Landslide Elections in 1936, 1972 and 1984 Produced Massive Electoral Vote Victories

In the history of the United States, three Presidential elections have seen the winner walk away with 500+ electoral votes - the 1936 election, the 1972 election and the 1984 election.

In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt destroyed Herbert Hoover to win his first term as President. President Roosevelt won 472 electoral votes in 1932 - a very impressive number. The 1936 election, however, would produce an even bigger result.

In 1936, the Great Depression was entering its eighth year. FDR was working to push through parts of his "New Deal", but some had already been passed, including unemployment benefits.

The public was overwhelmingly in favor of unemployment benefits and Social Security (two parts of the New Deal), so President Roosevelt won an easy re-election.

In total, FDR secured 523 of a possible 531 electoral votes, while his opponent, Alf Landon, was left with just 8 electoral votes.

Richard Nixon became the second US President to secure 500+ electoral votes in 1972.

Buoyed by a strong economy and the fact that he had the incumbent's advantage, Nixon ended up winning 520 electoral votes, while McGovern ended up carrying just one state, as well as the District of Columbia.

The only state that Nixon didn't carry in 1972 was Massachusetts.

The third and final US President to win 500+ electoral votes was President Ronald Reagan, who rolled to an easy re-election victory in 1984.

The cheat code in any US Presidential election is an incumbent running when the country is currently enjoying a strong economy.

This played out in 1984 as the US economy was absolutely on fire. President Reagan, who had endured some economic turmoil in the early days of his Presidency, was now riding high, and Walter Mondale didn't have a chance.

President Reagan ended up with 525 of the 538 electoral votes.

The only state that President Reagan lost was Walter Mondale's home state of Minnesota, and Mondale BARELY won there, edging out Reagan by the narrowest of margins.

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Given the highly polarized nature of US politics in this day and age, there seems to be little to no chance of a 500+ electoral vote happening anytime in the near future.

Filed under: General Knowledge