Could anyone win all 50 states?

[© tweed]

I could win all 50 states....

Good luck in Massachusetts!

[Akno21]

I could win all 50 states....

against LaRouche I suppose

If it were LaRouche vs. Moore, the third party candidate would win the election. I have faith in my party never to allow Loudon LaRouche on the ballot as Democratic Presidential Nominee in November.

[Nym90]

Well, I can think of some possibilites.

For the Republicans: If it was Lincoln Chafee vs. Dennis Kucinich, Chafee wins all 50 states. Though Kucinich would still win DC (I can't think of any plausible scenario where a Republican wins DC, maybe if it was Bush vs. Kucinich and a major terrorist attack occured right before the election or some such). Even here, Massachusetts and New York would probably be close.

For the Democrats: Jim Matheson vs. Alan Keyes would be a 50 state sweep for Matheson. Likewise, even Idaho and Wyoming would probably be close (the fact that Matheson is from a neighboring state however may put him over the top, plus Keyes is black which would cost him the vote of hardcore white racists). Utah would probably be close to, but it's Matheson's home state.

But barring a situation like the above (where one party nominates a candidate from a state and region in which they are normally very weak, and the other party nominates someone who is just way out there and not from that same region) I don't think anyone would win all 50 states.

[Platypus]

Edwards couldn't win Alabama. 75% of the people there supported Moore! Also forget Mississippi and Utah.

in today's political landscape: no. Unless the opponent was a huge kook a la LaRouche, but I can't see any realistic matchup winning all 50 states. In fact I can't see anyone in any realistic matchup getting under 100 electoral votes.

I don't believe Reagan would've won 49 states against Mondale today either, since states are now more rigidly partisan. He would lose NY, MA, RI, HI, VT and possibly MD and NJ.

The only way I see it happening is if a Democrat was in office and was assasinated 2 months out of the election. Then maybe the VP would win in a landslide.

Why would it have to be a Democrat?

I am using this as a example because IMHO it would be easier for a Republican to win a landslide of all 50 states. A Democrat would have a harder time winning states such as Alabama, Utah and Wyoming thus IMHO that would be the only chance a Democrat would really have a chance at winning all 50.

True, there are more staunchly Republican states than staunchly Democratic.  

It's because the democratic areas are smarter and are prepared to vote for the better candidate, no matter the party. Usualy, its the Democrat; in cases like McCain vs. LaRouche; it's the GOPper.

Hope none 'pubs took offence

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Jesus

[Akno21]

Well, I can think of some possibilites.

For the Republicans: If it was Lincoln Chafee vs. Dennis Kucinich, Chafee wins all 50 states. Though Kucinich would still win DC (I can't think of any plausible scenario where a Republican wins DC, maybe if it was Bush vs. Kucinich and a major terrorist attack occured right before the election or some such). Even here, Massachusetts and New York would probably be close.

For the Democrats: Jim Matheson vs. Alan Keyes would be a 50 state sweep for Matheson. Likewise, even Idaho and Wyoming would probably be close (the fact that Matheson is from a neighboring state however may put him over the top, plus Keyes is black which would cost him the vote of hardcore white racists). Utah would probably be close to, but it's Matheson's home state.

But barring a situation like the above (where one party nominates a candidate from a state and region in which they are normally very weak, and the other party nominates someone who is just way out there and not from that same region) I don't think anyone would win all 50 states.

That all looks good, except the part that about Bush winning DC if there was a terror attack right before the election. It would have to be a Republican who wasn't as rich, well-connected, elitist, to get all the minorities in DC to vote GOP.  

[© tweed]

Jesus

No.  He'd lose MA, RI for sure.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

1-those are two of the most staunchly Catholic states in the country. And according to that list of average church attendence posted awhile back, they have higher attendence than most of the south.

2-whoever said he was running as a Republican?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

here's the list:

1 Utah 747.3
2 North Dakota 732.03
3 South Dakota 678.13
4 Massachusetts 640.97
5 Rhode Island 634.51
6 Minnesota 617.04
7 Oklahoma 607.56
8 Wisconsin 604.37
9 New York 603.98
10 Nebraska 588.37
11 Louisiana 587.84
12 Iowa 584.84
13 New Mexico 581.53
14 Pennsylvania 579.49
15 Connecticut 578.79
16 New Jersey 577.44
17 Arkansas 571.17
18 Texas 555.04
19 Illinois 552.98
20 Alabama 547.63
21 Mississippi 546.46
22 Kentucky 534.31
23 Missouri 517.08
24 Tennessee 510.72
25 Kansas 493.69
26 Idaho 484.76
27 New Hampshire 476.64
28 South Carolina 475.73
29 Wyoming 467.26
30 California 460.98
31 North Carolina 453.63
32 Ohio 449.41
33 Georgia 447.76
34 Montana 447.23
35 Maryland 432.72
36 Indiana 429.06
37 Michigan 418.39
38 Virginia 415.84
39 Florida 411.47
40 Delaware 405.97
41 Arizona 399.18
42 Colorado 394.6
43 Vermont 391.33
44 Maine 363.58
45 Hawaii 362.1
46 West Virginia 359.45
47 Alaska 343.3
48 Nevada 342.86
49 Washington 329.63
50 Oregon 313.11

[© tweed]

What do those numbers mean?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

regular church attendence rate per ever 1000 people.

