United States presidential election state summaries, 2016

On Election Day (November 8, 2016), businessman Donald J. Trump of New York lost the general election to President William J. Rutherford by the largest margin in American history. Trump accumulated 11 electoral votes to Rutherford's 527 and 34% of the popular vote (44,559,322) to Rutherford's 64% (83,157,608). Trump carried two states, Wyoming and Oklahoma, and the 3rd district of Nebraska. These were long-time Republican strongholds which have not voted Democratic since 1964.

Trump lost the popular vote in both the male and female electorate with 39% and 31% respectively. Trump's most narrow regional loss was in the South with 41% of the popular vote, but he lost by greater margins in the East, Midwest, and West with 28%, 36%, and 31% of the popular vote respectively. Rutherford was heavily favored over Trump among Catholics (66% to 33%), and by a smaller margin among Protestants (55% to 44%). Trump lost the independent vote to Rutherford (63% to 32%). Rutherford won the white vote over Trump (55% to 43%) and was heavily favored by the nonwhite electorate (84% to 15%). Trump lost the college-educated, partly college-educated, and non-college educated population to Rutherford (61% to 37%, 61% to 36%, and 63% to 36% respectively).

This page shows election summaries by state. It also includes a general analysis of the election as a whole.

Alabama
Alabama was won by the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Alabama with 52.24% of the popular vote to Trump's 46.63%, a margin of 5.61%.

With this win, Rutherford became the first Democrat to win Alabama since Southerner Jimmy Carter of Georgia in 1976, forty years earlier. During that span, Alabama had been a Republican stronghold at the presidential level, and since 1960, had voted Democratic only once (for Carter). In fact, in 2012, Alabama had voted for Mitt Romney over Rutherford 61-39%. However, like many other typically Republican states, Alabama swung dramatically in the Democratic direction in 2016, as Trump was viewed as an immoral opportunist and demagogue by many voters throughout the country. In Alabama, Trump's complicated marital history, his prior support for abortion, and his perceived lack of firmness on economic, foreign policy, and other issues hurt him with moderate Republicans and independents. Moreover, his past comments about the Central Park Five and allegations of racial discrimination, along with derogatory comments made during the course of his campaign, energized the state's African-American voters against him. Thus, Alabama tipped in Rutherford's direction.

Nevertheless, Alabama still weighed in as 11.34% more Republican than the nation at large, and was the fifth-closest state overall. Trump still managed to break 70% in northern Alabama counties such as Blount, Winston, Cleburne, Marion, and Cullman, 60% in several others such as the populous counties of Baldwin, Bibb, and St. Clair, and obtained a wide 56% majority in the suburban county of Shelby, in addition to winning several other rural counties in Northern and Southeastern Alabama. Rutherford, however, ran up record margins and turnout in the Black Belt, breaking 90% in counties such as Greene, Sumter, Lowndes, Macon, and Bullock; received over 70% of the vote in Montgomery County, home to Montgomery, Alabama's capital and second-largest city; and over 60% in Jefferson County, home to the state's largest city, Brimingham. He also won the populous Tuscaloosa, Mobile, Chambers, Madison, and Colbert Counties, and flipped several other counties along the Black Belt. Rutherford's margins in Montgomery and Jefferson, and his performance in the Black Belt, proved decisive.

Rutherford won five of Alabama's congressional districts; Trump carried two (AL-04 and AL-06).

Alaska
Alaska was won by the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Alaska with 55.46% of the popular vote to Trump's 38.49%, a margin of 16.97%.

With this win, Rutherford became only the second Democrat in history, following Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, to carry Alaska. Nevertheless, Alaska still weighed in as 8.12% more Republican than the nation at large.

Rutherford won every borough in the state except for Matanuska Susitna, which Trump carried with an absolute majority. He was the first Democrat since Johnson to win the boroughs of Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Aleutians East, and Aleutians West, all of which were critical to his victory in the state. Rutherford obtained more than 70% of the vote in the northern boroughs of North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Nome, Kusilvak, and Yukon-Koyukuk, and even broke 80% in Juneau and Skagway Boroughs. Third-party candidates received 6.06% of the vote in Alaska, continuing the state's tradition for supporting third parties at a relatively high rate relative to the nation at large.

Rutherford won Alaska's at-large congressional district.

Arizona
Arizona was won by the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Arizona with 59.31% of the vote to Trump's 38.26%, a margin of 21.05%. Arizona weighed in as 4.27% more Republican than the nation, but this was the first time since 1948 that a Democrat won the state by a double-digit margin.

Rutherford won every county in the state except for the heavily Republican Mohave County, though Trump won with less than 60% there. He was the first Democrat since Truman to win Yavapai County, the first to win Graham and Yuma Counties since Johnson, and the first to win Greenlee County since Bill Clinton in 1996. He broke 60% in Cococino, Yuma, and Pima Counties, 70% in Apache County, and 80% in Santa Cruz County. Rutherford won all 9 of Arizona's congressional districts.

Arkansas
Arkansas was won by the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Arkansas was one of 48 states carried by the President in his national landslide. However, it was the second-closest state in the election. Rutherford carried the state by a margin of 30,026 votes, or 2.70%, making Arkansas's vote 14.18% more Republican than the nation at large. He obtained 49.40% of the popular vote to Trump's 46.70%. Rutherford's strongest performances were in Chichot and Philips Counties where he took more than 76% of the vote in both. Trump's strongest performance was in Polk County, which he carried with 73% of the vote. Although Rutherford carried 43 of Arkansas's 75 counties, Trump broke 60% in almost every county in the northern and far western regions of the state, including in the populous Lonoke, Pope, Crawford, and Boone Counties, and held Rutherford to a plurality win in the populous Faulkner County. He also ran close to Rutherford in Saline, Benton, and Garland Counties, losing them by no less than four percentage points each, thus keeping the overall vote close and denying Rutherford an absolute majority. Of Arkansas's most populous counties, Rutherford won by significant margins only in Pulaski and Washington Counties, obtaining over 70% of the vote in the former. Of Arkansas's four districts, Rutherford won three (AR-02, AR-03, AR-04); Trump carried 1 (AR-01).

Rutherford became the first Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1996 to carry the state.

California
California was won by the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. One of the most Democratic states in the nation, California had not voted for a Republican since 1988, when George H.W. Bush won the state over Michael Dukakis.

As Rutherford won nationally in a massive landslide, taking 63.58% of the vote nationwide, California weighed in as 9.7% more Democratic than the nation as a whole. The President obtained a record 73.28% of the vote there, to Trump's 24.21%, beating him by a margin of 49.07 percentage points. He won every county in the state except for Lassen and Modoc in the northeast, which had for some decades been California's most Republican counties. Rutherford became the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 to win Sutter County, the first since Johnson in 1964 to carry the counties of Calaveras, Colusa, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, and Tulare, the first since Hubert Humphrey in 1968 to win Kings County, and the first since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to win Amador, El Dorado, Madera, Placer, Shasta, Sierra, and Yuba Counties.

Rutherford did exceptionally well throughout the state, setting new records for a presidential candidate from either party. He absolutely dominated in the Bay Area, breaking 90% in San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. He displayed a similar level of dominance in Central and Southern California, breaking 80% in Los Angeles, Imperial, Monterey, Contra Costa, Solano, Yolo, Napa, and Sonoma, and 70% in San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Benito, Alpine, Mendocino, and Humboldt Counties. He broke 60% in several other counties, including Orange, Riverside, San Bernandino, Fresno, Ventura, San Luis Obsipo, Stanislaus, Merced, Nevada, San Joaquin, Lake, Trinity, Del Norte, and Siskiyou.

Rutherford won all 53 of California's congressional districts.

Colorado
Colorado was won by the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Colorado, which had been a swing state since the 1980s, weighed in as 0.74% more Republican than the nation. This was the first time since 1964, however, that a Democrat won the state by more than 20 percentage points, for Rutherford earned 62.84% of the vote, to Trump's 31.74%.

Rutherford won all but four counties: the Western Colorado county of Moffat, and the Eastern Colorado counties of Washington, Cheyenne, and Baca. Washington County has not voted Democratic since Franklin Roosevelt carried it in 1936, and the others have not done so since Lyndon Johnson's landslide in 1964. Trump carried each of his counties with an absolute majority. Moreover, Rutherford carried the traditionally Republican counties of Yuma, Kit Carson, and Kiowa; he was the first Democrat since Johnson in 1964 to win these counties. Rutherford also became the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 to win Elbert and Hinsdale Counties. He won all of his counties with an absolute majority.

The President broke 60% in the suburban Denver counties of Jefferson, Adams, and Arapahoe, and in several western counties such as Alamosa, Gunnison, Huerfano, La Plata, San Juan, Ouray, Chaffee, Lake, Eagle, Gilpin, Garfield, Clear Creek, Routt, and Larimer. He broke 70% in Pueblo, Las Animas, Summit, Pitkin, and San Miguel Counties, 80% in Boulder and Costilla Counties, and 90% in Denver County. Several other typically Republican counties in addition to the ones mentioned, including Weld, Douglas, El Paso, Teller, Park, Mesa, and Delta, also voted for Rutherford, the first Democrat to win them since Johnson.

Rutherford won all seven of Colorado's congressional districts.

Connecticut
Connecticut voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Connecticut by a wide margin of 39.57%, earning 69.28% of the popular vote to Trump's 29.71%. Connecticut, a solidly Democratic state, had not voted Republican since it went for George H.W. Bush over Michael Dukakis in 1988. In this election, it was one of nine states throughout the country where Rutherford won every county. He broke 70% in Hartford and Fairfield Counties, and 60% in the remainder except for the typically Republican counties of Litchfield and Windham, which he carried with more than 50% of the vote. Rutherford won all five of Connecticut's congressional districts.

Delaware
Delaware voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. All three counties in the state (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex) went blue, and Rutherford won the state with 68.60% of the popular vote to Trump's 29.35%, a margin of 39.25%. Rutherford broke 70% in New Castle County and 60% in Kent County. Rutherford was the first Democrat to win traditionally Republican Sussex County since Bill Clinton twenty years earlier, and the first since Johnson in 1964 to carry it with an absolute majority (55%). Delaware was one of nine states where Rutherford won every county. Rutherford won Delaware's at-large congressional district.

District of Columbia
The District of Columbia voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. The solidly Democratic District, which has never gone Republican since it started voting in presidential elections in 1964, went to Rutherford by a margin of 85.84%, or 262,958 votes, his largest margin of victory in the country. Rutherford obtained 91.78% of the popular vote, the best performance ever for a Democrat there, to Trump's 5.94%.

Florida
Florida voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. The perennial swing state has voted for the victor in every presidential election since 1964, with the exception of 1992. For the first time since 1948, a Democrat won the state by double digits, as Rutherford earned 63.73% of the popular vote to Trump's 35.41%, a victory margin of 28.32%. Florida closely matched the national vote, weighing in as 0.15% more Democratic than the nation at large.

