Mike Purdy's Presidential History Blog
What Voters & States Will Elect the Next President?
Winning the Presidency involves an understanding of changing demographics and identifying constituencies likely to support a candidate. But it also involves campaigning strategically in key battleground states in order to win the Electoral College, which ultimately...
Media, Marketing, and the Making of the President
Every four years, the American people elect a President. And while we hope that the voters look at the policy positions of the candidates, their temperament and suitability for the office, their experience, and qualifications, the fact is that running for President...
How Accurate Are the Polls?
Polling is a regular part of modern presidential campaigns. But just how accurate are they? What have been some of the times when polls have not reflected reality, and why have these errors occurred? What is the methodology that is used in developing a scientific...
Winner of Primaries Loses Nomination to Establishment Candidate
He was a populist, who was known to television audiences. He won more primaries and more popular votes than any other candidate. By the time of the national convention, he was in the lead on delegates but didn't have enough for the nomination on the first ballot. ...
Party Leaders Reject GOP Presidential Nominee
He was a charismatic personality and speaker. His dedicated followers idolized him. He was a big name. He was known for his sharp wit, his memory for names and faces, and had personal charm. He had mansions in different states. There were whispers and hints about...
The Curse of Contested Conventions
It's certainly not unheard of in our nation's history that a presidential front runner has been disappointed and lost the nomination after a contested or brokered convention with multiple convention ballots. Just because a candidate enters a convention with more...
What do the Candidates Believe? – Video Online
What do the candidates for president in 2016 believe, both in terms of faith and policy positions? How important has religion been to our presidents, and what do the current candidates believe about religion? Are there any historical precedents surrounding any of...
My TV Interview: Why Evangelicals Are Supporting Trump
On March 8, 2016, I was interviewed on WHDT World News in Florida on why evangelical voters are supporting Donald Trump for president. It's a great question without entirely satisfactory answers and I wasn't able to fully address it in the 9 minute interview with...
How the White House Almost Collapsed
I gave a talk on February 25, 2016 to the Construction Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association on the reconstruction of the White House in the early 1950s. I titled my talk "Barely Avoiding Disaster: Lessons Learned from the Reconstruction of the White...
Leading Presidential Candidates Are Older
The Wall Street Journal published an article on March 4, 2016 entitled "Age-Old Issue Gets Diminished in Election 2016." I was interviewed for and quoted in the article. Take a look at the article! Unusual campaign: This election year is different in many ways from...
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About Mike
Mike Purdy is a presidential historian and author living in Seattle, Washington. As an expert in presidential history, Mike runs PresidentialHistory.com as a public resource.