1804 United States presidential election

Re-election of Thomas Jefferson November 2013 February 2023related races 1804 United States elections 1804 United States presidential election United States 1795 presidential no 1800 United States presidential election 1800 1808 United States presidential election 1808 176 members of the Electoral College 89 electoral 23.8%http://www.electproject.org/national-1789-present National General Election VEP Turnout Rates, 1789-Present United States Election Project CQ Press 8.5 pp November 1 – December 4, 1804 Portrait of Thomas Jefferson, 1805 (Cropped).jpg 200x200px Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican Party George Clinton Virginia 162 15 106,786 72.8% James Earl - General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney - Google Art Project (3x4 cropped b).jpg Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Federalist Party Rufus King South Carolina 14 2 39,245unpledged Votes cast for Federalist unpledged electors. 26.8%unpledged 350px Presidential election results map. Green denotes states won by Jefferson/Clinton and Salmon denotes states won by Pinckney/King. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state. President Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican Party Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican Party Presidential elections were held in the United States from November 1 to December 4, 1804. The Democratic-Republican Party's ticket of incumbent president Thomas Jefferson and former New York governor George Clinton defeated the Federalist Party's ticket of former U.S. minister to France Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and former U.S. minister to the United Kingdom Rufus King. This was the first election held under the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which required separate ballots for president and vice president. Jefferson was unanimously renominated by his party's congressional nominating caucus in February; the caucus selected Clinton to succeed the outgoing vice president, Aaron Burr. A "semisecret" Federalist caucus elevated Pinckney and King as the party's national candidates; while news of the caucus was widely circulated, in states where electors were chosen by popular vote, the Federalist ticket was formally unpledged. Federalists in several states chose not to nominate electors, resulting in a lopsided popular vote margin for Jefferson. Jefferson was widely popular and considered unbeatable by many observers, following his narrow election four years earlier. Economic prosperity, the expansion of voting rights, and the disorganized state of the opposition all benefited his campaign. The Federalists portrayed Jefferson as a demagogue for his embrace of populist, democratic politics, and a dictator for his use of patronage and reforms to the federal judiciary. Jefferson's complicity in slavery did little to damage his candidacy even in New England, where he carried the Federalist stronghold of Massachusetts. Jefferson won the election in a landslide, carrying every state and all but two electoral districts where electors were chosen by popular vote. Pinckney received the electoral votes of Connecticut and Delaware, where electors were appointed by the legislature, and two votes from unpledged electors in Maryland. Jefferson polled more than 106,000 popular votes, representing 73 percent of the total, compared with fewer than 40,000 votes for the Federalist electors. Background Incumbent Federalist president John Adams sought re-election in 1800, but was defeated by Democratic-Republican challenger Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's running mate, Aaron Burr, was elected vice president following a contingent election in the United States House of Representatives.Dauer 2002 159 Suffrage The right to vote was widespread in the United States during the Early Republic, including the large majority of adult white men. Roughly 80 percent of adult white men were eligible to vote in the late 1780s; suffrage requirements varied dramatically by state, with roughly 60 percent of adult white men eligible to vote in New York and Virginia versus around 90 percent in Georgia, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.Ratcliffe 2013 230 The expansion of voting rights during Jefferson's first term included the establishment of universal white male suffrage in Maryland in 1801.Appleby 2003 83 Propertied, single women retained the right to vote in New Jersey,Klinghoffer Elkis 1992 160 while Black men who met all other property and taxpaying requirements were eligible in New England, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.Ratcliffe 2013 247 In most places, voting was by secret ballot. (Kentucky and Virginia retained the English custom of oral voting.)Ratcliffe 2013 235 Eligible individuals voted using paper tickets, typically handwritten, listing the voter's choice for the various offices.Evans 1917 2 Enforcement of property and taxpaying qualifications was generally lax, in part due to the frequency of land sales, which outpaced officials' ability to keep accurate records of ownership. In other cases, local opinion or the threat of rioting might compel election officials to permit veterans and small landholders to vote when otherwise disenfranchised by state law.Ratcliffe 2013 236–37 Twelfth Amendment Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution Congress passed the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified by the states prior to the election. The Amendment instructed the