hii!!!! ok so, we left off with the 1972 election between president hank sorensen and senator jack cartnell. both of them had their issues starting off their campaigns. the president was going into re-election with historically low popularity numbers and a congress so hostile that senators were calling him treasonous. the insurgent campaign of wallace, despite its abrupt end, showed a right wing of his party revolting against him. cartnell for his part had just got out of a nasty primary of his own, with his main opponent, governor meridian, refusing to endorse the man entirely. his reputation preceded him and despite the fact that it was certainly a successful one, it was also a liberal one. many on the right of his party found themselves annoyed at the prospect of running yet another moderate. but it was the pennsylvania senator who ended up winning. not only because of his record and because of sorensen trying to emphasize his vietnam record during a time when that was why most people hated him. but also because cartnell would shift to the right during the campaign. in offering an olive branch to the 'new right' on the busing issue, he would manage to prevent them from staying home when it mattered. of course it didnt help that sorensen was really old, something the republicans would harp on about often throughout the campaign.
Popular Vote -
Electoral College Map:
as for congress, popular vote wise republicans were winning by similar margins, as an energized campaign by republicans in the house (especially in the south and mid atlantic) led them to break the democratic majority there that had been in power since 1955. meanwhile, the gop majority in the senate would waver but would stay in place just barely (counting the conservative from new york), as though nationally republicans were strong, sorensen's strong showing in the great plains as well as a gop spending cut that affected agricultural subsidies led to downballot upsets for democrats in states like idaho, nebraska, and south dakota.
House of Representatives -
Senate -
