With the final results of the presidential election just hours away, we're assuming Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump [1] would take any win — big or small. But we're wondering: what would actually count as a landslide [2]?
To win, one candidate needs to reach 270 electoral college votes. What bonus would count as a divisive win? We can look back at past presidential elections to put results in context:
- 2012: Barack Obama 332; Mitt Romney 206
- 2008: Barack Obama 365; John McCain 173
- 2004: George W. Bush 286; John Kerry 251
- 2000: George W. Bush 271; Al Gore 266
- 1996: Bill Clinton 379; Bob Dole 159
- 1992: Bill Clinton 370; George H. W. Bush 168
- 1988: George H. W. Bush 426; Michael Dukakis 111
- 1984: Ronald Reagan 525; Walter Mondale 13
Safe to say 1984 and 1988 were huge wins — and huge defeats. But with a history of tight elections since 2000, anything in the high 300s could be considered an electoral college landslide. Then there's the popular vote. Here's how they broke down in the past elections.
- 2012: Barack Obama 51.1 percent; Mitt Romney 47.2 percent
- 2008: Barack Obama 52.9 percent; John McCain 45.7 percent
- 2004: George W. Bush 50.7 percent; John Kerry 48.3 percent
- 2000: George W. Bush 47.9 percent; Al Gore 48.4 percent
- 1996: Bill Clinton 49.2 percent; Bob Dole 40.7 percent
- 1992: Bill Clinton 43.0 percent; George H. W. Bush 37.4 percent
- 1988: George H. W. Bush 53.4 percent; Michael Dukakis 45.6 percent
- 1984: Ronald Reagan 58.8 percent; Walter Mondale 40.6 percent
While we anxiously await the end of the evening, anything nearing 60 percent in the popular vote would qualify as a decisive win. Hold onto your seats, America, we have a long night ahead of us!