Election 1956 Results
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1956 presidential election results by state and county
Eisenhower easily beat Adlai Stevenson II in a rematch, winning 41 states and 457 electoral votes as peace and prosperity carried him to a second term.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) beat Adlai Stevenson II in 1956, winning 457 electoral votes to 73, with 1 going to other candidates. Adlai Stevenson II carried 7 states and Dwight D. Eisenhower 41. Across the states, the Democratic and Republican vote came to 26,024,104 and 35,593,609 (R+15.4 of all votes cast).
The closest states were Missouri (D+0.2), Tennessee (R+0.6) and North Carolina (D+1.3). 4 states changed party from 1952: Kentucky to the Republicans, Louisiana to the Republicans, Missouri to the Democrats and West Virginia to the Republicans.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
About the 1956 presidential election
Eisenhower had ended the fighting in Korea, the economy was strong, and despite a heart attack in 1955 he remained widely popular. Democrats again nominated Stevenson. In the weeks before the vote, the Suez crisis and the Soviet crushing of the Hungarian uprising rallied voters behind the sitting president. Eisenhower improved on his 1952 result, winning 41 states. He gained Kentucky and West Virginia and carried Louisiana, the first Republican to win the state since 1876. He held Tennessee by 0.6 points. Stevenson won seven states, mostly in the Deep South, plus Missouri, which he took back by just 0.2 points. He held North Carolina by 1.3. One Alabama elector refused to vote for Stevenson and cast his vote for a local judge instead, so the final count was 457 for Eisenhower, 73 for Stevenson and one for another candidate. The result was a personal win rather than a party one. Democrats kept control of both houses of Congress, which they had won back in 1954, and held them for the rest of his presidency.
Every state
| State | Democrat | Votes | Republican | Votes | Others | Margin | EV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Adlai Stevenson II | 279,502 (56.4%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 195,694 (39.5%) | 20,150 | D+16.9 | 11 |
| Arizona | Adlai Stevenson II | 112,880 (38.9%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 176,990 (61.0%) | 303 | R+22.1 | 4 |
| Arkansas | Adlai Stevenson II | 213,277 (52.5%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 186,287 (45.8%) | 7,008 | D+6.6 | 8 |
| California | Adlai Stevenson II | 2,420,135 (44.3%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 3,027,668 (55.4%) | 18,555 | R+11.1 | 32 |
| Colorado | Adlai Stevenson II | 263,997 (39.8%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 394,479 (59.5%) | 4,598 | R+19.7 | 6 |
| Connecticut | Adlai Stevenson II | 405,079 (36.3%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 711,837 (63.7%) | R+27.5 | 8 | |
| Delaware | Adlai Stevenson II | 79,421 (44.6%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 98,057 (55.1%) | 510 | R+10.5 | 3 |
| Florida | Adlai Stevenson II | 480,371 (42.7%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 643,849 (57.2%) | 1,542 | R+14.5 | 10 |
| Georgia | Adlai Stevenson II | 441,094 (66.5%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 216,652 (32.7%) | 5,734 | D+33.8 | 12 |
| Idaho | Adlai Stevenson II | 105,868 (38.8%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 166,979 (61.2%) | 142 | R+22.4 | 4 |
| Illinois | Adlai Stevenson II | 1,775,682 (40.3%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 2,631,725 (59.7%) | R+19.4 | 27 | |
| Indiana | Adlai Stevenson II | 783,908 (39.7%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1,182,811 (59.9%) | 7,888 | R+20.2 | 13 |
| Iowa | Adlai Stevenson II | 501,858 (40.7%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 729,187 (59.1%) | 3,519 | R+18.4 | 10 |
| Kansas | Adlai Stevenson II | 296,317 (34.2%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 566,878 (65.4%) | 3,048 | R+31.2 | 8 |
| Kentucky flip | Adlai Stevenson II | 476,453 (45.2%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 572,192 (54.3%) | 5,160 | R+9.1 | 10 |
| Louisiana flip | Adlai Stevenson II | 243,977 (39.5%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 329,047 (53.3%) | T. Coleman Andrews (States' Rights) 44,520 (7.2%) |
R+13.8 | 10 |
| Maine | Adlai Stevenson II | 102,468 (29.1%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 249,238 (70.9%) | R+41.7 | 5 | |
| Maryland | Adlai Stevenson II | 372,613 (40.0%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 559,738 (60.0%) | R+20.1 | 9 | |
| Massachusetts | Adlai Stevenson II | 948,190 (40.4%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1,393,197 (59.3%) | 7,119 | R+19.0 | 16 |
