President Obama In Select Company

by Stuart Shapiro

The popular vote total is in, and President Obama won 51% of the vote.  As the chart above shows, this makes him the first President since Eisenhower to win this much in two elections.  And in history:

In fact, in American history, this is a feat that’s only been pulled off by six presidents: Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and now, Barack Obama.

One could lower the bar to 50% and add President Reagan.  In either case, it is quite an accomplishment.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.