That's meaningless.
Ford lost the National election by less than 10,000 votes, I believe it was Indiana and Hawaii.
A close loss is still a loss.
We wouldn't have lost if we were good enough.
I think the better notion to run with is how important a single individual's vote can be. My sis in law is from virginia, and she indicated that statewide, on average, it came down to 3 votes per precinct.
Yes, and in 1980 we got Reagan!
No, it is not meaningless.
Yes, it is a loss.
But, a narrow loss shows the Dems do not have a wide mandate.
This was not a vote for them, but for trying something new.