District of Columbia presidential election polls

★ Strongly Democrat ★
3
of 538 electoral votes

Who won past presidential races in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia National
Year Margin of victory (pts) Margin of victory (pts)
2012 Obama
+83.6 Obama
+3.9
2008 Obama
+85.9 Obama
+7.3
2004 Kerry
+79.8 Bush (G.W.)
+2.5
2000 Gore
+76.2 Bush (G.W.)
+0.5
1996 Clinton (B.)
+75.9 Clinton (B.)
+8.5
1992 Clinton (B.)
+75.5 Clinton (B.)
+5.6
1988 Dukakis
+68.4 Bush (G.H.W.)
+7.7
1984 Mondale
+71.7 Reagan
+18.2
1980 Carter
+61.4 Reagan
+9.7
1976 Carter
+65.1 Carter
+2.1
1972 McGovern
+56.5 Nixon
+23.2

Key data about District of Columbia

Economic and demographic indicators relative to the national average (%). Darker lines indicate multiple states with similar values.

Wage growth

4.3% District of Columbia -2.8%min 4.4%US 6.7%max

Unemployment rate

6.1% District of Columbia 2.9%min 4.9%US 6.9%max

Poverty rate

17.3% District of Columbia 8.2%min 13.5%US 22%max

College educated

53.4% District of Columbia 18.7%min 29.3%US 53.4%max

Hispanic population

10.6% District of Columbia 1.5%min 17.6%US 48%max

African-American population

48.3% District of Columbia 0.6%min 13.3%US 48.3%max

Methodology: The FT poll tracker is based on Real Clear Politics (RCP) data and checks for new polls at least once an hour as polls are added by RCP staff.

The poll tracker is based on a four-way race, which includes Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Republican candidate Donald Trump, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein. In states where Stein is not on the ballot (Nevada, Oklahoma and South Dakota), a three-way polling average is used. In Utah, where independent candidate Evan McMullin is polling significantly, a five-way polling average is used.

The FT’s US election poll tracker switched from two-way polling averages to four-way polling averages on September 21 to better reflect the options available to voters.

A state is considered ‘solid’ if the difference in polling averages between two candidates is above 10 per cent; ‘leaning’ if it is between 10 and 5 per cent; and a ‘toss-up’ if it falls below 5 per cent.

Most states use a ‘winner-take-all’ method of electoral college vote allocation. Maine and Nebraska, however, use an alternative method called the congressional district method in which the state is divided into congressional districts and the winner of each district takes that district’s electoral vote. The winner of the statewide vote is awarded two electoral votes.

Sources: Real Clear Politics, The Green Papers, US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis

Produced by: Steve Bernard, Joanna S. Kao, Luke Kavanagh, Callum Locke, Claire Manibog, Caroline Nevitt, Tom Pearson, Ændrew Rininsland, and Martin Stabe.