# List of United States presidential candidates by number of primary votes received

In United States presidential politics, voters within both the Democratic and Republican parties select their candidates for the presidential election through a series of primary elections. For this list, any candidate that received at least 250,000 total votes in an election year's primary contests or became their party's nominee will be included. Only elections conducted since nationwide primaries were instituted in 1972 are shown.

## History

The first state to hold a primary was Florida in 1901. In 1905, Wisconsin was the first state to hold a direct open primary. Five years later, in 1910, Oregon was the first state to hold a primary that bound its state's delegates to the convention based on election results. Between 1932 and 1968, twelve states held primaries consistently, while the remaining states chose which candidate received their delegates through state party bosses. In 1972, both parties held a primary or caucus in every state for the first time. However, Republican Richard Nixon was the incumbent president and was seeking re-election. As such, the Republican primary was uneventful that year, with Nixon winning every state easily. On the Democratic side, six candidates battled for the nomination. George McGovern of South Dakota won the first nationwide primary. Today, the first state to hold a caucus during primary season is Iowa, typically in early February. Shortly after that is the first primary, held in New Hampshire.

## List of candidates
### Primary votes received by year

| Rank | Candidate | Party | Home state | Votes received | Year |
| 1 | Joe Biden | Democratic | Delaware | 19,076,052 | 2020 |
| 2 | Donald Trump | Republican | Florida | 18,159,752 | 2020 |
| 3 | Hillary Clinton | Democratic | New York | 17,857,501 | 2008 |
| 4 | Barack Obama | Democratic | Illinois | 17,584,692 | 2008 |
| 5 | Hillary Clinton | Democratic | New York | 16,917,853 | 2016 |
| 6 | Donald Trump | Republican | Florida | 16,245,867 | 2024 |
| 7 | Joe Biden | Democratic | Delaware | 14,183,228 | 2024 |
| 8 | Donald Trump | Republican | New York | 14,015,993 | 2016 |
| 9 | Bernie Sanders | Democratic | Vermont | 13,210,550 | 2016 |
| 10 | George W. Bush | Republican | Texas | 12,089,564 | 2000 |
| 11 | Al Gore | Democratic | Tennessee | 10,642,105 | 2000 |
| 12 | Bill Clinton | Democratic | Arkansas | 10,482,411 | 1992 |
| 13 | Mitt Romney | Republican | Massachusetts | 10,048,134 | 2012 |
| 14 | John Kerry | Democratic | Massachusetts | 10,045,891 | 2004 |
| 15 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic | Georgia | 10,043,016 | 1980 |
| 16 | Michael Dukakis | Democratic | Massachusetts | 9,898,750 | 1988 |
| 17 | Bill Clinton | Democratic | Arkansas | 9,706,802 | 1996 |
| 18 | Bernie Sanders | Democratic | Vermont | 9,679,213 | 2020 |
| 19 | John McCain | Republican | Arizona | 9,615,533 | 2008 |
| 20 | George H. W. Bush | Republican | Texas | 9,199,463 | 1992 |
| 21 | Bob Dole | Republican | Kansas | 9,024,742 | 1996 |
| 22 | George H. W. Bush | Republican | Texas | 8,258,512 | 1988 |
| 23 | Barack Obama | Democratic | Illinois | 8,044,659 | 2012 |
| 24 | George W. Bush | Republican | Texas | 7,853,863 | 2004 |
| 25 | Ted Cruz | Republican | Texas | 7,822,100 | 2016 |
| 26 | Ronald Reagan | Republican | California | 7,709,793 | 1980 |
| 27 | Ted Kennedy | Democratic | Massachusetts | 7,381,693 | 1980 |
| 28 | Walter Mondale | Democratic | Minnesota | 6,952,912 | 1984 |
| 29 | Jesse Jackson | Democratic | South Carolina | 6,788,991 | 1988 |
| 30 | Gary Hart | Democratic | Colorado | 6,504,842 | 1984 |
| 31 | Ronald Reagan | Republican | California | 6,484,987 | 1984 |
| 32 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic | Georgia | 6,235,609 | 1976 |
| 33 | John McCain | Republican | Arizona | 6,070,050 | 2000 |
| 34 | Gerald Ford | Republican | Michigan | 5,529,899 | 1976 |
| 35 | Richard Nixon | Republican | California | 5,378,704 | 1972 |
| 36 | Ronald Reagan | Republican | California | 4,760,222 | 1976 |
| 37 | Mitt Romney | Republican | Massachusetts | 4,567,127 | 2008 |
| 38 | Nikki Haley | Republican | South Carolina | 4,373,783 | 2024 |
| 39 | John Kasich | Republican | Ohio | 4,290,448 | 2016 |
| 40 | Mike Huckabee | Republican | Arkansas | 4,147,961 | 2008 |
| 41 | Hubert Humphrey | Democratic | Minnesota | 4,121,372 | 1972 |