United States Electoral College to elect the president and vice president on separate ballots. Previously, electors voted for two presidential candidates, with the runner-up in the presidential election becoming vice president; this system produced a tied vote in the 1800 United States presidential election, resulting in a protracted contest between Jefferson and Burr in the House of Representatives. The Federalists opposed ratifying the Amendment, hoping to exploit the original electoral system to sow discord in the Democratic-Republican ranks. During the campaign, some Federalists encouraged the Democratic-Republican electors from New York to support Clinton for president over Jefferson. Efforts to delay ratification of the Amendment were unsuccessful, and the new system took effect in September 1804 in time for the election.Dauer 2002 163, 168 Nominations Democratic-Republican Party Caucus Jefferson faced no internal opposition to his bid for re-election; the Democratic-Republican congressional caucus nominated him unanimously on February 25. The outgoing vice president, Aaron Burr, was not a candidate in the caucus, following his controversial role in the 1801 contingent election; Burr himself had anticipated that he would not be re-selected as Jefferson's running mate, and was instead focused on an ultimately unsuccessful campaign to become governor of New York.Dauer 2002 161 With Burr out of the running, the selection of the vice-presidential candidate was the caucus's main responsibility.Morgan 1969 187 George Clinton and John Breckinridge were the leading contenders for the vice presidential nomination. Clinton had served as governor of New York for most of the last thirty years and was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War; he had received 50 electoral votes in the 1792 United States presidential election,Dauer 2002 161–62 and declined a place on the Democratic-Republican ticket in 1800.Morgan 1969 186 Although of advanced age, his political views aligned with Jefferson's, and he remained popular with Democratic-Republicans in his home state.Dauer 2002 162 Breckinridge, a Kentuckian, was the choice of Western Democratic-Republicans concerned with regional representation. Other candidates included the U.S. attorney general, Levi Lincoln Sr.; the former U.S. senator from New Hampshire, John Langdon; and the U.S. postmaster general, Gideon Granger.Morgan 1969 187 Thomas McKean was discussed as a possible contender, but withdrew prior to the caucus.Dauer 2002 161 The caucus was attended by 110 Democratic-Republican members of Congress. Clinton won the nomination with 67 votes.Morgan 1969 187 Nominees 65px|center|link=Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republican Party1804 Democratic-Republican Party ticket white Thomas Jefferson white George Clintonfor Presidentfor Vice President x200px center|200x200px 3rdPresident of the United States(1801–09) 1stGovernor of New York(1777–95, 1801–04) Vice presidential candidates Candidates in this section are sorted by vote count in the caucus John Breckinridge Levi Lincoln Sr. John Langdon Gideon Granger William Maclay Thomas McKean center|120x120px center|120x120px center|120x120px center|120x120px center|120x120px center|120x120px U.S. Senator from Kentucky(1801–05) 4thU.S. Attorney General(1801–05) New Hampshire Representative(1801–05) U.S. Postmaster General(1801–14) Pennsylvania Representative(1803–04) 2ndGovernor of Pennsylvania(1799–1808) LN Lost Nomination: February 25 20 votes LN Lost Nomination: February 25 9 votes LN Lost Nomination: February 25 7 votes LN Lost Nomination: February 25 4 votes LN Lost Nomination: February 25 1 vote W Withdrew: before February 25 0 votes Dauer 2002 161 Dauer 2002 161 Dauer 2002 161 Dauer 2002 161 Dauer 2002 161 Dauer 2002 161 Federalist Party Caucus Congressional Federalists did not meet formally to nominate a ticket, as they had done in the previous election.Dauer 2002 162 The party was ill-prepared to mount a national campaign, and few believed Jefferson could be defeated.Zahniser 1967 244 Instead, a "semisecret caucus" in Washington proposed Pinckney and King as the party's national candidates on February 22.Broussard 1978 83 King 1897 350 Although this meeting was widely reported, significant uncertainty persisted concerning the identities of the Federalist candidates throughout the campaign. In states where electors were chosen by popular vote, the Federalist electors remained formally unpledged.Dauer 2002 162, 168 Pinckney's biographer states that Pinckney "had the dubious honor of being the least publicized candidate in the brief history of American presidential party elections." The nomination of the inoffensive but otherwise unremarkable southerner, who did little to appeal to voters outside his own region, amounted to a public admission of Jefferson's invincibility.Zahniser 1967 244–45 Nominees 65px|center|link=Federalist Party|Federalist Party1804 Federalist Party ticket black Charles Cotesworth Pinckney black Rufus Kingfor Presidentfor Vice President center|200x200px center|200x200px 6thU.S. Minister to France(1796–97) 3rdU.S. Minister to the United Kingdom(1796–1803) Campaign issues Campaigns Jefferson's campaign The Democratic-Republicans established a vast network of state, county, town, and ward committees to conduct the campaign.Dauer 2002 164 In states such as Ohio, the overriding importance of the presidential election was an agent of party unity.Ratcliffe 1998 81 Democratic-Republicans organized celebrations to commemorate the anniversary of