Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Trump Versus Biden: Pennsylvania and Ohio
Townhall.com ^ | October 28, 2020 | Terry Jeffrey

Posted on 10/28/2020 10:55:58 AM PDT by Kaslin

The Republican Party nominated its first presidential candidate in 1856, putting up John C. Fremont against Democrat James Buchanan, who had been a senator from Pennsylvania.

Fremont lost Pennsylvania to Buchanan and lost the election.

Four years later, the Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln, who ran in a divided nation against a divided Democratic Party and won Pennsylvania -- and also the presidency.

Lincoln won Pennsylvania again in 1864, and Ulysses S. Grant won it in 1868 and 1872.

A pattern had been established: Since the Civil War, only two Republicans have been elected president while losing Pennsylvania. The first was Richard M. Nixon, who lost the state in 1968 while defeating Democratic Vice President Hubert Humphrey for the presidency.

But four years later, Nixon came back and won Pennsylvania when he swept 49 of the 50 states to win reelection.

George W. Bush then managed to lose Pennsylvania twice while winning the presidency twice -- losing it first to Vice President Al Gore in 2000 and then to Sen. John Kerry in 2004.

Yet George W. Bush's presidential victories pointed to an even more pronounced pattern than the sustained significance of Pennsylvania for Republican candidates: Bush won Ohio in both 2000 and 2004.

Had he lost Ohio, he would have lost both elections.

In 2000, Ohio carried 21 Electoral College votes. Bush defeated Gore in the Electoral College by 271 to 266. Had Ohio gone for Gore, Gore would have won 287 to 250. In 2004, Bush defeated Kerry in the Electoral College 286 to 251. In that election, Ohio had 20 votes in the Electoral College. Had the state gone for Kerry that year, Kerry would have squeaked out a 271 to 266 victory over Bush.

There have been Republican presidential candidates who won Ohio while losing the election. Fremont did it in 1856. So did James G. Blaine in 1884; Benjamin Harrison (who took 22 of the state's 23 Electoral College votes) in 1892; Thomas Dewey in 1944; and Richard Nixon in 1960.

But no Republican has ever been elected president without winning Ohio.

All 17 Republican nominees -- from Abraham Lincoln onward -- who have won presidential elections have won Ohio.

Similarly, only two of 17 Republicans who have won presidential elections did so while losing Michigan. In 1968, Nixon won the election while losing Michigan; and George W. Bush did it in both 2000 and 2004.

Herbert Hoover was elected president in 1928 when he won Michigan. But four years later, in the midst of the Great Depression, he lost both Michigan and the presidency to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Only three Republicans have been elected president while losing Wisconsin. Calvin Coolidge lost it in 1924 to Sen. Robert La Follette, a third-party candidate who was from Wisconsin. George H.W. Bush lost it in 1988 to Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts; and George W. Bush lost it in 2000 and 2004 to Gore and Kerry.

William Howard Taft won Wisconsin in 1908 when he defeated Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan for the presidency. But then Taft lost Wisconsin in 1912 to Democratic New Jersey Gov. Woodrow Wilson when former President Teddy Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate.

Hoover followed Taft's example, taking Wisconsin in 1928 when he defeated Democratic New York Gov. Al Smith for the presidency, but then losing it in 1932 when lost to Democratic New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Bush family holds this distinction: Every Republican nominee who won a presidential election from Lincoln through Reagan did so while winning Iowa. Then George H.W. Bush lost Iowa in 1988 and still managed to win the election. But, in 1992, Bush lost Iowa again while losing the presidency.

Eight years later, George W. Bush emulated his father by losing Iowa while winning the presidency. But, in 2004, the younger Bush broke with his father: He won Iowa and won reelection.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote over Donald Trump by 48.2% to 46.1% -- with a margin of more than 2.8 million votes.

But, as reported by the Federal Election Commission, Trump defeated Clinton in the Electoral College 304 to 227.

That is because he won Pennsylvania (20 Electoral College votes), Ohio (18), Michigan (16), Wisconsin (10), and Iowa (6) -- a sweep no Republican presidential candidate had accomplished since Ronald Reagan.

With the combined 70 electoral votes from those five states, he could have lost Florida (and its 29 electoral votes) and still won the Electoral College 275 to 256.

The outcome of next week's election will not be determined by massive popular vote margins in California and New York.

But it may be determined by voters in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2020election; joebiden; ohio; paping; pennsylvania

1 posted on 10/28/2020 10:55:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Yeah! PT has a rally this fri in MN.


2 posted on 10/28/2020 11:02:21 AM PDT by cowboyusa (America Cowboy Up)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Wisconsin-Penn-Michigan=46 Electoral votes. He won by 36. Win in just one of these and keep tho others. Bingo.


3 posted on 10/28/2020 11:03:14 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DIRTYSECRET

Which state will he lose after winning 4 years ago? I think Minnesota is in play. Gary Johnson gave NV/NM/COL to Hillary. This years Libertarian is a nobody. Then there’s NH + Va.


