New York Times presidential endorsements - wikipedia New York Times presidential endorsements New York Times presidential endorsements are made every four years by The New York Times to give its readers the name of the candidate that the paper 's editors believe is best suited to fit the needs of the nation. The first endorsement was in 1860 for Abraham Lincoln and the most recent one was for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Its first six endorsements were for Republicans, and it was not until 1884 that it backed its first Democrat, Grover Cleveland. Since then it has endorsed the Democratic candidate 26 times, the Republican six times ( the last being Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 ), and a third - party candidate once ( in 1896 ). Endorsements by the New York Times since 1860 Republican winner in RED, Democratic winner in BLUE Year Endorsed Opponent ( s ) Winner 1860 Abraham Lincoln, Republican Stephen A. Douglas, Democrat ; John C. Breckinridge, Southern Democrat ; John Bell, Constitutional Union Party Lincoln 1864 Abraham Lincoln, Republican George B. McClellan, Democrat Lincoln 1868 Ulysses S. Grant, Republican Horatio Seymour, Democrat Grant 1872 Ulysses S. Grant, Republican Horace Greeley, Democrat Grant 1876 Rutherford B. Hayes, Republican Samuel Tilden, Democrat Hayes 1880 James Garfield, Republican Winfield S. Hancock, Democrat Garfield 1884 Grover Cleveland, Democrat James G. Blaine, Republican Cleveland 1888 Grover Cleveland, Democrat Benjamin Harrison, Republican Harrison 1892 Grover Cleveland, Democrat Benjamin Harrison, Republican ; James Weaver, People 's Party Cleveland 1896 John M. Palmer, National Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan, Democrat ; William McKinley, Republican McKinley 1900 William McKinley, Republican William Jennings Bryan, Democrat McKinley 1904 Alton B. Parker, Democrat Theodore Roosevelt, Republican Roosevelt 1908 William Howard Taft, Republican William Jennings Bryan, Democrat Taft 1912 Woodrow Wilson, Democrat William Howard Taft, Republican ; Theodore Roosevelt, Bull Moose Party Wilson 1916 Woodrow Wilson, Democrat Charles Evans Hughes, Republican Wilson 1920 James M. Cox, Democrat Warren G. Harding, Republican Harding 1924 John W. Davis, Democrat Calvin Coolidge, Republican ; Robert M. La Follette, Sr., Progressive Party Coolidge 1928 Alfred E. Smith, Democrat Herbert Hoover, Republican Hoover 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat Herbert Hoover, Republican Roosevelt 1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat Alfred M. Landon, Republican Roosevelt 1940 Wendell Willkie, Republican Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat Roosevelt 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat Thomas E. Dewey, Republican Roosevelt 1948 Thomas E. Dewey, Republican Harry S. Truman, Democrat ; Strom Thurmond, States Rights ' Democratic Party ( Dixiecrat ) ; Henry A. Wallace, Progressive / American Labor Party Truman 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower, Republican Adlai E. Stevenson, Democrat Eisenhower 1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower, Republican Adlai E. Stevenson, Democrat Eisenhower 1960 John F. Kennedy, Democrat Richard M. Nixon, Republican Kennedy 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrat Barry Goldwater, Republican Johnson 1968 Hubert H. Humphrey, Democrat Richard M. Nixon, Republican ; George Wallace, American Independent Party Nixon 1972 George McGovern, Democrat Richard M. Nixon, Republican Nixon 1976 Jimmy Carter, Democrat Gerald R. Ford, Republican Carter 1980 Jimmy Carter, Democrat Ronald Reagan, Republican ; John B. Anderson, independent Reagan 1984 Walter Mondale, Democrat Ronald Reagan, Republican Reagan Michael Dukakis, Democrat George H.W. Bush, Republican Bush Bill Clinton, Democrat George H.W. Bush, Republican ; Ross Perot, independent Clinton Bill Clinton, Democrat Bob Dole, Republican ; Ross Perot, Reform Party Clinton 2000 Al Gore, Democrat George W. Bush, Republican ; Ralph Nader, Green Party Bush John Kerry, Democrat George W. Bush, Republican Bush 2008 Barack Obama, Democrat John McCain, Republican Obama 2012 Barack Obama, Democrat Mitt Romney, Republican Obama 2016 Hillary Clinton, Democrat Donald Trump, Republican Trump This article incorporates material from the Citizendium article `` New York Times Presidential Endorsements '', which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License but not under the GFDL. References Jump up ^ `` New York Times Endorsements Through the Ages ''. The New York Times. 2016 - 09 - 23. ISSN 0362 - 4331. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 04. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_York_Times_presidential_endorsements&oldid=832397767 '' Categories : The New York Times Presidential elections in the United States Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles incorporating text from Citizendium Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 25 March 2018, at 19 : 22 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the last time the new york times endorsed a republican for president
Answer: 1956