Ever been election where both candidates were so disliked?

So? For whom will they vote? Not Gary Johnson, I daresay.

When was the last time there was a serious choice to the left of center? Only one I can think of is Nader in 2000.

No, no, I’m pretty sure a mandate has something to do with a bromance . . .

McGovern, for sure. Obama and to a lesser extent Clinton ran (for the first time) on left of center platforms though they governed as centrists.

Gore had a left of center image, but except for the environmental thing he wasn’t really.

Carter was a little left of center.

Humphrey had a very left of center image except for his support for the war.

I never could really tell where Dukakis or Mondale stood.

Nader was a serious candidate only in his own mind.

Kind of like Michelle Bachmann and Ross Perot. I would have thrown in Herman Cain and Donald Trump, but I don’t think even they took themselves seriously.

Correct, but that was THE issue in 1968, so anyone opposed to the war had 0 candidates to choose among, and there were a lot of people opposed to that war, though not as many as there would be by Nixon’s second term.

No clue about Mondale, but one of the issues which sunk Dukakis’ presidential race was his lack of support for capital punishment. I haven’t seen a Democrat since come out strongly against it (though I’d be delighted if you could find an example).