States that won the most; states that lost the most

[A18]

What state voted for the winner in the largest number of presidential elections?

What state voted for the loser in the largest number of presidential elections?

What state voted for the winner in the largest percentage of presidential elections it participated in?

What state voted for the loser in the largest percentage of presidential elections it participated in?

[SingingAnalyst]

I think Ohio nearly always votes with the winner. Only post-WWII exception was 1960.  On the other hand, WV has voted with the loser in 1952, 1968, 1980, 1988, 2008, and 2012.

[buritobr]

Mississippi had the longest sequence voting for the looser: every presidential election from 1948 to 1968.

[DS0816]

What state voted for the winner in the largest number of presidential elections?

What state voted for the loser in the largest number of presidential elections?

What state voted for the winner in the largest percentage of presidential elections it participated in?

What state voted for the loser in the largest percentage of presidential elections it participated in?

I have a thread right here:

@ https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=222186.0

I'll let the thread's OP have at it.

And Alabama and Mississippi both went 20 years and six cycles (1948 to 1968) of getting it "wrong" during presidential elections won by both parties.

[buritobr]

I didn't mention Alabama because JFK won half of the electoral votes

[Clark Kent]

Kennedy won a majority in Alabama. It doesn't count.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Delaware was a bellwether for a while, but has quite a record with losers as well: Hoover in 1932, Dewey in 1948, Gore in 2000, and Kerry in 2004, not to mention a lot of Democrats in the post-Civil War era.  Maine and Washington seem to have the greatest number of losers in recent decades; Washington gets a slight edge of the two because of 1988. 

Meanwhile, no Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio (at least not yet), and only two have won without Pennsylvania (Nixon in 1968 and Bush 2 in both his elections.)  Missouri voted for the winner of all but one presidential election in the 20th century (the exception was 1956), and Illinois went for the winner of all but two from 1888 to 1996 (1916 and 1976).  I could probably figure it out if I went through the maps mentally (and/or on the main site.)

[DS0816]

States 100 years of age, at a minimum, which have always carried for winning Republicans: Arizona, North Dakota and, most famously, Ohio.

States 100 years of age, at a minimum, which have always carried for winning Democrats: None apply. (In 2008, Arkansas and Missouri broke the pattern. But, since 1988, winning Republicans and Democrats have seen those previous states' patterns break as the electoral map pretty much became an inverse of where the two parties' base states used to be. George Bush, in 1988, became the first winning Republican to not carry Iowa. Bill Clinton, in 1992 and 1996, became the first winning Democrat to not carry Texas. George W. Bush, in 2000, became the first winning Republican to not carry Illinois and Vermont and, in 2004, likewise New Hampshire. In 2008, Barack Obama became the first winning Democrat to not carry Arkansas and Missouri.)

[buritobr]

It is easy to be anti-bellwheter a state that always votes for the same party. A state that used to vote D between 1952 and 1988 and a state that keeps voting R since 1992 voted for the looser many times. Mississippi voted for a losing candidate many times too, because this state voted three times for a Dixiecrat.

But Washington (the state) is an interesting example because it was an anti-bellwheter for both parties. Washington was Nixon 1960, Humphrey 1968, Ford 1976 and Dukakis 1988. Between 1952 and 1988, Washington voted for the winner only in landslides. Maine was almost like Washington. But voted for Bush 1988. Almost voted for Carter 1980.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Maine was almost like Washington. But voted for Bush 1988. Almost voted for Carter 1980.

That was probably due to Anderson siphoning off moderate/liberal Republican votes.

[DS0816]

New Mexico has the best record historically with having carried for presidential winners. It first voted in 1912 and sided with only one loser in the popular vote [and Electoral College]: 1976 Gerald Ford.

Nevada has voted the same as New Mexico with just one exception: 2000, a year which gave split results with one winner of the popular vote [who carried New Mexico] and one winner of the Electoral College [who carried Nevada].

But in looking at states not as recently perceived on bellwether status, there is a close connection New Mexico has to Illinois. There have been no more than two elections in which these two states voted differently: 1916 and 2004. So, from 1920 to 2000—an 80-year period of 21 presidential election cycles—New Mexico and Illinois have carried the same. As they did in 1912. As they did in 2008 and 2012. That's a total of 26 presidential election cycles in which New Mexico and Illinois have carried the same in 24. And Illinois has the second-best historical record with having carried for presidential winners.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

New Mexico has the best record historically with having carried for presidential winners. It first voted in 1912 and sided with only one loser in the popular vote [and Electoral College]: 1976 Gerald Ford.

Nevada has voted the same as New Mexico with just one exception: 2000, a year which gave split results with one winner of the popular vote [who carried New Mexico] and one winner of the Electoral College [who carried Nevada].

Bush probably would've carried New Mexico in 2000 if it weren't for the early call of Florida.