The more charismatic candidate always wins

[darklordoftech]

I'd say it's true as long as one of the candidates is more charismatic than the other.

- Andrew Jackson was more charismatic than Quincy or Clay
- TR was more charismatic than Parker
- FDR was more charismatic than Hoover, Landon, Wilkie, or Dewey
- Kennedy was more charismatic than Nixon
- Reagan was more charismatic than Carter or Mondale
- Clinton was more charismatic than HW or Dole (people called Dole "Bob Dull")
- Dubya was more charismatic than Gore or Kerry
- Obama was more charismatic than McCain or Romney
- Trump has a devoted group of followers while Hillary didn't

[darklordoftech]

William Jennings Bryan was more charismatic than McKinley or Taft, but lost three times.

[darklordoftech]

Pretty much true since the age of television. You could argue 1988 and 2016 to an extent as an exception to the rule. 

1984 Reagan you can't top that
1988 Neither candidate was electrifying. H.W had Reagan's coattails
1992 Young and Easy Going Bill Clinton over the Tired George H.W
1996 Same as 92
2000 The folksy George W over the nerdy Al Gore
2004 Folksy W over boring John Kerry
2008 Dynamic Obama over boring old tired John Mccain
2012 Obama was more likable than the stiff awkward Mitt Romney.
2016 Both candidates were unlikable. Trump had anti establishment message going for him.

Why didn't you include 1960 and 1980?

[darklordoftech]

Charismatic candidates often promise change and claim to have a solution to the problems of the day.

[darklordoftech]

While I generally agree with this, there's probably some biased revisionism going on.  Namely, we will remember winning candidates as charismatic in part because they happened to win.  For elections "on the margin" (1968, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2004, 2016 etc.), I could see us easily arguing the loser was "obviously more charismatic" in the event they had actually won.   

Bush’s charisma and Gore’s and Kerry’s lack of charisma were talked about before election night, and if Hillary won in 2016, people would say it’s because Trump is divisive, not because Hillary is more charismatic.