# US Presidential Elections Hub
Navigational hub for the **60 American presidential elections** from 1788–89 through 2024. Each entry lives canonically in `/Events/` as `YYYY Presidential Election.md` and carries the `presidential-election` tag plus standard era and tier tags. This document is the era-organized navigational layer.
## How to find them in the vault
All entries carry `type: event`, `event_subtype: presidential-election`, and the `presidential-election` tag. To list them dynamically (Dataview):
```dataview
LIST
FROM "Events"
WHERE contains(tags, "presidential-election")
SORT year ASC
```
To filter by tier:
```dataview
LIST
FROM "Events"
WHERE contains(tags, "presidential-election") AND contains(tags, "tier-1")
SORT year ASC
```
To pull all realigning elections:
```dataview
LIST
FROM "Events"
WHERE contains(tags, "presidential-election") AND realigning = true
SORT year ASC
```
To pull all disputed or EC/popular split elections:
```dataview
LIST
FROM "Events"
WHERE contains(tags, "presidential-election") AND (disputed = true OR ec_popular_split = true)
SORT year ASC
```
To pull elections decided by the House of Representatives (contingent elections):
```dataview
LIST
FROM "Events"
WHERE contains(tags, "presidential-election") AND contingent = true
SORT year ASC
```
## Tiering
**Tier 1** (11) — Deep entries. Realigning, disputed, or structurally pivotal. **Tier 2** (15) — Medium-depth. Important but not realigning. **Tier 3** (34) — Spine stubs serving primarily as wikilink targets. Tier captured in the `tier-1` / `tier-2` / `tier-3` tag.
---
## Founding Era (1788–1824)
The first nine presidential elections — uncontested-Washington (twice), first-contested-1796, first-realignment-1800, the Virginia Dynasty run, the Federalist collapse, the Era of Good Feelings, and the 1824 Corrupt Bargain that produced the Jacksonian rupture.
- [[1788-89 Presidential Election]] — Washington elected unanimously **T3**
- [[1792 Presidential Election]] — Washington unanimously reelected **T3**
- [[1796 Presidential Election]] — Adams vs Jefferson; first contested **T3**
- [[1800 Presidential Election]] — Jefferson; first peaceful transfer; House contingent **T2**
- [[1804 Presidential Election]] — Jefferson reelected; first [[12th Amendment]] election **T3**
- [[1808 Presidential Election]] — Madison; Virginia Dynasty continued **T3**
- [[1812 Presidential Election]] — Madison reelected; first wartime election **T3**
- [[1816 Presidential Election]] — Monroe; last Federalist candidate **T3**
- [[1820 Presidential Election]] — Monroe nearly unanimous; Era of Good Feelings **T3**
- [[1824 Presidential Election]] — [[J.Q. Adams]] via Corrupt Bargain; House contingent **T2**
## Jacksonian / Antebellum Era (1828–1856)
The two decades of mass-democracy emergence (1828), modern campaign formation (1840), [[Manifest Destiny]] expansion (1844, 1848), and the slow collapse of the second party system culminating in the Republican founding (1856).
- [[1828 Presidential Election]] — Jackson; mass democracy operational **T2**
- [[1832 Presidential Election]] — Jackson reelected; Bank War **T3**
- [[1836 Presidential Election]] — Van Buren; first Whig contest **T3**
- [[1840 Presidential Election]] — W.H. Harrison; first modern campaign template **T2**
- [[1844 Presidential Election]] — Polk; Manifest Destiny operational **T3**
- [[1848 Presidential Election]] — Taylor; Free Soil Party debut **T3**
- [[1852 Presidential Election]] — Pierce; Whig collapse **T3**
- [[1856 Presidential Election]] — Buchanan; first Republican Party run **T3**
## Civil War & Reconstruction (1860–1876)
The realigning 1860 election that triggered the [[American Civil War]], the wartime 1864 reelection of Lincoln, the post-war Reconstruction elections (1868, 1872), and the 1876 disputed election whose [[Compromise of 1877]] resolution ended Reconstruction.
- [[1860 Presidential Election]] — Lincoln; Republican founding; **REALIGNING** **T1**
- [[1864 Presidential Election]] — Lincoln reelected; wartime; National Union ticket **T3**
- [[1868 Presidential Election]] — Grant; first post-war; Black male suffrage debut **T3**
- [[1872 Presidential Election]] — Grant reelected; Greeley dies between popular and EC vote **T3**
- [[1876 Presidential Election]] — Hayes; **DISPUTED**; Electoral Commission; Compromise of 1877 **T1**
## Gilded Age (1880–1900)
The industrial-capital era. The 1888 EC/popular split. The 1896 realignment that consolidated McKinley's industrial-Republican coalition against Bryan's silver-populist Democratic-Populist fusion. The 1900 McKinley reelection that installed TR as VP.
