Most 'electable' candidates for each party since 1968

[Property Representative of the Harold Holt Swimming Centre]

This excludes those years where there was an incumbent without a serious challenger.

Ds:

1968 - RFK, due to the Kennedy charisma
1972 - Muskie would have probably lost the least badly
1976 - Carter due to outsider credentials
1980 - Ted Kennedy wouldn't have won, but wouldn't have lost in a landslide
1984 - Probably Glenn, due to hero status and all of that
1988 - Gore, Southerner and harder to attack, and a fresh face
1992 - Clinton, due to charisma
2000 - Bradley might not have ran such s mediocre campaign
2004 - Gephardt wouldn't have been met with the cultural war stuff and had appeal in Ohio, Iowa and Missouri
2008 - I think Edwards, assuming the scandals don't come out
2016 - O'Malley. Little to attack on and perhaps the most telegenic candidate in half a century
2020 - Difficult, but probably one of the legions of genetic senators and governors who dropped out early, as paradoxical as that is

Rs:

1968 - Nixon was the only one to balance out moderates in the North and Southerners who couldn't quite stomach Wallace, unlike Rockefeller and Reagan.
1976 - I suspect Reagan's charm and change status would have eeked out a win
1980 - Reagan again
1988 - Either Bush or Dole. Uninspiring field.
1992 - There's actually a case for Buchanan, scarily enough.
1996 - Again, perhaps Buchanan. Probably unwinnable for anyone though.
2000 - McCain would have picked off the Midwest for a comfortable victory.
2008 - Given everything, Huckabee.
2012 - Santorum, alas.
2016 - Trump or Kasich. The rest were lightweights or washed up.

[😥]

Only of those who actually ran

Democrats
1968: Lyndon Johnson
1972: Scoop Jackson
1976: Jimmy Carter
1980: Jimmy Carter
1984: John Glenn
1988: Al Gore
1992: Bill Clinton
2000: Al Gore
2004: Wesley Clark
2008: Hillary Clinton
2016: Hillary Clinton
2020: I would say Steve Bullock or Amy Klobuchar

Republicans
1968: Richard Nixom
1976: Ronald Reagan
1980: Ronald Reagan
1988: Jack Kemp, actually
1992: George H.W. Bush
1996: Richard Lugar
2000: John McCain
2008: John McCain
2012: Mitt Romney
2016: John Kasich

[OSR stands with Israel]

Democrats:

1968: Kennedy
1972: Jackson
1976: Carter
1980: Brown
1984: Hollings
1988: Gore
1992: Clinton
2000: Gore
2004: Graham
2008: Obama
2016: Webb
2020: Biden

Republicans:

1968: Nixon
1976: Reagan
1980: Reagan
1988: Bush
1992: Bush
1996: Wilson
2000: McCain
2008: McCain
2012: Romney
2016: Kasich

[Xing]

Democratic Party
1968: The one I like most
1972: The one I like most
1976: The one I like most
1980: The one I like most
1984: The one I like most
1988: The one I like most
1992: The one I like most
2000: The one I like most
2004: The one I like most
2008: The one I like most
2016: The one I like most
2020: The one I like most

Republican Party
1968: The one I like most
1976: The one I like most
1980: The one I like most
1988: The one I like most
1988: The one I like most
1992: The one I like most
1996: The one I like most
2000: The one I like most
2008: The one I like most
2012: The one I like most
2016: The one I like most

[dw93]

Democrats:

1968: Tough call between Kennedy and LBJ. One thing is for sure, McCarthy would've done the worst.
1972: Muskie, but Nixon was winning regardless of who the Democrats nominate.
1976: Carter
1980: Kennedy
1984: Glenn
1988: Tough call between Gephardt and Gore.
1992: Clinton
2000: Gore
2004: Gephardt
2008: Obama
2016: O'Malley
2020: Biden

Republican:

1968: Nixon
1976: Ford. I don't think the electorate of 76 was ready for Reagan
1980: Reagan
1988: Bush
1992: Bush
1996: Lugar
2000: McCain
2008: McCain
2012: Huntsman
2016: Kasich

[President Johnson]

Democrats
1968: Lyndon Johnson
1972: Scoop Jackson
1976: Reubin Askew
1980: Jerry Brown
1984: John Glenn
1988: Al Gore
1992: Bill Clinton
2000: Al Gore
2004: Wesley Clark
2008: Barack Obama
2016: Bernie Sanders
2020: Joe Biden

Republicans
1968: Nelson Rockefeller
1976: Gerald Ford
1980: Ronald Reagan
1988: George H.W. Bush
1992: George H.W. Bush
1996: Richard Lugar
2000: John McCain
2008: John McCain
2012: Mitt Romney
2016: John Kasich

[Ferguson97]

1968: RFK
1972: Wallace
1976: Carter
1980: Carter
1984: Hart
1988: Hart
1992: Clinton
2000: Gore
2004: Kerry
2008: Obama
2016: O'Malley
2020: Biden

1968: Nixon
1976: Reagan
1980: Reagan
1988: Bush
1996: Specter
2000: McCain
2008: McCain
2012: Santorum
2016: Kasich

[KaiserDave]

what is with the O’Malley obsession?

