1872

Victoria Woodhull is the first woman to run for president of the United States.
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1884

Belva Lockwood, the first woman to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court (1880), runs for president under the banner of the Equal Rights Party.
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1888

Belva Lockwood makes her second bid for the presidency. More

January 1964

Margaret Chase Smith announces her bid for the presidency.
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July 1964

Margaret Chase Smith becomes the first woman to have her name placed in nomination for President by a major party. More

January 1972

Shirley Chisholm announces her bid for the presidency, becoming the first African American woman to seek a major party’s nomination for U.S. President.
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May 1972

Patsy Mink withdraws her candidacy for U.S. president, which she had announced ahead of the nation’s first primaries.
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July 1972

Shirley Chisholm received 151.95 delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention. Before the convention, she campaigned throughout the country and was on the ballot in twelve primaries in what was largely an educational campaign.
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July 1976

Ellen McCormack won 22 votes at the Democratic National Convention after competing in 20 state primaries for the Democratic presidential nomination as an anti-abortion candidate. She became the first woman to qualify for federal campaign matching funds and qualified for Secret Service protection. More

1980

Ellen McCormack ran for president again as the candidate of the Right to Life Party, winning more than 30,000 votes from three states.
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November 1980

Beginning in 1980 and continuing in every presidential election since, a gender gap has been apparent in the vote, with a greater proportion of women than men preferring the Democrat in each case.
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July 1984

Sonia Johnson becomes the first third party candidate for U.S. president eligible for primary matching funds.
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July 1984

Geraldine Ferraro was named by Walter F. Mondale as his choice for the vice-presidency. At the Democratic National Convention, she officially became the first woman vice-presidential nominee of a major U.S. party.
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September 1987

After exploring a presidential bid, Pat Schroeder dropped out of the race before the primaries began because she could not raise the necessary funds.
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1988

Lenora Fulani makes her first bid for U.S. president as a candidate for the New Alliance Party.
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1992

Lenora Fulani makes her second bid for U.S. president as a candidate for the New Alliance Party.

Fulani campaign speech (C-SPAN, January 2, 1992)
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March 1999

Elizabeth Dole announces her exploratory committee for a presidential bid in the 2000 election.
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October 1999

Elizabeth Dole drops out of the presidential race before primaries begin, citing fundraising challenges.
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February 2003

Carol Moseley Braun announces her decision to form an exploratory committee for a presidential bid in the 2004 election.
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January 2004

Carol Moseley Braun withdraws her name from candidacy for the U.S. presidency.
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January 2007

Hillary Clinton announces her bid for U.S. president via an online video titled “I’m in.”
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June 2008

After winning nine of the last 16 primaries and caucuses and nearly 18 million votes nationwide, Hillary Clinton concedes the Democratic nomination.
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August 2008

Sarah Palin becomes the second woman vice-presidential nominee from a major U.S. party and the first Republican woman nominee for the vice-presidency.
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November 2008

Black women’s rate of voting exceeds all other race x gender subgroups for the first time in U.S. history.
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June 2011

Michele Bachmann announces her candidacy for U.S. president. More

January 2012

Michele Bachmann withdraws her candidacy for U.S. president after coming in last among six Republicans in the Iowa caucuses.
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July 2012

Jill Stein wins nomination as Green Party candidate for president with running mate Cheri Honkala.
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April 2015

Hillary Clinton announces her second bid for the U.S. presidency in 2016 contest. More

May 2015

Carly Fiorina announces her candidacy for U.S. president. More

February 2016

Carly Fiorina ends her bid for U.S. president.
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July 2016

Hillary Clinton is formally nominated as the Democratic party candidate for president. More

July 2016

Hillary Clinton accepts the nomination as the Democratic party candidate for president. More