Rutherford Hayes

February 16, 2009 - 9:29am
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Happy Presidents Day

Since 1824, when direct elections began, nine American Presidents never carried New Jersey: Martin Van Buren, James Polk, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush.  Of the ten best Presidents ranked by historians in a 2009 C-Span poll, New Jersey cast a majority of its electoral votes for all but Lincoln and Truman, and voted to support six of the worst: James Buchanan, William Henry Harrison, Warren Harding, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Pierce, and Hayes.

One of the ten best Presidents was a New Jerseyan, Woodrow Wilson, who served as Governor from 1911 to 1913.  Wilson carried New Jersey in his first campaign, but lost it when he ran for re-election in 1916.  Before the direct election of Presidents, New Jersey supported James Madison for President in 1808, but not when Madison ran for a second term in 1812.

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February 12, 2009 - 6:33am
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Lincoln lost New Jersey twice

A statue of President Lincoln at the Essex County courthouse in Newark. Lincoln lost New Jersey in both of his presidential campaigns, although he did carry Essex County.

Abraham Lincoln, born 200 years ago today, was never an especially strong vote getter in New Jersey.  In 1860, Democrat Stephen Douglas carried New Jersey by a 52%-48% margin.  In his bid for re-election in 1864, Lincoln lost New Jersey to General George McClellan by a 53%-47% margin.

In both elections, Lincoln carried South Jersey, along with Essex and Passaic counties.

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