Landslide victory

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A landslide victory is an election result in which the winning candidate or party achieves a decisive victory by an overwhelming margin, securing a very large majority of votes or seats far beyond the typical competitive outcome. [1] [2] The term became popular in the 19th century to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", [1] similar to the way in which a geological landslide buries whatever is in its path. A landslide victory for one party is often accompanied by an electoral wipeout for the opposition, as the overwhelming support for the winning side inflicts a decisive loss on its rivals. What qualifies as a landslide victory can vary depending on the type of electoral system, as the term does not entail a precise, technical, or universally agreed-upon measurement. Instead, it is used informally in everyday language, making it subject to interpretation. Even within a single electoral system, there is no consensus on the exact margin that constitutes a landslide victory. [1]

Contents

A landslide victory implies a powerful expression of popular will and a ringing endorsement by the electorate for the winner's political platform. A landslide can be viewed by a winning candidate or party as a mandate or a tacit authorization from the public to implement their proposed policies and pursue their agenda with confidence. Emboldened by the result, the winner may undertake ambitious reforms or significant policy shifts to reflect the electorate's desire for meaningful change. [3] However, it can also indicate deep political polarization in an electorate [4] or an unfair election. [5]

A combination of factors, including charismatic leadership, a favorable shift in public sentiment driven by dissatisfaction with or support for the status quo, strategic electoral campaigning and a positive media portrayal, can create the conditions necessary for a landslide victory. A landslide may fundamentally reshape the political landscape of a country; one example of this phenomenon is Franklin D. Roosevelt's election as US president in 1932. [6] In a post-landslide scenario, a winning party can sometimes implement its policies with little resistance, while its severely weakened opposition may struggle to perform essential checks and balances.

Notable examples

Argentina

Australia

Local and mayoral elections:

Labor's landslide victory at the 2021 Western Australian state election. Seats won by Labor are in red, seats won by the Liberals are in blue and seats won by the Nationals are in green. 2021 Western Australian state election - Simple Results.svg
Labor's landslide victory at the 2021 Western Australian state election. Seats won by Labor are in red, seats won by the Liberals are in blue and seats won by the Nationals are in green.

State and territory elections:

Federal:

Bangladesh

Brazil

Canada

In a Canadian federal election, a landslide victory occurs when a political party gains a significant majority of the House of Commons of Canada.

Landslide victories may also occur during provincial elections, and territorial elections in Yukon. Landslide victories are not possible for territorial elections in the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, as its members are elected without reference to political parties, operating as a consensus government.

National landslide victories

The following Canadian federal elections resulted in landslide victories: [13]

The vote by province in 1958 shows the scale of the Progressive Conservatives' landslide victory. Canada 1958 Federal Election.svg
The vote by province in 1958 shows the scale of the Progressive Conservatives' landslide victory.
  • 1958 – The Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, won 208 seats (an increase of 96) and gained a majority of 75, while the Liberals, led by Lester B. Pearson, won just 48 (a decrease of 57).
The vote by province in 1984 shows the scale of the Progressive Conservatives' landslide victory. Canada 1984 Federal Election.svg
The vote by province in 1984 shows the scale of the Progressive Conservatives' landslide victory.
  • 1984 – The Progressive Conservatives, led by Brian Mulroney, won 211 seats (an increase of 111) and gained a majority of 69, while the Liberals, led by John Turner, won just 40 (a decrease of 95). Mulroney is the only prime minister to have won a majority of seats in every single province.
  • 1993 – The Liberals, led by Jean Chrétien, won 177 seats (an increase of 96) and gained a majority of 29, while the Bloc Québecois, led by Lucien Bouchard, which ran only in Quebec, won 54 (an increase of 54). The ruling Progressive Conservatives, led by Kim Campbell, won just 2 (a decrease of 154).