[© tweed]

regular church attendence rate per ever 1000 people.

3/4 of Utahans attend church regularly?  

NY is so high because it is multicultural I suppose.

[© tweed]

Median Bush: 487.76
Median Gore: 552.8

Strange

[Josh/Devilman88]

here's the list:

1 Utah 747.3
2 North Dakota 732.03
3 South Dakota 678.13
4 Massachusetts 640.97
5 Rhode Island 634.51
6 Minnesota 617.04
7 Oklahoma 607.56
8 Wisconsin 604.37
9 New York 603.98
10 Nebraska 588.37
11 Louisiana 587.84
12 Iowa 584.84
13 New Mexico 581.53
14 Pennsylvania 579.49
15 Connecticut 578.79
16 New Jersey 577.44
17 Arkansas 571.17
18 Texas 555.04
19 Illinois 552.98
20 Alabama 547.63
21 Mississippi 546.46
22 Kentucky 534.31
23 Missouri 517.08
24 Tennessee 510.72
25 Kansas 493.69
26 Idaho 484.76
27 New Hampshire 476.64
28 South Carolina 475.73
29 Wyoming 467.26
30 California 460.98
31 North Carolina 453.63
32 Ohio 449.41
33 Georgia 447.76
34 Montana 447.23
35 Maryland 432.72
36 Indiana 429.06
37 Michigan 418.39
38 Virginia 415.84
39 Florida 411.47
40 Delaware 405.97
41 Arizona 399.18
42 Colorado 394.6
43 Vermont 391.33
44 Maine 363.58
45 Hawaii 362.1
46 West Virginia 359.45
47 Alaska 343.3
48 Nevada 342.86
49 Washington 329.63
50 Oregon 313.11

what is this?

[© tweed]

Church attendance per 1000 pop.

[WONK]

That's a very interesting graphic.  Thanks.  Not surprised to see the PNW at the bottom, I don't think I saw one church in my recent visits to Seattle and Portland (not that there's anything wrong with that.

DC once re-elected a mayor shortly after he was caught, on tape, with a prostitute, smoking crack, then said "the bitch set me up".  DC would NEVER EVEN GET CLOSE to voting for a Republican.

No one could ever win all 50 states.  Not in today's environment.  I suppose in a much different era it could happen, though.  In this day and age, with all of the partisan media outlets, the 2 sides are going to remain pretty polarized and fired-up, so it's nearly impossible.

[TheWildCard]

It'll take a truly special person to get close to winning all 50 states... I doubt it'll happen any time soon.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Median Bush: 487.76
Median Gore: 552.8

Strange

Not really, the types that go to Church can be very different.  Alot of people in the South consider it very important that those beliefs are a bigger part of American life than people in the North, where religion is more personal.  My aunt's very religious, yet as anti-Bush as they come.  

And I could see John Edwards winning all 50 states against.........I dunno, give me a whackjob conserative....

[Keystone Phil]

Median Bush: 487.76
Median Gore: 552.8

Strange

Not really, the types that go to Church can be very different.  Alot of people in the South consider it very important that those beliefs are a bigger part of American life than people in the North, where religion is more personal.  My aunt's very religious, yet as anti-Bush as they come.  

And I could see John Edwards winning all 50 states against.........I dunno, give me a whackjob conserative....

Edwards cannot win all 50. No way would he win Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota... he's way too liberal.

[MarkDel]

There's no way anyone could sweep the electoral college...ever.

You could run Martin Luther King as the Republican and Adolf Hitler as the Democrat and Washington, DC. would vote Democratic...

[Akno21]

There's no way anyone could sweep the electoral college...ever.

You could run Martin Luther King as the Republican and Adolf Hitler as the Democrat and Washington, DC. would vote Democratic...

I do hope you are exaggerating.

[MarkDel]

There's no way anyone could sweep the electoral college...ever.

You could run Martin Luther King as the Republican and Adolf Hitler as the Democrat and Washington, DC. would vote Democratic...

I do hope you are exaggerating.

Yes.....and no.

[??????????]

The only name they care about on any ballot in DC is (D). No matter what.

[Citizen James]

hmmm...

Extremely unlikely, but not completely impossible.

What might happen if we had candidates who's idology was out of sync from party lines - Say Snowe vs. Miller or something.

After all, the current CA governor (Schwartzenegger - R) is in many ways more liberal than the one he replaced (Davis - D).

Though the primary system tends to favor the party bases, so that's not likely to happen too often ,especially to both sides in the same election.

[ijohn57s]

I think it would be more likely for a Republican to win all 50 states, but more likely for a Democrat to get an electoral shutout because of DC.

If anyone out there now could win all 50 states, it would be Guiliani.