# Electoral votes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 23, 2000, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961 "2000-10-23T13:27:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961/1 "2000-10-23T13:27:44Z")

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I’m wondering if any president won with all of the states.  
If not, who won with the Most states?

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**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961/2 "2000-10-23T13:51:41Z")

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Reagan took 49 states in '84 against Mondale. Mondale did manage to hang onto his home state (Minnesota?). I don’t know if this is a record, as I’ve not researched for an answer.

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**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961/3 "2000-10-23T14:36:33Z")

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George Washington is the only President in history who was elected unanimously.

In number of states, Reagan in 1984 is, I believe, tied for the most. I’m pretty sure someone else had 49, and the one he didn’t have had fewer electoral votes than Minnesota, which would have beaten Reagan for the electoral-votes record.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961/4 "2000-10-23T14:37:59Z")

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IIRC, Mondale also had the electoral votes from DC.  
I know, it’s not a state, but still gets electoral votes.

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961/5 "2000-10-23T14:38:55Z")

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IIRC, Nixon also won 49 states against McGovern in 1972. McGovern took Massachusettes (and, like Mondale, the District of Columbia) thereby earning the distinction of not winning his home state.

Washington was elected unanimously and there was one other president (without looking, I think it was Madison) who lost only one electoral vote – because the elector thought Washington should be the only President elected unanimously.

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**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/37961/6 "2000-10-23T17:52:43Z")

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The archives, people! The archives!

[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_135.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_135.html)

(Sorry, kunilou, but Cecil says that story is mere legend.)