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 1956 cycle at a glance
The popular vote in the long run
National Democratic-minus-Republican margin, 1892–1956. 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% |
| 1956 | −15.4% |
The path to 266
Eisenhower's states, safest to closest — the running electoral-vote total crosses 266 at the tipping-point state.
Electoral college
531 electors at stake · 266 to win
R Eisenhower won the presidency, clearing the 266-vote majority with 191 to spare.
Tipping-point stateOrdered from Eisenhower’s strongest states down, Florida cast the electoral votes that crossed 266 — Eisenhower carried it R+14.5.
How the country moved
Every county that voted in both cycles, placed by how its margin swung and sized by its turnout. 1,612 of 3,093 moved toward the Democrats. The median county swung D+0.7; weighted by turnout — the average voter's county — the shift was R+4.1.
The sharpest county swings
Of the counties reporting in both cycles, the biggest shifts in presidential margin since 1952. Each links to the county's full record.
| County | State | Swing | 1952 margin | 1956 margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson County | SD | D+73.9 | R+74.0 | R+0.1 |
| Calhoun County | SC | D+65.0 | R+48.5 | D+16.5 |
| Swisher County | TX | D+60.8 | R+26.3 | D+34.5 |
| St. Charles Parish | LA | R+60.2 | D+42.3 | R+17.9 |
| Dorchester County | SC | D+57.4 | R+46.3 | D+11.1 |
| Lee County | SC | D+56.7 | R+28.6 | D+28.1 |
Results by state
Every row links to the state's contest page with its county map. Electoral votes reflect the 1956 apportionment. The Swing column is the change in margin since 1952; 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+12.4 | 280,844 | 195,694 | 496,688 | |
| Arkansas | D | 8 | R+5.5 | 213,277 | 186,287 | 406,572 | |
| Arizona | R | 4 | R+5.4 | 112,880 | 176,990 | 290,173 | |
| California | R | 32 | D+2.5 | 2,420,135 | 3,027,668 | 5,466,355 | |
| Colorado | R | 6 | D+1.6 | 263,997 | 394,479 | 663,074 | |
| Connecticut | R | 8 | R+15.7 | 405,072 | 711,817 | 1,116,887 | |
| Delaware | R | 3 | R+6.6 | 79,421 | 98,057 | 177,988 | |
| Florida | R | 10 | R+4.5 | 480,371 | 643,849 | 1,124,220 | |
| Georgia | D | 12 | R+5.2 | 441,094 | 216,662 | 657,756 | |
| Iowa | R | 10 | D+9.8 | 501,858 | 729,187 | 1,234,564 | |
| Idaho | R | 4 | D+8.6 | 105,868 | 166,979 | 272,847 | |
| Illinois | R | 27 | R+9.3 | 1,775,682 | 2,623,327 | 4,407,407 | |
| Indiana | R | 13 | R+3.1 | 783,908 | 1,182,811 | 1,974,607 | |
| Kansas | R | 8 | D+7.0 | 296,317 | 566,878 | 866,243 | |
| Kentucky | R | 10 | R+9.2 | 476,453 | 572,192 | 1,053,805 | |
| Louisiana | R | 10 | R+19.6 | 243,977 | 329,047 | 617,544 | |
| Massachusetts | R | 16 | R+10.2 | 948,190 | 1,393,197 | 2,348,506 | |
| Maryland | R | 9 | R+8.5 | 372,613 | 559,738 | 932,351 | |
| Maine | R | 5 | R+9.5 | 102,468 | 249,238 | 351,706 | |
| Michigan | R | 20 | R+0.0 | 1,359,898 | 1,713,647 | 3,080,468 | |
| Minnesota | R | 11 | D+3.6 | 617,525 | 719,302 | 1,340,005 | |
| Missouri | D | 13 | D+1.8 | 918,273 | 914,289 | 1,832,562 | |
| Mississippi | D | 8 | D+12.9 | 144,453 | 60,685 | 248,104 | |
| Montana | R | 4 | D+5.0 | 116,238 | 154,933 | 271,171 | |
| North Carolina | D | 14 | R+6.5 | 590,530 | 575,062 | 1,165,592 | |
| North Dakota | R | 4 | D+18.9 | 96,742 | 156,766 | 253,991 | |
| Nebraska | R | 6 | D+7.3 | 199,029 | 378,108 | 577,137 | |
| New Hampshire | R | 4 | R+10.4 | 90,364 | 176,519 | 266,994 | |
| New Jersey | R | 16 | R+15.7 | 850,337 | 1,606,942 | 2,484,312 | |
| New Mexico | R | 4 | R+4.9 | 106,098 | 146,788 | 253,926 | |
| Nevada | R | 3 | D+7.0 | 40,640 | 56,049 | 96,689 | |
| New York | R | 45 | R+10.5 | 2,750,769 | 4,340,340 | 7,091,109 | |
| Ohio | R | 25 | R+8.7 | 1,439,655 | 2,262,610 | 3,702,265 | |
| Oklahoma | R | 8 | R+1.1 | 385,581 | 473,769 | 859,350 | |
| Oregon | R | 6 | D+11.1 | 329,204 | 406,393 | 735,597 | |
| Pennsylvania | R | 32 | R+7.3 | 1,981,769 | 2,585,252 | 4,576,503 | |
| Rhode Island | R | 4 | R+14.7 | 161,790 | 225,819 | 387,611 | |
| South Carolina | D | 8 | D+18.7 | 136,372 | 75,700 | 300,583 | |
| South Dakota | R | 4 | D+21.8 | 122,288 | 171,569 | 293,857 | |
| Tennessee | R | 11 | R+0.3 | 456,507 | 462,288 | 939,404 | |
| Texas | R | 24 | R+4.8 | 859,958 | 1,080,619 | 1,955,168 | |
| Utah | R | 4 | R+11.3 | 118,364 | 215,631 | 333,995 | |
| Virginia | R | 12 | R+4.0 | 266,571 | 384,820 | 695,069 | |
| Vermont | R | 3 | R+1.1 | 42,549 | 110,390 | 152,978 | |
| Washington | R | 9 | D+1.2 | 523,002 | 620,430 | 1,150,889 | |
| Wisconsin | R | 12 | R+1.5 | 586,768 | 954,844 | 1,550,558 | |
| West Virginia | R | 8 | R+12.0 | 381,534 | 449,297 | 830,831 | |
| Wyoming | R | 3 | D+5.5 | 49,554 | 74,573 | 124,127 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1956 presidential returns · official state + county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.