Jefferson's first inauguration on March 4 and the Louisiana Purchase on May 11. Parades, dinners, and toasting were the mainstays of such events.Dauer 2002 164–65 Supporters sang campaign songs such as "Jefferson and Liberty," written to commemorate the last election.Schoening Kasper 2012 38 Democratic-Republican militia units, professional associations, benevolent societies, and partisan groups like the Young Men of Democratic Principles were visible supporters of the president's re-election campaign. The Democratic-Republicans made effective use of the partisan press. The party's national paper, the National Intelligencer, was widely circulated and supported a vast array of state and local print publications.Dauer 2002 164–65 The Democratic-Republican campaign catered to the nation's developing white male democracy. The abandonment of property requirements for voting in Maryland and New Jersey benefited Jefferson, whose economic policies were considered favorable to working people.Appleby 2003 83–84 Democratic-Republican newspapers and broadsides were written in plain language accessible to the average person. The themes of "simplicity and frugality" and equality of opportunity were central to the party's appeal to voters, contrasted against Federalist elitism.Dauer 2002 165 Federalist campaign In contrast to the Democratic-Republicans, the Federalists entered the campaign demoralized and to some degree leaderless. Pinckney displayed little interest in the election and devoted most of 1804 to a local campaign against dueling.Zahniser 1967 244–45 The party lost its most influential leader in July, when Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel by the outgoing vice president, Burr. Hamilton's former deputy, Timothy Pickering, saw no hope for the presidential election and instead advocated for New England to secede from the United States. Other Federalists simply withdrew from politics rather than endure a seemingly inevitable defeat.Dauer 2002 165–66 A few Federalists, such as James A. Bayard, advocated for the party to update its tactics.Dauer 2002 165 The growth of mass politics in the early nineteenth century made the Federalists' reliance on elite relationships increasingly obsolete.Appleby 2003 84 Federalists held celebrations on the anniversary of Washington's birthday and organized groups like the Washington Benevolent Societies. The effectiveness of the party press was hindered by the stilted, formal style of many Federalist newspapers.Dauer 2002 165–67 Criticism of Jefferson, rather than enthusiasm for Pinckney, characterized the Federalist campaign. In states where the party nominated electors, its ticket was formally unpledged. The Federalist press generally avoided mention of Pinckney and King; the Boston Columbian Centinel denied that the Federalist electors were pledged to Pinckney. Manning J. Dauer argues that the uncertainty surrounding the Federalist ticket cost the party the electoral votes of Massachusetts.Dauer 2002 168, 166, 162 Attacks on Jefferson thumb|right|300px|An anti-Jefferson political cartoon (1804) by James Akin criticizes the Louisiana Purchase. Allegations of despotism The Federalists described Jefferson as an aspiring dictator. They compared the Louisiana Purchase to Napoleon's European conquests and accused Jefferson of violating the Constitution, which did not specify the president's power to acquire new territory. Increasingly, Federalists saw parallels between Jefferson's administration and the rule of European tyrants, including Napoleon, Maximilien Robespierre, and Julius Caesar. Jefferson's use of patronage and the impeachment of Samuel Chase by the House of Representatives in March 1804 were criticized by Federalists who feared Jefferson's growing influence over the political system. They portrayed the repeal of the Midnight Judges Act and the reduction of the United States Armed Forces as attempts to dismantle the federal government of the United States.Dauer 2002 167 Jefferson–Hemings controversy Jefferson–Hemings controversy Jefferson's sexual relationship with Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman and the half-sister of his late wife, Martha Jefferson, was first exposed by James T. Callender in 1802. Jefferson had six children with Hemings between 1795 and 1808, although some historians argue their relationship began much earlier, during Jefferson's tenure as the U.S. minister to France. Federalists seized on the scandal to attack Jefferson's hypocrisy and personal character. Partisan journals printed doggerel mocking Jefferson's promiscuity with verses that emphasized Hemings's race and complexion. In pillorying Jefferson as an enslaver, Federalist writers did not intend to critique social inequality; instead, they sought to use Jefferson's complicity in slavery to discredit democratic politics.Appleby 2003 74–76, 80–81 Religion Religious views of Thomas Jefferson The Federalists attacked Jefferson's religious views, which they described as atheism.Appleby 2003 89 Federalist ministers characterized the Democratic-Republican Party as a grave threat to Christianity. Jefferson's first election was seen by these leaders as the impetus for freethought, profanity, and non-observance of the Sabbath, among other "national iniquities."Mason 2006 40 Economy Jefferson's economic policies catered to the interests of free men and entrepreneurs, in contrast to Federalist policies that prioritized wealthy creditors. Joyce Appleby argues that Jefferson's laissez-faire posture facilitated commercial expansion that benefited white