4 posted on 10/28/2020 11:06:06 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

This may be the most Captain Obvious article I have ever read.


5 posted on 10/28/2020 11:07:53 AM PDT by Defiant (Does anyone really think that the people creating a police state don't want police?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DIRTYSECRET

“Which state will he lose after winning 4 years ago?”

If you believe the media polls, just about all of them are in play other than maybe Wyoming (perhaps a slight exaggeration).

However even if you believe the happiest polls and other anecdotal “evidence”, the likeliest candidates would appear to be Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. You can find happy news from all of the above, but nowhere (nowhere reliable, that is) is there any suggestion of Trump being outside the margin of polling error, much less outside the margin of Democrat vote fraud (”New and improved! Easier this year than ever before!”).

If an incumbent Democrat president was on such a razor-thin margin in so many critical states, including many more than just the ones mentioned above, we’d be giddy with landslide expectations.

Come to think of it, we still are.


6 posted on 10/28/2020 11:15:05 AM PDT by PermaRag (WANTED: millions of patriotic gun owners who are willing to trade bullets for freedom)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: fatima; Fresh Wind; st.eqed; xsmommy; House Atreides; Nowhere Man; PaulZe; brityank; Physicist; ...

Pennsylvania Ping!

Please ping me with articles of interest.

FReepmail me to be added to the list.

7 posted on 10/28/2020 11:18:39 AM PDT by lightman (I am a binary Trinitarian. Deal with it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
(Why I voted for and will vote again for President Trump.)
8 posted on 10/28/2020 11:22:47 AM PDT by yoe (President Trump works for We The People - not China as Biden has and will.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yoe

I love that, thank you for posting it.


9 posted on 10/28/2020 11:42:14 AM PDT by McGavin999 (Justice delayed is justice denied.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Pennsylvania will be close. Would love to see President Trump give a Gettysburg speech.

It would be so appropriate. A redo of the speech he did at Mt Rushmore would be awesome.


10 posted on 10/28/2020 12:26:01 PM PDT by MagillaX
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MagillaX

Ohio will close too...way closer than it should be.


11 posted on 10/28/2020 3:48:01 PM PDT by damper99
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: DIRTYSECRET; AuH2ORepublican; Coop; LS; Galactic Overlord-In-Chief; PermaRag

I think you mean, what state can he win that he didn’t last time.

Minnesota is the answer.

Dems seem legit worried about Nevada as well but the fraud is strong there. Anything else would be cake in an easy victory.

Trump most vulnerable electoral vote in my opinion is Nebraska 2nd district (which he just visited). Good thing it’s only worth 1.


12 posted on 10/28/2020 5:52:49 PM PDT by Impy (Thug Lives Splatter - China delenda est)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin; AuH2ORepublican; fieldmarshaldj; Galactic Overlord-In-Chief; LS; Coop; campaignPete R-CT

Fremont needed more than PA (Buchanan’s home state). Needed IL too. Victory was off the table with Filmore splitting the anti-rat vote. Fremont maybe takes IL with no Filmore but Buchanan topped 50% in PA with Fremont 18 points behind. If Filmore could have won LA, TN, KY though it would thrown the election to the outgoing, anti-democrat controlled House.

Anyway, FL and OH are the current bellwether champs. OH has been right since 1896 except 1944 when GOP Senator John Bricker was the GOP VP nominee (the most recent GOP VP nom to actually maybe make the difference in his state) and 1960 (when it actually WAS right). Florida since 1928 except 1960 and 1992.

But OH is out of sequence now, firmly more Republican than the country. FL is slightly more Republican than the country

Nevada was right from 1912 until 2016, except for 1976. A bit to the left now.

PA/MI/WI were the median states last time and will be again.


13 posted on 10/28/2020 6:29:52 PM PDT by Impy (Thug Lives Splatter - China delenda est)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ADemocratNoMore; Akron Al; arbee4bush; agrace; ATOMIC_PUNK; Badeye; big bad easter bunny; ...

OHIO PING!
Please let me know if you want on or off the Ohio Ping list.

Trump Versus Biden: Pennsylvania and Ohio
Townhall.com ^ | October 28, 2020 | Terry Jeffrey

Posted on 10/28/2020, 1:55:58 PM by Kaslin


14 posted on 10/30/2020 10:40:56 AM PDT by Lowell1775
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin; LS

Ohio is looking better and better for President Trump


15 posted on 11/02/2020 8:21:51 AM PST by xzins (Retired US Army chaplain. Support our troops by praying for their victory.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: xzins

I think the big surprise will be just how many Democrats wind up voting for Trump. Not so much because they like Trump, but because they are terrified from what they see from Biden and Harris, and knowing at least as long as the House stays Rat, they can keep Trump in check.


16 posted on 11/02/2020 8:23:45 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

That PA rally with 56,000 attending is mind-boggling and means far more than national polls can ever hope to capture.


17 posted on 11/02/2020 8:30:48 AM PST by xzins (Retired US Army chaplain. Support our troops by praying for their victory.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson