ELECTION CONTROVERSY

Throughout U.S. history, the presidential candidate who won the popular vote almost always won the Electoral College vote, too. But there have been a handful of times when a candidate who won the popular vote did not win the electoral vote, and thus lost the election. That situation occurred in five presidential elections.

THE ELECTION OF 1824

The Democratic–Republican party had won all the presidential elections during the previous 20 years. None of those elections had been close. But those victories hid disagreements within the party. In 1824, four Democratic–Republicans decided to run for president. Three were well-educated gentlemen: Henry Clay of Kentucky, William Crawford of Georgia, and John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts. They had the support of wealthy farmers, businessmen,