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michaelflutist's avatar

Interesting. I thought that was an anti-Watergate year.

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Jonathan's avatar

Actually Ford did relatively well considering Watergate

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michaelflutist's avatar

It was a very close race, and it's obvious that the very unpopular and damaging pardon of Nixon cost him the race. But I thought a lot of Republican seats were turned over in Congress. Was that more in 1974?

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Jonathan's avatar

I was thinking 74

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James Trout's avatar

1974 was very much a Watergate year. 1976 was not. If it were, it would have been a strong year for Democrats.

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Paleo's avatar

Democrats were starting from a very high base. They had nearly 300 house seats and over 60 senate seats.

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Mike in MD's avatar

1976 was actually quite a strong Democratic year in that they held most of their 1974 gains, with losses In the House and Senate nearly evenly balanced between the parties, mostly due to personal and local factors than any national trend. Dems probably close to maxed themselves out in 1974, so holding most of that was a big achievement.

Carter of course completed a trifecta, but only barely and more due to circumstances than a wave. His victory map, which looks antiquated now, already looked like something of a throwback then with all the Democratic states in the South that he carried largely through personal appeal. And Ford carried several states elsewhere that are out of contention for the GOP today.

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Paleo's avatar

тАШ74 was.

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