A Kerry Landslide?



"In the last 25 years, there have been four elections which pitted an incumbent against a challenger--1980, 1984, 1992, and 1996. In all four, the victor won by a substantial margin in the electoral college. The circumstances of one election hold particular relevance for today: 1980. That year, the country was weathering both tough economic times and frightening foreign policy crises. Indeed, this year Bush is looking unexpectedly like Carter.



Everyone expected the 1980 election to be very close. In fact, Reagan won an electoral avalanche of 489 to 49. The race was decided not so much on the public's nascent impressions of the challenger, but on their dissatisfaction with the incumbent..."