Who were the strongest starters, mid game campaigners and closers

[dw93]

Historically:

For strongest Starter: I agree 100% with you, it's Obama 2012, as prior to that point he was pretty vulnerable, and was even down in some polls, but it was in this stage that he took the advantage, and more or less kept it by setting the narrative and defining Romney as an elitist job killer early in the campaign.

For strongest mid game: Bush in 1988. Dukakis was leading Bush by double digits after the Democratic convention, it was with and after the GOP convention that Bush not only took the lead, but took a commanding lead (even if it wasn't always double digits).

For Closer: Ford in 1976. It was at this stage that the race went from Carter leading by double digits to the gap being significantly closed. Had it not been for the "There's in no Soviet domination in eastern Europe" gaffe, Ford may have very well pulled it off.