(Thread) Interesting factoids about presidential elections.

[Calthrina950]

In 1964, Lyndon Johnson won Alaska over Barry Goldwater with 66% of the vote, the first and only time to date that the state has been carried by a Democrat in a presidential election. He carried every borough and county-equivalent that year, making Alaska one of eleven states where he won every county. Four years earlier, Richard Nixon had won the state, in its first ever election, over John Kennedy by just 1,144 votes.

[Calthrina950]

Nixon's margin in Mississippi 1972 was bigger percent wise than McGovern had in dc.

And in 1972, Mississippi also gave Nixon a higher percentage then the District of Columbia gave McGovern. Nixon got 78.20% in Mississippi, while McGovern received 78.10% in D.C. Mississippi also beat out D.C., in terms of both percentage and victory margin, in 1964 as well. Goldwater received 87.14% of the vote in Mississippi, while Johnson received 85.50% in D.C.

[Calthrina950]

Going back to 1884, the following MI counties have voted Republican in every Presidential election except for 1912, when they voted for Teddy Roosevelt: Missaukee, Ottawa, Sanilac.

Those were the only three counties in Michigan to vote for Goldwater in 1964.

[Calthrina950]

In each of 1980, 1984, and 1988, the GOP carried all nine US Census Bureau regions of the country (New England, Mid Atlantic, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, East North Central, West North Central, Mountain, and Pacific).

In other words, the Dems did not carry a single one of the nine regions in the entire decade of the 1980s.

Going back to 1912, the only other times one party has carried all nine regions were 1932 and 1936 (Dem) and 1972 (GOP).

Did Wilson carry all 9 in 1912?

Which one did Dukakis come closest to getting in 1988

Wilson lost the Pacific, which may have ironically been Dukakis' best region.

In 1980, Carter came closest in the East South Central states, which he lost, 49% - 48% (though he didn't win a single EV from that region). In 1988, Dukakis came closest in New England, which he lost 49.5% - 49.3%, and also came close in the Mid-Atlantic, West North Central, and Pacific regions.

Which regions did Dukakis win?

[Calthrina950]

In each of 1980, 1984, and 1988, the GOP carried all nine US Census Bureau regions of the country (New England, Mid Atlantic, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, East North Central, West North Central, Mountain, and Pacific).

In other words, the Dems did not carry a single one of the nine regions in the entire decade of the 1980s.

Going back to 1912, the only other times one party has carried all nine regions were 1932 and 1936 (Dem) and 1972 (GOP).

Did Wilson carry all 9 in 1912?

Which one did Dukakis come closest to getting in 1988

Wilson lost the Pacific, which may have ironically been Dukakis' best region.

In 1980, Carter came closest in the East South Central states, which he lost, 49% - 48% (though he didn't win a single EV from that region). In 1988, Dukakis came closest in New England, which he lost 49.5% - 49.3%, and also came close in the Mid-Atlantic, West North Central, and Pacific regions.

Which regions did Dukakis win?

None. That was my original comment: no Dem won any of the 9 Census-designated regions in any 1980s election.

I see. I forgot about that comment.

[Calthrina950]

If Virginia and West Virginia never split, Trump's raw vote margin in West Virginia would have been enough to overcome the margin of defeat in Virginia, granting Trump the 13 electoral votes of Virginia

West Virginia would have handed Virginia to Mitt Romney in 2012 as well, if I am not mistaken. Ironically, Bill Clinton would have won the unified state in 1996, because of his strength in West Virginia (which he won 52-37% over Bob Dole that year). Dole won Virginia itself 47-45%. Jimmy Carter also would have won the unified Virginia in 1976.

[Calthrina950]

New Hampshire is the only state where Donald Trump won the most populous county (Hillsborough) and lost the state as a whole.

Not only that but he won the two most populous counties in NH (Hillsborough, Rockingham)! And Rockingham by 6 points (though Hillsborough was basically a tie).

The county map in New Hampshire (in terms of counties won by each party) was also exactly the same in both 2000 and 2016, though Clinton did much better in Grafton County than Gore, which is why she was able to very narrowly win the state, while Gore narrowly lost it.

[Calthrina950]

The only Republicans ever to break 80% in any state?  Goldwater in Mississippi and McKinley (1896) in Vermont.

