According to Politico, when Donald Trump threw a big party after clinching the nomination, “so did every Democrat running for the Senate.” Why? Because they’re dreaming of a Hillary Clinton landslide in November that would translate into long coattails for Democrats in the Senate elections. While the current numbers favor Clinton over Trump, it's too early for Senate Democrats to rejoice. Even IF there is a Clinton blowout, a look at the last 60 years of presidential landslides (defined here as 400+ electoral votes for the winner) suggests that long coattails are no sure thing:
- 1956: Dwight D. Eisenhower dominated by 457 electoral votes to 73 electoral votes. Republicans lost a Senate seat.
- 1964: Lyndon B. Johnson carried 44 states with 486 electoral votes, losing just six states with 52 electoral votes. Democrats gained two seats in the Senate.
- 1972: Richard Nixon won by 520-17 in the electoral college, carrying every state but Massachusetts. Republicans lost two Senate seats.
- 1980: Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter by 489 to 49 electoral votes, the largest electoral vote landslide against an incumbent president in history. Republicans
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