- [[1880 Presidential Election]] — Garfield; closest popular-vote margin in American history **T3**
- [[1884 Presidential Election]] — Cleveland; first Democratic win since 1856; Mugwumps **T3**
- [[1888 Presidential Election]] — B. Harrison; **EC/POPULAR SPLIT** **T2**
- [[1892 Presidential Election]] — Cleveland returns; Populist Party debut **T3**
- [[1896 Presidential Election]] — McKinley vs Bryan; Cross of Gold; **REALIGNING** **T1**
- [[1900 Presidential Election]] — McKinley reelected; TR as VP **T3**
## Progressive Era (1904–1920)
[[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s regulatory-state restructuring of the Republican Party, the 1912 four-way Bull Moose rupture, the Wilson Progressive consolidation (Federal Reserve, income tax, [[Espionage Act]], WWI entry), and the 1920 Harding "Return to Normalcy" repudiation.
- [[1904 Presidential Election]] — TR reelected; first full term **T3**
- [[1908 Presidential Election]] — Taft; TR's chosen successor **T3**
- [[1912 Presidential Election]] — Wilson; Bull Moose split; worst incumbent finish **T2**
- [[1916 Presidential Election]] — Wilson reelected; "He kept us out of war" **T3**
- [[1920 Presidential Election]] — Harding landslide; first women voting **T3**
## Interwar (1924–1928)
The decade of Mellon tax cuts, the Immigration Act of 1924, and the laissez-faire Republican consensus that the 1929 crash and Depression would destroy.
- [[1924 Presidential Election]] — Coolidge; "Keep Cool with Coolidge"; La Follette Progressive **T3**
- [[1928 Presidential Election]] — Hoover; Smith's Catholicism cracks Solid South **T3**
## New Deal Era (1932–1948)
The realigning 1932 FDR election that built the [[New Deal]] coalition, the 1936 consolidation, the wartime 1940 and 1944 reelections, and the 1948 Truman upset / Dixiecrat revolt that signaled the coming Southern realignment.
- [[1932 Presidential Election]] — FDR; New Deal coalition birth; **REALIGNING** **T1**
- [[1936 Presidential Election]] — FDR landslide; coalition consolidated **T2**
- [[1940 Presidential Election]] — FDR third term; Willkie internationalist Republican **T3**
- [[1944 Presidential Election]] — FDR fourth term; Truman new VP **T3**
- [[1948 Presidential Election]] — Truman upset; Dixiecrat revolt; Wallace Progressive **T2**
## Cold War (1952–1976)
The Eisenhower Modern Republican accommodation, the [[Goldwater 1964]] conservative-movement birth, the Nixon 1968 [[Southern Strategy]] realignment, the post-Watergate Carter restoration.
- [[1952 Presidential Election]] — Eisenhower; first Republican in 24 years **T3**
- [[1956 Presidential Election]] — Eisenhower reelected **T3**
- [[1960 Presidential Election]] — JFK over Nixon; first televised debates; closest since 1880 **T2**
- [[1964 Presidential Election]] — LBJ landslide; Goldwater = conservative movement birth; **REALIGNMENT TRIGGER** **T1**
- [[1968 Presidential Election]] — Nixon; Wallace third-party; Southern Strategy; **REALIGNING** **T1**
- [[1972 Presidential Election]] — Nixon landslide; realignment confirmed **T2**
- [[1976 Presidential Election]] — Carter post-Watergate; Reagan near-miss primary challenge **T2**
## Modern Conservative Era (1980–2012)
Reagan's coalition consolidation (1980, 1984), its post-Reagan continuation (Bush 41 1988, Bush 43 2000 and 2004), the Clinton DLC era (1992, 1996), the disputed 2000 election, and the Obama-era Tea Party trigger (2008, 2012).
- [[1980 Presidential Election]] — Reagan vs Carter; conservative-movement consolidation; **REALIGNING** **T1**
- [[1984 Presidential Election]] — Reagan reelection landslide **T2**
- [[1988 Presidential Election]] — G.H.W. Bush; "Read my lips"; [[Willie Horton]] **T3**
- [[1992 Presidential Election]] — Clinton; Perot 19%; "Read my lips" betrayal **T2**
- [[1996 Presidential Election]] — Clinton reelected; Dole **T3**
- [[2000 Presidential Election]] — Bush 43; **DISPUTED**; [[Bush v. Gore]]; **EC/POPULAR SPLIT** **T1**
- [[2004 Presidential Election]] — Bush reelected; Swift Boats; gay-marriage ballot mobilization **T3**
- [[2008 Presidential Election]] — Obama; financial crisis; Tea Party trigger **T2**
- [[2012 Presidential Election]] — Obama reelected; 47 percent; [[RNC Autopsy]] **T2**
## MAGA Era (2016–2024)
The Trump-Clinton 2016 realignment, the contested 2020 election with January 6 aftermath, and the 2024 Trump restoration.