Johnson also broke 80% in Rhode Island in 1964, which is the most recent presidential election in which a candidate has received at least 80% of the vote within a state (not counting the District of Columbia). There was at least one state that voted 80% Democratic in every election from 1888 to 1944. In 1932, Roosevelt got over 80% of the vote in Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas, and over 90% in four other states-Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

[Calthrina950]

I just found out that Maine voted for Obama by 16 in 2012. Very surprising.

Obama's 2008 performance in Maine was similarly impressive, and Susan Collins' 22-pt. victory that year was even more so, showing the level of crossover appeal which she once enjoyed.

[Calthrina950]

I'm not sure how interesting this is, but in 2012, the Republican National Convention (RNC) was held in Tampa, Florida, and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Nevertheless, Mitt Romney lost Florida and Barack Obama lost North Carolina, so the conventions were of no electoral aid to them in those states.

[Calthrina950]

I did some work today for one of my projects, and found out some interesting facts regarding the 2016 election. As is well known, Hillary Clinton, despite winning the popular vote, won fewer counties and fewer congressional districts than Donald Trump. According to Daily Kos' data tables, she carried 205 districts, while Trump won 230. Of those 205 districts, Clinton carried 3 with more than 90% of the vote; 20 with more than 80% of the vote; 39 with more than 70% of the vote; 50 with more than 60% of the vote; 73 with more than 50% of the vote; and 20 with a plurality (less than 50% of the vote).

Trump, on his part, did not carry any districts with more than 90% of the vote, and only won one district with more than 80% of the vote (AL-04, represented by Rob Aderholt). He won 23 districts with more than 70% of the vote. However, Trump carried 73 districts with more than 60% of the vote and 106 districts with more than 50% of the vote, beating Clinton in both categories. He won an additional 27 with a plurality-beating Clinton in that category also.

I think this tells us the effects which gerrymandering can have on electoral results-as Trump was able to carry a broad category of districts with a majority of the vote, many of which were drawn by Republican legislatures. This is also shown by how Clinton carried fewer districts than Trump, whereas she may have won a majority with more fairly drawn maps. But on the other hand, it also tells us of the effects that geographical concentration and racial polarization can have-Clinton won many more districts with 70% or more of the vote than did Trump, and most of these were urban districts, either majority-minority or dominated by white liberals.

[Calthrina950]

The one year VT and GA both voted more Democratic than the nation is NOT the same as the one year both voted Democratic.

And there has yet to be a year where the two vote Democratic AND moreso than the nation.

Is that year 1980? Carter won his home state against Reagan by 14%, and Reagan carried Vermont 44-38%, with Anderson getting 15% of the vote.

[Calthrina950]

Vermont has only voted against a Republican who won the national popular vote one time.

That would be George W. Bush in 2004.

[Calthrina950]

If biden wins georgia, 2020 will be the first time since 1880 where both major party candidates won a exact equal amount of states

Biden was officially projected as the winner in Georgia over the weekend.

[Calthrina950]

If biden wins georgia, 2020 will be the first time since 1880 where both major party candidates won a exact equal amount of states

Biden was officially projected as the winner in Georgia over the weekend.

The only reason I said "if" is because the fact that some sources refuse to shade the state as such, and there is one more day before the recount ending deadline.

Im not saying it would make any difference, but I was trying to give a neutral presentation here

Although the main part of the fact, that being it is the first time since 1880 where they both win and equal amount of states, is still correct

I understand your caution. You're correct about the factoid which you included; I wasn't challenging that.

[Calthrina950]

Here's another interesting set of facts which I learned today, as I was doing additional work on my Ferguson Scenario project. As far as I can tell, there have been only four candidates in the past ninety years who have managed to flip at least 1,000 counties from the preceding election: Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972, and Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1932, Roosevelt won 1,791 counties carried by Herbert Hoover in 1928; 1928-1932 saw the greatest swing between presidential elections in American history. 32 years later, Johnson flipped 1,075 counties won by Nixon in 1960.

In 1972, Nixon himself won 1,147 counties carried by either Humphrey (575) or Wallace (572) in 1968. Then just four years later, in 1976, Carter won 1,582 counties carried by Nixon in 1972. Roosevelt, Johnson, and Nixon all won landslides, but Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford. The former three candidates gained counties in every region of the country, whereas Carter's gains were primarily concentrated in the South, and he gained much less ground in the West, Midwest, and Northeast. It's fascinating how three of these four shifts involved Nixon in some way-Johnson and Carter both achieved this feat through picking up counties which had been carried by Nixon before them, and Nixon himself achieved it in his third election.

