The most memorable presidential elections in American history
Overwhelming victories
The 1964 and 1984 presidential elections are known as the fastest and most overwhelming victories in American election history.
Observers say that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in January 1963 is said to have set the stage for the 1964 election. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson immediately took power in the House of Representatives. White and then ran for president in less than a year as the incumbent president.
Former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Photo: History.com
The confrontation between Mr. Johnson and Arizona Republican Senator Barry Goldwater was very fierce, especially in the context of US-Soviet relations becoming increasingly tense. Former President Johnson’s famous “Daisy Girl” campaign ad at that time hinted that his opponent Goldwater had the ability to launch a nuclear war with Moscow and gain a large amount of support from American voters.
The New York Times declared Mr. Johnson the winner at exactly 9 p.m. East Coast time on election night, even though Mr. Goldwater waited until the next day to admit his defeat. Senator Barry Goldwater won only six states: Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and his home state of Arizona.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan ran for re-election against his opponent Walter Mondale, who had previously served as vice president under former President Jimmy Carter.
Mr. Reagan was lucky to survive an assassination attempt during his time in office in March 1981 and was quite popular when entering the 1984 election thanks to his previous economic achievements.
Mr. Reagan (left) and Mr. Mondale (right). Photo: History.com
The former President was 73 years old when he ran for the second election, but his sense of humor and somewhat joking statements about his age helped him retain the trust of voters in the election the same year. During the Presidential debate in October 1984, Mr. Reagan said he was the opposite of the “youth and inexperience” of Democratic candidate Mondale.
Former President Reagan quickly won almost every state, except Mondale’s home state of Minnesota and Washington, DC. Mr. Mondale admitted defeat shortly after 11 p.m. East Coast time on election night, while Mr. Reagan waited until after midnight to deliver his victory speech.
Tight races
In contrast, the 2000 election was a tense one involving the voting results of a single county in Florida.
Texas Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore faced off in a fierce race for the top spot in the White House. Meanwhile, the candidate representing the Green Party – a small party in the US party system, Ralph Nader, also attracted a lot of support from voters.
Mr. George W. Bush. Photo: History.com
On election night November 7, 2000, the vote counting results showed that the parties were competing very closely, especially in Florida. All major news agencies initially reported that Mr. Gore had won Florida’s 25 electoral votes, ensuring an overall victory. However, as votes in many counties begin to be tallied, the outcome of the race in Florida is actually still undecided.
The final decision will be determined by votes from Palm Beach County, Florida. Then, Palm Beach County missed the two-week deadline after the election – the deadline for counties to count votes with the state.
The county uses old-fashioned ballots, forcing voters to punch a hole next to their favorite candidate’s name to vote. However, the misaligned perforations on the ballots caused a lot of controversy during the counting process. Finally, the Republican party appealed to the US Supreme Court in December of the same year to stop the ongoing recount.
Finally, on December 12, 2000, the US Supreme Court intervened in a presidential election for the first time, ruling to accept the appeal of the Florida Republican Party on the grounds of vote counting. extension in Florida is violating constitutional principles.
The court’s decision opened the first presidential term for Mr. Bush. This former President was also re-elected four years later.
The decision to run for election is 1-0-2
Mr. Theodore Roosevelt became president in September 1901 when incumbent President William McKinley was assassinated. The former President was later re-elected in 1904 but later expressed his desire to leave politics to live with his own passions, such as hunting. He personally selected Secretary of War William Howard Taft as his successor, and Taft won the presidency in 1908.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt. Photo: History.com
However, Mr. Taft’s presidency took America in a completely different direction than his predecessor, causing Mr. Roosevelt to then make an unexpected decision: to run for office to continue serving as President of the United States. .
A section of the Republican Party broke away and formed a separate political party, called the Progressive party. Mr. Roosevelt ran as the Progressive Party candidate in the 1912 election. However, the rivalry between the Taft-Roosevelt duo divided the vote for them, creating an opening for the candidate. Democratic Party candidate Woodrow Wilson won.
Mr. Wilson received more than 6 million popular votes, Mr. Roosevelt received about 4 million votes, while Mr. Taft won about 3.5 million votes. Spiritually, former President Roosevelt won a moral victory after defeating his opponent Taft, but his party failed in the presidential election the same year.
November 5, 2024
History will determine how the 2024 election night is remembered, especially when this year’s race to the White House is a fierce confrontation between former President Donald Trump – who escaped death after two assassination attempts and famous criminal conviction in New York and Ms. Kamala Harris – the first black female candidate of a major political party.