[Big Abraham]

The most electable in 2016 was Bernie Sanders.

Surprised President Johnson is the only one so far to point this out.

[dw93]

The most electable in 2016 was Bernie Sanders.

Surprised President Johnson is the only one so far to point this out.

I think Bernie would've beaten Trump and maybe Cruz that year, but he'd have been stomped by anyone else.

[Big Abraham]

The most electable in 2016 was Bernie Sanders.

Surprised President Johnson is the only one so far to point this out.

I think Bernie would've beaten Trump and maybe Cruz that year, but he'd have been stomped by anyone else.

No one else came remotely close to clinching the GOP nomination, and I doubt someone like Rubio or Jeb! would have come anywhere near matching the enthusiasm of Bernie and his supporters.

[dw93]

The most electable in 2016 was Bernie Sanders.

Surprised President Johnson is the only one so far to point this out.

I think Bernie would've beaten Trump and maybe Cruz that year, but he'd have been stomped by anyone else.

No one else came remotely close to clinching the GOP nomination, and I doubt someone like Rubio or Jeb! would have come anywhere near matching the enthusiasm of Bernie and his supporters.

You have a point on Jeb! but Rubio could've narrowly done it if he played his cards right (abet without PA, MI, and likely WI). I don't think enthusiasm would be an issue on the Republican side due to them being out of power for 8 years regardless of who they nominate, that said I could, against someone not named Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, see the burbs going back to at least Bush 2004 levels of Republican support with someone like Bernie as the Democratic nominee. Keep in mind, Trump only won the nomination due to divided opposition, if the donors don't bet on the wrong horse like they did with Jeb!,  I could very easily see a non Trump or Cruz Republican nominee.

[Big Abraham]

The most electable in 2016 was Bernie Sanders.

Surprised President Johnson is the only one so far to point this out.

I think Bernie would've beaten Trump and maybe Cruz that year, but he'd have been stomped by anyone else.

No one else came remotely close to clinching the GOP nomination, and I doubt someone like Rubio or Jeb! would have come anywhere near matching the enthusiasm of Bernie and his supporters.

You have a point on Jeb! but Rubio could've narrowly done it if he played his cards right (abet without PA, MI, and likely WI). I don't think enthusiasm would be an issue on the Republican side due to them being out of power for 8 years regardless of who they nominate, that said I could, against someone not named Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, see the burbs going back to at least Bush 2004 levels of Republican support with someone like Bernie as the Democratic nominee. Keep in mind, Trump only won the nomination due to divided opposition, if the donors don't bet on the wrong horse like they did with Jeb!,  I could very easily see a non Trump or Cruz Republican nominee.

Trump, despite being nationally unpopular, was also very popular with the Republican base and appealed to more moderates and independent swing voters allowing him to be more competitive nationwide and in the Midwest in particular than those who the party insiders favored.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

1992 Cuomo we would have avoided impeachment
2004 Wes Clark a Moderate on Natl Security not an ultra Liberal, if it was Dean and Clark they would have beaten Bush W
2016 Bernie was leading in the Rust belt, Hillary wasn't
2020 Cory Booker he would have not lost wave insurance sts like Biden, Reade and Hunter effected the wave sts
2028 Beto if he wins GOV or E Adams, if McCounenhey is leading Abbott Beto can win

1968 Bobby Kennedy would have won Cali
1980 Teddy would have won Cali, if you place CAli as the tipping pt Reagan and Nixon would have both lost abd John barely lost to Nixon in Cali by .5

TX WAS ALL Nixon and Reagan if Cali went D

[H. Ross Peron]

Dems

1968: RFK
1972: Hubert Humphrey
1976: Scoop Jackson or Fred Harris
1980: Jimmy Carter
1984: Walter Mondale
1988: Dick Gephardt
1992: Bill Clinton
2000: Al Gore
2004: John Kerry
2008: Barack Obama
2016: Bernie Sanders
2020: Joe Biden

Republicans
1968: Richard Nixon
1976: Gerald Ford
1980: Howard Baker
1988: George HW Bush
1992: George HW Bush
1996: Bob Dole
2000: John McCain
2008: John McCain
2012: Mitt Romney
2016: John Kasich or Donald Trump

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Democrats
1968: Robert Kennedy
1972: Henry Jackson
1976: Jimmy Carter
1980: Ted Kennedy by default
1984: Ernest Hollings
1988: Al Gore
1992: Bill Clinton
2000: Al Gore
2004: Wesley Clark
2008: Barack Obama
2016: Bernie Sanders
2020: Joe Biden

Republicans
1968: George Romney
1976: Gerald Ford
1980: Ronald Reagan
1988: George H.W. Bush
1996: Colin Powell
2000: John McCain
2008: Mike Huckabee
2012: Ron Paul
2016: John Kasich
2020: Donald Trump