[Calthrina950]

Here's another interesting set of facts which I learned today, as I was doing additional work on my Ferguson Scenario project. As far as I can tell, there have been only four candidates in the past ninety years who have managed to flip at least 1,000 counties from the preceding election: Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972, and Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1932, Roosevelt won 1,791 counties carried by Herbert Hoover in 1928; 1928-1932 saw the greatest swing between presidential elections in American history. 32 years later, Johnson flipped 1,075 counties won by Nixon in 1960.

In 1972, Nixon himself won 1,147 counties carried by either Humphrey (575) or Wallace (572) in 1968. Then just four years later, in 1976, Carter won 1,582 counties carried by Nixon in 1972. Roosevelt, Johnson, and Nixon all won landslides, but Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford. The former three candidates gained counties in every region of the country, whereas Carter's gains were primarily concentrated in the South, and he gained much less ground in the West, Midwest, and Northeast. It's fascinating how three of these four shifts involved Nixon in some way-Johnson and Carter both achieved this feat through picking up counties which had been carried by Nixon before them, and Nixon himself achieved it in his third election.

Interesting analysis. I suspect that county-level data (except for the 100 or so largest counties) will be increasingly trivial going forward, rather than consequential. To my knowledge, the asymmetry between party popularity and county size has never been more obvious: look at a recent Top 10 list of Democratic counties and you'll see Bronx, Manhattan, San Francisco. On the GOP side you'll see tiny rural counties that few have heard of unless they live in that state. Until the 2000s, both lists tended to consist of relatively small counties.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter carried the majority of counties. Since Reagan flipped fewer than 1,000 (according to your analysis), it follows that Carter, in losing in 1980, still carried far more counties than Biden did in 2020 in winning. I've seen on this Forum speculation as to whether the Democrats can win 20% (!) of counties.

Reagan flipped 810 counties. Ford had won 1,403 counties in 1976, while Carter carried 1,711-the last Democrat to win a majority of counties. In 1980, Reagan won 2,213 counties while Carter carried 900. Carter not only carried more counties than Biden, but he also won more than Al Gore in 2000 (674), Barack Obama in both of his elections (875 in 2008 and 693 in 2012), and Hillary Clinton in 2016 (490). Geographic polarization certainly has intensified in the past four decades. But I'd agree with you that such analysis will become trivial moving forward.

As this election amply demonstrated, "land doesn't vote, people do", and Biden won virtually all of the 100 most populous counties in the country. Moreover, the 48 counties that he did flip were predominantly populous urban or suburban counties, such as Duval County, Florida and Chesterfield County, Virginia. Trump's flips came in rural or exurban counties, like Zapata County, Texas and Mahoning County, Ohio.

[Calthrina950]

Here's another interesting set of facts which I learned today, as I was doing additional work on my Ferguson Scenario project. As far as I can tell, there have been only four candidates in the past ninety years who have managed to flip at least 1,000 counties from the preceding election: Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972, and Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1932, Roosevelt won 1,791 counties carried by Herbert Hoover in 1928; 1928-1932 saw the greatest swing between presidential elections in American history. 32 years later, Johnson flipped 1,075 counties won by Nixon in 1960.

In 1972, Nixon himself won 1,147 counties carried by either Humphrey (575) or Wallace (572) in 1968. Then just four years later, in 1976, Carter won 1,582 counties carried by Nixon in 1972. Roosevelt, Johnson, and Nixon all won landslides, but Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford. The former three candidates gained counties in every region of the country, whereas Carter's gains were primarily concentrated in the South, and he gained much less ground in the West, Midwest, and Northeast. It's fascinating how three of these four shifts involved Nixon in some way-Johnson and Carter both achieved this feat through picking up counties which had been carried by Nixon before them, and Nixon himself achieved it in his third election.

Interesting analysis. I suspect that county-level data (except for the 100 or so largest counties) will be increasingly trivial going forward, rather than consequential. To my knowledge, the asymmetry between party popularity and county size has never been more obvious: look at a recent Top 10 list of Democratic counties and you'll see Bronx, Manhattan, San Francisco. On the GOP side you'll see tiny rural counties that few have heard of unless they live in that state. Until the 2000s, both lists tended to consist of relatively small counties.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter carried the majority of counties. Since Reagan flipped fewer than 1,000 (according to your analysis), it follows that Carter, in losing in 1980, still carried far more counties than Biden did in 2020 in winning. I've seen on this Forum speculation as to whether the Democrats can win 20% (!) of counties.

