Red State Blue State White House

I began wondering one day what the Electoral College result would be if one great president squared off against another. We see this type of comparison in sports, how teams of different era’s might fare against each other in a titanic head to head struggle. Who’s the team of the decade or century, the answer to be determined by a computer analysis. While there can be many mythical presidential match-ups, and while you can argue their greatness, for the purpose of the Electoral College, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan are the heavyweights. FDR won four consecutive elections by an electoral vote average of 469 to 62. Ronald Reagan won his two by an average of 507 to 31. Even though Richard Nixon is slightly ahead of Reagan on the all time vote list, he compiled his votes over three elections. Respectively, Reagan and Roosevelt also have the highest single electoral vote totals of 525 and 523. Of course, like sports there is no exact science to predicting this hypothetical showdown, only certain patterns one can draw on to come to an objective conclusion. To say one would have defeated the other at the height of their stewardship is unlikely, but against the backdrop of today’s political climate, here’s my stab.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Alabama: Voted all four times for Roosevelt, twice for
Reagan. Eight out of the last nine Republican, including last seven in a row. Last two by huge margins.
Reagan - 9

Alaska: Did not obtain statehood until 15 years after Roosevelt’s last election. Eleven to one lifetime record Republican, including last ten in a row. Voted both times for Reagan.
Reagan - 3