men regardless of class. Whereas the Federalists used economic regulation to promote the interests of creditors, Democratic-Republicans favored a decentralized economy in which opportunities to participate in commerce were more broadly accessible.Appleby 2003 84–86 The Federalists interpreted Democratic-Republican policies as an attack on elite privilege and defended the principle of economic inequality.Dauer 2002 166 Although many Democratic-Republicans were skeptical of national corporations, corporations and banks flourished at the state and local level. Jefferson considered the political support of the merchant class essential to his economic program, writing that "a merchant is naturally a Republican, and can be otherwise only from a vitiated state of things."Appleby 2003 84–85 Slavery Thomas Jefferson and slavery thumb|right|200px|An anti-Jefferson political cartoon (1804) by James Akin refers to the Jefferson–Hemings controversy. Both Jefferson and Pinckney were enslavers. Pinckney played a critical role in the adoption of the Three-Fifths Clause by the Constitutional Convention and opposed the efforts to end the Atlantic slave trade.Zahniser 1967 91, 89 Jefferson criticized slavery in print, but did little either privately or politically to diminish it; as president, he withheld diplomatic recognition from the First Empire of Haiti, the first independent state in the Americas established as the result of a successful slave rebellion.Appleby 2003 77–78 Federalists attempted to make slavery an issue in New England, with limited success. Both national parties sought to avoid discussion of slavery during the 1790s; after 1801, the decline of the Federalist Party in the Southern United States freed Northern Federalists to attack slavery more directly. Antislavery rhetoric featured in some Federalists' critiques of the Louisiana Purchase. New England Federalists demanded the repeal of the Three-Fifths Clause, which disadvantaged the region in terms of congressional apportionment. These appeals largely failed to motivate opposition to Jefferson, while accompanying calls for secession met with little popular support.Mason 2006 38–39 Criticism of the Three-Fifths Clause emphasized New England Federalists' partisan self-interest. Many Federalists blamed this provision for their defeat in the last election. Fisher Ames wrote that "black votes" had elected Jefferson in 1800 and that the administration therefore lacked a popular mandate.Appleby 2003 84 New England Federalists frequently pointed to prominent Democratic-Republicans' complicity in slavery as evidence of the party's hypocrisy.Mason 2006 39 Opposing political rights for both white and Black workers, they pointed to the contradictions in Jeffersonian democracy as proof that a political system based on mass participation was unworkable.Appleby 2003 80–81 Results Jefferson won the election in a landslide, carrying every state and all but two districts where electors were chosen by popular vote.Dauer 2002 168 Federalists appeared to win the popular vote on Election Day in North Carolina's Fayetteville district, but the exclusion of the return from Montgomery County, North Carolina, subsequently gave the district's single electoral vote to Jefferson.Broussard 1978 84 Jefferson carried Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as well as seven of nine Maryland districts.Dauer 2002 168 In Pennsylvania, Jefferson carried every county except Adams, where a last-minute Federalist effort narrowly succeeded in keeping the county out of the Democratic-Republican column.Higginbotham 1952 74–75 Ohio Federalists' attempt to split the Democratic-Republican Party was unsuccessful, and the Jefferson electors defeated the Federalist ticket by a wide margin.Ratcliffe 1998 82–83 The Federalists did not contest the remaining popular vote states, but unpledged electors received write-in votes in New Jersey and Virginia. Pinckney received electoral votes from Connecticut and Delaware, where electors were chosen by the state legislature, while Jefferson swept the remaining states for a total of 162 electoral votes.Dauer 2002 168 As of 2024, Jefferson was the first of eight presidential nominees to win a significant number of electoral votes in at least three elections, the others being Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, William Jennings Bryan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump. Of these, Jackson, Cleveland, and Roosevelt also won the popular vote in at least three elections. Jefferson, Cleveland, Roosevelt, and Trump were also their respective party's nominees for three consecutive elections. Electoral results box-a (a)box-b (b) Thomas Jefferson (incumbent) George Clinton Democratic-Republican Virginia New York 106,786 72.84% 162 Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Rufus King Federalist South Carolina New York box-c (c) box-c (c) 14 Unpledged electors (n/a) Federalist (n/a) (n/a) 39,245 26.77% —box-d (d) 569 0.39% 146,600 176 89 Source: A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825Lampi Philip J. 1804 President of the United States, Electoral College A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society 2026-04-24 2012 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/7s75dc41t a.box-a In six states, electors were chosen by the legislature rather than by popular vote. The 11 states where electors were chosen via popular vote had widely varying restrictions on suffrage. b.box-b Popular vote figures from North Carolina and Tennessee are incomplete. c.box-c In states