Closest presidential elections

While the race between John McCain and Barack Obama didn’t turn out to be as close as many predicted, election night often has been a nail-biter of an affair. Just eight years ago, the George W. Bush-Al Gore contest wasn’t resolved until after months of recounts and endless debates about hanging chads and dirty tricks.

Which are the narrowest margins ever in a presidential race?

Here’s one list, with percentage of popular vote for each of the leading candidates, followed by votes received in the Electoral College:

1960

Richard Nixon — 49.6

John F. Kennedy — 49.7

(Kennedy won the electoral vote, 303-219)

2000

George W. Bush — 47.87

Albert Gore — 48.38

(Bush won the electoral vote, 271-266)

1968

Hubert Humphrey — 42.7

Richard Nixon — 43.4

(Nixon won the electoral vote, 301-191.)

1976

Gerald Ford — 48.0

Jimmy Carter — 50.1

(Carter won the electoral vote, 297-240.)

Source: Infoplease.com

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