1976: Udall (D) vs. Rockefeller (R) vs. Reagan (I)

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Udall outscores Reagan (in the popular vote), and Reagan outscores Rockefeller. However, election is sent to the House where Udall wins because of a Republican split.

I believe they need a majority of the house (although Dems were a very substantial majority in '76).

Even this is a bit of an understatement- the margin was 292 to 143. And they would need a majority of the states' delegations, not a majority of the House as a whole.

Of course, it would be the newly elected house (reflected in the above numbers) that would elect the President. So if the assassination and presidential election had interesting butterfly effects downballot, those numbers could be way off.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Udall outscores Reagan (in the popular vote), and Reagan outscores Rockefeller. However, election is sent to the House where Udall wins because of a Republican split.

I believe they need a majority of the house (although Dems were a very substantial majority in '76).

And they would need a majority of the states' delegations, not a majority of the House as a whole.

True, but isn't that what the House is? Each delegation has one representative. So it basically does boil down to the House determining the outcome.

With the kind of numbers mentioned above, that would certainly hold true. But it is possible for a party to hold a slight majority of House seats, but a minority of states' delegations, if that party's strength is mostly concentrated in larger states. In such a situation, the minority party could elect the president.