Reagan flipped 810 counties. Ford had won 1,403 counties in 1976, while Carter carried 1,711-the last Democrat to win a majority of counties. In 1980, Reagan won 2,213 counties while Carter carried 900. Carter not only carried more counties than Biden, but he also won more than Al Gore in 2000 (674), Barack Obama in both of his elections (875 in 2008 and 693 in 2012), and Hillary Clinton in 2016 (490). Geographic polarization certainly has intensified in the past four decades. But I'd agree with you that such analysis will become trivial moving forward.

As this election amply demonstrated, "land doesn't vote, people do", and Biden won virtually all of the 100 most populous counties in the country. Moreover, the 48 counties that he did flip were predominantly populous urban or suburban counties, such as Duval County, Florida and Chesterfield County, Virginia. Trump's flips came in rural or exurban counties, like Zapata County, Texas and Mahoning County, Ohio.

I would think Mahoning County is one of the largest Mondale - Trump counties. And Mondale didn't just win it by a little bit; he won it by 59-41.

I would agree with you. Mondale was stronger than McGovern in white working-class and blue collar areas throughout much of the Rust Belt. McGovern narrowly lost Mahoning County to Nixon in 1972, the last time it voted Republican before this year. And he lost all of the counties in and around Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Mondale carried that region in 1984 by decisive margins, which is why he was able to hold Reagan to a single-digit margin in Pennsylvania. Moreover, Mondale did much better than McGovern in West Virginia and in Eastern Kentucky. I recall reading somewhere that he actually won the old incarnation of KY-05 (or a predecessor district) which then encompassed Elliott County and its neighbors; McGovern lost that district.

[Calthrina950]

Here's another interesting set of facts which I learned today, as I was doing additional work on my Ferguson Scenario project. As far as I can tell, there have been only four candidates in the past ninety years who have managed to flip at least 1,000 counties from the preceding election: Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972, and Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1932, Roosevelt won 1,791 counties carried by Herbert Hoover in 1928; 1928-1932 saw the greatest swing between presidential elections in American history. 32 years later, Johnson flipped 1,075 counties won by Nixon in 1960.

In 1972, Nixon himself won 1,147 counties carried by either Humphrey (575) or Wallace (572) in 1968. Then just four years later, in 1976, Carter won 1,582 counties carried by Nixon in 1972. Roosevelt, Johnson, and Nixon all won landslides, but Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford. The former three candidates gained counties in every region of the country, whereas Carter's gains were primarily concentrated in the South, and he gained much less ground in the West, Midwest, and Northeast. It's fascinating how three of these four shifts involved Nixon in some way-Johnson and Carter both achieved this feat through picking up counties which had been carried by Nixon before them, and Nixon himself achieved it in his third election.

Interesting analysis. I suspect that county-level data (except for the 100 or so largest counties) will be increasingly trivial going forward, rather than consequential. To my knowledge, the asymmetry between party popularity and county size has never been more obvious: look at a recent Top 10 list of Democratic counties and you'll see Bronx, Manhattan, San Francisco. On the GOP side you'll see tiny rural counties that few have heard of unless they live in that state. Until the 2000s, both lists tended to consist of relatively small counties.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter carried the majority of counties. Since Reagan flipped fewer than 1,000 (according to your analysis), it follows that Carter, in losing in 1980, still carried far more counties than Biden did in 2020 in winning. I've seen on this Forum speculation as to whether the Democrats can win 20% (!) of counties.

Reagan flipped 810 counties. Ford had won 1,403 counties in 1976, while Carter carried 1,711-the last Democrat to win a majority of counties. In 1980, Reagan won 2,213 counties while Carter carried 900. Carter not only carried more counties than Biden, but he also won more than Al Gore in 2000 (674), Barack Obama in both of his elections (875 in 2008 and 693 in 2012), and Hillary Clinton in 2016 (490). Geographic polarization certainly has intensified in the past four decades. But I'd agree with you that such analysis will become trivial moving forward.

As this election amply demonstrated, "land doesn't vote, people do", and Biden won virtually all of the 100 most populous counties in the country. Moreover, the 48 counties that he did flip were predominantly populous urban or suburban counties, such as Duval County, Florida and Chesterfield County, Virginia. Trump's flips came in rural or exurban counties, like Zapata County, Texas and Mahoning County, Ohio.

All these people getting mad about discussion of number of counties won, and what's in bold is the only point I'm ever trying to make. Geographic polarization is much more prevalent than it used to be...prior to 1992, I think the only person in the twentieth century who won without a majority of counties was JFK, and that election was very close. 