Rutherford won 48 of Florida's 67 counties, becoming the first Democrat since Truman to carry the majority. Moreover, he carried all of his counties with absolute majorities. This included wins in the populous Brevard, Lake, Marion, Polk, Sarasota, Manatee, Collier, and Escambia Counties. Trump held on to only Republican strongholds in the Florida Panhandle, breaking 60% in several (Walton, Washington, Calhoun, Liberty, Lafayette, Dixie, Gilchrist, Suwanee, Union, and Baker), and 70% in one (Holmes). In Democratic strongholds, Rutherford set new records. He broke 70% in Leon, Alachua, Orange, Osceola, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties, and 80% in Broward and Gadsden Counties. He also earned over 60% in the swing counties of Monroe, Pinellas, Hillsborough, St. Lucie, and Duval, and in Pasco, Hernando, Okeechobee, Glades, Seminole, Volusia, Flagler, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties.

Rutherford won 26 of Florida's 27 congressional districts, losing only the 2nd District in the Florida Panhandle.

Georgia
Georgia voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Georgia by a significant margin of 17.88%, becoming the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1980 to win the state by double-digits. He earned 58.20% of the popular vote, to Trump's 40.34%.

Rutherford carried 101 of Georgia's counties, to Trump's 58. He broke 60% in several counties of the Black Belt, in Chatham County, and in the Atlanta suburban counties of Henry, Newton, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Douglas. He broke 70% in several other counties such as Clarke, Taliaferro, Liberty, Rockdale, Talbert, Stewart, and Macon, 80% in Fulton County, and 90% in Clayton and DeKalb Counties. Rutherford won absolute majorities in Paulding, Caroll, Coweta, and Fayette Counties, and pluralities (over 40%) in Heard, Bibb, and Haralson Counties. Trump, however, carried Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, and Barrow Counties to the north and east of Atlanta, and won most of the counties in Northern Georgia with 60% or more of the vote. He broke 70% in several counties throughout the state, notably in Pike, Banks, Dawson, and Glassock. Trump's performance in Northern Georgia and in parts of Southeastern Georgia was sufficient to hold Rutherford under 60% overall. Georgia thus weighed in as 5.38% more Republican than the nation.

Rutherford won 11 of Georgia's 14 congressional districts; Trump won GA-09, GA-11, and GA-14.

Hawaii
Hawaii voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. A solidly Democratic state, having not gone Republican since Ronald Reagan's landslide reelection over Walter Mondale in 1984, Hawaii gave 79.51% of its votes to Rutherford, versus 18.11% for Trump. This was a victory margin of 61.40%. Hawaii was Rutherford's best state in the nation and Trump's worst; this was also his second-largest margin of victory after the District of Columbia.

Rutherford broke 70% in Honolulu and Kauai Counties, and 80% in Kalawao, Maui, and Hawaii Counties. Hawaii was one of nine states where he won every county. The President also carried both of its congressional districts.

Idaho
Idaho voted for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Idaho by a margin of 9.23%, obtaining 50.74% of the popular vote to Trump's 41.51%. A typically Republican state, Idaho, like many other states throughout the country, swung dramatically in the Democrats' direction in 2016 due to the profound unpopularity and perceived incompetence of Trump, in the eyes of many American voters. In Idaho, Mormon voters, who comprised a significant chunk of the electorate, were repelled by Trump's moral ambiguity and his sordid marriage history; other Idaho voters viewed Rutherford as tough on foreign policy, as a social moderate, and as a bipartisan President capable of political compromise. They also saw him as more competent than Trump.

Trump carried 23 of Idaho's 44 counties, to Rutherford's 21. However, Rutherford won the state by a comfortable margin due to victories in Idaho's most populous counties. He won a plurality in Twin Falls County, carried Bannock, Bonneville, Bingham, Nez Perce, and Canyon Counties with absolute majorities, and obtained over 60% of the vote in Ada, Latah, and Teton Counties. He also broke 80% in the Democratic stronghold of Blaine County. Rutherford became the first Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to win the state, and the first since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 to win Ada County. Nevertheless, Idaho still weighed in as 12.84% more Republican than the nation.

Rutherford won both of Idaho's congressional districts.

Illinois
Illinois voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. One of the most solidly Democratic states in the country, Illinois had not voted Republican since George H.W. Bush's victory in 1988. As expected, Rutherford won the state in a landslide, earning 67.45% of the popular vote, to Trump's 30.12%, a victory margin of 37.33%.

Rutherford won all but four counties in the state: Edwards, Wayne, Woodford, and Johnson. Of these, Trump won Johnson County with a plurality, and the others with 50% majorities. The President carried all but four of his counties with absolute majorities, prevailing in Wabash, Richland, Iroquois, and Ford Counties with pluralities. He became only the second Democrat in history to win Ford County (following Franklin Roosevelt in 1932), the first since Roosevelt in 1940 to win Iroquois County, the first since Johnson in 1964 to win Wabash County, and the first since Bill Clinton in 1992 to win Richland County. He was also the first Democrat ever to win Ogle County, and the first since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to win Lee County.

Rutherford broke 60% in 40 of Illinois's counties, including the Chicago suburban counties of Lake and Will, and became the first Democrat in history to earn more than 80% of the vote in Cook County. The President won all 18 of Illinois's congressional districts.

Indiana
Indiana voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. A typically Republican state, Indiana was carried by the President with 56.90% of the popular vote to Trump's 40.85%, a victory margin of 16.05%. This was the first time since 1964 that a Democrat won the state by a double-digit margin, and only the second time since then that the state went Democratic, following Rutherford's narrow triumph there four years earlier. Nevertheless, reflecting its Republican roots, Indiana was Trump's best state in the Great Lakes region, weighing in as 6.68% more Republican than the nation.

Rutherford carried 77 of Indiana's 92 counties. He ran up record numbers in the Gary and Indianapolis metropolitan areas, breaking 70% in Marion, Monroe, and Lake Counties, and 60% in St. Joseph's County. Rutherford also won the populous Madison, Allen, Delaware, Vanderburgh, Clark, and Floyd Counties by decisive margins. Moreover, he made history by becoming the first Democrat since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to win Hendricks and Hamilton Counties, and the first since Johnson in 1964 to win Hancock County. These suburban counties of Indianapolis had been heavily Republican for generations, but voters were turned off by Trump's rhetoric and perceived incompetence.

Rutherford won all 9 of Indiana's congressional districts.

Iowa
Iowa voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald Trump of New York. Rutherford won Iowa with 62.57% of the popular vote to Trump's 35.45%, a victory margin of 27.12%. Iowa, however, weighed in as 1.01% more Republican than the nation.

Rutherford won 88 of Iowa's 99 counties. He broke 60% in 47 of them, 70% in 4 (Polk, Story, Black Hawk, and Linn), and 80% in 1 (Johnson). Trump received over 60% of the vote in Sioux and Lynn Counties, but carried four others (Van Buren, Davis, Wayne, and Humboldt) with pluralities. The President won all four of Iowa's congressional districts.

Kansas
Kansas voted for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald Trump of New York. Kansas was won by Rutherford with 52.95% of the popular vote to Trump's 42.47%, a victory margin of 10.48%. Thus, the state weighed in as 10.63% more Republican than the nation at large.

With this win, Rutherford became the first Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to win the state. Though Trump still carried the majority of the state's counties, carrying 80 to Rutherford's 25, Rutherford won the state by a clear margin due to prevailing in all of its most populous counties. He obtained record margins in the Democratic strongholds of Wyandotte and Douglas, obtaining more than 70% in the former and 80% in the latter, and earned over 60% in Johnson, Shawnee, and Riley Counties. He also won a majority in the populous counties of Sedgwick, Leavenworth, Miami, Lyon, Butler, Crawford, and Cowley, in addition to carrying a number of other rural counties. Trump still received more than 60% of the vote in most Western counties, and broke 70% in Wallace County. However, Rutherford's decisive victories in the major urban and suburban areas made him the first Democrat in history to carry Kansas by a double-digit margin.

The President won three of Kansas's congressional districts (KS-02, KS-03, and KS-04), while Trump carried the heavily Republican 1st District in the western half of the state.

Kentucky
Kentucky voted for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Although Kentucky had generally voted Republican since 1968, with the exceptions of 1976, 1992 and 1996, they were nevertheless persuaded in this election to vote for the populist moderate Rutherford, and like many other states throughout the country, moved in the Democrats' direction due to a reaction against Trump's perceived incompetence, rhetoric, and prior positions on social and other issues. However, Kentucky was the sixth-closest state in the election, as Rutherford won 51.92% of the popular vote to Trump's 45.99%, a victory margin of 5.93%. Kentucky thus weighed in as 11.66% more Republican than the nation.

Trump carried 65 of Kentucky's 120 counties, to Rutherford's 55. This served to keep the race close. However, Rutherford prevailed due to victories in all of the state's most populous counties. He obtained over 60% in Franklin County, home to the state's capital Frankfort, and broke 70% in Jefferson (home to Louisville, the most populous city), and Fayette (home to Lexington, the second-largest city) Counties. He also earned over 70% of the vote in traditionally Democratic Elliott County, which has never voted for a Republican at the presidential level. Rutherford won majorities in the populous Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Daviess, Henderson, Warren, Christian, McCracken, Calloway, Jessamine, Woodford, Oldham, Nelson, and Hardin Counties, and a plurality in Boyd County, while Trump carried Madison County with a plurality.

Rutherford won five of Kentucky's congressional districts (KY-02, KY-03, KY-04, KY-01 and KY-06) in the northern half of the state, while Trump carried KY-05 in the eastern portion of the state.

Louisiana
Louisiana voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Louisiana was won by Rutherford with 54.34% of the popular vote, to 43.68% for Trump, a victory margin of 10.66%. The state thus weighed in as 9.24% more Republican than the nation. With his victory, Rutherford became the first Democrat to win Louisiana since Bill Clinton in 1996, twenty years earlier. Louisiana, like many other typically Republican states at the presidential level, swung dramatically in the Democrats' direction due to Trump's perceived immorality, his business record, and his controversial comments, the latter two of which were an especially motivating factor for the state's African-American voters. Rutherford was also perceived as a moderate and bipartisan negotiator by many in the state, and was further boosted by his vigorous response to the floods which had impacted the state earlier that year.

The President performed surprisingly well throughout the state, dominating among African-American voters and managing to capture 40% of the white vote. He carried 43 of Louisiana's 67 parishes and won four of its six congressional districts. Rutherford broke 60% in the parishes of Caddo (home to Shreveport), West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge (home to the state capital, Baton Rouge), West Feliciana, East Feliciana, Assumption, St. James, St. Landry, Evangeline, Tensas, Madison, East Caroll, and Tangipahoa, 70% in Pointe Coupe and Iberville Parishes, and 80% in the heavily Democratic Orleans Parish, home to New Orleans.