Chile

France

Germany

India

National election

State election

Local election

Indonesia

Jamaica

Japan

Mexico

New Zealand

Until 1996, New Zealand used the traditional first-past-the-post system as in the U.K. to determine representation in its Parliament. Thus, landslide elections at that time were defined in an identical fashion, i.e. where one party won an overwhelming majority of the seats. Since 1996, New Zealand has used the mixed member proportional system as in Germany, making landslides much less likely. [23]

First past the post

Philippines

Portugal

Samoa

Results of the 2006 Samoan general election by constituency 2006 Samoan general election (results by constituency).svg
Results of the 2006 Samoan general election by constituency

South Africa

Taiwan

Ukraine

United Kingdom

In UK general elections, a landslide victory involves winning a large majority in parliament and often goes with a large swing from one party to another as well. Landslide victories have usually occurred after a long period of government from one particular party and a change in the popular mood. [37]

Large majorities, however, are not always the advantage they appear to be. Anthony Seldon gives a number of examples of the infighting that can arise from large majorities. He claims that a "sweet spot" parliamentary majority of 35–50 seats is enough to protect from by-elections and still comfortably pass legislation. [38]

Notable landslide election results

The Labour Party landslide victory in 1997 UK General Election, 1997.svg
The Labour Party landslide victory in 1997
The Conservative Party landslide victory in 2019 2019UKElectionMap.svg
The Conservative Party landslide victory in 2019

United States

A landslide victory in presidential elections occurs when a candidate has an overwhelming majority in the Electoral College. In federal and state congressional elections, a landslide victory occurs when a party wins 60% or more of the seats in a legislative chamber.

Presidential elections

The map of the Electoral College in 1936 shows the scale of Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide victory. ElectoralCollege1936.svg
The map of the Electoral College in 1936 shows the scale of Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide victory.
  • 1936 – Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) received 523 (98.5%) of the electoral votes—the largest share since 1820 and the largest in a non-unanimous election—while Alf Landon (R) received only 8 (1.5%). Additionally, Roosevelt received 60.8% of the popular vote.
  • 1940 – Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) received 449 (84.6%) of the electoral votes while Wendell Willkie (R) received only 82 (15.4%).
  • 1944 – Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) received 432 (81.4%) of the electoral votes while Thomas E. Dewey (R) received only 99 (18.6%).
  • 1952Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) received 442 (83.2%) of the electoral votes while Adlai Stevenson II (D) received only 89 (16.8%).
  • 1956 – Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) received 457 (86.1%) of the electoral votes while Adlai Stevenson II (D) received only 73 (13.7%).
  • 1964Lyndon B. Johnson (D) received 486 (90.3%) of the electoral votes while Barry Goldwater (R) received only 52 (9.7%). Additionally, Johnson received 61.1% of the popular vote.
The map of the Electoral College in 1972 shows the scale of Richard Nixon's landslide victory. ElectoralCollege1972.svg
The map of the Electoral College in 1972 shows the scale of Richard Nixon's landslide victory.
The map of the Electoral College in 1984 shows the scale of Ronald Reagan's landslide victory. ElectoralCollege1984.svg
The map of the Electoral College in 1984 shows the scale of Ronald Reagan's landslide victory.

Congressional elections

House of Representatives
  • 1932 – Coinciding with Franklin D. Roosevelt's win in the presidential election, the Democratic Party won 313 seats with 54.5% of the popular vote, which caused the Republican Party to lose its two-seat majority. This election marked a beginning of political dominance for the Democratic Party that would last until the 1994 election.
  • 1934 – The Democratic Party gained nine seats from the previous election.
  • 1936 – Coinciding with Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to a second term as president, the Democratic Party gained an additional twelve seats from the previous election with 55.9% of the popular vote, bringing the total amount of seats held by the party to 334. This would be the most recent election where one party won more than 300 seats in the House of Representatives, and was the last of four straight elections where Republicans lost seats due to the effects of the Great Depression. [51]
Senate
  • 1920 – Coinciding with Warren G. Harding's win in the presidential election, the Republican Party gained ten seats from the Democratic Party, giving them a 59–37 majority.
  • 1932 –– Coinciding with Franklin D. Roosevelt's win in the presidential election, the Democratic Party gained twelve seats from the Republican Party, giving them a 60–36 majority.

See also

References

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  2. Multiple sources:
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  37. Multiple sources:
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