Welcome to Floor Fight, our podcast pitting the losing candidates in every competitive presidential race in American history against each other to answer the ultimate question:

Who was the best president we never had?

Brought to you by the boys who gave you hours of presidential race intrigue in Running Mates, we’re inquiring — would John Kerry have made a better president than Ross Perot? Is Mitt Romney more deserving of a shot than Henry Clay?

Follow along on our live updating bracket below and on the Floor Fight podcast as we pit losing candidates against each other, starting with our play-ins and working our way towards the ultimate showdown for the best president that never was.

Disagree with our picks? Join in the debate on Twitter or email us to let us know who didn’t get a fair shot or who you think should win the next round!


Play-In Matches
16Weaver
1892 (Cleveland)
16Perot (1996)
1996 (B. Clinton)
16Crawford
1824 (J.Q. Adams)
16Nader
2000 (Bush)
15Breckinridge
1860 (Lincoln)
15La Follette
1924 (Coolidge)
15Taft
1912 (Wilson)
15Bell
1860 (Lincoln)
15Perot (1992)
1992 (B. Clinton)
15Wallace
1968 (Nixon)
15Fillmore
1856 (Buchanan)
15Clay (1824)
1824 (J.Q. Adams)
16White
1836 (Van Buren)
16Anderson
1980 (Reagan)
16Van Buren (1848)
1848 (Taylor)
16G. Johnson
2016 (Trump)

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ROUND ONE

1Tilden
1876 (Hayes)
16Weaver
1892 (Cleveland)
8G.H.W. Bush
1992 (B. Clinton)
9Jackson
1824 (J.Q. Adams)
5McCain
2008 (Obama)
12Landon
1936 (F. Roosevelt)
4Bryan (1896)
1896 (McKinley)
13King
1816 (Monroe)
6McClellan
1864 (Lincoln)
11Parker
1904 (T. Roosevelt)
3Seymour
1868 (Grant)
14Pinckney (1804)
1804 (Jefferson)
7Scott
1852 (Pierce)
10Mondale
1984 (Reagan)
2H. Clinton
2016 (Trump)
15La Follette
1924 (Coolidge)
1Gore
2000 (G.W. Bush)
16Crawford
1824 (J.Q. Adams)
8Greeley
1872 (Grant)
9Humphrey
1968 (Nixon)
5Jefferson
1796 (J. Adams)
12McGovern
1972 (Nixon)
4Romney
2012 (Obama)
13Cox
1920 (Harding)
6Dukakis
1988 (G.H.W. Bush)
11Hoover
1932 (F. Roosevelt)
3Clay (1844)
1844 (Polk)
14Douglas
1860 (Lincoln)
7Willkie
1940 (F. Roosevelt)
10Carter
1980 (Reagan)
2Kerry
2004 (G.W. Bush)
15Taft
1912 (Wilson)

TWO

1Tilden
1876 (Hayes)
8G.H.W. Bush
1992 (B. Clinton)
5McCain
2008 (Obama)
4Bryan (1896)
1896 (McKinley)
11Parker
1904 (T. Roosevelt)
14Pinckney (1804)
1804 (Jefferson)
10Mondale
1984 (Reagan)
2H. Clinton
2016 (Trump)
1Gore
2000 (G.W. Bush)
9Humphrey
1968 (Nixon)
5Jefferson
1796 (J. Adams)
4Romney
2012 (Obama)
6Dukakis
1988 (G.H.W. Bush)
3Clay (1844)
1844 (Polk)
10Carter
1980 (Reagan)
2Kerry
2004 (G.W. Bush)

THREE

8G.H.W. Bush
1992 (B. Clinton)
4Bryan (1896)
1896 (McKinley)
11Parker
1904 (T. Roosevelt)
2H. Clinton
2016 (Trump)
1Gore
2000 (G.W. Bush)
5Jefferson
1796 (J. Adams)
3Clay (1844)
1844 (Polk)
2Kerry
2004 (G.W. Bush)

FOUR

8G.H.W. Bush
1992 (B. Clinton)
2H. Clinton
2016 (Trump)
1Gore
2000 (G.W. Bush)
2Kerry
2004 (G.W. Bush)

FIVE

2H. Clinton
2016 (Trump)
1Gore
2000 (G.W. Bush)

FINAL

2H. Clinton
2016 (Trump)
12Clay (1832)
1832 (Jackson)

FIVE

7J.Q. Adams
1828 (Jackson)
12Clay (1832)
1832 (Jackson)

FOUR

8B. Harrison
1892 (Cleveland)
7J.Q. Adams
1828 (Jackson)
12Clay (1832)
1832 (Jackson)
3Ford
1976 (Carter)

THREE

8B. Harrison
1892 (Cleveland)
4Van Buren (1840)
1840 (W.H. Harrison)
6Dewey (1948)
1948 (Truman)
7J.Q. Adams
1828 (Jackson)
8Bryan (1908)
1908 (Taft)
12Clay (1832)
1832 (Jackson)
3Ford
1976 (Carter)
15Clay (1824)
1824 (J.Q. Adams)

TWO

1Nixon
1960 (Kennedy)
8B. Harrison
1892 (Cleveland)
5Dewey (1944)
1944 (F. Roosevelt)
4Van Buren (1840)
1840 (W.H. Harrison)
6Dewey (1948)
1948 (Truman)
14T. Roosevelt
1912 (Wilson)
7J.Q. Adams
1828 (Jackson)
2Hancock
1880 (Garfield)
16Van Buren (1848)
1848 (Taylor)
8Bryan (1908)
1908 (Taft)
12Clay (1832)
1832 (Jackson)
13Fremont
1856 (Buchanan)
6Bryan (1900)
1900 (McKinley)
3Ford
1976 (Carter)
10Smith
1928 (Hoover)
15Clay (1824)
1824 (J.Q. Adams)

ROUND ONE

1Nixon
1960 (Kennedy)
16Anderson
1980 (Reagan)
8B. Harrison
1892 (Cleveland)
9Stevenson (1956)
1956 (Eisenhower)
5Dewey (1944)
1944 (F. Roosevelt)
12W.H. Harrison
1836 (Van Buren)
4Van Buren (1840)
1840 (W.H. Harrison)
13Pinckney (1808)
1808 (Madison)
6Dewey (1948)
1948 (Truman)
11Goldwater
1964 (L.B. Johnson)
3D. Clinton
1812 (Madison)
14T. Roosevelt
1912 (Wilson)
7J.Q. Adams
1828 (Jackson)
10Dole
1996 (B. Clinton)
2Hancock
1880 (Garfield)
15Perot (1992)
1992 (B. Clinton)
1Cleveland
1888 (B. Harrison)
16Van Buren (1848)
1848 (Taylor)
8Bryan (1908)
1908 (Taft)
9Cass
1848 (Taylor)
5Hughes
1916 (Wilson)
12Clay (1832)
1832 (Jackson)
4Trump
2020 (Biden)
13Fremont
1856 (Buchanan)
6Bryan (1900)
1900 (McKinley)
11J. Adams
1800 (Jefferson)
3Ford
1976 (Carter)
14Davis
1924 (Coolidge)
7Stevenson (1952)
1952 (Eisenhower)
10Smith
1928 (Hoover)
2Blaine
1884 (Cleveland)
15Clay (1824)
1824 (J.Q. Adams)