| 42 | Jerry Brown | Democratic | California | 4,071,232 | 1992 |
| 43 | George McGovern | Democratic | South Dakota | 4,053,451 | 1972 |
| 44 | Rick Santorum | Republican | Pennsylvania | 3,938,527 | 2012 |
| 45 | George Wallace | Democratic | Alabama | 3,755,424 | 1972 |
| 46 | Paul Tsongas | Democratic | Massachusetts | 3,696,010 | 1992 |
| 47 | Marco Rubio | Republican | Florida | 3,515,576 | 2016 |
| 48 | Jesse Jackson | Democratic | Illinois | 3,282,431 | 1984 |
| 49 | John Edwards | Democratic | North Carolina | 3,207,048 | 2004 |
| 50 | Al Gore | Democratic | Tennessee | 3,185,806 | 1988 |
| 51 | Pat Buchanan | Republican | Virginia | 3,184,943 | 1996 |
| 52 | George H. W. Bush | Republican | Texas | 3,070,033 | 1980 |
| 53 | Pat Buchanan | Republican | Virginia | 2,899,488 | 1992 |
| 54 | Elizabeth Warren | Democratic | Massachusetts | 2,831,472 | 2020 |
| 55 | Bill Bradley | Democratic | New Jersey | 2,804,945 | 2000 |
| 56 | Newt Gingrich | Republican | Georgia | 2,737,442 | 2012 |
| 57 | Michael Bloomberg | Democratic | New York | 2,488,734 | 2020 |
| 58 | Jerry Brown | Democratic | California | 2,449,374 | 1976 |
| 59 | Bob Dole | Republican | Kansas | 2,333,375 | 1988 |
| 60 | Ron Paul | Republican | Texas | 2,099,441 | 2012 |
| 61 | George Wallace | Democratic | Alabama | 1,955,388 | 1976 |
| 62 | Edmund Muskie | Democratic | Maine | 1,840,217 | 1972 |
| 63 | Steve Forbes | Republican | New York | 1,751,187 | 1996 |
| 64 | Mo Udall | Democratic | Arizona | 1,611,754 | 1976 |
| 65 | John Anderson | Republican | Illinois | 1,572,174 | 1980 |
| 66 | Dick Gephardt | Democratic | Missouri | 1,399,041 | 1988 |
| 67 | Ron Paul | Republican | Texas | 1,145,138 | 2008 |
| 68 | Henry Jackson | Democratic | Washington | 1,134,375 | 1976 |
| 69 | Pat Robertson | Republican | Virginia | 1,097,446 | 1988 |
| 70 | Paul Simon | Democratic | Illinois | 1,082,960 | 1988 |
| 71 | Alan Keyes | Republican | Maryland | 995,555 | 2000 |
| 72 | John Edwards | Democratic | North Carolina | 994,029 | 2008 |
| 73 | Howard Dean | Democratic | Vermont | 937,015 | 2004 |
| 74 | Pete Buttigieg | Democratic | Indiana | 924,237 | 2020 |
| 75 | Ben Carson | Republican | Florida | 857,039 | 2016 |
| 76 | Frank Church | Democratic | Idaho | 830,818 | 1976 |
| 77 | Dennis Kucinich | Democratic | Ohio | 643,067 | 2004 |
| 78 | John Glenn | Democratic | Ohio | 617,909 | 1984 |
| 79 | Lyndon LaRouche | Democratic | Virginia | 596,422 | 1996 |
| 80 | Rudy Giuliani | Republican | New York | 592,391 | 2008 |
| 81 | Jerry Brown | Democratic | California | 575,296 | 1980 |
| 82 | Wesley Clark | Democratic | Arkansas | 572,207 | 2004 |
| 83 | Eugene McCarthy | Democratic | Minnesota | 553,990 | 1972 |
| 84 | Amy Klobuchar | Democratic | Minnesota | 529,713 | 2020 |
| 85 | Dean Phillips | Democratic | Minnesota | 529,486 | 2020 |
| 86 | Henry Jackson | Democratic | Washington | 505,198 | 1972 |
| 87 | Lamar Alexander | Republican | Tennessee | 495,590 | 1996 |
| 88 | Marianne Williamson | Democratic | California | 473,463 | 2024 |
| 89 | Alan Keyes | Republican | Maryland | 471,716 | 1996 |
| 90 | Bill Weld | Republican | Massachusetts | 453,959 | 2020 |
| 91 | Shirley Chisholm | Democratic | New York | 430,703 | 1972 |
| 92 | Gary Hart | Democratic | Colorado | 415,716 | 1988 |
| 93 | Al Sharpton | Democratic | New York | 383,683 | 2004 |
| 94 | Ron DeSantis | Republican | Florida | 353,615 | 2024 |
| 95 | Robert Byrd | Democratic | West Virginia | 340,309 | 1976 |
| 96 | George McGovern | Democratic | South Dakota | 334,801 | 1984 |
| 97 | Terry Sanford | Democratic | North Carolina | 331,415 | 1972 |
| 98 | Jack Kemp | Republican | New York | 331,333 | 1988 |
| 99 | Bob Kerrey | Democratic | Nebraska | 318,457 | 1992 |
| 100 | John M. Ashbrook | Republican | Ohio | 311,543 | 1972 |
| 101 | Lyndon LaRouche | Democratic | Virginia | 306,772 | 2000 |
| 102 | Sargent Shriver | Democratic | Maryland | 304,399 | 1976 |
| 103 | Fred Thompson | Republican | Tennessee | 287,581 | 2008 |
| 104 | Jeb Bush | Republican | Florida | 286,694 | 2016 |
| 105 | Tom Harkin | Democratic | Iowa | 280,340 | 1992 |
| 106 | Tulsi Gabbard | Democratic | Hawaii | 273,940 | 2020 |
| 107 | Tom Steyer | Democratic | California | 259,792 | 2020 |
| 108 | Kamala Harris | Democratic | California | 844 | 2020 |
| 109 | Kamala Harris | Democratic | California | n/a | 2024 |