Maine
Maine voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. A solidly Democratic state, Maine has not voted Republican since George H.W. Bush won there in 1988 over Michael Dukakis. Rutherford carried Maine by a wide margin of 35.67%, earning 65.89% of the popular vote to Trump's 30.22%. Maine was one of nine states where the President won every county. He broke 60% in York, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Kennebec, Waldo, Hancock, and Franklin Counties, and exceeded 70% in Cumberland and Knox Counties. Rutherford won both of Maine's congressional districts.

Maryland
Maryland voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. One of the most solidly Democratic states in the nation, Maryland has not voted Republican since George H.W. Bush carried it narrowly in 1988 over Michael Dukakis. Rutherford won Maryland with a whopping 72.95% of the popular vote to Trump's 24.61%, a victory margin of 48.34%. He became the first Democrat ever to win more than 70% of the vote in Maryland. Even in the midst of a major Democratic landslide, Maryland weighed in as 9.37% more Democratic than the nation.

The President won all but one of Maryland's counties: heavily Republican Garnet County, in the state's northwest, which gave Trump an absolute majority. He became the first Democrat to win Anne Arundel County since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and the first to win Dorchester County with an absolute majority since John F. Kennedy in 1960. Rutherford set new records in Democratic strongholds within the populous Baltimore-Washington D.C. metropolitan area. He broke 60% in Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Kent Counties, 70% in Howard and Charles Counties, 80% in Montgomery County, and 90% in the heavily African-American Prince George's County and Baltimore City.

Rutherford won all eight of Maryland's congressional districts.

Massachusetts
Massachusetts voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. One of the most solidly Democratic states in the nation, Massachusetts has not voted Republican since Ronald Reagan won it in his 1984 landslide re-election over Walter Mondale. It has been a generally Democratic-leaning state ever since the election of 1928, when Al Smith carried it narrowly even as Herbert Hoover won in a national landslide.

Rutherford carried Massachusetts with 70.92% of the popular vote to Trump's 26.61%, a victory margin of 44.31%. This was the second-most decisive Democratic victory in Massachusetts to date, surpassed only by Lyndon Johnson's victory here over Barry Goldwater in 1964, when he won the state with 76.19% of the vote. Nevertheless, Massachusetts constituted the eighth-strongest victory for the Democrats in the country. Voters in liberal New England were especially turned off by Trump's bombast, rhetoric, and business record, and viewed him, even more than the nation at large, as a liar and dangerous demagogue. Consequently, Rutherford earned more than two-thirds of the vote in the state.

Massachusetts was one of nine states where the President won every county, continuing a Democratic streak that had been ongoing since 1992. He broke 60% in Barnstable, Nantucket, Bristol, Worchester, Hampden, and Essex Counties, 70% in Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, Middlesex, and Norfolk Counties, and 80% in Suffolk and Dukes Counties, while carrying Plymouth County with an absolute majority. He was only the second Democrat in history to take more than 80% of the vote in Suffolk County (home to the state's capital and largest city Boston), following Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Rutherford won all 9 of Massachusetts's congressional districts.

Michigan
Michigan voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. A reliably Democratic state, Michigan has not voted Republican since George H.W. Bush won it over Michael Dukakis in 1988. Rutherford won Michigan with 64.96% of the popular vote to Trump's 33.79%, a victory margin of 31.17%. Michigan thus weighed in as 1.38% more Democratic than the nation.

Rutherford won all but two of Michigan's 83 counties: Missaukee and Hillsdale Counties, which Trump won with an absolute majority. He broke 60% in the populous Detroit suburban counties of Macomb and Oakland, and in 31 other counties, including Genessee, Saginaw, Isabella, Eaton, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Leelanau, and Marquette Counties. He obtained more than 70% of the vote in Ingham County, and broke 80% in heavily Democratic Wayne and Washtenaw Counties, the former being home to the state's largest city, Detroit. Rutherford won all 14 of Michigan's congressional districts.

Minnesota
The Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford, overwhelmingly won his home state of Minnesota over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Minnesota with 65.01% of the popular vote to Trump's 31.31%, a victory margin of 33.70%.

Minnesota was Rutherford's eighteenth best state in the nation and his second best in the Great Lakes region below Illinois, weighing in as 1.43% more Democratic than the nation. Rutherford won every region in the state by significant margins, including the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Iron Range, Red River Valley, Central Minnesota, Southeastern Minnesota, the Minnesota River Valley, and Buffalo Ridge. Every major city in the state voted for Rutherford, along with every mid-sized city and small town with the exceptions of Little Falls, Long Prairie, and Fairmont, which were won by Trump.

Given that it was also Rutherford's home county, Otter Tail County voted Democratic for the first time since 1936. Rutherford also became the first Democrat since Roosevelt in that year to win Carver County, adjacent to the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

President Rutherford carried 84 out of Minnesota's 87 counties, and all eight congressional districts. Trump won the counties of Todd and Morrison in Central Minnesota with absolute majorities, and carried Martin County along the state's southern boundary with a plurality. Rutherford broke 60% in 47 counties; 70% in St. Louis, Lake, Cook, Carlton, Norman, and Kittson Counties; and 80% in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties, home to St. Paul and Minneapolis respectively. The 2016 presidential election marked the first time since 1964 that a Democratic candidate for President won Minnesota with over sixty percent of the vote, the first time since 1996 that it was won by a double-digit margin, and the first time that any counties were carried with more than eighty percent of the vote.

Mississippi
Mississippi voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Mississippi by a margin of 12.95%, earning 56.02% of the popular vote to Trump's 43.07%. Nevertheless, Mississippi weighed in as 7.56% more Republican than the nation. This election marked only the third time since 1960 that the state voted Democratic, following fellow Southerner Jimmy Carter's win in 1976 and Rutherford's prior, narrow triumph in the election of 2012. Mississippi, like many other states, swung the Democrats' direction due to widespread distaste for Trump's moral character, business record, and rhetoric during the course of the campaign. Black voters in particular, who made up more than a third of the state's electorate, were motivated to turnout by allegations of racial discrimination in Trump's businesses and by his statements relating to the Central Park Five, as well as the presence on the Democratic ticket of Vice-President Harold Ford, Jr. of Tennessee, the nation's first African-American Vice President.

Rutherford won 97% of the black vote and managed to capture 30% of whites, which proved critical to his victory in the state. The President carried 62 of Mississippi's 82 counties; this included majority wins in the populous DeSoto, Madison, Forrest, Harrison, and Jackson Counties. He earned record numbers in the heavily African-American counties of the Black Belt, breaking 60% in 11 counties, 70% in 3, 80% in 10 (including Hinds County, home to Jackson, the state's capital and largest city), and 90% in 4 (Jefferson, Claiborne, Holmes, and Noxubee Counties).

Holmes County, in fact, ranked among the five most Democratic counties in the nation. Rutherford also carried Carroll and Itawamba Counties with pluralities. Trump, however, broke 60% in Rankin County, adjacent to Hinds, and in counties such as Perry, Stone, Lamar, and Pearl River in the southern region of the state, thereby keeping the President well short of 60%. Trump also earned more than 70% of the vote in Tishomingo County, in the northeastern part of the state. Nevertheless, Rutherford won all four of Mississippi's congressional districts.

Missouri
Missouri voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Missouri with 57.11% of the popular vote to Trump's 41.04%, a victory margin of 16.07%. Missouri thus weighed in as 6.47% more Republican than the nation.

Rutherford carried 64 of Missouri's 115 counties, and set new records in the Democratic strongholds of St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia. He obtained over 60% of the vote in Jackson, Boone, and St. Louis Counties, and broke 80% in St. Louis City. Rutherford also won decisive majorities in the populous suburban counties of St. Charles, Franklin, and Jefferson outside of St. Louis; and in Platte, Clay, Johnson, and Lafayette Counties outside of Kansas City. He also carried Greene County, home to the state's capital of Springfield, and the populous counties of St. Francois, Buchanan, Pettis, Adair, Calloway, Lincoln, and Warren, in addition to holding Trump to plurality wins in Caroll and DeKalb Counties. Moreover, the President carried most of the rural counties in Northern Missouri, including Pike County, the counties of Southeastern Missouri, and those of the Mississippi Lowlands. Trump, on his part, won most of the traditionally Republican counties in Central and Southwestern Missouri, breaking 60% in Barton, McDowell, Wright, Mercer, and Putnam Counties.

Rutherford won 6 of Missouri's congressional districts; Trump won MO-07 in the southwestern corner of the state.

Montana
Montana voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Montana with 53.67% of the popular vote to Trump's 36.21%, a victory margin of 17.46%. Third party candidate Gary Johnson received 10.12% of the popular vote in Montana, one of only two states (along with Utah), where the third-party vote broke into double-digit territory. Montana weighed in as 9.91% more Republican than the nation at large. This was the third time since 1964 that the state went Democratic, following 1992 and 2012.

Rutherford carried 29 of Montana's counties, to Trump's 27. He won Beaverhead and Madison Counties with pluralities of the vote cast, thanks in part to Johnson. Rutherford won absolute majorities in the populous counties of Lewis and Clark, Cascade, Yellowstone, and Flathead. He broke 60% in Deer Lodge, Gallatin, and Big Horn Counties, 70% in Silver Bow and Missoula Counties, and 80% in Glacier County. Trump, however, broke 60% in two counties (McCone and Treasure), and 70% in 8 (Musselshell, Petroleum, Garfield, Prairie, Wibaux, Richland, Fallon, and Carter). He carried his remaining counties with absolute majorities.

Rutherford won Montana's at-large congressional district.

Nebraska
Nebraska voted for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Nebraska with 53.23% of the popular vote, to Trump's 43.26%, a margin of 9.97%. Nebraska weighed in as 10.34% more Republican than the nation at large.

With this win, Rutherford became the first Democrat in 52 years, since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, to carry the state. Trump carried the state's 3rd congressional district, one of the most Republican in the country, which encompassed the western half of the state, while Rutherford carried the 1st and 2nd in the eastern half. Rutherford won 23 counties to Trump's 70. However, as with other such states, the President won by a comfortable margin due to his sweep of the most populous counties. He broke 60% in the state's two most populous, Lancaster (home to Lincoln, the state's capital) and Douglas (home to Omaha, the state's largest city). He also won a sizable (56%) majority in Sarpy County, the state's third most populous after Douglas and Lancaster. Rutherford also carried the populous Lincoln, Buffalo, Hall, Adams, Cass, Gage, Saunders, and Washington Counties, and obtained more than 40% of the vote in Madison County, carried by Trump. Trump still broke 60% in most of the counties in Western Nebraska, and obtained over 70% in two (Grant and Hayes) thereby serving to keep the state within single digits. Nebraska was thus Rutherford's weakest win in the Great Plains region.

Nevada
Nevada voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Nevada with 67.39% of the popular vote to Trump's 30.18%, a victory margin of 37.21%. Nevada thus weighed in as 3.81% more Democratic than the nation.

