1868 United States presidential election in California

1868 United States presidential election in California

← 1864 November 3, 1868 1872 →
 
Nominee Ulysses S. Grant Horatio Seymour
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Illinois New York
Running mate Schuyler Colfax Francis Preston Blair Jr.
Electoral vote 5 0
Popular vote 54,592 54,078
Percentage 50.24% 49.76%

County Results

President before election

Andrew Johnson
Democratic

Elected President

Ulysses S. Grant
Republican

The 1868 United States presidential election in California was held on November 3, 1868, as part of the 1868 United States presidential election. State voters chose five representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

California narrowly voted for the Republican nominee, Union general Ulysses S. Grant, over the Democratic nominee, DNC chair Horatio Seymour by a margin barely over 500 votes. Additionally, this was the last time until 1968 where a Republican won the white House without carrying Santa Clara County.

Results

General Election Results[1]
Party Pledged to Elector Votes
Republican Party Ulysses S. Grant Alfred Reddington 54,592
Republican Party Ulysses S. Grant John B. Felton 54,588
Republican Party Ulysses S. Grant O. H. La Grange 54,576
Republican Party Ulysses S. Grant D. B. Hoffman 54,565[a][2]
Republican Party Ulysses S. Grant Charles Westmoreland 54,551
Democratic Party Horatio Seymour Thomas J. Henley 54,078
Democratic Party Horatio Seymour W. T. Wallace 54,069
Democratic Party Horatio Seymour E. J. C. Kewen 54,068
Democratic Party Horatio Seymour A. D. Dibble 54,068
Democratic Party Horatio Seymour George Pearce 54,061
Votes cast[b] 108,670

Results by county

County Ulysses S. Grant
Republican
Horatio Seymour
Democratic
Margin Total votes cast[c]
# % # % # %
Alameda 1,860 59.58% 1,262 40.42% 598 19.15% 3,122
Alpine 154 69.68% 67 30.32% 87 39.37% 221
Amador 1,110 47.56% 1,224 52.44% -114 -4.88% 2,334
Butte 1,279 50.67% 1,245 49.33% 34 1.35% 2,524
Calaveras 1,143 52.12% 1,050 47.88% 93 4.24% 2,193
Colusa 359 33.93% 699 66.07% −340 −32.14% 1,058
Contra Costa 1,091 59.65% 738 40.35% 353 19.30% 1,829
Del Norte 162 48.36% 173 51.64% -11 -3.28% 335
El Dorado 1,676 49.90% 1,683 50.10% -7 -0.21% 3,359
Fresno 72 15.89% 381 84.11% −309 −68.21% 453
Humboldt 769 60.27% 507 39.73% 262 20.53% 1,276
Inyo 113 53.05% 100 46.95% 13 6.10% 213
Kern 208 33.02% 422 66.98% −214 −33.97% 630
Klamath 137 42.28% 187 57.72% −50 −15.43% 324
Lake 248 35.33% 454 64.67% −206 −29.34% 702
Lassen 210 63.25% 122 36.75% 88 26.51% 332
Los Angeles 748 37.70% 1,236 62.30% -488 -24.60% 1,984
Marin 528 54.94% 433 45.06% 95 9.89% 961
Mariposa 456 40.75% 663 59.25% -207 -18.50% 1,119
Mendocino 621 38.26% 1,002 61.74% −381 −23.48% 1,623
Merced 98 26.49% 272 73.51% −174 −47.03% 370
Mono 148 62.45% 89 37.55% 59 24.89% 237
Monterey 580 46.66% 663 53.34% -83 -6.68% 1,243
Napa 752 52.37% 684 47.63% 68 4.74% 1,436
Nevada 3,014 55.11% 2,455 44.89% 559 10.22% 5,469
Placer 1,987 61.71% 1,233 38.29% 754 23.42% 3,220
Plumas 712 56.24% 554 43.76% 158 12.48% 1,266
Sacramento 3,207 59.14% 2,216 40.86% 991 18.27% 5,423
San Bernardino 263 41.03% 378 58.97% -115 -17.94% 641
San Diego 129 35.44% 235 64.56% -106 -29.12% 364
San Francisco 12,183 47.29% 13,582 52.71% -1,399 -5.43% 25,765
San Joaquin 2,101 52.95% 1,867 47.05% 234 5.90% 3,968
San Luis Obispo 372 51.88% 345 48.12% 27 3.77% 717
San Mateo 628 60.10% 417 39.90% 211 20.19% 1,045
Santa Barbara 428 58.71% 301 41.29% 127 17.42% 729
Santa Clara 2,307 49.75% 2,330 50.25% -23 -0.50% 4,637
Santa Cruz 1,153 61.01% 737 38.99% 416 22.01% 1,890
Shasta 638 53.43% 556 46.57% 82 6.87% 1,194
Sierra 1,328 62.58% 794 37.42% 534 25.16% 2,122
Siskiyou 835 47.63% 918 52.37% -83 -4.73% 1,753
Solano 1,541 51.64% 1,443 48.36% 98 3.28% 2,984
Sonoma 1,799 42.82% 2,402 57.18% -603 -14.35% 4,201
Stanislaus 350 35.28% 642 64.72% −292 −29.44% 992
Sutter 581 50.88% 561 49.12% 20 1.75% 1,142
Tehama 351 46.86% 398 53.14% -47 -6.28% 749
Trinity 505 56.36% 391 43.64% 114 12.72% 896
Tulare 338 33.24% 679 66.76% −341 −33.53% 1,017
Tuolumne 994 47.13% 1,115 52.87% -121 -5.74% 2,109
Yolo 995 48.39% 1,061 51.61% -66 -3.21% 2,056
Yuba 1,331 54.48% 1,112 45.82% 219 8.96% 2,443
Total 54,592 50.24% 54,078 49.76% 514 0.47% 108,670

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Notes

  1. ^ Combined total for "D.B. Hoffman" and "D.A. Hoffman". The split was 41,518 for D.B. Hoffman and 13,047 for D.A. Hoffman. The California Supreme Court ordered the Secretary of State to treat the votes for D.A. Hoffman as having been for D.B. Hoffman. Had these figures not been combined, Thomas J. Henley would have been elected instead.
  2. ^ Based on totals for highest elector on each ticket
  3. ^ Based on highest elector on each ticket

References

  1. ^ Abstract of votes polled at a General Election held throughout the State of California on Tuesday the third day of November AD 1868
  2. ^ "Official Vote of the State". California Digital Newspaper Collection. Daily Alta California. December 2, 1868. Retrieved June 19, 2024.