The 5 most memorable presidential elections 2000: The Election of 2000 came down to a ruling by the Supreme Court, and specifically, the votes in Florida. Al Gore's campaign sued to have a manual recount. In the end, electoral votes for the state were awarded to George W. Bush. 2008: Barack Obama became the 44th and first African-American president of the united states by defeating John McCain. Obama defeated McCain 365 electoral votes to 173. 1960: With his victory by a scant 120,000 votes, the 43-year-old John F. Kennedy became the youngest-ever U.S. president. Nixon was 47–only four years older. 1932: Franklin Roosevelt's Democratic Party rose to prominence through the New Deal coalition. Groups that made up the party included northern African-Americans and Southern whites. 1800: The aftermath of the Election of 1800 resulted in the passage of the 12th amendment in 1804 requiring that electors vote specifically for the offices of President and Vice President.