Jonathan Milner Jonathan Milner

What percent of US counties were won by a presidential candidate who received 80% of the vote or more?

Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:

  1. According to the data form the visuals above, In the 2004 presidential election, what percent of counties were won by a candidate who received 80% of the vote or more?

  2. According to the data form the visuals above, In the 2020 presidential election, what percent of counties were won by a candidate who received 80% of the vote or more?

  3. Describe one trend you see in the data about super-landslide counties where a candidate for president received 80% of the vote or more.

  4. One of the most compelling arguments for this trend is what Bill Bishop calls the “Big Sort.” The idea that Americans are increasingly clustering into communities of like-minded folk — by religion, lifestyle, and politics. How does the big sort impact super-landslide elections?

  5. If the big sort continues, how many super-landslide counties do you predict there will be in the 2024 presidential elections?

  6. How does the growth of super-landslide counties impact presidential campaigns?

  7. In the 2020 presidential election, how much were candidates Trump and Biden speaking to their base and how much were they speaking to the middle (independents and swing voters)?

  8. How does our current polarized echo-chamber media landscape (think, MSNBC and FOX News) impact super-landslide county elections?

  9. According to the data from the chart below*, what state had the most super-landslide counties?

  10. According to the data from the chart below*, Trump won more super-landslide counties (653 to 32), but Biden won more super-landslide votes (4.8 million to 3.2 million). Explain how that is possible.

Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

Do you live in a super-landslide county? Find out whether your county was a super-landslide county in the 2020 presidential election and share your county’s results with your classmates.

Get Creative

If super-landslide counties were an animal, what animal would they be?

Learning Extension*

 
 

Check out the UVA Center for Politics analysis of the visual data. Warning: Viewer Discretion Strongly Advised!

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