| Michigan | Adlai Stevenson II | 1,359,898 (44.1%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1,713,647 (55.6%) | 6,923 | R+11.5 | 20 |
| Minnesota | Adlai Stevenson II | 617,525 (46.1%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 719,302 (53.7%) | 3,178 | R+7.6 | 11 |
| Mississippi | Adlai Stevenson II | 144,498 (58.2%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 60,685 (24.5%) | T. Coleman Andrews (States' Rights) 42,966 (17.3%) |
D+33.8 | 8 |
| Missouri flip | Adlai Stevenson II | 918,273 (50.1%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 914,289 (49.9%) | D+0.2 | 13 | |
| Montana | Adlai Stevenson II | 116,238 (42.9%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 154,933 (57.1%) | R+14.3 | 4 | |
| Nebraska | Adlai Stevenson II | 199,029 (34.5%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 378,108 (65.5%) | R+31.0 | 6 | |
| Nevada | Adlai Stevenson II | 40,640 (42.0%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 56,049 (58.0%) | R+15.9 | 3 | |
| New Hampshire | Adlai Stevenson II | 90,364 (33.8%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 176,519 (66.1%) | 111 | R+32.3 | 4 |
| New Jersey | Adlai Stevenson II | 850,337 (34.2%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1,606,942 (64.7%) | 27,033 | R+30.5 | 16 |
| New Mexico | Adlai Stevenson II | 106,350 (41.9%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 147,646 (58.1%) | R+16.3 | 4 | |
| New York | Adlai Stevenson II | 2,747,944 (38.7%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 4,345,506 (61.2%) | 2,521 | R+22.5 | 45 |
| North Carolina | Adlai Stevenson II | 590,530 (50.7%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 575,069 (49.3%) | D+1.3 | 14 | |
| North Dakota | Adlai Stevenson II | 96,742 (38.1%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 156,766 (61.7%) | 483 | R+23.6 | 4 |
| Ohio | Adlai Stevenson II | 1,439,655 (38.9%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 2,262,610 (61.1%) | R+22.2 | 25 | |
| Oklahoma | Adlai Stevenson II | 385,581 (44.9%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 473,769 (55.1%) | R+10.3 | 8 | |
| Oregon | Adlai Stevenson II | 329,204 (44.8%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 406,393 (55.2%) | R+10.5 | 6 | |
| Pennsylvania | Adlai Stevenson II | 1,981,769 (43.3%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 2,585,252 (56.5%) | 9,482 | R+13.2 | 32 |
| Rhode Island | Adlai Stevenson II | 161,790 (41.7%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 225,819 (58.3%) | R+16.5 | 4 | |
| South Carolina | Adlai Stevenson II | 136,372 (45.4%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 75,700 (25.2%) | T. Coleman Andrews (States' Rights) 88,511 (29.4%) |
D+20.2 | 8 |
| South Dakota | Adlai Stevenson II | 122,288 (41.6%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 171,569 (58.4%) | R+16.8 | 4 | |
| Tennessee | Adlai Stevenson II | 456,507 (48.6%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 462,288 (49.2%) | 20,609 | R+0.6 | 11 |
| Texas | Adlai Stevenson II | 859,958 (44.0%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1,080,619 (55.3%) | 14,591 | R+11.3 | 24 |
| Utah | Adlai Stevenson II | 118,364 (35.4%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 215,631 (64.6%) | R+29.1 | 4 | |
| Vermont | Adlai Stevenson II | 42,540 (27.8%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 110,390 (72.2%) | 39 | R+44.4 | 3 |
| Virginia | Adlai Stevenson II | 267,760 (38.4%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 386,459 (55.4%) | T. Coleman Andrews (States' Rights) 42,964 (6.2%) |
R+17.0 | 12 |
| Washington | Adlai Stevenson II | 523,002 (45.4%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 620,430 (53.9%) | 7,457 | R+8.5 | 9 |
| West Virginia flip | Adlai Stevenson II | 381,534 (45.9%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 449,297 (54.1%) | R+8.2 | 8 | |
| Wisconsin | Adlai Stevenson II | 586,768 (37.8%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 954,844 (61.6%) | 8,946 | R+23.7 | 12 |
| Wyoming | Adlai Stevenson II | 49,554 (39.9%) | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 74,573 (60.1%) | R+20.2 | 3 |
Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Margins are Democrat minus Republican, of all votes. Certified results, from the states' own archives, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Heideman (2026) and Algara & Amlani (2021). Maine and Nebraska are shown whole, without their district votes. By county: "As they were" draws each county as it stood on election day; "Today's" shares the old votes among today's counties by area. County boundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5). How these results were checked.