ElectionAtlas
Atlas Proginator
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Posts: 3,629
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« on: November 06, 2003, 04:52:40 PM » |
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I generally believe that the media misuses the word "landslide". In presidential politics, the term is most often used to refer to an "Electoral Vote" landslide - such as Ronald Reagan in 1984 or Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 ("as goes Maine, so goes Vermont"). I personally set the bar for an Electoral Vote landslide to be 9:1 (> 90% of the EVs going to one candidate). Of course, such a result is always concurrent with a much closer result in the popular vote (Reagan won the popular vote in 1984 with 59% to 41%, but won the electoral vote 98% to 2%). I would classify the popular vote as a solid win, but the electoral vote as a landslide.
On the other hand, Clinton's victory in 1992, winning the popular vote 43% to 37% to 19% was a modest win and the electoral vote win of 69% to 31% as a solid win (or even a supermajority), but not a landslide.
Dave
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