Let’s be clear up-front:   With only 56 prior presidential elections, each 4 years apart, these kinds of facts are of dubious predictive value.      That said, we find these kinds of facts interesting.     Use 270toWin Answers to get the answer to these types of questions for any combination of states, as well as other historical election trivia.

• Nobody has ever won a presidential election when losing both Iowa and Missouri
• Nobody has ever won losing both New Hampshire and North Carolina
• A Republican has never won when losing Ohio; 1960 for a Democrat
• The last time a Republican won while losing Florida was 1924
• The last time a Democrat won while losing Pennsylvania was 1948
• The last time a Republican won while losing Colorado and Nevada was 1908
• Early primary trivia:   The last time a Democrat won while losing Iowa and New Hampshire was 1976; it has never happened for a Republican
• One must go back to Zachary Taylor and the Whig Party, in the 1848 election, to find the last time someone won when losing Michigan and Missouri

Based on recent polls, and the increased likelihood of an Obama vs. McCain race, we’ve moved North Carolina from Republican to Swing and Arkansas from Swing to Republican.   The latter decision was fairly easy — the only way Arkansas is really in play is if Sen. Clinton is the nominee.  

North Carolina, Virginia and even South Carolina have been fairly competitive in most polls between Obama and McCain.  Since 1968, those states have voted exclusively Republican (except for 1976 when both Carolinas went for Carter).  It will add an interesting dynamic to the 2008 race if those states are once again competitive as the election draws near.