Does anyone know if the media called the polls "close" the year that Reagan swept every state but one?
No, I think that they were recognizing that Reagan had gained an edge, though they didn't realize how big he would win.
>Does anyone know if the media called the polls "close" the year that Reagan swept every state but one?<
Yes they did! I use this as one of the ways I calm down my friends who freak out about polls going up or down. I distinctly remember watching the news (one of the big three) the evening before and hearing report after report about how the election was right down to the wire and pundits saying this one was too close to call.
As a general rule I add 2.5% to the Republicans in polling and subtract a similar amount from the Dems. With the exception of 2000, this rule of thumb seems to serve me well in terms of 'interpreting' poll numbers.
No, they did not. Reagan was clearly going to win big. But in 1980, Carter was ahead right up to the last day, and lost in a landslide.