleton stepped down after it was revealed he had undergone electroshock therapy for depression in the 1960s.
What extramarital affair scandal forced Gary Hart to suspend his presidential campaign in 1987?
Gary Hart was caught in an affair with Donna Rice, leading to public and media scrutiny that forced him to suspend his campaign.
What scandal involved South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford in 2009?
Sanford’s extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina became public, damaging his political career.
What were the key scandals of the 2016 presidential election?
Hillary Clinton faced controversy over her use of a private email server, and Donald Trump faced backlash for lewd comments made in a 2005 recording.
U.S. Presidential Election: When and why was the two-term limit introduced?
