# How common are numerous back to back landslide elections in the US

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-numerous-back-to-back-landslide-elections-in-the-us/554153>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 18, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-numerous-back-to-back-landslide-elections-in-the-us/554153 "2010-09-18T00:02:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-numerous-back-to-back-landslide-elections-in-the-us/554153/1 "2010-09-18T00:02:45Z")

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The 2010 cycle looks to be another lopsided election, I think Nate Silver projects about 5-7 senate seats and about 30-40 house seats switching parties.

If so that is the third election cycle in a row with massive gains for one party over another. The dems gained 6 and 8 seats in the senate in each of the last 2 elections and about 20-30 in the house in each cycle.

Plus 2012 may be another lopsided election (at least in my opinion) because that will be a presidential year. In midterms more conservative voters tend to go to the polls (non-whites and millenials don’t vote as often as older, white voters in midterms). So come 2012 maybe the enthusiasm gap between dems and consevatives will be closed, it won’t be a midterm against the president’s party and all the people who stayed home in 2010 will go out and vote (young people and non-whites will turn out), causing another lopsided election.

So at the very least there are 3 lopsided elections back to back from 06-10 (and I’m guessing another one in 2012, but can’t know for sure). How often does that happen in US history?

When it does happen, is there a pattern to it? The pattern this time is D-D-R (and possibly D-D-R-D if 2012 is lopsided). Is it normally more evenly split with one cycle going to one party then the next to the other party?

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-numerous-back-to-back-landslide-elections-in-the-us/554153/2 "2010-09-18T00:28:41Z")

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We now interrupt this thread…

From _the Geroge Burns and Gracie Allen Show_ (radio)

> [@](#):
>
> George) Well Gracie tomorrow we go to vote
> 
> Gracie) What’s that?
> 
> George) Gracie, what has happened every November for as far back as you can remember?
> 
> Gracie) Roosevelt’s elected

…And now back to your regularly scheduled thread