Rutherford won 14 of Nevada's 17 counties, including a plurality win in the traditionally Republican Lander County. Trump broke 60% in Eureka County, and carried Esmeralda and Lincoln Counties with absolute majorities. Notably, Rutherford became the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 to win Douglas County. The President broke 60% in Washoe County, home to Reno, the state's second-largest city, and 70% in Clark County, the most populous in the state and home to the legendary gambling city of Las Vegas. Rutherford won all four of Nevada's congressional districts.

New Hampshire
New Hampshire voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford took 63.47% of the vote to Trump's 35.10%, a victory margin of 28.37%. New Hampshire thus weighed in as 0.11% more Republican than the nation. However, it was one of nine states where the President won every county.

Rutherford broke 60% in Merrimack, Hillsborough, Rockingham, Cheshire, Strafford, and Carroll Counties, and 70% in Grafton County, winning Belknap and Coos Counties with majorities of over 50% of the vote. New Hampshire, a liberal northeastern state, had also been a swing state since 1992, when Bill Clinton had won it in an upset over George H.W. Bush. Like other states in New England, voters in New Hampshire were repelled by Trump's perceived incompetence, crudeness, business record, and conduct during the course of the campaign. They strongly supported President Rutherford, who was highly popular and whose New Destiny programs were strongly backed by voters. However, reflecting its tilt as a swing state, New Hampshire was Rutherford's weakest win in New England, and the only state in the region which voted more Republican than the nation at large.

Rutherford won both of New Hampshire's congressional districts.

New Jersey
New Jersey voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried New Jersey in a landslide with 69.78% of the vote to Trump's 28.98%, a victory margin of 40.80%. New Jersey thus weighed in as 6.2% more Democratic than the nation.

A solidly Democratic state, New Jersey had not voted Republican since George H.W. Bush won it over Michael Dukakis in 1988. It easily continued that trend in this election, and was one of the strongest Democratic victories in the country. Rutherford won all 21 of New Jersey's counties, making him only the second Democrat in history, following Lyndon Johnson in 1964, to accomplish that feat. New Jersey was one of nine states in the country where the President won every single county. Rutherford broke 60% in five counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Somerset), 70% in 4 (Camden, Burlington, Middlesex, Passaic), 80% in 3 (Union, Hudson, and Mercer), and 90% in one (Essex County). This constituted the best Democratic performance ever in New Jersey. Trump's best county was Ocean County, which he lost to Rutherford 55-45%. New Jersey, like other liberal northeastern states, was turned off by Trump's bombast, rhetoric, and business record; in addition, Trump's claim at the October 19 presidential debate in Nevada to have seen "thousands" of people celebrating in Jersey City over 9/11 was received very negatively in the state, and further hurt him with its voters.

Rutherford won all 12 of New Jersey's congressional districts.

New Mexico
New Mexico voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried New Mexico in a landslide with 69.07% of the vote to Trump's 28.98%, a victory margin of 44.64%. New Mexico thus weighed in as 5.49% more Democratic than the nation.

New Mexico was a generally Democratic state which had only gone Republican once since 1988, in 2004 for John McCain. Thus, Rutherford's victory here was no surprise. Rutherford, however, won the state by the largest margin and with the highest percentage of any Democrat. He carried 30 of New Mexico's 33 counties, including a plurality win in Roosevelt County. He was the first Democrat to win Lincoln County since Franklin Roosevelt carried it in 1936, and the first to win Curry, San Juan, Roosevelt, and Chaves Counties since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Rutherford broke 60% in Hidalgo, Luna, Grant, Socorro, Valencia (the bellwether, having voted for the nationwide winner in every election since 1952), Cibola, and Colfax Counties, 70% in Bernalillo, Guadelupe, and Los Alamos Counties, 80% in San Miguel, Mora, Taos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and McKinley Counties, and 90% in Santa Fe County. Trump won Lea County with an absolute majority, and carried Catron and Union Counties with over 60% of the vote.

Rutherford won all three of New Mexico's congressional districts.

New York
New York voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried the state in a historic landslide, taking 73.08% of the vote to Trump's 24.99%, a victory margin of 48.09%. New York thus weighed in as 9.5% more Democratic than the nation.

Rutherford's victory was even more notable by the fact that New York was Trump's home state. Trump, however, was particularly unpopular there, due to the residents' decades-long familiarity with his business practices, his marital escapades, and his public statements. He was especially disliked in his native New York City, where the wealthier Manhattan elites considered him beneath them, and where many residents believed him to be a racist and a demagogue. Working-class voters in upstate New York, who had benefited mightily from the President's New Frontier programs, also had a negative view of Trump. Rutherford thus won the state by the largest margin, and with the highest percentage, ever obtained by a Democrat there. He became only the second Democrat in history, following Lyndon Johnson, to win all 62 of New York's counties, and only the fourth President overall, following Johnson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding, to do so. Putnam, Steuben, Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties all voted Democratic for the first time since 1964, while Hamilton and Greene Counties did so for the first time since 1968.

Rutherford swept all five boroughs of New York City, becoming the first Democrat since Bill Clinton twenty years earlier to do so. He also posted the best Democratic performance ever in New York City, winning 88% of the votes cast. Rutherford broke 90% in the Bronx, 80% in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and 60% in Staten Island, the most Republican of the city's boroughs. Rutherford also dominated in the other Democratic strongholds (such as Albany, Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo), breaking 70% in Ulster, Tompkins, Albany, and Westchester Counties. He earned over 60% of the vote in 33 of New York's counties, including, besides Staten Island, in Erie, Niagara, Monroe, Dutchess, and the Long Island counties of Suffolk and Nassau.

Rutherford won all 27 of New York's congressional districts.

North Carolina
North Carolina voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won North Carolina with 60.15% of the vote to Trump's 38.69%, a margin of 21.46%. North Carolina, a Republican-leaning swing state, thus weighed in as 3.43% more Republican than the nation.

Rutherford carried 80 of North Carolina's 100 counties. He dominated in the traditionally Democratic Research Triangle and Black Belt counties, obtaining record margins and turnout there. The President broke 60% in 13 counties (Scotland, Hope, Buncombe, Watauga, Forsyth, Chatham, Granville, Wilson, Pitt, Edgecombe, Martin, Washington, and Pasquotank), 70% in 11 (Mecklenburg, Anson, Cumberland, Wake, Guliford, Orange, Vance, Warren, Halifax, Northampton, Hertford, and Bertie), and 80% in 1 (Durham County). In the state's four largest counties, Mecklenburg, Guliford, Wake, and Forsyth, therefore, the President won by large margins. Rutherford won the suburban Cabarrus and Gaston Counties near Mecklenburg County, and carried Rutherford (ironically) and McDowell Counties with pluralities. He also won majorities in all of the populous counties of the Lowlands, including New Hanover, Brunswick, Onslow, Columbus, Duplin, Wayne, Robeson, Moore, Harnett, Lee, and Johnston. Trump, on the other hand, broke 60% in 15 of the counties he carried, including the populous Davidson and Randolph Counties, and 70% in 2 (Graham and Yadkin), winning 3 others (Ashe, Alleghany, and Carteret) with absolute majorities.

Rutherford won 11 of North Carolina's 12 congressional districts, losing only the Appalachian-based 5th District, the most Republican district in the state.

North Dakota
North Dakota voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won North Dakota with 54.37% of the popular vote to Trump's 40.65%, a margin of 13.72%. North Dakota thus weighed in as 9.21% more Republican than the nation as a whole.

With this win, Rutherford became the first Democrat in 52 years, since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, to carry North Dakota. Rutherford carried 42 of North Dakota's 53 counties. He won Ward, Grand Forks, and Burleigh (home to Bismarck, the state's capital) Counties with absolute majorities, and obtained over 60% of the vote in the state's most populous county, Cass County, home to the state's largest city, Fargo. Rutherford won pluralities of the vote in Emmons and Logan Counties, broke 60% in Benson County, 70% in Rolette County, and 80% in Sioux County; the latter two contained Native American reservations, and were traditional Democratic strongholds in the state.

Trump broke 50% in 7 of the counties which he carried, and 60% in 3 (Slope, Sheridan, and Burke). He won one other county (Bottineau), with a plurality of the vote cast. Rutherford won North Dakota's at-large congressional district.

Ohio
Ohio was overwhelmingly won by incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Ohio with 61.16% of the popular vote, to Trump's 37.07%, prevailing by a margin of 24.09%. The perennial swing state, which has voted for the victor in every presidential election since 1964, thus weighed in as 2.42% more Republican then the nation at large. It was Rutherford's second-weakest win in the Great Lake states, behind Indiana. Nevertheless, Rutherford became the first Democrat since Lyndon Johnson to win the state by double digits, to obtain over 60% of the popular vote, and to win the majority of counties.

Rutherford carried 75 of Ohio's 88 counties, winning seven of them (Paulding, Defiance, Henry, Crawford, Ashland, Knox, and Miami) with pluralities of the vote cast. The President won majorities in the suburban counties adjacent to Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, such as Butler, Warren, Clermont (Cincinnati), Fairfield, Licking, Delaware, Union (Columbus), and Summit, Lorain, Medina, Geauga, and Lake (Cleveland). He also won decisive majorities in Hocking, Morgan, and Washington Counties adjacent to Athens, and in Wood, Sandusky, Ottawa, Fulton, and Henry Counties (Toledo). He broke 60% in 29 counties, most of them along Ohio's eastern boundary, which had for generations been the most Democratic region in the state. This included Wood, Erie, Lorain, Portage, and Montgomery Counties (the last being home to the major city of Dayton, another Democratic stronghold). He broke 70% in Hamilton, Franklin, Athens, Lucas, Trumbull, and Mahoning Counties, the first four home to Cincinnati, Columbus, Athens, and Toledo respectively, and 80% in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland). Of the 13 counties carried by Trump, he earned over 60% of the vote in 1 of them (Mercer County), carried Darke, Logan, Auglaize, Allen, Putnam, Van Wert, and Holmes Counties with absolute majorities, and won Shelby, Highland, Adams, and Noble Counties with pluralities of the vote cast.

Rutherford won all 16 of Ohio's congressional districts.

Oklahoma
Oklahoma was narrowly won by the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York, over the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota. Trump won Oklahoma by a margin of 4.08%, or 53,481 votes, carrying the state with 52.04% of the popular vote to Rutherford's 47.96%. Oklahoma weighed in as 17.97% more Republican than the nation, and Trump's victory there continued a Republican streak ongoing since 1964.

