Presidential election in Rhode Island, 2016
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| General election in Rhode Island |
| Date: November 8, 2016 2016 winner: Hillary Clinton Electoral votes: Four 2012 winner: Barack Obama (D) |
| Democratic Primary |
| Date: April 26, 2016 Winner: Bernie Sanders |
| Republican Primary |
| Date: April 26, 2016 Winner: Donald Trump |
| Down ballot races in Rhode Island |
| U.S. House Rhode Island State Senate Rhode Island House of Representatives Rhode Island judicial elections Rhode Island local judicial elections State ballot measures School boards Click here for more elections in Rhode Island |
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Rhode Island held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. Democratic and Republican primaries took place in Rhode Island on April 26, 2016.
General election candidates
The candidate list below is based on an email exchange between Ballotpedia and a representative from the Rhode Island secretary of state's office on September 19, 2016. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were provided to Ballotpedia—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November.
Presidential candidates on the ballot in Rhode Island
- ☐ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)
Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
- ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
- ☐ Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka (Green)
- ☐ Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg (American Delta)
Results
| U.S. presidential election, Rhode Island, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
54.4% | 252,525 | 4 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 38.9% | 180,543 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 3.2% | 14,746 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.3% | 6,220 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.1% | 671 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 2% | 9,439 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 464,144 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: Rhode Island Board of Elections | |||||
Pivot Counties
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, in 34 states.[1] Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes, and had an average margin of victory of 11.45 percent. The political shift in these counties could have a broad impact on elections at every level of government for the next four years.
Historical election trends
- See also: Presidential election accuracy
Below is an analysis of Rhode Island's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.
Presidential election voting record in Rhode Island, 1900-2016
Between 1900 and 2016:
- Rhode Island participated in 30 presidential elections.
- Rhode Island voted for the winning presidential candidate 73.33 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[2]
- Rhode Island voted Democratic 66.67 percent of the time and Republican 33.33 percent of the time.
Presidential election voting record in Rhode Island, 2000-2016
- Accuracy: 40 percent[3]
- 2000 state winner: Al Gore (D)
- 2004 state winner: John Kerry (D)
- 2008 state winner: Barack Obama (D)*
- 2012 state winner: Barack Obama (D)*
- 2016 state winner: Hillary Clinton (D)
*An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.
Election results
2012
| U.S. presidential election, Rhode Island, 2012 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent |
62.8% | 279,677 | 4 | |
| Republican | Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan | 35.3% | 157,204 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Jim Gray | 1% | 4,388 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala | 0.5% | 2,421 | 0 | |
| N/A | Write-ins | 0.3% | 1,381 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Virgil Goode/James Clymer | 0.1% | 430 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 445,501 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: U.S. Election Atlas | |||||
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Ross Anderson and Peta Lindsay.[4]
2008
| U.S. presidential election, Rhode Island, 2008 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden |
62.9% | 296,571 | 4 | |
| Republican | John McCain/Sarah Palin | 35.1% | 165,391 | 0 | |
| Independent | Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez | 1% | 4,829 | 0 | |
| N/A | Write-ins | 0.3% | 1,511 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root | 0.3% | 1,382 | 0 | |
| Green | Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente | 0.2% | 797 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle | 0.1% | 675 | 0 | |
| N/A | Ron Paul | 0.1% | 472 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 471,628 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: U.S. Election Atlas | |||||
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Gloria LaRiva and Alan Keyes.[5]
Electoral votes
- See also: Electoral College
The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.
Rhode Island electors
In 2016, Rhode Island had four electoral votes. Rhode Island's share of electoral votes represented 0.7 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 1.5 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president.
"Faithless electors"
The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.
Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[6][7]
Rhode Island was one of 20 states in 2016 without a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.
Down ballot races
- See also: Rhode Island elections, 2016
Below is a list of down ballot races in Rhode Island covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.
- U.S. House
- Rhode Island State Senate
- Rhode Island House of Representatives
- Rhode Island judicial elections
- Rhode Island local judicial elections
- State ballot measures
- School boards
Primary election
Quick facts
Democrats:
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Republicans
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Democrats
Bernie Sanders won the Rhode Island Democratic primary. He beat Hillary Clinton by roughly 12 points.
Republicans
Donald Trump won the Rhode Island Republican primary with 64 percent of the vote. John Kasich came in second, followed by Ted Cruz in third.
April 26 primaries
Four other states in the northeastern U.S. also held primary elections on April 26: Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
2016 primary results
Democrats
| Rhode Island Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Bernie Sanders |
54.7% | 66,993 | 13 | |
| Hillary Clinton | 43.1% | 52,749 | 11 | |
| Mark Steward | 0.2% | 236 | 0 | |
| Roque De La Fuente | 0.1% | 145 | 0 | |
| Other | 1.9% | 2,335 | 0 | |
| Totals | 122,458 | 24 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and Rhode Island Board of Elections | ||||
Republicans
| Rhode Island Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
63.7% | 39,221 | 12 | |
| Ted Cruz | 10.4% | 6,416 | 2 | |
| John Kasich | 24.3% | 14,963 | 5 | |
| Marco Rubio | 0.6% | 382 | 0 | |
| Other | 1% | 632 | 0 | |
| Totals | 61,614 | 19 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and Rhode Island Board of Elections | ||||
Primary candidates
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Polls
Democratic primary
| Poll | Hillary Clinton | Bernie Sanders | Unsure or Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling April 22-24, 2016 | 45% | 49% | 6% | +/-3.8 | 668 | ||||||||||||||
| Brown University April 19-21, 2016 | 43% | 34% | 23% | +/-4 | 600 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Republican primary
| Poll | Donald Trump | John Kasich | Ted Cruz | Unsure or Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Gravis April 23-24, 2016 | 58% | 21% | 10% | 11% | +/-4 | 566 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling April 22-24, 2016 | 61% | 23% | 13% | 3% | +/-4.3 | 511 | |||||||||||||
| Brown University April 19-21, 2016 | 38% | 25% | 14% | 23% | +/-4 | 600 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Delegates
Delegate selection
Democratic Party
Rhode Island had 33 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 24 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[9][10]
Nine party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[9][11]
Rhode Island superdelegates
- David Cicilline
- Edna O'Neill Mattson
- Frank Montanaro Sr.
- Gina Raimondo
- Grace Diaz
- Jack Reed
- Jim Langevin
- Joseph McNamara (Rhode Island)
- Sheldon Whitehouse
Republican Party
Rhode Island had 19 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, six were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's two congressional districts). Rhode Island's district delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 10 percent of the vote in a given district in order to be eligible to receive any of that district's delegates. If three candidates each won at least 10 percent of the vote in a district, each candidate received one of that district's delegates. If a single candidate won more than 67 percent of the vote in a district, he or she received at least two of that district's delegates.[12][13]
Of the remaining 13 delegates, 10 served at large. Rhode Island's at-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 10 percent of the statewide vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[12][13]
Presidential voting history
Rhode Island presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 22 Democratic wins
- 10 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
State profile
| Demographic data for Rhode Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,055,607 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 1,034 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 81.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 13.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $56,852 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Rhode Island. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Rhode Island voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Rhode Island, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[14]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Rhode Island had one Boomerang Pivot County, 4.00 percent of all Boomerang Pivot Counties.
More Rhode Island coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Rhode Island
- United States congressional delegations from Rhode Island
- Public policy in Rhode Island
- Endorsers in Rhode Island
- Rhode Island fact checks
- More...
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
- ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2012 Presidential Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2008 Presidential Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014
- ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rhode Island Department of State, "Candidates for President Of The United States," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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