### Cumulative primary votes

| Rank | Candidate | Party | Home state | Votes received | Year(s) |
| 1 | Donald Trump | Republican | NY, FL | 47,559,705 | 2016, 2020, 2024 |
| 2 | Hillary Clinton | Democratic | New York | 34,775,354 | 2008, 2016 |
| 3 | Joe Biden | Democratic | Delaware | 33,339,034 | 2008, 2020, 2024 |
| 4 | Barack Obama | Democratic | Illinois | 25,629,351 | 2008, 2012 |
| 5 | Bernie Sanders | Democratic | Vermont | 22,889,763 | 2016, 2020 |
| 6 | George H. W. Bush | Republican | Texas | 20,528,008 | 1980, 1988, 1992 |
| 7 | Bill Clinton | Democratic | Arkansas | 20,189,213 | 1992, 1996 |
| 8 | George W. Bush | Republican | Texas | 19,943,427 | 2000, 2004 |
| 9 | Ronald Reagan | Republican | California | 18,955,002 | 1976, 1980, 1984 |
| 10 | Jimmy Carter | Democratic | Georgia | 16,278,625 | 1976, 1980 |
| 11 | John McCain | Republican | Arizona | 15,685,583 | 2000, 2008 |
| 12 | Mitt Romney | Republican | Massachusetts | 14,615,261 | 2008, 2012 |
| 13 | Al Gore | Democratic | Tennessee | 13,827,911 | 1988, 2000 |
| 14 | Bob Dole | Republican | Kansas | 11,365,321 | 1980, 1988, 1996 |
| 15 | Jesse Jackson | Democratic | South Carolina | 10,071,422 | 1984, 1988 |
| 16 | John Kerry | Democratic | Massachusetts | 10,045,891 | 2004 |
| 17 | Michael Dukakis | Democratic | Massachusetts | 9,898,750 | 1988 |
| 18 | Ted Cruz | Republican | Texas | 7,822,100 | 2016 |
| 19 | Ted Kennedy | Democratic | Massachusetts | 7,381,693 | 1980 |
| 20 | Jerry Brown | Democratic | California | 7,095,902 | 1976, 1980, 1992 |
| 21 | Walter Mondale | Democratic | Minnesota | 6,952,912 | 1984 |
| 22 | Gary Hart | Democratic | Colorado | 6,920,558 | 1984, 1988 |
| 23 | Pat Buchanan | Republican | Virginia | 6,084,431 | 1992, 1996 |
| 24 | George Wallace | Democratic | Alabama | 5,710,812 | 1972, 1976 |
| 25 | Gerald Ford | Republican | Michigan | 5,529,899 | 1976 |
| 26 | Richard Nixon | Republican | California | 5,378,704 | 1972 |
| 27 | George McGovern | Democratic | South Dakota | 4,388,252 | 1972, 1984 |
| 28 | John Kasich | Republican | Ohio | 4,290,448 | 2016 |
| 29 | John Edwards | Democratic | North Carolina | 4,201,077 | 2004, 2008 |
| 30 | Mike Huckabee | Republican | Arkansas | 4,199,411 | 2008, 2016 |
| 31 | Hubert Humphrey | Democratic | Minnesota | 4,183,364 | 1972, 1976 |
| 32 | Rick Santorum | Republican | Pennsylvania | 3,955,154 | 2012, 2016 |
| 33 | Paul Tsongas | Democratic | Massachusetts | 3,696,010 | 1992 |
| 34 | Marco Rubio | Republican | Florida | 3,515,576 | 2016 |
| 35 | Ron Paul | Republican | Texas | 3,259,844 | 2008, 2012 |