Nevertheless, Rutherford came the closest of any Democrat, except for Jimmy Carter in 1976, to winning the state since Lyndon Johnson. He did so, however, in a manner different from how Democrats had historically competed in the state. Trump won 64 of Oklahoma's counties to Rutherford's 13. Rutherford carried the state's two most populous counties, Oklahoma County and Tulsa County. He broke 60% in Oklahoma County, winning it 62-38% over Trump, and won Tulsa County with an absolute majority, prevailing there 54-46%. He was the first Democrat to win Tulsa County since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Rutherford also won absolute majorities in suburban Cleveland County, the state's third most populous after Oklahoma and Tulsa, in the fairly populous counties of Payne, Comanche, Oklmulgee, Muskogee, and Cherokee, and in the rural Love, Osage, and Seminole Counties. He carried Caddo and McIntosh Counties with pluralities.

Of Oklahoma's five congressional districts, Rutherford won two (OK-01 and OK-05, based in Tulsa and Oklahoma City respectively), while Trump carried the remaining three (OK-02, OK-03, and OK-04). In the end, Trump was able to hold on to the state by capturing 60% or 70% of the vote in the Oklahoma Panhandle and throughout most of Southern and Eastern Oklahoma, including in the mid-sized Canadian, Grady, Garfield, Kay, Rogers, and McClain Counties, by winning majorities in Washington and Pottawatomie Counties, and keeping the race fairly close in Caddo, McIntosh, and Love Counties.

Oklahoma was one of only two states in the country to vote for Trump, along with Wyoming.

Oregon
Oregon was overwhelmingly won by incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Oregon with 65.70% of the vote to Trump's 29.05%, a victory margin of 36.65%. A solidly Democratic state, Oregon has not voted for a Republican since 1984, when it went for Ronald Reagan in his landslide reelection over Walter Mondale. In this election, the state weighed in as 2.12% more Democratic than the nation.

Rutherford carried 33 of Oregon's 36 counties. Trump won Harney and Grant Counties with absolute majorities, and broke 60% in Lake County. By contrast, the President broke 60% in 12 counties, 70% in 3 (Benton, Hood River, and Washington), and 80% in Multnomah County, the state's most populous and home to Portland, its largest city. Rutherford was the first presidential candidate ever to break 80% in Multnomah County. He also became the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 to win Josephine County, home to Grants Pass, and located in the southwestern corner of the state. Trump proved especially repellent to Oregon's solidly liberal electorate, who strongly supported President Rutherford's New Frontier programs.

Rutherford won all five of Oregon's congressional districts.

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Pennsylvania with 63.15% of the popular vote to Trump's 35.03%, a victory margin of 28.12%. Pennsylvania weighed in as 0.43% more Republican than the nation, but this was the first time since 1964 that a Democrat won the state by a double-digit margin, and with over 60% of the vote.

Rutherford won 62 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. He became the first Democrat since Pennsylvania native James Buchanan in 1856, before the Civil War, to win the counties of Snyder and Union, the first since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to win Wayne County, and the first since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 to win Lebanon County. He also became the first Democrat since Johnson to win York, Cumberland, and Franklin Counties. Trump carried each of his counties (Juniata, Bedford, Fulton, Jefferson, and Potter) with an absolute majority. By contrast, Rutherford broke 60% in 23 counties, 70% in Delaware, Montgomery, and Allegheny Counties, and 90% in heavily Democratic Philadelphia County.

Rutherford won all 18 of Pennsylvania's congressional districts.

Rhode Island
Rhode Island voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Rhode Island with 72.13% of the popular vote to Trump's 25.72%, a margin of 46.41%. Even in the midst of a massive Democratic landslide, Rhode Island weighed in as 8.55% more Democratic than the nation. This was the largest Democratic victory in the state since Lyndon Johnson's triumph over Barry Goldwater in 1964, and the second-largest on record.

Rhode Island was one of nine states where the President won every county. Rutherford broke 60% in Washington and Kent Counties, and 70% in Providence and Newport Counties. He carried both of Rhode Island's congressional districts.

South Carolina
South Carolina voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried South Carolina with 56.68% of the popular vote to Trump's 41.68%, a margin of 15.00%. South Carolina weighed in as 6.9% more Republican than the nation, but this was the first time since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976 that a Democrat carried it by double digits. It was also only the third time (following 1976 and 2012) since 1960 that the state has voted Democratic.

Rutherford won 44 of South Carolina's 46 counties, with Trump winning only the heavily Republican Pickens and Oconee Counties in the northwest. Even them, he only carried them with absolute majorities. Rutherford won the populous Anderson and Horry Counties, at opposite ends of the state, with pluralities. He became the first Democrat since Adlai Stevenson in 1956 to win Greenville County, home to Greenville, the state's most populous city, and the first since Franklin Roosevelt in 1944 to win it with an absolute majority. The President won absolute majorities in other such populous counties as Beaufort, Berkeley, Dorchester, Aiken, Lexington, Spartansburg, York, and Georgetown. Rutherford dominated in the Black Belt counties, and in Charleston and Richland Counties, home to the state's third and second-largest cities, Charleston and Columbia, respectively. He earned over 60% of the vote in Charleston County and broke 70% in Richland County. The President broke 60% in Jasper, Colleton, Barnwell, McCormick, Chester, Clarendon, Florence, Marion, Darlington, and Marlboro Counties; 70% in Hampton, Bamburg, Orangeburg, Williamsburg, Sumter, Lee, and Dillon Counties; and 90% in Allendale County.

Rutherford won all seven of South Carolina's congressional districts.

South Dakota
South Dakota voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won South Dakota with 55.47% of the popular vote to Trump's 40.58%, a victory margin of 14.89%. South Dakota thus weighed in as 8.11% more Republican than the nation. With his victory, however, Rutherford became the first Democrat to win South Dakota in 52 years, since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Rutherford won 48 of South Dakota's 66 counties. This included a plurality win in Custer Cou4nty. The President won absolute majorities in Minnehaha County (the state's most populous, home to Sioux Falls, its largest city), and in the populous counties of Lincoln and Pennington. He also carried Hughes County, home to the state's capital Pierre, with an absolute majority, becoming the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 to win it. Rutherford broke 60% in Brookings, Moody, Day, Marshall, and Roberts Counties; 70% in Clay, Ziebach, Dewey, and Corson Counties; 80% in Buffalo County; and 90% in Ogala Lakota and Todd Counties. Ogala Lakota County, in fact, was one of his best counties in the nation. Trump carried eight counties with a plurality, won an absolute majority in 8 others, and broke 60% in the heavily Republican Harding and Haakon Counties.

Rutherford won South Dakota's at-large congressional district.

Tennessee
Tennessee voted for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Tennessee was the home state of Rutherford's running mate, Vice-President Harold Ford, Jr. Nevertheless, it was the seventh-closest state in the election, as Rutherford won with 52.30% of the popular vote to Trump's 46.20%, a victory margin of 6.20%. Thus, Tennessee weighed in as 11.28% more Republican then the nation at large.

With this win, Rutherford won Tennessee for the Democrats for the first time since Bill Clinton carried the state in 1996. Trump, however, won 54 of Tennessee's 95 counties. As in many other states where this scenario occurred, Rutherford prevailed by sweeping populous urban and suburban counties across the state. He broke 70% in Shelby and Davidson Counties, home to Memphis and Nashville, the state's second-largest city and capital respectively. He also broke 70% in Haywood County, and 60% in Hardeman and Madison Counties. Rutherford won Decatur County with a plurality, and carried the populous Knox (home to Knoxville), Anderson, Hamilton (home to Chattanooga), and Campbell Counties by comfortable margins. The President also won several other notable countries in central Tennessee, including Humphreys, Houston, Dickson, Franklin, and Robertson. But, key to Rutherford's victory in the state, was his triumph in the suburban counties adjoining Davidson County, including Rutherford, Wilson, and Willamson. It was these counties which guaranteed the President's carriage of Tennessee. He also performed significantly better in the remaining rural counties won by Trump then previous Democrats; Trump broke 70% only in Wayne County, and was held to less than 60% of the vote in 13 other counties, including the relatively populous Washington, Putnam, and Montgomery Counties.

Rutherford won six of Tennessee's congressional districts (TN-04, TN-05, TN-06, TN-07, TN-08, and TN-09), all located in Central and Western Tennessee; Trump won three in Eastern Tennessee, the heavily Republican TN-01 and TN-02, along with TN-03.

Texas
Texas voted decisively for the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Texas with 57.32% of the popular vote to Trump's 40.07%, a victory margin of 17.25%. Nevertheless, Texas weighed in as 6.26% more Republican than the nation. This victory marked only the second time since 1976 (following 2012), that Texas voted Democratic.

Trump carried 141 of Texas's counties to Rutherford's 113, and like prior Republican candidates in recent decades, won the rural vote. However, although he carried the Texas Panhandle, the Permian Basin, and the South Plains, three of the most conservative regions in the country, by wide margins, breaking 60%, 70%, or even 80% in many of these counties, his overall margins and percentages were nevertheless weaker than those of Mitt Romney in 2012, of John McCain in 2004 and 2008, and of George W. Bush in 2000. Rutherford did significantly better than any Democrat since Jimmy Carter in the rural regions of the state, carrying such important counties as Wichita County (home to Wichita Falls), Potter County (home to Amarillo, the largest city in the Texas Panhandle), and Ector County (home to Odessa). He won Wichita and Potter with absolute majorities, and obtained a plurality of the vote in Ector County. Rutherford also managed to get over 30% in Midland County (home to Midland), and over 40% in Lubbock County (home to Lubbock). Rutherford carried Deaf Smith and Menard Counties with pluralities, and won several other rural counties with majorities (including Bailey, Swisher, Fisher, Foard, Knox, Haskell, Cottle, Castro, Dawson, Lynn, Garza, and Nolan).

Rutherford did well in traditionally Republican East Texas. He won McLennan County (home to Waco, site of the Waco Incident of 1993), Smith County (home to Tyler), Gregg County, Harrison County (the last two home to Longview), Walker County (home to Huntsville), Bowie County (home to Texarkana), and Newton County (home to Jasper). In Eastern Texas, he won the traditional Democratic stronghold of Jefferson County (Beaumont) with more than 60% of the vote. But it was in the major suburban and urban counties of Texas, and in heavily Democratic South Texas, that the President dominated. He swept all four major cities of Texas, posting record totals and turnout for the Democrats. The President broke 60% in Harris and Bexar Counties, home to the cities of Houston and San Antonio respectively, 70% in Dallas County (home to Dallas), and 80% in Travis County, home to Austin, the state's capital. He won the Houston suburban counties of Waller and Fort Bend with more than 60% of the vote, and also carried the populous Brazoria and Galveston Counties (the latter being home to Galveston). Trump, however, did win Montgomery, Liberty, and Chambers Counties to the north and east of Houston, which would serve to keep Rutherford well under 60% statewide. Around Dallas, Rutherford won Tarrant County (home to Forth Worth and Arlington) by a double-digit margin, and carried Denton, Collin, and Kaufman Counties. Around Austin, he won Willamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, and Hays Counties, carrying Hays with more than 60% of the vote. And around San Antonio, he won Wilson, Guadalupe, and Atasosca Counties.