where electors were chosen by popular vote, the Federalist ticket was formally unpledged. d.box-d Unpledged electors carried two Maryland districts; these electors voted for Pinckney and King. box Popular vote #ddd 600px 390px percent Jefferson Democratic-Republican Party 72.8 percent Unpledged electors Federalist Party 26.8 percent Others #777777 0.4 box Electoral vote #ddd 600px 390px percent Jefferson Democratic-Republican Party 92.0 percent Pinckney Federalist Party 8.0 Results by state Nineteenth-century election laws required voters to elect the members of the Electoral College individually, rather than as a block. This sometimes resulted in small differences in the number of votes cast for electors pledged to the same presidential nominee, if some voters did not vote for all the electors nominated by a party.Lampi Philip J. Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/?f%5Boffice_id_ssim%5D%5B%5D=ON056 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 In most cases, this table compares the votes for the most popular elector on each ticket. In the single-member districts in Maryland, North Carolina, and Tennessee, the result is the sum of all votes for electors pledged to one nominee. In Virginia, where several distinct anti-Jefferson tickets ran in different parts of the state, the result shown is the sum of the votes for the leading electors in each county. + State or district E.V. Electoral Votes Thomas JeffersonDemocratic-Republican Unpledged electorsThe Federalist electors voted for Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.Federalist Other Margin Total Cit. Citation Votes % E.V. Electoral Votes Votes % E.V. Electoral Votes Votes % Votes % Connecticut 9 * Electors chosen by the legislature — * Electors chosen by the legislature 9 * Electors chosen by the legislature * Electors chosen by the legislature — Delaware 3 * Electors chosen by the legislature — * Electors chosen by the legislature 3 * Electors chosen by the legislature * Electors chosen by the legislature — Lampi Philip J. Delaware 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/4x51hk275 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Georgia 6 * Electors chosen by the legislature 6 * Electors chosen by the legislature — * Electors chosen by the legislature * Electors chosen by the legislature — Lampi Philip J. Georgia 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/rb68xc32c A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Kentucky–Northern 4 2,827 100.00 4 — — — 2,827 100.00 2,827 Lampi Philip J. Kentucky 1804 Electoral College, Northern District https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/bv73c0755 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Kentucky–Southern 4 2,253 100.00 4 — — — 2,253 100.00 2,253 Lampi Philip J. Kentucky 1804 Electoral College, Southern District https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/ng451j06v A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–1 1 239 27.82 — 620 72.18 1 — -381 -44.36 859 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 1 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/8p58pd63g A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–2 1 498 98.61 1 3 0.59 — 4 0.79 495 98.02 505 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 2 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/h989r474m A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–3 2 1,038 99.33 2 3 0.29 — 4 0.38 1,035 99.04 1,045 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 3 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/qj72p856s A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–4 2 2,370 99.29 2 6 0.25 — 11 0.46 2,364 99.04 2,387 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 4 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/m039k533p A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–5 1 276 99.28 1 2 0.72 — — 274 98.56 278 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 5 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/zg64tm61p A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–6 1 668 99.55 1 — — 3 0.45 668 99.55 671 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 6 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/3197xn32x A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–7 1 602 100.00 1 — — — 602 100.00 602 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 7 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/7d278t43c A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–8 1 793 82.95 1 163 17.05 — — 630 65.90 956 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 8 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/df65v935w A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Maryland–9 1 995 39.69 — 1,512 60.31 1 — -517 -20.62 2,507 Lampi Philip J. Maryland 1804 Electoral College, District 9 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/v405sb93v A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Massachusetts 19 29,599 53.06 19 25,644 45.97 — 538 0.86 3,955 7.09 55,781 Lampi Philip J. Massachusetts 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/qn59q517m A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 New Hampshire 7 9,088 52.01 7 8,386 47.99 — — 702 4.02 17,474 Lampi Philip J. New Hampshire 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/vm40xt03z A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 New Jersey 8 13,119 99.86 8 19 0.14 — — 13,100 99.72 13,138 Lampi Philip J. New Jersey 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/6q182m059 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 New York 19 * Electors chosen by the legislature 19 * Electors chosen by the legislature — * Electors chosen by the legislature * Electors chosen by the legislature — Lampi Philip J. New York 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/05741r75d A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–1 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 1 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/9p290945b A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–2 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 2 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/1z40kt254 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–3Incomplete returns. 