5 best and worst campaigns

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Companion thread:

Best

5-Ted Strickland
OK, his campaign wasn't much more than just sitting back and watching his opponent self-destruct. But you got to hand it to a guy who played it that smart to pick up a governorship with over 60%.

4-Mike Beebe
True, you never heard anything about him, but that's because this was never competitive. That itself is an accomplishment.

3-Sarah Palin
Beating Tony Knowles by 8 points in 2006 when Frank Murkowski is the current governor (even if you ousted him in the primary) is no small feat.

2-Martin O'Malley
He's already established rock star status before being sworn in. And he's devestated what's left of the GOP in Maryland.

1-Deval Patrick
The Obama of this cycle. Black guy comes out of nowhere to crush his opponents in the primary, and win the general in a landslide. Only he had a credible opponent.

Worst

5-Jim Nussle
You can tell things are bad when you lose your own congressional district by 17 points.

4-Mark Taylor
What happens when you pretty much do every single thing in your campaign wrong.

3-Judy Baar Topinka
Your opponent is corrupt and very unpopular, and the Green is getting over 10% and you started the campaign up 11 points. Can you blow it and lose in a landslide? Yes.

2-Ken Blackwell
A textbook example of how to do everything you possibly can to not only lose the election, but look like the world's biggest douchebag in the process.

1-Phil Angelides
How do you lose Contra Costa county to Arnold in 2006?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I am unaware of a single thing Taylor did wrong, except maybe run for Gov. instead of Lt. Gov.

From what I heard he completely ignored the issues at the debates and just kept bringing up a land deal Perdue was involved in. He also ran out of money, and never got his campaign going anywhere. He was the Democratic Mark Kennedy.

According to whom and when was Topinka up eleven?

You just replied to that:
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=36061.0

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Well this was only for the gubernatorial campaigns, the Senate ones were in the other thread.

How does Katherine Harris not end up on the list either way though?