In Southern Texas, Rutherford won Nueces County (home to Corpus Christi), with more than 60% of the vote, and broke 90% in Webb County (home to Laredo). In far Western Texas, he carried El Paso County (home to El Paso), with more then 80% of the vote, and won the populous adjoining county of Hudspeth. Rutherford carried the remainder of the majority-Hispanic counties along the Rio Grande Valley with overwhelming majorities, breaking 60%, 70%, 80%, or even 90% in many of them. Jim Hogg and Maverick Counties, adjoining the border with Mexico, were two of the President's best counties in the nation.

Rutherford won 29 of Texas's congressional districts; Trump carried the remaining 7.

Utah
Utah voted decisively for the the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Utah with 53.24% of the popular vote to Trump's 30.46%, a victory margin of 22.78%. Utah thus weighed in as 10.34% Republican than the nation at large.

With this victory, Rutherford became the first Democrat to win Utah in 52 years, since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He also became the first Democrat to win Utah by a double-digit margin since Franklin Roosevelt in 1964. This was due to the candidacy of Gary Johnson, who received 15% of the popular vote in Utah, one of two states where a third-party candidate broke double digits, the other being Montana. For decades prior to this election, Utah had been one of the most Republican states in the nation, both at the state and the presidential level. Between 1976 and 2008, in fact, it had been the Republicans' best state, relative to the nation. Even in 2012, Mormon nominee Mitt Romney had won the state decisively over Rutherford 68.33-32.05%, a margin of 36.28%. Thus, Utah had the most dramatic swing of any state in the nation between 2012 and 2016. Like many other states, Utah moved dramatically in the Democrats' direction because of the distaste by many voters for Trump, whose deeply unpopular political positions, perceived immortality, blunders and statements, and business record alienated many. Moreover, President Rutherford enjoyed a high approval rating, and was viewed by many as a bipartisan moderate, being a foreign-policy hardliner, social centrist, and economic populist. In Utah, all of this was magnified by the unique Mormon distaste for Trump, whose views were considered to be at odds with those of the LDS Church.

Rutherford, consequently, won a decisive victory in the state. He carried 22 of Utah's 29 counties, which included plurality wins in Wayne and Garfield Counties. The President made history when he won an absolute majority in Kane County, becoming the first Democrat to carry this traditionally Republican stronghold since Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Rutherford performed exceptionally well in Northern and Southeastern Utah, the most Democratic regions of the state. He broke 60% in Grand, San Juan, and Salt Lake Counties, the last of these being home to Salt Lake City, Utah's capital and largest city. He obtained over 70% of the vote in Summit County, home to liberal, generally Democratic retirees and transplants. Rutherford also won Utah County, home to Provo and the Brigham Young University, with an absolute majority, and carried the populous Davis, Weber, Cache, Wasatch, Tooele, and Box Elder Counties with absolute majorities as well. Trump won an absolute majority in Rich County, and still managed to obtain over 60% in Uintah, Duchesne, Emery, Millard, Sevier, Piute, and Beaver Counties, though these totals were much lower than the Republican norm.

Rutherford won all four of Utah's congressional districts.

Vermont
Vermont voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. A liberal and solidly Democratic Northeastern state, Vermont has not voted Republican since it went narrowly for George H.W. Bush in 1988 over Michael Dukakis. Therefore, Rutherford's victory was not unexpected. The President easily carried Vermont with 74.49% of the popular vote to Trump's 23.90%, a victory margin of 50.59%. Even in the midst of a massive Democratic landslide, Vermont weighed in as 10.91% more Democratic than the nation.

Rutherford's victory in Vermont was the strongest ever obtained by a Democrat in the state, surpassing Lyndon B. Johnson's record from 1964, when he had become the first Democrat to ever win the state. Vermont's electorate was especially repelled by Trump's rhetoric, business record, behavior, and policy positions, while at the same time strongly favoring those of the President. Thus Trump performed especially weakly in the state, as he did throughout the Northeast, where Rutherford won every state with more than sixty or seventy percent of the vote. Rutherford swept all fourteen of Vermont's counties, thereby making it one of nine states throughout the nation where he did so. He broke 60% in 5 of them (Grand Isle, Franklin, Orleans, Caledonia, and Rutland) and 70% in 6 (Lamoille, Washington, Orange, Windsor, Bennington, and Addison). In two counties, Chittenden County in the northwest (home to Burlington, Vermont's capital), and Windham County in the southeast, he broke 80%.

Rutherford won Vermont's at-large congressional district.

Virginia
Virginia voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. A Democratic-leaning swing state, Virginia had voted Democratic previously in 2008 and 2012 when Hillary Clinton and Rutherford won it by high single-digits. This time, Rutherford carried Virginia with 64.47% of the popular vote to Trump's 34.15%, a victory margin of 30.32%. Virginia thus weighed in as 0.89% more Democratic than the nation.

This was the first time since 1944 that a Democrat won Virginia by a double-digit margin, and with over 60% of the vote. Rutherford carried 86 of Virginia's 95 counties and 37 of its 38 independent cities. His margins in the Richmond metropolitan area, the Northern Virginia suburbs, and the Southern Chesapeake Bay Region, the most Democratic areas in Virginia, were overwhelming. Rutherford broke 60% in 8 counties/cities (including Chesterfield, Montgomery, Northampton, Essex, and Westmoreland), 70% in 12 (including Prince William, Loudoun, Albermarle, Henrico, Charles City, Brunswick, Greensville, Surry, Hampton, Norfolk, Newport News, and Portsmouth), 80% in 4 (including Fairfax County, Richmond, Petersburg, and Fairfax), and 90% in 2 (Alexandria and Arlington). Trump carried the city of Poquoson, Page County, and Powhatan County with an absolute majority, and won Augusta County, along with Lee, Scott, Wise, Tazewell, Bland, and Caroll Counties with 60% or more of the vote (although the independent cities of Norton, Bristol, and Galax voted Democratic).

Rutherford won all 9 of Virginia's congressional districts.

Washington
Washington voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford carried Washington with 68.03% of the popular vote to Trump's 27.59%, a victory margin of 40.44%. A solidly Democratic state, Washington has not voted Republican since Ronald Reagan won it in 1984 over Walter Mondale, on his way to a landslide re-election.

Rutherford won 38 of Washington's 39 counties, including plurality wins in Adams, Columbia, and Garfield Counties. Trump carried Lincoln County with an absolute majority. The President set new records in the state, earning over 60% of the vote in 11 counties, including Whitman County in the state's far-east, and most of the counties in the heavily populated regions along Washington's Pacific coast. He obtained a record 80% of the vote in King County, home to Seattle, the state's largest city. This was the highest percentage that a presidential candidate ever earned in King County. Rutherford also carried Spokane County, home to Spokane, the state's second-largest city, by a substantial margin, winning it by more than eighteen points.

Rutherford won all 10 of Washington's congressional districts.

West Virginia
West Virginia was one of 48 states carried in a national landslide by incumbent President William J. Rutherford. However, it was by far the weakest state Rutherford carried in the election. Rutherford carried the state by a margin of 10,654 votes, or 1.52%, making West Virginia's vote about 14.24% more Republican than the nation at large. Rutherford's strongest performances were in Monongalia and Jefferson Counties which he took with more than 64% of the vote. He received over 60% in McDowell County. Trump's strongest performance was in Grant County, where he took 67% of the vote. He also broke 60% in Mingo, Wyoming, Wirt, Ritchie, Doddridge, and Tyler Counties. Trump carried the majority of counties in the state, 35 to Rutherford's 20. This included wins in the populous Wood, Jackson, Marshall, Putnam, Raleigh, Wayne, and Mercer Counties, along with winning Fayette County with a plurality. Rutherford, however, counterbalanced this by carrying the populous Cabell, Harrison, Marion, Hancock, Ohio, Greenbrier, Randolph, and Berkeley Counties. This kept the overall vote close. In the end, the President edged Trump out through his victory in Kanawha County, the most populous county in the state and home to its capital Charleston. He carried it with just over 60% of the vote, with his margin of victory there being enough to throw West Virginia into the Democratic column.

Rutherford won all three of West Virginia's congressional districts, with WV-03 providing his closest margin of victory out of the 406 congressional districts that he carried. The closeness in West Virginia was widely attributed to the state's recent Republican trend, contrasted with its neighbors, and to Trump's unique appeal to many of its coal miners, though the populist Rutherford was able to overcome it in the end.

Wisconsin
Wisconsin was won overwhelmingly by the Democratic nominee, President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota, over the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York. Rutherford won Wisconsin with 62.95% of the popular vote to Trump's 35.71%, a victory margin of 27.24%. Thus, Wisconsin weighed in as 0.63% more Republican than the nation, though it has only voted Republican once (narrowly in 2004) since 1988.

Rutherford carried 71 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, losing only Florence County in the far north, which Trump carried with a narrow majority. He broke 60% in 17 counties, including the Madison exurban counties of Columbia, Rock, Greene, Lafayette, Iowa, and Sauk, as well as Eau Claire and Portage Counties. He obtained over 70% of the vote in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee County, and in La Crosse County. The President exceeded 80% in the solidly Democratic Dane and Menominee Counties, home to Madison (the state's capital), and the Menominee Indian Reservation, respectively. Notably, he also won the traditionally Republican Milwaukee suburban counties of Waukesha, Washington, Racine, Dodge, and Ozakee. Voters in these counties, like voters throughout the rest of the country, were repelled by Trump's rhetoric, policy positions, morals, and business record, and drawn to the President's centrism. In Milwaukee's rural and progressive regions, Rutherford's New Frontier programs drove working-class support for him to greater heights than previously.

Rutherford won all 8 of Wisconsin's congressional districts.

Wyoming
Wyoming was narrowly won by the Republican nominee, businessman Donald J. Trump of New York, over the Democratic nominee, incumbent President William J. Rutherford of Minnesota. Trump carried Wyoming with a plurality of 48.15% to Rutherford's 46.24%, a victory margin of 1.91%. Wyoming thus weighed in as 17.34% more Republican than the nation at large. It was one of only two states to vote for the losing Republican ticket that year, the other being Oklahoma.

Rutherford performed significantly better in Wyoming then any Democrat since 1964, when Lyndon Johnson won the state over Barry Goldwater by 12 percentage points. He accomplished this by breaking 80% in the Democratic stronghold of Teton County, in the state's northwestern corner, garnering over 60% of the vote in Albany County (home to Laramie, site of the University of Wyoming), and winning majorities in Wyoming's most populous county, Laramie County (home to Cheyenne, the state's capital), Fremont County (home to Lander, and the state's sixth-most populous county), and in Carbon County. He carried Laramie County by double digits. Trump carried the majority of counties in the state, winning 18 to Rutherford's 5. However, he performed far worse than previous Republicans in the populous Sweetwater, Natrona, Sheridan, and Park Counties, carrying them with less than 60% of the vote, and also under-performed both Romney and McCain in Campbell, Uinta, and Lincoln Counties, winning them with just over 60% of the vote. Trump failed to break 70% or 80% in any counties, whereas all Republicans since 1968, with the exceptions of 1992 and 1996 (due to Ross Perot's candidacy), had done so. Nevertheless, Trump won the central and eastern counties of Wyoming by enough to offset Rutherford's advantage in Laramie, Teton, and Albany to win the state.

