The BEST episodes of Race for the White House

Every episode of Race for the White House ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Race for the White House!

From executive producers Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti, CNN Original Series "Race for the White House" captures the drama of how a high-stakes presidential election can turn on a single issue and so much more.

Last Updated: 9/26/2024Network: CNNStatus: Ended

9.00

1 votes

#1 - Dwight D. Eisenhower vs. Adlai Stevenson

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/20/2020

Republican General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Democrat Adlai Stevenson both were persuaded to run for the White House, but as the gloves come off this becomes a fierce battle for hearts and minds.

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8.50

2 votes

#2 - Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/1/2020

The 1964 race was held in a country still reeling from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and pits incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson against conservative Republican Barry Goldwater.

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7.74

27 votes

#3 - Abraham Lincoln vs. Stephen A. Douglas

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/13/2016

Lincoln's oratory and underhanded tactics gave him the chance to beat Stephen Douglas, one of the most formidable politicians of his generation.

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7.69

26 votes

#4 - Andrew Jackson vs. John Quincy Adams

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/3/2016

After losing the election of 1824 to John Adams, General Andrew Jackson comes back with a vicious, vile and personal attack campaign to win the 1828 election.

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7.64

42 votes

#5 - John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/6/2016

John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon have the first televised presidential debate; one where presentation made as much of an impact as message, and may have cost Nixon the election.

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7.63

30 votes

#6 - Bill Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/10/2016

Bill Clinton fights back against a tarnished image as adulterer and draft dodger to win the presidency.

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7.61

23 votes

#7 - George H.W. Bush vs. Michael Dukakis

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/20/2016

Vice President Bush deals with the scandal of Iran Contra while campaigning against Michael Dukakis with television attack ads that would sink the Democrat's presidential chances.

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7.50

2 votes

#8 - Woodrow Wilson vs. Theodore Roosevelt vs. William Howard Taft vs. Eugene Debs

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/8/2020

The 1912 race is an election between four remarkable candidates - former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, his anointed heir President William Howard Taft, scholarly and religious Democrat Woodrow Wilson, and Socialist Eugene Debs.

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7.33

18 votes

#9 - Harry Truman vs. Thomas Dewey

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/27/2016

Harry Truman travels by train across America, in a race against time to win the presidency, as he falls in the polls while leading an unpopular, divided party against Thomas Dewey.

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7.33

3 votes

#10 - Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/13/2020

The election of 1976 pits the politician establishment personified by President Gerald Ford against Jimmy Carter.

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6.75

4 votes

#11 - Barack Obama vs. John McCain

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/16/2020

The 2008 race sees freshman Senator Barack Obama go up against Republican Senator John McCain.

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0.00

0 votes

#12 - Ronald Reagan vs. Jimmy Carter

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/23/2020

The 1980 race sees President Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan fighting off fierce challenges from within, as both parties struggle to re-invent themselves and use the global media spotlight to their advantage.

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