1 481 100.00 1 — — — 481 100.00 481 Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 3 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/m326m2150 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–4 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 4 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/5999n3570 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–5 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 5 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/6d56zw74c A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–6 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 6 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/bv73c042m A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–7 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 7 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/p5547r609 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–8Including rejected votes from Montgomery County, North Carolina. Three electors pledged to Jefferson and one unpledged elector ran in this single-member district. The votes from Montgomery County were excluded from the official count, with the result that the leading Jefferson elector carried the district with 492 votes; the unpledged elector received 461 votes, and the other Jefferson electors received 450 votes and 380 votes, respectively. 1 1,511Including votes for one Federalist elector pledged to Jefferson. 70.94 1 619 29.06 — — 892 41.88 2,130 Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 8 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/6h440t01f A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–9 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 9 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/cc08hg25k A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–10Including rejected votes from Martin County, North Carolina. These votes were excluded from the official count, with the result that Jefferson carried the district with 481 votes to Pinckney's 25 votes. 1 489 47.75 1 535 52.24 — — -46 -4.49 1,024 Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 10 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/6t053g548 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–11 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 11 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/dj52w578q A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–12 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 12 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/rr171z697 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–13 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 13 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/8910jv30n A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 North Carolina–14Incomplete returns. Including rejected votes from Franklin County, North Carolina. 1 97 98.98 1 1 1.02 — — 96 97.96 98 Lampi Philip J. North Carolina 1804 Electoral College, District 14 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/dz010q47q A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Ohio 3 2,593 87.69 3 364 12.31 — — 2,229 75.38 2,957 Lampi Philip J. Ohio 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/n296x002r A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Pennsylvania 20 22,081 94.69 20 1,239 5.31 — — 20,842 89.38 23,320 Lampi Philip J. Pennsylvania 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/t148fh649 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Rhode Island 4 1,312 100.00 4 — — — 1,312 100.00 1,312 Lampi Philip J. Rhode Island 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/pg15bg45d A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 South Carolina 10 * Electors chosen by the legislature 10 * Electors chosen by the legislature — * Electors chosen by the legislature * Electors chosen by the legislature — Lampi Philip J. South Carolina 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/pn89d714x A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Tennessee–1 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. Tennessee 1804 Electoral College, District 1 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/n583xw48f A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Tennessee–2 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. Tennessee 1804 Electoral College, District 2 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/tt44pn11b A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Tennessee–3 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. Tennessee 1804 Electoral College, District 3 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/707957995 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Tennessee–4 1 ** No data 1 ** No data — ** No data ** No data ** No data Lampi Philip J. Tennessee 1804 Electoral College, District 4 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/jh343t58b A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Tennessee–5 1 943 100.00 1 — — — 943 100.00 943 Lampi Philip J. Tennessee 1804 Electoral College, District 5 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/9z903128k A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 Vermont 6 * Electors chosen by the legislature 6 * Electors chosen by the legislature — * Electors chosen by the legislature * Electors chosen by the legislature — Virginia 24 12,914Including votes for William H. Cabell as an elector on the Democratic-Republican ticket. 