Will the presidential vote be a landslide?

With one exception, re-election races since 1916 have produced a clear winner. So, will the electorate swing strongly for or against President Obama?

(Image credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

last updated 8 January 2015

November's presidential election is still 160 days away, and "nobody can predict with any confidence what will happen" that far out, says Adam C. Smith in the Tampa Bay Times. But here's an educated guess: "Don't assume it will be close." Even though polling now shows President Obama and Mitt Romney running neck and neck, both nationally and in key swing states, somebody's going to win in a landslide. Why is the conventional wisdom about a November squeaker wrong? Here, an excerpt:

Polls show a razor-thin race at the moment, and after Florida decided the winner in 2000 and Ohio decided it in 2004, it's natural to assume this will be another squeaker. History suggests otherwise.