You're correct. To my knowledge, Kennedy was the first Democrat ever to win a presidential election without carrying a majority of counties, and he was the first presidential victor of any party since William McKinley in 1896 to do so. Kennedy won 1,186 counties while Nixon carried 1,848. Bill Clinton, as I've noted, was the last Democrat to truly have broad crossover appeal between metropolitan and rural America, and although he won fewer counties then Bush and Dole, he ran close to them, carrying more than 1,500 counties in both 1992 and 1996. In 2000, Gore lost 852 counties which Clinton had won four years previously, and the Democrats have never recovered from that.

Interestingly enough, there were four Democrats during the nineteenth century who carried a majority of counties but lost the election-Lewis Cass in 1848, Samuel Tilden in 1876, Grover Cleveland in 1888, and William Bryan in 1896. Bryan was the last Democrat to do so. Since 1976 alone, there have been five Republicans who have done this-George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump. George W. Bush lost the popular vote in 2000 while carrying a majority of counties, so one could say that there were six.

[Calthrina950]

Here's another interesting set of facts which I learned today, as I was doing additional work on my Ferguson Scenario project. As far as I can tell, there have been only four candidates in the past ninety years who have managed to flip at least 1,000 counties from the preceding election: Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972, and Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1932, Roosevelt won 1,791 counties carried by Herbert Hoover in 1928; 1928-1932 saw the greatest swing between presidential elections in American history. 32 years later, Johnson flipped 1,075 counties won by Nixon in 1960.

In 1972, Nixon himself won 1,147 counties carried by either Humphrey (575) or Wallace (572) in 1968. Then just four years later, in 1976, Carter won 1,582 counties carried by Nixon in 1972. Roosevelt, Johnson, and Nixon all won landslides, but Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford. The former three candidates gained counties in every region of the country, whereas Carter's gains were primarily concentrated in the South, and he gained much less ground in the West, Midwest, and Northeast. It's fascinating how three of these four shifts involved Nixon in some way-Johnson and Carter both achieved this feat through picking up counties which had been carried by Nixon before them, and Nixon himself achieved it in his third election.

Interesting analysis. I suspect that county-level data (except for the 100 or so largest counties) will be increasingly trivial going forward, rather than consequential. To my knowledge, the asymmetry between party popularity and county size has never been more obvious: look at a recent Top 10 list of Democratic counties and you'll see Bronx, Manhattan, San Francisco. On the GOP side you'll see tiny rural counties that few have heard of unless they live in that state. Until the 2000s, both lists tended to consist of relatively small counties.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter carried the majority of counties. Since Reagan flipped fewer than 1,000 (according to your analysis), it follows that Carter, in losing in 1980, still carried far more counties than Biden did in 2020 in winning. I've seen on this Forum speculation as to whether the Democrats can win 20% (!) of counties.

Reagan flipped 810 counties. Ford had won 1,403 counties in 1976, while Carter carried 1,711-the last Democrat to win a majority of counties. In 1980, Reagan won 2,213 counties while Carter carried 900. Carter not only carried more counties than Biden, but he also won more than Al Gore in 2000 (674), Barack Obama in both of his elections (875 in 2008 and 693 in 2012), and Hillary Clinton in 2016 (490). Geographic polarization certainly has intensified in the past four decades. But I'd agree with you that such analysis will become trivial moving forward.

As this election amply demonstrated, "land doesn't vote, people do", and Biden won virtually all of the 100 most populous counties in the country. Moreover, the 48 counties that he did flip were predominantly populous urban or suburban counties, such as Duval County, Florida and Chesterfield County, Virginia. Trump's flips came in rural or exurban counties, like Zapata County, Texas and Mahoning County, Ohio.

All these people getting mad about discussion of number of counties won, and what's in bold is the only point I'm ever trying to make. Geographic polarization is much more prevalent than it used to be...prior to 1992, I think the only person in the twentieth century who won without a majority of counties was JFK, and that election was very close. 

You're correct. To my knowledge, Kennedy was the first Democrat ever to win a presidential election without carrying a majority of counties, and he was the first presidential victor of any party since William McKinley in 1896 to do so. Kennedy won 1,186 counties while Nixon carried 1,848. Bill Clinton, as I've noted, was the last Democrat to truly have broad crossover appeal between metropolitan and rural America, and although he won fewer counties then Bush and Dole, he ran close to them, carrying more than 1,500 counties in both 1992 and 1996. In 2000, Gore lost 852 counties which Clinton had won four years previously, and the Democrats have never recovered from that.

