William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan.
William Jennings Bryan (D) vs William McKinley (R). Every state below links to its full contest page with county-level results.
Nominees: William Jennings Bryan (D) · William McKinley (R)
The 1896 cycle at a glance
The popular vote in the long run
National Democratic-minus-Republican margin, 1892–1896. Blue above the line is a Democratic margin, red below Republican.
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.7% |
| 1896 | −6.1% |
The path to 224
McKinley's states, safest to closest — the running electoral-vote total crosses 224 at the tipping-point state.
Electoral college
447 electors at stake · 224 to win
R McKinley won the presidency, clearing the 224-vote majority with 47 to spare.
Tipping-point stateOrdered from McKinley’s strongest states down, Ohio cast the electoral votes that crossed 224 — McKinley carried it R+4.8.
How the country moved
Every county that voted in both cycles, placed by how its margin swung and sized by its turnout. 1,285 of 2,432 moved toward the Republicans. The median county swung R+1.5; weighted by turnout — the average voter's county — the shift was R+7.3.
The sharpest county swings
Of the counties reporting in both cycles, the biggest shifts in presidential margin since 1892. Each links to the county's full record.
| County | State | Swing | 1892 margin | 1896 margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conejos County | CO | D+149.0 | R+56.9 | D+92.1 |
| Owyhee County | ID | D+133.7 | R+49.3 | D+84.3 |
| Garfield County | CO | D+130.2 | R+47.0 | D+83.2 |
| Chaffee County | CO | D+129.4 | R+40.1 | D+89.2 |
| Routt County | CO | D+128.9 | R+49.2 | D+79.7 |
| Douglas County | CO | D+128.9 | R+57.6 | D+71.3 |
Results by state
Every row links to the state's contest page with its county map. Electoral votes reflect the 1896 apportionment. The Swing column is the change in margin since 1892; the faint tick on each bar marks where the state stood then.
| State | Won | Electoral votes | Margin | Swing | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | D | 11 | R+17.1 | 130,298 | 55,673 | 194,578 | |
| Arkansas | D | 8 | D+21.0 | 110,103 | 37,512 | 149,396 | |
| California | R | 9 | R+1.8 | 144,766 | 146,688 | 298,419 | |
| Colorado | D | 4 | D+111.8 | 158,821 | 26,379 | 187,470 | |
| Connecticut | R | 6 | — | 56,739 | 110,282 | 174,387 | |
| Delaware | R | 3 | R+9.9 | 3,826 | 4,541 | 8,588 | |
| Florida | D | 4 | R+34.3 | 20,648 | 8,017 | 30,408 | |
| Georgia | D | 13 | R+15.3 | 93,445 | 59,395 | 161,993 | |
| Iowa | R | 13 | R+7.3 | 223,611 | 289,463 | 521,587 | |
| Idaho | D | 3 | D+101.0 | 23,192 | 6,324 | 29,689 | |
| Illinois | R | 24 | R+16.1 | 465,613 | 607,130 | 1,090,869 | |
| Indiana | R | 15 | R+4.1 | 305,583 | 323,751 | 637,126 | |
| Kansas | D | 10 | D+52.1 | 171,774 | 159,484 | 334,785 | |
| Kentucky | R | 13 | R+11.8 | 217,894 | 218,171 | 445,928 | |
| Louisiana | D | 8 | D+1.5 | 77,172 | 22,037 | 101,043 | |
| Massachusetts | R | 15 | R+36.5 | 105,711 | 278,976 | 401,548 | |
| Maryland | R | 8 | R+22.8 | 104,746 | 136,978 | 250,877 | |
| Maine | R | 6 | R+25.9 | 34,587 | 80,403 | 118,419 | |
| Michigan | R | 14 | R+5.8 | 237,164 | 293,338 | 545,585 | |
| Minnesota | R | 9 | R+7.4 | 139,735 | 193,503 | 341,762 | |
| Missouri | D | 17 | D+1.2 | 363,667 | 304,940 | 674,032 | |
| Mississippi | D | 9 | D+10.8 | 63,355 | 4,819 | 69,585 | |
| Montana | D | 3 | D+63.0 | 42,469 | 10,494 | 53,149 | |
| North Carolina | D | 11 | R+5.8 | 174,408 | 155,122 | 331,337 | |
| North Dakota | R | 3 | D+36.6 | 20,686 | 26,335 | 47,391 | |
| Nebraska | D | 8 | D+36.4 | 115,007 | 103,064 | 223,181 | |
| New Hampshire | R | 4 | R+38.8 | 21,650 | 57,444 | 83,670 | |
| New Jersey | R | 10 | R+28.1 | 133,675 | 221,367 | 371,014 | |
| Nevada | D | 3 | D+81.7 | 8,376 | 1,938 | 10,314 | |
| New York | R | 36 | R+22.3 | 551,369 | 819,838 | 1,423,876 | |
| Ohio | R | 23 | R+4.7 | 477,497 | 525,991 | 1,014,295 | |
| Oregon | R | 4 | D+24.4 | 46,745 | 48,779 | 97,502 | |
| Pennsylvania | R | 32 | R+18.3 | 433,228 | 728,300 | 1,194,355 | |
| Rhode Island | R | 4 | R+37.0 | 14,459 | 37,437 | 54,785 | |
| South Carolina | D | 9 | D+13.2 | 58,799 | 9,313 | 68,940 | |
| South Dakota | D | 4 | D+36.7 | 41,021 | 40,892 | 82,590 | |
| Tennessee | D | 12 | R+7.5 | 168,176 | 148,773 | 322,001 | |
| Utah | D | 3 | — | 64,607 | 13,491 | 78,119 | |
| Virginia | D | 12 | R+10.8 | 154,978 | 135,379 | 294,837 | |
| Vermont | R | 4 | R+24.6 | 10,640 | 51,127 | 63,847 | |
| Washington | D | 4 | D+22.7 | 53,314 | 39,153 | 93,583 | |
| Wisconsin | R | 12 | R+24.6 | 165,523 | 268,135 | 447,409 | |
| West Virginia | R | 6 | R+7.8 | 94,480 | 105,379 | 201,757 | |
| Wyoming | D | 3 | D+54.3 | 10,862 | 10,072 | 21,093 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1896 presidential returns · official state + county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.