Definition of Landslide Victory

What does the term "landslide victory" mean as it applies to the world of politics? What is meant by a "landslide victory"?

In politics, a "landslide victory" occurs when one person easily defeats his opponents to win office.

For instance - let's say that Joe Smith is running for the mayorship of his small town. Smith is running against Jane Doe and Dave Jenkins.

Smith has been heavily involved in his community for over 40 years and is well-liked by practically everybody. Due to this support, Joe Smith wins the mayorship in a landslide, as he is able to garner over 80% of the vote. This is the definition of a "landslide victory".

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Let's take a look at an example of a landslide victory in a US Presidential election.

In 1984, incumbent Ronald Reagan ran against Walter Mondale. Reagan had gotten his first term off to a slow start, as the nation's economy continued to succumb to "stagflation", but things started to turn around decidedly in the year leading up to the 1984 election.

Reagan ended up beating Mondale in a landslide, as Reagan/Bush ended up garnering 525 of the available 538 electoral votes. The popular vote was also a landslide victory for Reagan/Bush, as 54,455,472 Americans cast their ballots for the Reagan/Bush ticket, while just 37,577,352 Americans voted for the Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro ticket.

This was a "landslide victory". Given the fractured nature of the country now, it is hard to imagine another such lopsided victory happening again anytime soon.

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