Worst Political Defeat in History?

[DownWithTheLeft]

After my mayor got destroyed it what I think deserves to be considered among the most amazing landslides of all-time, what do you think of the most surprising defeat in US political history? Jim Webb? Reagan in 1980? A local election in your hometown?

[Hash]

The PCs in 1993

[Verily]

The PCs in 1993

There basically is no comparison in history. From 169 seats to 2.

[minionofmidas]

The PCs in 1993

There basically is no comparison in history. From 169 seats to 2.

I think a party went from a majority to 0 seats in Mauritius in the 90s, although that's with a much smaller parliament.

[Hatman 🍁]

The PCs in 1993

There basically is no comparison in history. From 169 seats to 2.

Yup, I agree completely.

[Hash]

I can add to that 1993 in France (seat-wise, the % share didn't trounce the PS that horribly), the election of Levesque in Quebec leading the PQ from under 10 seats to a majority.

[Јas]

1918 General Election
Sinn Féin	73	(+73)
Unionist Party	22	(+4)
Irish Parliamentary Party	7	(-75)
Labour Unionist	3	(+3)
Independent Unionist	1	(-1)
Liberal Unionist	0	(-2)

[minionofmidas]

It sort of depends how we define "amazing". Sheer size of the defeat? Canada 93 is definitely a prime contender. Surprise (as in, people being literally *amazed* when they opened the paper the next day)? I was pretty amazed at Kohl hanging on in 94. Conservatives were amazed at Schröder hanging on in 2002, and of course the 2005 result was amazing to just about everybody. Brits were similarly amazed at Major hanging on in 92.
And then there's those elections where someone falls from grace pretty hard where noone expected it a year or two before, but by election day it's not really surprising anymore - Allen (the man was considered the prime contender for Bush's succession after all) would be a great example of that.

[StateBoiler]

The PCs in 1993

There basically is no comparison in history. From 169 seats to 2.

If that happened in the United States, a lot of partisans I think would go hang themselves.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

The PCs in 1993

There basically is no comparison in history. From 169 seats to 2.

If that happened in the United States, a lot of partisans I think would go hang themselves.

[DownWithTheLeft]

I was thinking more along of the line of individuals, but this 1993 Canadian eleciton seems impressive

[minionofmidas]

The PCs in 1993

There basically is no comparison in history. From 169 seats to 2.

If that happened in the United States, a lot of partisans I think would go hang themselves.

And that's part of the reason why it's not happening.
Although it would happen if most Southern Republicans broke off to form the Southernois Block while most non-southern suburban Republicans broke off to form the Reform Party Take Two. Which is pretty much what happened in Canada.

[minionofmidas]

Having read up on 93 again... I#d forgotten how  the sheer size component was perfectly complemented by the fall from grace component. Yeah. This election goes down as No.1 ultra uber amazing election of all time. The PC's led in the polls six weeks before going down for, essentially, ever.

[Јas]

1874 General Election
Home Rule League	60	(+60)
Conservatives	33	(-6)
Liberals	10	(-56)

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I was thinking more along of the line of individuals, but this 1993 Canadian eleciton seems impressive

Individually, I would say Webb is pretty impressive, so is Barry Goldwater beating Ernest McFarland in 1952.

[Hash]

Canada Federal 1993
Liberal	177	(+94)
Bloc Quebecois	54	(+54)
Reform	52	(+52)
New Democrats	9	(-34)
PC	2	(-167)
Independent	1	(+1)

That good enough for you?

[Smash255]

Locally I would say the 1999 Legislative Elections.  At this point white it already shifted Nationally, locally Nassau County was still very Republican.  The GOP machine in Nassau was still a huge force  The GOP had a 14-5 advantage in the county Legislature, then BOOM, 5 Incumbent Republicans lost and turned the 14-5 GOP advantage into a 10-9 Democratic one.

[jokerman]

I'm more impressed by defeats in America's competitive two party system, for obvious reasons.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

IL Senate 2004: 70-27 pickup
NY Governor 2006: 70-29 pickup

1944 MS Presidential:
Democrat 93.56%
Republican 6.44%
1948 MS Presidential:
State's Rights 87.17%
Democrat 10.09%
Republican 2.62%

[DownWithTheLeft]

IL Senate 2004: 70-27 pickup
NY Governor 2006: 70-29 pickup

Neither one of those is an incumbent taking a defeat.  Those two instances were simply the incumbent retiring and a popular rising star gearing to take their place and no worthy candidate wanting to step to the plate.

[Ban my account ffs!]

It took two election cycles, but the Minnesota house went from

2003/4:

82 Republicans
52 DFLers

to

2004/5:

68 Republicans
66 DFLers

to 2006/7:

85 DFLers
49 Republicans

[True Democrat]

It took two election cycles, but the Minnesota house went from

2003/4:

82 Republicans
52 DFLers

to

2004/5:

68 Republicans
66 DFLers

to 2006/7:

85 DFLers
49 Republicans

I'd think the New Hampshire legislature would be even worse.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

For my money, few political defeats can trump the absolute (surprise) drubbing that New Jersey Democrats took in 1991 following the Florio tax hikes.  They got their asses handed to them on every level, losing control of the Camden County and the Middlesex County Freeholder boards, losing State Senate seats that had been in Democratic hands for generations (or more), like the Vitale seat in Woodbridge and the Turner seat in Princeton.  Republicans went from being out of power to having veto-proof majorities in both houses.  The aftermath lasted a full decade.

New Jersey Legislature, Post-1989
SENATE  24 D – 16R
ASSEMBLY  44D – 36 R

New Jersey Legislature, Post-1991
SENATE  13 D – 27R  (60% Dem control to 67.5% GOP control)
ASSEMBLY   22D – 58R  (55% Dem control to 72.5% GOP control)


If you're looking to see a lone incumbent fall from grace to an incredible, mindblowing loss, look at Ed DiPrete in '86 and then '90.

RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR, 1986
Gov. Edward DiPrete (R)*  64.70%
Bruce Sundlun (D)  32.38%

RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR, 1990
Bruce Sundlun (D)  74.15%
Gov. Edward DiPrete (R)*  25.85%

[Lincoln Republican]

Hardly the worst political defeat in history, however, the political defeat that has had a tremendous influence in the course of America and of world events, 1994, George W Bush went into the Texas election for Governor against popular incumbent Governor Ann Richards.  Governor Richards was considered the favorite to win, Bush won the election over Richards 52% to 47%.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Using the Texas Governorship as a springboard to the Presidency, Bush became President of the United States, the leader of the free world, and the major proponent of the war on terror, with all of it's consequences. 

So the political defeat of Ann Richards for Governor of Texas in 1994 had far reaching consequences for the United States and for the world.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR, 1986
Gov. Edward DiPrete (R)*  64.70%
Bruce Sundlun (D)  32.38%

RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR, 1990
Bruce Sundlun (D)  74.15%
Gov. Edward DiPrete (R)*  25.85%

DiPrete got 51% in 1988 against Sundlun.