Presidential election results: do you ever wonder what the most controversial in history are? Every 4 years, Americans gather to vote their new president. While elections are often quite messy affairs, there are several elections in US history that really take the cake. We have compiled a list of the worst and most controversial US Elections so far.
If you thought that only present day elections are messy affairs, you would be surprised to learn that the first place goes to a 19th century election. Let’s take a look at the most controversial elections in the history of the USA, in a style similar to our recap of the biggest corporate scandals in modern history.
No. 5: George W. Bush vs. John Kerry, 2004
After the unfortunate events of 9/11, a re-election for George W. Bush seemed like a done deal. However, Bush’s aggressive and somewhat controversial tactic of fighting terrorism left the Democrats a fighting chance. In the days leading up to the election, both parties involved themselves in propaganda. The Democrats attached Bush’s anti-terrorist strategy and used Michael Moore’s films, while the Republicans commented on Kerry’s service in Vietnam. Ultimately, Bush ended up being re-elected once more.
No. 4: William Howard Taft vs. Woodrow Wilson vs. Teddy Roosevelt vs. Eugene Debs, 1912
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In 1912, the Republican Party decided to split its votes between Roosevelt and Taft, a controversial move which ultimately cost them the election. During the campaign, former president Teddy Roosevelt even got shot during a speech, but was not injured too seriously. In the end, Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson was elected president.
See the rest of history’s most controversial presidential election results on the following pages:
No. 3: Barack Obama vs. John McCain, 2008
Both Presidential nominations came as somewhat of a surprise. There were also heavy rumors circulating regarding the place of birth of the two candidates and even the vice-President nominations were intensely criticized. In the end, Obama won the election, and became the first US President of African-American descent.
No. 2: Al Gore vs. George W. Bush, 2000
George W. Bush makes yet another appearance in our countdown for the 2000 elections, which cannot be described as anything but a complete mess. While Gore avoided being seen with then president, Bill Clinton, on account of the latter’s involvement in a highly publicized sex scandal, Bush had to defend charges of drug and alcohol abuse in his late teens. The competition was tight all the way to Election Day, and even after it. The ballot count in the state of Florida generated much heated debate and the issue even made it to the US Supreme Court. Nonetheless, the results were ultimately in favor of Bush.
No. 1: Abraham Lincoln vs. Stephen Douglas vs. John Breckinridge vs. John Bell, 1860
In 1860, the country was torn by the issue of slavery, something which became more than evident by the time Election Day rolled in. Nine Southern states removed Lincoln from their ballots, and the North returned the favor, by removing the Democrats. Lincoln managed to win the elections, but the South was not too happy about it. The Southern states seceded from the Union and launched a Civil War that would end up killing more than 600,000 people.
