What was your worst election night?

[bluestateguy]

I still have to say 1994, though 2004 was a close second.

[eyesroll]

1. 2000, but 2002 was pretty up there

(2004 would probably be objectively worse -- but I was simultaneously watching election returns and packing so that my soon-to-be-former spouse and I could move into separate apartments...and both of those events provided distraction for the other)

The reason I list 2002 is because historically, we were supposed to do well, and...well...we didn't, and I remember watching Tom Daschle on TV and thinking that he really needed to put on a tie. (The man's representing 50 million Democrats to the rest of the world? Put on a damn tie.)

[mdmc]

8. Ray Gun...

yuk

[Red State Rebel]

12. I thought of that one too..

I think losing seats in the senate and house is much more damaging sometimes than who sits in the Oval Office.

[WI_DEM]

2. for me personally 1980, I was 16 and Jimmy Carter was my first

political hero. I remember I cried when he lost.

[Chef]

3. All of them

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. 1980--the first is always the worst

I was watching the returns with some of my graduate school friends, and we couldn't believe that the American people had turned so stupid as to elect Ronald Reagan president.

Unlike subsequent heartbreakers, it was an utter shock.

[LizW]

9. Yep, 1980 was bad

I remember being sad and scared. Of course, at the time I had NO IDEA how sad and scared I would be in 2004.

[leesa]

5. The election nights were fine,it was waking up the next AM and discovering

that the victory which seemed certain had flipped overnight. Very curious.

[Rockerdem]

6. 1988.

The first Bush was easily beatable. The economy was so so, and GHWB was a horrid campaigner. Our candidate had a huge lead at one time, and lost. And this was at a time when Democrats nationwide still had the upper hand, numbers wise. And had there been no 88, there would have been no 00 or 04.

It's hard to believe that Dukakis lost because of pork rinds, his goofy tank photo, and the stupid Kitty rape scenario in the debate. His staff was inept.

[imenja]

7. 2004, bar none

First of all, I'd never worked so hard in an election before. I never wanted my candidate to win so badly. In 2000, Bush ended up winning (though not on election night) but we didn't know how bad he would be at that point. Nov 2-3 2004 was devastating to me. I could barely get out of bed the next day.

[SharonRB]

14. I second that emotion.

I had already planned to take the day off of work, because I knew I'd be up late watching returns, but I didn't expect to be so depressed all day (and still am).

[inslee08]

10. 2004

During 2000, I had no access to a TV, so that *night* wasn't too bad.

But 2004, being psyched for the end of *, and hearing how Ohio got called for Bush (ensuring him a tie, and hence the presidency), that was pretty horrible.

[mattclearing]

11. 2002, which isn't an option.

At least this time around I knew what to expect.

[SharonRB]

13. 2000 was a very close runner-up

But in 2000, I guess I wasn't sure just how bad the next four years were going to be if Bush prevailed. In 2004, I knew.

[gizmo1979]

15. 2004

I worked harder for this one then any other ever,door to door,phones,went to the stumps here in WI.I was and am still devastated!

[LisaL]

16. 2004, exit polls and presumably high turnout got my hopes up.

And then all hopes crashed down and died.

[AngryOldDem]

17. 2004, for many reasons

This was the first election that I became actively involved in.

A lot of us worked very hard for Kerry all summer and fall, and CONSTANTLY the reports that we were going to win were very good. That made us work all the harder.

On Election Day, I was a "poll runner" for a congressional candidate, and around 5 p.m. I made my last stop at headquarters with poll information from my precinct. I saw one of the campaign managers and he gave me the news that Zogby exit polling showed that Kerry was going to win -- that it was a lock, in fact. I left the office feeling relieved that we were most likely weeks away from getting rid of Bush.

As the returns started to come in that evening, I began to realize early that was not going to be the case. I watched all night, hoping against hope, and did not give up until the race was called after midnight by most channels. I think the sense of devastation I felt could only be equalled by the death of a relative. I went to bed and cried myself to sleep, and cried even harder when Kerry conceded the next day.

Then immediately following, I came down with a massive sinus and eye infection. I was the sickest I had been in YEARS. I am positive that it came on because of stress and grief related to the election. I took this hard, damned hard, and my immune system paid the price.

So, yeah...worst election? 2004 beyond any doubt.

[DemGirl7]

18. 2004 was my worst so far...

to begin with it was the first time I was able to vote for President and wanted my choice for president to win, since than I've been in somewhat of mild depression since that horrible election, but I've been somewhat of better mood of late.

[njdemocrat106]

19. 2004

This was only the second election I was old enough to vote in, and I wanted Kerry and Edwards to win so badly. I went to bed at around 1am, but I kept waking up every hour and checking the TV to see if we won Ohio. The next day was one of the worst days I can remember. I couldn't believe we allowed Bush 4 more years to destroy this country. Almost 3 months later, he's still doing a damn good job trying to ruin our once great nation.

[Zynx]

20. 2004 nearly caused me to collapse dead in my chair.

The excitement of the initial exit polls was taken away and then some by the trickling in of the real results over the course of the evening. The Florida results around eight o'clock were truly distressing and that's the first time all night I began to doubt that we would win.

[IronLionZion]

21. 2000

I was so disappointed since I was a big Gore supporter and that was the first election I cared about. It didn't help that I lived in a right-wing community then and would get teased about it.

[kohodog]

22. McGovern was decimated (except in MA where I was)

But the silver lining was that Nixon resigned!!!

Hopefully 2004 will follow suit.

But only if we grt busy now and take back the House in 06.

[CBHagman]

23. 2004 was the absolute worst, though it has competition.

A friend of mine called me in both '84 and '88 to lament what had happened. I could tell it was her when I heard the sigh at the other end of the line. I actually objected far more severely to Reagan than to Bush pere.

In 1980, I had to go through the nasty business of receiving a letter from a relative who expressed pleasure at the outcome of the race. I declined to discuss politics from that point on with this relative. I love her, but she's set in her ways (and also wide of the mark).

In 2000, I was treated to the sight of Candy Crowley practically in tears when she thought Bush had lost Florida (the first of many disgusting displays by those two particularly vile characters).

2004 hurt in a different way, as I was at a Democratic volunteers' party and we realized how things were going. My joy over Kerry winning Pennsylvania and New Jersey turned to anger when I realized what was happening. I went home early and woke up the next morning in a state of acute anger, only to get news that nothing was definite.

That morning I walked up to the graves of my ancestors at a cemetery on a hill. When I came back downtown later, I overheard two men discussing the resolution of the vote count.

I'm probably going to be mad for years to come, but the difference is that I've embraced the anger as a good thing.

[Jack Rabbit]

24. 2004

I couldn't believe any American could support those incompetent, crooked, sadistic war criminals.

[DFLforever]

25. 2002

The election where I realized Bush would do anything he thought necessary to win.