(Thread) Interesting factoids about presidential elections.

[twenty42]

The fact that 49 out of 50 states voted for each party at least once between 1964 and 1980 is pretty incredible to think about today. In the same timespan of 2000 through 2016, only 13 states have voted for both parties.

[twenty42]

Since DC residents were granted the right to vote for President, 1968 is the only Presidential election in which one or more states gave a lower percentage of their vote to the GOP candidate than DC. (MS and AL).

On the topic of DC, I find it amusing (though utterly pedantic) that it trended Republican in 2008.

[twenty42]

There are a couple oddball aspects to FDR's elections.

Fifteen out of 48 states swung Republican in 1936, despite the nation as a whole swinging 6.6% Democratic.

The nation swung 14.4% Republican in 1940. This is the fourth-largest national swing against an incumbent president in US history, behind only 1840, 1912, and 1932.

[twenty42]

Oregon voted to the right of the tipping-point state (PA) in 1996. For a venerable "blue wall" state that has trended dramatically left since 1980, it's odd that it was an "icing on the cake" state for Democrats in such a landslide victory.

[twenty42]

There's one state whose county results map has looked the same since 2000. Guess which.

Every election since 1988, actually.

Hawaii

[twenty42]

--Three states flipped from D to R in 1996 (CO, MT, GA) despite a three-point D swing nationally. Two states that year flipped from R to D (AZ, FL), which means that Republicans won more states in 1996 than they did in 1992. Is this the only presidential election in history where the popular vote swung one way but the other party made a net gain in states carried?

--2016 IA was as close as 2004 CA.

--HRC received the lowest percentage of the popular vote for a Democrat since 1992.

--All three Clinton elections were pluralities.

[twenty42]

VA is the only state that Hillary carried that her husband never did.

[twenty42]

The 1976 Dem nominee outlived the 2008 GOP nominee.