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Nastiest, Most Contentious Elections
Political information would have you ever considering the 2016 presidential election was the nastiest, most contentious and most necessary our nation ever confronted. Nonetheless, within the annals of American elections, that one barely registers not less than for sheer strangeness.
Actually, electoral politics have all the time been a down-and-dirty enterprise, beginning not less than as early as 1800, when our founding fathers proved themselves adept at bitter battles. Different elections have featured nasty accusations, weird happenstance and even the demise of one of many candidates.
Learn on for six of the strangest presidential elections in U.S. historical past.
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Credit score: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Pictures
An sudden upset, 2016
The total historical past of the 2016 presidential election has but to be written, but it surely appears fairly sure to be one for the historical past books.
First, there was the raucous major season, by which 17 Republican candidates vied on a crowded stage for the nomination, the most important presidential major area in U.S. historical past. Former reality-TV star and actual property mogul Donald Trump dominated headlines from the start, typically with Tweets and statements that appeared outright weird. He insinuated that fellow Republican Ted Cruz's father may need had one thing to do with the assassination of John F. Kennedy and at one level defended the scale of his penis in a debate. In the meantime, on the Democratic facet, presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton confronted an sudden problem from Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.
Issues didn't get much less bizarre after Trump and Clinton clinched their nominations. Clinton struggled towards questions on her use of a personal e mail server throughout her time as Secretary of State. The problem appeared settled in July when the Federal Bureau of Investigation advisable towards legal expenses, however reared its head once more lower than two weeks earlier than the election when the FBI introduced that it was reviewing probably new proof discovered on the pc of Anthony Weiner, the husband of Clinton's shut aide Huma Abedin, throughout an investigation into whether or not Weiner had been sexting an underage lady. Sure, it nearly makes that Andrew Jackson-John Quincy Adams contest appear to be a stroll within the park, huh? Simply two days earlier than the election, the FBI cleared Clinton once more.
In the meantime, Trump refused to launch his tax returns through the marketing campaign, one thing that each candidate since Gerald Ford has executed as a matter after all. He was broadly criticized for racist remarks, resembling questioning whether or not the "Mexican" decide answerable for his fraud case (oh, there is a fraud case — a presidential first) may very well be neutral. (The decide was an American citizen of Mexican heritage.)
The wildest bombshell of all got here in early October, when a tape surfaced of Trump having a vulgar dialogue about grabbing girls by their non-public elements and attempting to seduce a married girl. Main as much as the election, the polls had been variable, however most pundits anticipated a clear Clinton victory. As a substitute, as election evening ticked on, the electoral votes piled up for Trump. He ended up taking 290 electoral votes to Clinton's 232, profitable the presidency. However in a closing twist, the favored vote tally went to Clinton, solely the fifth time in U.S. historical past the electoral and standard votes have not matched.
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Credit score: whitehouse.gov
The very first one, 1788-1789
However let's return now to the primary presidential election in our nation's historical past, which was one-of-a-kind in that it was actually no contest. Organized political events had but to type, and George Washington ran unopposed. His victory is the one one within the nation's historical past to function 100 p.c of the Electoral Faculty vote. [Quiz: Weirdest Presidential Elections]
The actual query in 1788 was who would develop into vice chairman. On the time, this workplace was awarded to the runner-up within the electoral vote (every elector solid two votes to make sure there could be a runner-up.) Eleven candidates made a play for the vice-presidency, however John Adams got here out on prime.
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It is a tie, 1800
Electoral politics obtained severe in 1800. Neglect the hand-holding peace of George Washington's first run — political events had been in full swing by this time, and so they battled over high-stakes points (taxes, states' rights and international coverage alignments). Thomas Jefferson ran because the Democratic-Republican candidate and John Adams because the Federalist.
On the time, states obtained to choose their very own election days, so voting ran from April to October (and also you thought ready for the West Coast polls to shut was irritating). Due to the sophisticated "choose two" voting construction within the Electoral Faculty, the election ended up a tie between Jefferson and his vice-presidential choose, Aaron Burr. One South Carolina delegate was supposed to provide considered one of his votes on one other candidate, in order to rearrange for Jefferson to win and Burr to return in second. The plan by some means went unsuitable, and each males ended up with 73 electoral votes.
That despatched the tie-breaking vote to the Home of Representatives, not all of whom had been on board with a Jefferson presidency and Burr vice-presidency. Seven tense days of voting adopted, however Jefferson lastly pulled forward of Burr. The drama triggered the passage of the 12th modification to the U.S. Structure, which stipulates that the Electoral Faculty choose the president and vice-president individually, casting off the runner-up problems.
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Issues get nasty, 1828
Something involving dueling warfare veteran Andrew Jackson was liable to get soiled, however the 1828 electoral battle between Jackson and John Quincy Adams took the cake for mud slinging. Jackson had misplaced out to Adams in 1824 after Speaker of the Home Henry Clay solid a tie-breaking vote. When Adams selected Clay as his Secretary of State, Jackson was livid and accused the 2 of a "corrupt cut price."
And that was earlier than the 1828 election even obtained began, when Adams was accused of pimping out an American lady to a Russian Czar. Jackson's spouse, Rachel, was referred to as a "convicted adulteress," as a result of she had, years earlier, married Jackson earlier than finalizing her divorce to her earlier husband. Rachel died after Jackson received the election, however earlier than his inauguration; at her funeral, Jackson blamed his opponents' bigamy accusations. "Might God Almighty forgiver her murderers, as I do know she forgave them," Jackson stated. "I by no means can." [6 Most Tragic Love Stories in History]
To spherical out a tough election, Jackson's inauguration celebration (open to the general public) was a mob scene, with 1000's of well-wishers crowding into the White Home.
"Girls fainted, males had been seen with bloody noses, and such a scene of confusion befell as is unattainable to explain," wrote Margaret Smith, a Washington socialite who attended the celebration.
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Credit score: Adam Skoczylas, U.S. Military
Working towards a corpse, 1872
In 1872, incumbent Ulysses S. Grant had a simple run for a second time period — as a result of his opponent died earlier than the ultimate votes had been solid.
Grant had the election within the bag even earlier than his opponent, Horace Greeley, died, nonetheless. The incumbent received 286 electoral votes in contrast with Greeley's 66 after election day. However on Nov. 29, 1872, earlier than the Electoral Faculty votes had been in, Greeley died and his electoral votes had been cut up amongst different candidates. Greeley stays the one presidential candidate to die earlier than the election was finalized.
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The hanging chads, 2000
Democrat Al Gore beat Republican George W. Bush within the standard vote within the 2000 election, however the electoral vote was an in depth, and controversial, name. As election evening drew to an in depth, New Mexico, Oregon and Florida remained too near name.
It will be Florida that decided the winner, however not till the Supreme Court docket weighed in. For a month, the result of the election remained in recount limbo, as Gore's marketing campaign contested the vote rely in a number of shut counties and the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts engaged in a tug-of-war over whether or not to halt the recounts or prolong their deadlines. Among the many challenges confronted by the hand counts: figuring out whether or not semi-attached scraps of paper, or "hanging chads," on punch-card ballots ought to rely as votes.
Finally, on Dec. 12, the Supreme Court docket dominated 7-2 statewide recount was unconstitutional, alongside an extra resolution that the smaller recounts couldn't go ahead. The choice meant the unique vote counts stood, giving the election to Bush.
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