Trump won Wyoming's at-large congressional district.

General analysis
In this scenario, the landslide reelection of William Rutherford in 2016 stands out in marked and cleared contrast to Hillary Clinton's contentious loss to Donald Trump in actual history that year, and certainly to Barack Obama's decisive, though far from encompassing, victory over John McCain in 2008. Rutherford's victory, unlike Obama's, constituted a true national mandate, and touched every region of the United States. It was a true popular and electoral vote landslide, the first to be obtained since Ronald Reagan's re-election over Walter Mondale in 1984. Rutherford captured 63.58% of the popular vote to Trump's 34.07%, winning by a margin of 29.51%. In OTL 2008, Obama had won by a margin of 7.28%; Rutherford's margin, consequently, was four times that of Obama. And it was nearly thirty percentage points greater then that of Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote by 2.1% over Trump in OTL 2016. Rutherford surpassed the record of Warren G. Harding from 1920, who had defeated James Cox by a margin of 26.20%, earning 60.32% of the popular vote. Rutherford received nearly 84 million votes, the highest absolute total ever won by a presidential candidate, surpassing Obama's OTL record of 69 million votes in 2008. Trump received 44 million votes, with the absolute margin being nearly 39 million votes. In contrast to both Obama and Clinton, Rutherford, a social centrist and economic populist, as these results demonstrated, managed to appeal to a much wider cross-section of the American electorate, uniting diverse elements into a comprehensive voting coalition.

In TTL 2016, 72% of the electorate was white; 28% was nonwhite. For the first time in 52 years, a Democrat won the majority of both groups. Rutherford won whites 55-43% over Trump, carrying them by a decisive margin of twelve percentage points. This was the same margin by which John McCain defeated Obama among whites in OTL 2008, and it represents an 18-pt. gain from Hillary Clinton's performance in OTL 2016, when she lost whites to Trump by a margin of 21 percentage points, 58-37%. Rutherford won white women 58-41% and white men 53-44%. He thereby did 15 points better among white women than Clinton, who lost them to Trump 53-43%, and an astonishing 22 points better than her among white men; Clinton lost them to Trump 63-31%. Thus, the President managed, for the first time since Johnson, to capture a majority of the most Republican gender voting demographic in the country. His victory, even more importantly, carried across both college-educated and non-college educated whites. He won college-educated whites 58-41% and non-college educated whites 54-45%. Clinton had lost college-educated whites 49-46% and non college-educated whites by a whopping 67-28%. A 39-pt. deficit among the latter group was, in this scenario, a 9-pt. Democratic triumph. This had a dramatic effect upon results in the Northeast, Midwest, and even in the South, where Rutherford far outperformed Clinton across rural and small-town America. So did he too, far outperform Obama, who had lost both groups by large margins as well, but had done better among non-college educated whites than Clinton did.

On a state-by-state basis, Rutherford won whites in 39 states, including all former "free" states, every state admitted after 1865 except for Wyoming and Oklahoma, the "border" states of Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, the former Confederate states of Florida and Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Trump won whites in the remaining 9 Confederate states, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. By contrast, Obama had won whites in only 11 states + D.C. in 2012, and Clinton had done so in just 7 states + D.C. four years later. And in states where Trump still carried the white vote, Rutherford did significantly better than either Obama or Clinton, managing to capture more than 40% of whites in the two Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee, and over 30% in Mississippi and Alabama. These included a majority among college-educated whites, and when combined with Rutherford's numbers among blacks and other minorities, were enough to carry those states. By contrast, Obama and Clinton were in the single-digits among whites in Mississippi, in the teens in Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina, and in the twenties to low thirties in Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Rutherford overwhelmingly won whites in the Northeast, Midwest, and West, and managed to get 45% of them in the South, producing an overall nationwide majority.

Among minorities, Rutherford outperformed both Obama and Clinton. He matched Obama's OTL 2008 performance among African-Americans, winning them 95-4%, while Clinton carried them 88-8%. This, combined with Rutherford's far stronger performance among white voters, proved a critical factor in tipping all former states of the Confederacy into the Democratic column. The President won Hispanics 77-21%, outdistancing Obama's 71-27% margin from OTL 2012 and Clinton's 65-29% margin from OTL 2016; the effects of this added up in states such as Arizona, Nevada, and Texas, joining in the former two states with Rutherford's majority among whites to produce double-digit Democratic victories. He won Asians 77-22%, again, outdistancing Obama's 73-26% record from 2012, and Clinton's 65-29% from 2016; this served to further expand already large Democratic margins in the Pacific Coast states and in Hawaii, as well as to contribute to the Democratic triumph in Alaska. Rutherford won Other voters (Native Americans, Indian-Americans, Arab Americans, etc.) 62-34%, doing better than Obama and Clinton by about six percentage points. Overall, Rutherford won 84-15% among minority voters, better than Obama's 81% majority from 2012 and Clinton's 77% majority from 2016. Minorities overwhelmingly backed Rutherford in this scenario due to a combination of factors. African-Americans were alienated by allegations of racial discrimination against Trump and his businesses, by Trump's comments about the Central Park Five rape controversy back in the 1980s, and by his perceived demeaning statements on the campaign trail (i.e. "look at my African American", "you have no jobs", etc.) Hispanics were alienated by Trump's harsh rhetoric on border control, his pledges to deport illegal immigrants, and his comments about Mexicans, Cubans, and others.

Rutherford won a commanding victory among both genders, winning women 68-31% and men 58-39%. By contrast, Clinton had won women 54-41% and lost men 52-41% in OTL 2016. Rutherford thus did fourteen points better among women and seventeen points better among men; much of this difference was due to his carrying whites of both genders, something which Clinton failed to do. He carried both married and single individuals, running up record totals, in particular, among single women (who gave him 79% of their votes). Moreover, he was the first Democrat since Johnson to win married men. The traditional gender gap persisted, with men being about 10 pts. more Republican than women, similar to 2012. Women in particular, leaned more in favor of Rutherford due to the perceived sexism and boorishness of Trump, with his marital history serving as an additional factor; Rutherford crushed Trump by a 37-pt. margin among them as a result. Nevertheless, Rutherford still won men by 19 points; coincidentally, this election also marked the first time since Johnson that a Democrat carried the demographic by double digits.

The President's dominance cut across most religious barriers as well. He absolutely dominated among the core Democratic voting demographics, including Jews, atheists/agnostics, and Other voters, obtaining record or near-record numbers among them. He also, in contrast to both Obama and Clinton, won a decisive majority among Christians, carrying Protestants, Catholics, and Other Christians alike. Rutherford won Jews 81-18%, better than Clinton's 71-24% majority. He won atheist/agnostic voters 82-14%, higher than Clinton's 68-26% majority. Among Catholics, Rutherford won by 33 points, carrying them over Trump 66-33%; Clinton had lost them to Trump in OTL 52-45%. Rutherford thus did twenty-one percentage points better than Clinton among that group. Rutherford's most marked area of improvement was among Protestants. Evangelicals still backed Trump in this scenario, as they did against Clinton in real life, but by a less-overwhelming 66-33% margin, compared to the 81-16% margin by which Trump annihilated Clinton. Rutherford thereby did seventeen points better among evangelicals than Clinton. This improvement among evangelicals helped to contribute to his victories in states like Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and Louisiana, where at least a quarter of the electorate identified themselves as evangelical. Among Protestants in general, Rutherford won 55-44%; Clinton lost them 60-37%. Thus, he did eighteen points better than Clinton, accomplishing this through his overwhelming margins among black and other minority Protestants, winning the majority of mainline white Protestants, and pulling in a third of the evangelical vote. Rutherford became the first Democrat since Carter in 1976 to win Protestants.

Notably enough, Rutherford also won another group which had voted decisively against Clinton: Mormons. In OTL, many had been repelled by Trump, perceiving his moral character as lacking, and his values as out of touch with the LDS Church. This had driven the third-party candidacy of Evan McMullin, but in the end, Trump had still carried them, due to their overall Republican leanings and even greater dislike of Clinton. In this scenario, that is not a factor. Mormons still heartily dislike Trump, and many still go third party (though to Gary Johnson rather than McMullin, who does not run in this scenario). But the majority of Mormons overall look to Rutherford, who they view as far more competent and morally upright than Trump, and whose foreign policy was, in their view, more effective for the United States at large. Consequently, Rutherford won Mormons 50-36% over Trump, which proved critical to his victory in Utah. Rutherford's majority among Mormons also boosted his margins in Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona. By contrast, Clinton lost Mormons 61-25%. Thus, Rutherford did a whopping 25 percentage points better among Mormons than Clinton.

In contrast to Obama and Clinton, Rutherford won every age demographic by double digits. He dominated among younger voters, a group which was a critical element in Barack Obama's coalition during 2008 and 2012, and which had backed Clinton with far less enthusiasm. Whereas Obama had carried 18-24 year-old and 24-29 year-old voters 60-36% and 60-38% respectively in 2012, and Clinton had won them 56-35% and 53-39%, Rutherford carried the two groups 72-24% and 72-26%. This marked a significant difference from the other Democrats' numbers among them, and included a commanding majority among white younger voters, who had backed Romney and Trump OTL, though by narrow margins. Rutherford also won decisively among voters aged 30-39 and 40-49, carrying them 67-30% and 60-38% respectively. Clinton won 30-39 year-olds 51-40%, but had lost 40-49 year-olds 50-46%. Among voters aged 50-64 and 65+, Rutherford did not win as overwhelmingly, but nevertheless still won by substantial margins. He carried 50-64 year-olds 59-40% and 65+, the most Republican voting demographic, 57-43%. Younger voters, who in OTL possessed a unique distaste for Trump, do in this scenario as well, and his comments, along with allegations of racism and sexism, push them decisively into the President's column. Middle-aged voters, viewing Rutherford as a bipartisan moderate and supporting many of his economic policies, also disliked Trump's boorishness and perceived childishness. Elderly voters, while remaining more Republican than the nation at large, went for Rutherford because of this, and also because of their approval for his reform measures in Social Security, Medicare, and retirement assistance.

