Top 5 Closest Presidential Elections in U.S. History

In Florida, November 7th, 2000, George W. Bush led by just 537 votes out of nearly six million. But that's not the tightest finish in U.S. history. Number five: the 2004 Bush vs. Kerry showdown, where Ohio’s 118,601 votes determined the presidency, flipping the result had they swung the other way. Number four: 1960, Kennedy beats Nixon with a national margin of just 112,827, but in Illinois, Kennedy claims victory by only 8,858 votes. Number three: 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes wins after Samuel Tilden leads both popular and electoral votes before 20 electoral votes are disputed and decided by a special commission-Hayes squeaks through by a single electoral vote, 185 to 184. Number two: The 1824 election, no candidate-including Andrew Jackson-wins a majority, so the House of Representatives picks John Quincy Adams, even though Jackson had more popular and electoral votes. But number one happened in 1872, when a single elector’s vote switched-by accident-to Greeley after his death, making the final certified result stand at a margin of one. Those 537 votes in Florida? Still only good for fifth place in America’s closest races ever decided.