| 36 | Elizabeth Warren | Democratic | Massachusetts | 2,831,472 | 2020 |
| 37 | Bill Bradley | Democratic | New Jersey | 2,804,945 | 2000 |
| 38 | Newt Gingrich | Republican | Georgia | 2,737,442 | 2012 |
| 39 | Michael Bloomberg | Democratic | New York | 2,488,734 | 2020 |
| 40 | Steve Forbes | Republican | New York | 1,923,047 | 1996, 2000 |
| 41 | Edmund Muskie | Democratic | Maine | 1,840,217 | 1972 |
| 42 | Henry M. Jackson | Democratic | Washington | 1,639,573 | 1972, 1976 |
| 43 | Mo Udall | Democratic | Arizona | 1,611,754 | 1976 |
| 44 | John B. Anderson | Republican | Illinois | 1,572,174 | 1980 |
| 45 | Alan Keyes | Republican | Maryland | 1,467,271 | 1996, 2000 |
| 46 | Dick Gephardt | Democratic | Missouri | 1,462,943 | 1988, 2004 |
| 47 | Pat Robertson | Republican | Virginia | 1,097,446 | 1988 |
| 48 | Paul Simon | Democratic | Illinois | 1,082,960 | 1988 |
| 49 | Lyndon LaRouche | Democratic | Virginia | 1,080,978 | 1980, 1996, 2000 |
| 50 | Howard Dean | Democratic | Vermont | 937,015 | 2004 |
| 51 | Pete Buttigieg | Democratic | Indiana | 924,237 | 2020 |
| 52 | Ben Carson | Republican | Florida | 857,039 | 2016 |
| 53 | Frank Church | Democratic | Idaho | 830,818 | 1976 |
| 54 | Dennis Kucinich | Democratic | Ohio | 743,030 | 2004, 2008 |
| 55 | John Glenn | Democratic | Ohio | 617,909 | 1984 |
| 56 | Rudy Giuliani | Republican | New York | 592,391 | 2008 |
| 57 | Wesley Clark | Democratic | Arkansas | 572,207 | 2004 |
| 58 | Eugene McCarthy | Democratic | Minnesota | 553,990 | 1972 |
| 59 | Amy Klobuchar | Democratic | Minnesota | 529,713 | 2020 |
| 60 | Lamar Alexander | Republican | Tennessee | 495,590 | 1996 |
| 61 | Bill Weld | Republican | Massachusetts | 453,959 | 2020 |
| 62 | Shirley Chisholm | Democratic | New York | 430,703 | 1972 |
| 63 | Al Sharpton | Democratic | New York | 383,683 | 2004 |
| 64 | Robert Byrd | Democratic | West Virginia | 340,309 | 1976 |
| 65 | Terry Sanford | Democratic | North Carolina | 331,415 | 1972 |
| 66 | Jack Kemp | Republican | New York | 331,333 | 1988 |
| 67 | Bob Kerrey | Democratic | Nebraska | 318,457 | 1992 |
| 68 | John M. Ashbrook | Republican | Ohio | 311,543 | 1972 |
| 69 | Sargent Shriver | Democratic | Maryland | 304,399 | 1976 |
| 70 | Fred Thompson | Republican | Tennessee | 287,581 | 2008 |
| 71 | Jeb Bush | Republican | Florida | 286,694 | 2016 |
| 72 | Tom Harkin | Democratic | Iowa | 280,340 | 1992 |
| 73 | Tulsi Gabbard | Democratic | Hawaii | 273,940 | 2020 |
| 74 | Tom Steyer | Democratic | California | 259,792 | 2020 |
| 75 | Kamala Harris | Democratic | California | 844 | 2020 |