By party identification, Rutherford put up a commanding performance. As expected, he handily won Democrats, carrying them 98-2%. By contrast, Clinton had won them 89-9% over Trump. In Rutherford's case, he was able to win back many of the Democrats in Appalachian states, such as Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia, who voted Republican at the federal level. This was a critical factor in his triumphs within those states. He also won high support from union and working-class Democrats throughout the Midwest and Northeast, who in OTL did not vote, went third party, or defected to Trump. Rutherford's near-unanimous support among Democrats also helped to drive up his margins in the most Democratic states. But it was among Republicans and independents that he derived his winning margin. Trump, of course, still won Republicans, 76-23%. This, however, is far worse than the 90-7% majority he carried among them in OTL. Throughout the country, suburban and moderate Republicans defected from Trump in droves, with the defections being most marked in states such as Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Arizona, and Texas. This too, fueled Rutherford's victories in those states. And among independents, Rutherford won 63-32%, closely mirroring his share of the vote overall. Independents especially disliked Trump, and viewing the President as a centrist, moved dramatically in his direction. By contrast, Clinton lost independents 48-42% in OTL.

By region, Rutherford's performance was far superior to either Obama's or Clinton's. He won every region in the country by double-digit margins. The President's best region was the Northeast, which he won over Trump 71-28%. By contrast, Clinton had carried it, but with a less commanding 55-40% majority. Obama had won it 59-40% in 2012. In the West, his second-best region, Rutherford beat Trump 66-31%, markedly better than Obama's 54-43% majority in 2012 and Clinton's 55-39% majority in 2016. In the Midwest, he won 63-36%, far better than Obama's 51-48% victory in 2012, and above Clinton, who lost to Trump there 49-45%. And in the South, which both Obama and Clinton had lost (53-46% and 52-44% respectively), Rutherford prevailed, 58-41%. It was his weakest region in the country, as it was the only region where the majority of whites still voted Republican. Rutherford won every state in the Northeast with 60% of the vote or more, breaking 70% in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. He won all but one of the Great Lakes states (Indiana), with over 60% of the vote, and in the South, carried Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida with more than 60%, breaking 70% in Maryland and earning a record 92% in the District of Columbia. In the West, Rutherford won over 60% in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon, breaking 70% in California and Hawaii.

By number of counties carried, Rutherford did the best of any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He was in fact, the first Democrat since 1976 to win a majority of counties. Rutherford won 2,194 counties to Trump's 919. He carried 70% of the nation's counties to Trump's 30%, higher than the popular vote totals. By contrast, Obama had won just 693 counties in 2012 to Mitt Romney's 2,420; Romney carried 78% of the nation's counties to Obama's 22%. In OTL 2016, the disparity had been even worse, as Clinton won just 487 counties versus Trump's 2,626; Trump carried 83% of the nation's counties to Clinton's 17%. In this scenario, Rutherford won all counties that had voted for Clinton, and 1,707 of Trump's counties, which included counties Obama had won in 2008 and 2012. The President won the majority of counties in every region, including the South, and in 40 states. Trump still carried the majority of counties in Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Alabama. By contrast, Obama had carried the majority only in Hawaii, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, California, and the states of New England in 2012; Clinton had carried the majority in all of these same states except for New York, Delaware, Maine, and New Hampshire. Trump did not win a single county in nine states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Hawaii. He was the first major-party candidate to be completely shut of New England since 1924, when Calvin Coolidge swept all of the region's counties.

In all of the Northeast, his worst region in the country, Trump won only five counties, all of them in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania, coincidentally, was his best state in the region. In addition to this, Trump won only a single county in Arizona, Wisconsin, Washington, Alaska, and Maryland, two in California, Michigan, and South Carolina, three in New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and Minnesota, and four in Illinois. Unlike Obama and Clinton, Rutherford won at least one county in every state, carrying 13 counties in Oklahoma and 20 in West Virginia (which he won). By contrast, Obama had been completely shut out of Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Utah in 2012; Clinton was shut out in the former two states. Of the 2,194 counties won by the President, 2,161 (69.41%) were carried with an absolute majority; of Trump's 919 counties, 899 (28.87%) were carried with an absolute majority. As regards to the breakdown of the vote by community size, there was a Democratic sweep. Rutherford won the urban vote 74-24%, the suburban vote 61-37%, and the rural vote 55-45%. Rutherford was the first Democrat in 20 years, since Bill Clinton in 1996, to win the rural vote. By contrast, Obama had lost the rural vote 60-37% in 2012, and Clinton had lost it 62-34% in 2016. Rutherford's vote was far more evenly distributed and widespread, consequently, than either Clinton or Obama's. Rutherford not only was able to win back over many rural counties to the Democrats, but he also ran far better in those counties that Trump won; in no county did Trump receive more than 90% of the vote, in contrast to OTL 2016, where he had done so in Montana and Texas. The President won every major city in the country, and the capital city of every state.

Rutherford broke a string of Republican county streaks across the country. He was only the second Democrat in history, following Johnson, to sweep the counties of New York and New Jersey, and the first to do so in New Hampshire. He was the first Democrat ever to win Ogle County, Illinois, and the first to win Lee County, Illinois since 1852. Several notable counties throughout the West, including Josephine County, Oregon, Ada County, Idaho, Douglas County, Nevada, Hughes County, South Dakota, and Tulsa County, Oklahoma, which had not voted for a Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt's landslide re-election in 1936, were carried by Rutherford; he was the first Democrat in 80 years to win them. In OTL 2016, Clinton had won Orange County, California, for the Democrats, for the first time in 80 years. Rutherford won it as well, but carried it, in this scenario, for the first time in 76 years in his initial election of 2012. He broke county streaks in states as varied as Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and in his home state of Minnesota. He was also the first Democrat since John F. Kennedy in 1960 to capture a majority in Dorchester County, Maryland, and the first since Johnson in 1964 to do so in Sussex County, Delaware.

Rutherford also won over scores of traditionally Republican suburban counties. This included Waukesha and Washington Counties outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Hendricks, Hamilton, Boone, and Hancock Counties outside of Indianapolis, Indiana; Cobb, Gwinnett, Henry, Douglas, Coweta, and Fayette Counties outside of Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Bend and Waller Counties outside of Houston, Hays, Caldwell, Bell, and Willamson Counties outside of Austin, and Denton, Tarrant, and Collin Counties outside of Dallas, Texas; Maricopa County, Arizona; and Willamson, Rutherford, and Wilson Counties, outside of Nashville, Tennessee. This of course, signified the defection of moderate Republicans to Rutherford, his overwhelming majority among independents, and his mobilization of the Democratic base. He also dominated more Democratic-friendly suburbs, winning by landslide margins everywhere from Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties, Colorado; to Middlesex and Passaic Counties, New Jersey; to Suffolk and Nassau Counties, New York; Asthabula, Lake, and Lorain Counties, Ohio; Oakland and Macomb Counties, Michigan; Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, and Bucks Counties, Pennsylvania; and DePage, Lake, and Kane Counties, Illinois. Thus, the President was able to unite suburban voters with the urban, minority, and working-class voters who comprised the core of the Democratic base.

A measure of Trump's overwhelming defeat can also be seen by the results in the congressional districts. Rutherford was victorious in 406 of the nation's 435 congressional districts, including all 247 seats held by the Democratic Party as of November 2016, and 187 of the seats held by the Republican Party. Of the seats as they are in OTL, therefore, Rutherford won all 193 Democratic-held seats and 213 Republican-held seats, carrying 93% of the nation's congressional districts overall to Trump's 7%. By contrast, Clinton carried 205 congressional districts in 2016 to Trump's 230; this included 23 Republican congressional districts. Trump, however, had won 12 Democratic congressional districts. In OTL, therefore, Trump won 53% of the nation's districts to Clinton's 47%. Thus, Rutherford won all of the Democratic seats and the vast majority of the opposing, Republican seats. Trump's 29 congressional districts in this scenario were in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, with his largest margin of victory being in Texas's 13th district. Rutherford won every congressional district in 35 states (including the at-large seats of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, and Delaware), and carried the majority in every remaining state except for Oklahoma and Wyoming, the only two states that he lost. Trump won the at-large district of Wyoming.

Overall, Rutherford carried 48 states and the District of Columbia, the most won by a Democrat in history. Trump won only two states, the Republican strongholds of Wyoming and Oklahoma. And as noted above, he carried both states by single digits: Oklahoma by 4.08% and Wyoming by 1.91%. Rutherford far outperformed Clinton in both states; she had lost Oklahoma by a margin of 36.39% and Wyoming by a whopping 46.29%, which had been Trump's largest margin of victory in the country. Rutherford carried the most populous counties of both states (Laramie County, Wyoming and Oklahoma County, Oklahoma), home to their capitals Cheyenne and Oklahoma City, and did far better in the rural areas, with Trump failing to break 80% or 90% in any county. This served to keep the Republican margins of victory much closer than in OTL. In Nebraska, which had a system of proportional allocation of its votes, Rutherford and Trump split them. Rutherford won the at-large electoral vote, and the votes from the 1st and 2nd congressional districts; Trump won that of the heavily Republican 3rd district. Thus, the President earned 527 electoral votes (97.95%) to Trump's 11 (2.05%). He received the largest absolute number of electoral votes in history, breaking Ronald Reagan's 525-vote record from 1984, though not the highest percentage of the Electoral College (Franklin Roosevelt's 523 votes in 1936 represented 98.49% of the College at that time).

Rutherford was the first Democrat to win Alaska, Idaho, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska since 1964, the first to win Alabama since 1976, and the first to win Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and West Virginia since 1996. He had carried Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia, and Arizona in 2012, states that, in OTL, have not, except for Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia, been won by the Democrats in this century.

Rutherford also, similar to Warren G. Harding in 1920, Franklin Roosevelt in 1936, and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, had coattails. In down-ballot races (congressional, state, local), the Democrats made significant gains, further adding to their already large majorities. They gained seven seats in the Senate, defeating Republican incumbents Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Johnny Isaskon of Georgia, and Marco Rubio of Florida, and won open-seat races in Nevada, Maryland, and Illinois. The election gave them a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, 67-33. In the House, the Democrats picked up 51 seats, expanding their majority to a veto-proof 298 seats, this being the largest House majority held by either party since 1965. Democrats won open seats in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Washington, along with competitive seats in those states and in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia, and North Carolina. They also won the at-large seats of North Dakota, Montana, and Alaska. Three of the most senior Republican members of the House, Don Young of Alaska, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, and Christopher Smith of New Jersey, were swept away in the Rutherford landslide, with Hal Rogers of Kentucky surviving, and the Republican congressional delegations of New York and California suffered significant losses. In California, notably, every Orange County Republican lost reelection, reflecting the strong trend of that region towards the Democrats. And in New York, Republicans Pete King and Elise Stefanik were the only ones to survive the landslide, though with significantly reduced margins due to Rutherford's large victories in their districts. At the gubernatorial level, Democrats won open seats in Missouri, Indiana, and West Virginia, and defeated Republican incumbents in North Dakota and North Carolina. Democrats also gained control of several state legislatures, including those of Indiana, Montana, and Missouri. A number of Republican attorneys-general, treasurers, secretaries of state, and other officials also lost reelection or came close to it.

Having gained a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress, President Rutherford was therefore free to enact more of his policy agenda, as his second term in office commenced.