- [[2016 Presidential Election]] — Trump vs Clinton; MAGA; **REALIGNING**; **EC/POPULAR SPLIT** **T1**
- [[2020 Presidential Election]] — Biden; COVID era; highest turnout since 1900; refused concession; January 6 aftermath **T1**
- [[2024 Presidential Election]] — Trump restoration; second non-consecutive-term president; Hispanic-vote shift **T1**
---
## Analytical groupings
Beyond the era-organized listing, several analytical groupings are useful:
### Realigning elections (6)
The canonical realignments that restructured the major-party coalitions:
- [[1860 Presidential Election]] (Republican founding; Civil War)
- [[1896 Presidential Election]] (Industrial-protectionist Republican)
- [[1932 Presidential Election]] (New Deal coalition)
- [[1968 Presidential Election]] (Southern Strategy)
- [[1980 Presidential Election]] (Conservative movement consolidation)
- [[2016 Presidential Election]] (MAGA)
The [[1964 Presidential Election]] is the realignment *trigger* (LBJ's [[Civil Rights Act]], Goldwater's Deep South sweep) rather than the realignment event itself; the [[2024 Presidential Election]] is the ratification of the 2016 realignment. See [[Party Realignment]] for the full concept-level treatment.
### Disputed elections (5)
Elections in which the outcome was contested through procedural mechanisms beyond normal vote-counting:
- [[1800 Presidential Election]] (Jefferson-Burr tie; House contingent)
- [[1824 Presidential Election]] (Four-way; House contingent; "Corrupt Bargain")
- [[1876 Presidential Election]] (Hayes-Tilden; Electoral Commission; Compromise of 1877)
- [[2000 Presidential Election]] (Bush v. Gore; Florida recount; SCOTUS-decided)
- [[2020 Presidential Election]] (Biden-Trump; refused concession; January 6 aftermath — disputed by losing candidate, not procedurally resolved against the official result)
### EC/popular split elections (5)
Elections in which the [[Electoral College]] winner did not have the largest popular-vote total:
- [[1824 Presidential Election]] (Jackson lost EV plurality and popular vote to Adams via House)
- [[1876 Presidential Election]] (Tilden lost EC despite ~250K popular vote lead)
- [[1888 Presidential Election]] (Cleveland lost EC despite ~90K popular vote lead)
- [[2000 Presidential Election]] (Gore lost EC by 4 EV despite ~544K popular vote lead)
- [[2016 Presidential Election]] (Clinton lost EC despite ~2.87M popular vote lead)
### House contingent elections (2)
Elections decided by the House of Representatives under the 12th Amendment (or, for 1800, the original Article II) when no candidate received an Electoral College majority:
- [[1800 Presidential Election]] (Jefferson elected on the 36th ballot)
- [[1824 Presidential Election]] (Adams elected on the first ballot via the Clay-Adams "Corrupt Bargain")
### Wartime presidential elections
Elections conducted during major American military conflicts:
- [[1812 Presidential Election]] ([[War of 1812]]; Madison reelected)
- [[1864 Presidential Election]] (Civil War; Lincoln reelected)
- [[1944 Presidential Election]] (WWII; FDR reelected)
- [[1952 Presidential Election]] ([[Korean War]]; Eisenhower)
- [[1968 Presidential Election]] (Vietnam; Nixon)
- [[1972 Presidential Election]] (Vietnam; Nixon)
- [[2004 Presidential Election]] (Iraq; Bush reelected)
### Incumbent defeats (10)
Sitting presidents who lost reelection:
- [[1800 Presidential Election]] (Adams)
- [[1828 Presidential Election]] (J.Q. Adams)
- [[1840 Presidential Election]] (Van Buren)
- [[1888 Presidential Election]] (Cleveland)
- [[1892 Presidential Election]] (B. Harrison)
- [[1912 Presidential Election]] (Taft — worst incumbent finish)
- [[1932 Presidential Election]] (Hoover)
- [[1976 Presidential Election]] (Ford)
- [[1980 Presidential Election]] (Carter)
- [[1992 Presidential Election]] (G.H.W. Bush)
- [[2020 Presidential Election]] (Trump — first term)
### Landslide elections
By popular-vote margin (>15 points):
1936 (FDR-Landon, 24.3), 1820 (Monroe unopposed), 1972 (Nixon-McGovern, 23.2), 1964 (LBJ-Goldwater, 22.6), 1984 (Reagan-Mondale, 18.2), 1932 (FDR-Hoover, 17.8), 1928 (Hoover-Smith, 17.4), 1956 (Eisenhower-Stevenson, 15.4), 1904 (TR-Parker, 18.8)
By EC margin (>500 EV):
1936 (523), 1984 (525), 1972 (520)
## See also
- [[US Presidents Hub]] — the parallel MOC for the 45 individuals who have held the office.
- [[Party Realignment]] — concept-level treatment of the structural-coalition shifts.
- [[US Presidential Timeline]] — chronological reference.
---
## Architecture note (2026-05-16)
This MOC was created May 2026 as part of the US Presidential Elections buildout — a parallel project to the US Presidents buildout from earlier in the same session. Before then, no presidential elections existed as canonical `/Events/` entries; several election-adjacent events (Bush v. Gore, Compromise of 1877, Goldwater Nomination, [[Trump 2016 Nomination]], [[Garland Blockade]], [[January 6 Capitol Attack]]) existed and continue to serve as **sub-events** linked from the new Election entries. The election entries are the hub; the sub-events are spokes.