George McClellan also was unlucky. The margin as a fraction of the 2 party vote was actually closer in 1864 than 1980, and yet Lincoln got 91% of the electoral votes.
Not as unlucky as Stephen Douglas four years earlier, in that sense. A solid second place finisher in the popular vote, but how many electoral votes did Douglas get? 12. LOL, he couldn’t even obtain a majority of electoral votes from New Jersey, a state from which he received the majority of popular votes (granted, it’s somewhat more complicated due to the fusion ticket). Douglas also barely carried Missouri. That’s it.
I have to admit: playing as Douglas in the 1860 Campaign Trail game and trying to just get a DEADLOCK has to be one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. If there was ANY major party candidate who was caught between a rock and a hard place it was that man lol.
