Exploding the Reagan 1980 Comeback Myth

After an Obama bounce prompted a wave of articles about Romney’s dwindling chances, Romney’s pollster Neil Newhouse published a memo detailing the case for a comeback.

Perhaps the most striking element of the memo was the complete absence of polling data, but his strained reconceptualization of the 1980 race was also highly unusual. Newhouse contended that Carter led by nearly 10 percentage points in late October and asserted that this year would see a rerun of that campaign.

While the myth of a Reagan comeback figures prominently in American electoral history, it turns out that it’s just that: a myth. [cont.]

Nate Cohn, New Republic