How FDR, Reagan, and Eisenhower Almost Lost
A reminder that the three giants of 20th Century American politics all came close to being also-rans.
Photo Illustration by Emil Lendof/The Daily Beast
They are the three American political giants; the only three 20th Century candidates who won two consecutive landslide Presidential elections; three whose triumphs are seen now as the inevitable victories of larger-than-life figures riding powerful historical trends.
And each of them came very close to never being President at all—a piece of history to remember as we read of the “inevitable” forces driving the 2016 campaign.
Franklin D. Roosevelt won the White House in 1932 carrying 43 states, with an 18-point popular vote margin, and 472 electoral votes. His 1936 reelection was even more overwhelming—46 states and a 25 point popular vote margin.
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