Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson.
Adlai Stevenson (D) vs Dwight D. Eisenhower (R). Every state below links to its full contest page with county-level results.
Nominees: Adlai Stevenson (D) · Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)
The 1952 cycle at a glance
The popular vote in the long run
National Democratic-minus-Republican margin, 1892–1952. Blue above the line is a Democratic margin, red below Republican.
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.7% |
| 1896 | −6.1% |
| 1900 | −7.5% |
| 1904 | −19.7% |
| 1908 | −9.6% |
| 1912 | +19.5% |
| 1916 | +3.1% |
| 1920 | −26.2% |
| 1924 | −25.2% |
| 1928 | −17.5% |
| 1932 | +17.8% |
| 1936 | +24.3% |
| 1940 | +9.9% |
| 1944 | +7.5% |
| 1948 | +4.5% |
| 1952 | −10.8% |
The path to 266
Eisenhower's states, safest to closest — the running electoral-vote total crosses 266 at the tipping-point state.
How the country moved
Every county that voted in both cycles, placed by how its margin swung and sized by its turnout. 2,813 of 3,090 moved toward the Republicans. The median county swung R+21.1; weighted by turnout — the average voter's county — the shift was R+15.3.
The sharpest county swings
Of the counties reporting in both cycles, the biggest shifts in presidential margin since 1948. Each links to the county's full record.
| County | State | Swing | 1948 margin | 1952 margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ochiltree County | TX | R+109.5 | D+48.6 | R+60.9 |
| Hansford County | TX | R+107.1 | D+61.1 | R+46.0 |
| Lipscomb County | TX | R+100.3 | D+29.9 | R+70.3 |
| Parmer County | TX | R+95.9 | D+57.1 | R+38.8 |
| Swisher County | TX | R+93.1 | D+66.7 | R+26.3 |
| Motley County | TX | R+91.2 | D+77.6 | R+13.6 |
Results by state
Every row links to the state's contest page with its county map. Electoral votes reflect the 1952 apportionment. The Swing column is the change in margin since 1948; the faint tick on each bar marks where the state stood then.
| State | Won | Electoral votes | Margin | Swing | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | D | 11 | D+48.6 | 275,075 | 149,231 | 426,120 | |
| Arkansas | D | 8 | R+28.6 | 226,300 | 177,155 | 404,800 | |
| Arizona | R | 4 | R+26.7 | 108,528 | 152,042 | 260,570 | |
| California | R | 32 | R+14.1 | 2,197,548 | 2,897,310 | 5,141,849 | |
| Colorado | R | 6 | R+26.7 | 245,504 | 379,782 | 630,103 | |
| Connecticut | R | 8 | R+10.2 | 481,639 | 610,994 | 1,096,879 | |
| Delaware | R | 3 | R+2.6 | 83,315 | 90,059 | 174,025 | |
| Florida | R | 10 | R+25.2 | 444,950 | 544,036 | 988,986 | |
| Georgia | D | 12 | R+3.2 | 456,823 | 198,961 | 655,785 | |
| Iowa | R | 10 | R+30.9 | 451,513 | 808,906 | 1,268,773 | |
| Idaho | R | 4 | R+33.7 | 95,081 | 180,707 | 276,231 | |
| Illinois | R | 27 | R+10.7 | 2,013,920 | 2,457,327 | 4,481,058 | |
| Indiana | R | 13 | R+16.3 | 801,530 | 1,136,259 | 1,955,325 | |
| Kansas | R | 8 | R+29.3 | 273,296 | 616,302 | 896,166 | |
| Kentucky | D | 10 | R+15.2 | 495,729 | 495,029 | 993,148 | |
| Louisiana | D | 10 | R+9.5 | 345,027 | 306,925 | 651,952 | |
| Massachusetts | R | 16 | R+20.3 | 1,083,525 | 1,292,325 | 2,383,398 | |
| Maryland | R | 9 | R+10.1 | 395,337 | 499,424 | 902,074 | |
| Maine | R | 5 | R+17.8 | 118,806 | 232,353 | 351,786 | |
| Michigan | R | 20 | R+9.8 | 1,230,657 | 1,551,529 | 2,798,592 | |
| Minnesota | R | 11 | R+28.5 | 608,458 | 763,211 | 1,379,483 | |
| Missouri | R | 13 | R+18.2 | 929,830 | 959,429 | 1,892,062 | |
| Mississippi | D | 8 | D+13.4 | 172,566 | 112,966 | 285,532 | |
| Montana | R | 4 | R+29.3 | 106,213 | 157,394 | 265,037 | |
| North Carolina | D | 14 | R+17.5 | 652,803 | 558,117 | 1,210,920 | |
| North Dakota | R | 4 | R+33.8 | 76,694 | 191,712 | 270,127 | |
| Nebraska | R | 6 | R+30.0 | 188,057 | 421,603 | 609,660 | |
| New Hampshire | R | 4 | R+16.1 | 106,663 | 166,287 | 272,950 | |
| New Jersey | R | 16 | R+10.4 | 1,015,902 | 1,373,613 | 2,418,554 | |
| New Mexico | R | 4 | R+24.6 | 105,661 | 132,170 | 238,608 | |
| Nevada | R | 3 | R+26.0 | 31,688 | 50,502 | 82,190 | |
| New York | R | 45 | R+10.9 | 3,104,601 | 3,952,815 | 7,128,241 | |
| Ohio | R | 25 | R+13.8 | 1,600,367 | 2,100,391 | 3,700,758 | |
| Oklahoma | R | 8 | R+34.7 | 430,939 | 518,045 | 948,984 | |
| Oregon | R | 6 | R+18.2 | 270,579 | 420,815 | 695,059 | |
| Pennsylvania | R | 32 | R+1.9 | 2,146,269 | 2,415,789 | 4,580,969 | |
| Rhode Island | R | 4 | R+18.0 | 203,293 | 210,935 | 414,498 | |
| South Carolina | D | 8 | R+18.9 | 173,004 | 168,082 | 341,086 | |
| South Dakota | R | 4 | R+33.7 | 90,426 | 203,857 | 294,283 | |
| Tennessee | R | 11 | R+12.5 | 443,710 | 446,147 | 892,553 | |
| Texas | R | 24 | R+48.1 | 969,228 | 1,102,878 | 2,075,946 | |
| Utah | R | 4 | R+26.8 | 135,364 | 194,190 | 329,554 | |
| Virginia | R | 12 | R+19.8 | 268,677 | 349,037 | 619,689 | |
| Vermont | R | 3 | R+18.6 | 43,355 | 109,717 | 153,557 | |
| Washington | R | 9 | R+19.5 | 492,845 | 599,107 | 1,102,708 | |
| Wisconsin | R | 12 | R+26.7 | 622,175 | 979,744 | 1,607,370 | |
| West Virginia | D | 8 | R+11.2 | 453,578 | 419,970 | 873,548 | |
| Wyoming | R | 3 | R+30.0 | 47,934 | 81,049 | 129,253 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1952 presidential returns · official state + county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.