98.94 24 129Including votes for William H. Cabell as an elector on the Federalist ticket. 0.99 — 9 0.07 12,785 97.95 13,052 Lampi Philip J. Virginia 1804 Electoral College https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/7m01bn32j A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society March 27, 2026 2012 TOTAL 176 106,786 72.84% 162 39,245 26.77% 14 569 0.39% 67,541 46.07% 146,600 States and districts that flipped from Federalist to Democratic-Republican Massachusetts Maryland–2 Maryland–3 Maryland–10 New Hampshire New Jersey Rhode Island Vermont Close states and districts States and districts where the margin of victory was between 1 and 5 percentage points (8 electoral votes; all won by Jefferson after the exclusion of returns from Martin County, North Carolina, favoring Pinckney): New Hampshire, 4.02% (702 votes) — 7 electoral votes North Carolina's 10th electoral district, 4.49% (46 votes) — 1 electoral vote States where the margin of victory was between 5 and 10 percentage points (19 electoral votes; all won by Jefferson): Massachusetts, 7.09% (3,955 votes) — 19 electoral votes Maps Electoral College selection Dauer 2002 164 Each elector appointed by the state legislature Connecticut Delaware Georgia New York South Carolina Vermont Each elector chosen by voters statewide Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island Virginia State divided into single-member districts, with each elector chosen by the voters of that district North Carolina Tennessee State divided into seven single-member districts and two plural districts represented by two electors,with each elector chosen by the voters of that district. Maryland State divided into plural districts, with four electors chosen by the voters of each district. Kentucky See also Bibliography of Thomas Jefferson History of the United States (1789–1849) Second inauguration of Thomas Jefferson 1804–05 United States House of Representatives elections 1804–05 United States Senate elections Notes References Bibliography Appleby Joyce Thomas Jefferson 2003 Times Books New York https://archive.org/details/thomasjefferson0000appl Broussard James H. The Southern Federalists, 1800–1816 1978 Louisiana State University Press Baton Rouge https://archive.org/details/southernfederali0000brou Evans Eldon Cobb A History of the Australian Ballot System in the United States 1917 University of Chicago Press Chicago https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_History_of_the_Australian_Ballot_Syste/K0KIAAAAMAAJ Dauer Manning Julian Schlesinger Arthur M. Jr. Israel Fred L. History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2001 1 Chelsea House Publishers Philadelphia 2002 Election of 1804 159–82 https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica01schl/page/158/mode/2up Higginbotham Sanford W. The Keystone in the Democratic Arch: Pennsylvania Politics, 1800–1816 1952 Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Harrisburg https://archive.org/details/keystoneindemocr0000sanf/mode/2up King Charles R. The Life and Correspondence of Rufus King [...] 1897 G. P. Putnam's Sons New York https://archive.org/details/cu31924067113872 Klinghoffer Judith Apter Elkis Lois 'The Petticoat Electors': Women's Suffrage in New Jersey, 1776–1807 Journal of the Early Republic 12 2 Summer 1992 159–93 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3124150 Mason Matthew Slavery and Politics in the Early American Republic 2006 University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill https://archive.org/details/slaverypoliticsi0000maso Morgan William G. The Origin and Development of the Congressional Nominating Caucus Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 113 2 April 17, 1969 184–96 https://www.jstor.org/stable/985965 Ratcliffe Donald J. Party Spirit in a Frontier Republic: Democratic Politics in Ohio, 1793–1821 1998 Ohio State University Press Columbus https://archive.org/details/partyspiritinfro0000ratc Ratcliffe Donald J. Summer 2013 The Right to Vote and the Rise of Democracy, 1787–1828 Journal of the Early Republic 33 2 219–54 https://www.jstor.org/stable/24768843 Schoening Benjamin S. Kasper Eric T. Don't Stop Thinking about the Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns 2012 Lexington Books Lanham, MD https://www.google.com/books/edition/Don_t_Stop_Thinking_About_the_Music/OUBPAQAAQBAJ Zahniser Marvin R. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: Founding Father 1967 University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill https://archive.org/details/charlescoteswort00zahn Further reading A Historical Analysis of the Electoral College The Green Papers http://www.thegreenpapers.com/Hx/ElectoralCollege.html March 20, 2005 A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825 Presidential Election of 1804: A Resource Guide from the Library of Congress Category:Presidency of Thomas Jefferson Category:Thomas Jefferson Category:George Clinton Category:Rufus King