Interestingly enough, there were four Democrats during the nineteenth century who carried a majority of counties but lost the election-Lewis Cass in 1848, Samuel Tilden in 1876, Grover Cleveland in 1888, and William Bryan in 1896. Bryan was the last Democrat to do so. Since 1976 alone, there have been five Republicans who have done this-George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump. George W. Bush lost the popular vote in 2000 while carrying a majority of counties, so one could say that there were six.

Maybe add Hancock 1880 to the list of Democrats during the nineteenth century who carried a majority of counties but lost the election?

I can't find information on exactly how many counties Hancock and Garfield each carried that year. But from a look at the county map, it's obvious to me that Hancock won a majority of counties. So that would be five Democrats during the nineteenth century.

[Calthrina950]

Here's another interesting set of facts which I learned today, as I was doing additional work on my Ferguson Scenario project. As far as I can tell, there have been only four candidates in the past ninety years who have managed to flip at least 1,000 counties from the preceding election: Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972, and Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1932, Roosevelt won 1,791 counties carried by Herbert Hoover in 1928; 1928-1932 saw the greatest swing between presidential elections in American history. 32 years later, Johnson flipped 1,075 counties won by Nixon in 1960.

In 1972, Nixon himself won 1,147 counties carried by either Humphrey (575) or Wallace (572) in 1968. Then just four years later, in 1976, Carter won 1,582 counties carried by Nixon in 1972. Roosevelt, Johnson, and Nixon all won landslides, but Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford. The former three candidates gained counties in every region of the country, whereas Carter's gains were primarily concentrated in the South, and he gained much less ground in the West, Midwest, and Northeast. It's fascinating how three of these four shifts involved Nixon in some way-Johnson and Carter both achieved this feat through picking up counties which had been carried by Nixon before them, and Nixon himself achieved it in his third election.

To be fair when you're george mcgovern the only way for the democrats to go as up

That is understandable, but I was focusing on Carter's status as one of only four candidates to flip such an enormous amount of counties.

[Calthrina950]

The statement “As Maine goes, so goes Vermont” is very accurate.

Since the Civil War, Maine and Vermont have only voted for different candidates twice: 1912 and 1968.

1912 was when Vermont was still the most Republican state in the country. Theodore Roosevelt got 35% of the vote there, but placed second behind Taft, who retained enough of the loyalist Yankee Republican vote to win by a 1,200 vote margin, and with a 37.13% plurality. Vermont was one of only two states Taft carried that year (the other was Utah). 56 years later, Maine's own Junior Senator, Ed Muskie, who was very popular in his home state at the time, was Hubert Humphrey's running mate, enabling Humphrey to win Maine, while Vermont returned to its GOP loyalties after having bolted for the first time ever in 1964 for Lyndon Johnson. But in the modern era, Vermont is significantly more Democratic than Maine is; Biden won Vermont by 35%, but Maine by "only" 9%. And in a future election-perhaps as early as 2024 or 2028-I could see Maine voting Republican but Vermont remaining Democratic.

[Calthrina950]

Going back through 1860, the candidate who carried the city of Philadelphia was likely the same candidate who won a majority of the black vote nationwide each time.

1932, the year in which Philadelphia last voted Republican, was also the last year in which a Republican won a majority of the black vote. I've read that Hoover won up to two-thirds of the black vote that year.

[Calthrina950]

Barack Obama is the only ever major party presidential candidate born after the 1940s.

It's truly astonishing to me how Obama was able to break the mold, if you will, although I think 2020 will be the last presidential election in which one, or both, major party presidential candidates were born in the 1940s. By far, Obama remains the youngest living President, as he is 37 years (!) younger than Jimmy Carter, 19 years younger than Joe Biden, and 16 years younger than Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Trump. Paul Ryan (born in 1970) is the youngest living vice-presidential candidate, as he is six years younger than Sarah Palin and Kamala Harris, 11 years younger than Mike Pence, 12 years younger than Tim Kaine, 17 years younger than John Edwards, 23 years younger than Dan Quayle, 28 years younger than Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman, 29 years younger than Dick Cheney, and 42 years younger than Walter Mondale.

[Calthrina950]

Now 1984 is the most recent election where both candidates are dead, and 1996 is the most recent one where both candidates are alive. Of course, 1976 is the earliest with a living candidate.

Not just both candidates, but all four major-party presidential and vice-presidential candidates.