No Democratic presidential or vice-presidential candidate has ever hailed from the western United States.
A new Smart Politics analysis shows over the last 46 election cycles, no Democratic presidential or vice-presidential candidate has come from the 13-states that make up the Western U.S. That goes all the way back to the founding of the party in 1832.
On the other hand, Republicans have nominated westerners for president 8 times:
- John Fremont – California (1856)
- Richard Nixon – California (1960, 1968, 1972)
- Barry Goldwater – Arizona (1964)
- Ronald Reagan – California (1980, 1984)
- John McCain – Arizona (2008)
Republicans have also given their VP nomination to westerners 7 times:
- Charles McNary – Oregon (1940)
- Earl Warren – California (1948)
- Richard Nixon – California (1952, 1956)
- Dick Cheney – Wyoming (2000, 2004)
- Sarah Palin – Alaska (2008)
The only Democratic candidates on the top of the ticket from west of the Mississippi came from Nebraska (William Jennings Bryan in 1896, 1900 and 1908), South Dakota (George McGovern in 1972) and Texas (Lyndon Johnson in 1964).
The closest any Democrats from the West came close to winning the nomination were California's William McAdoo (1920 and 1924), Washington's Scoop Jackson (1972) Arizona's Mo Udall (1976) and Colorado's Gary Hart (1984).
