Oakland Raiders season and the presidential election

October 23, 3:11 AMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

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Looking at the Raiders throughout history, there has been a correlation between the outcome of the presidential election and the Raiders' performance. Odds are that it is purely concidental, but there has only been one time in history that the Raiders have had a losing season when the White House has switched parties.

Rahter than look at the whos and whats of that particular election, it will be deliniated as either the incumbant party won or lost, and it will be followed by the Raiders record for that election year. The results are surprising. For the purpose of this comparison the 1960 season won't be counted as that was also the inaugural year for the Raiders.

1964: Lyndon Johnson i (D) defeated Barry Goldwater (R)
The party in power held power with the incumbent Johnson winning the Oval Office. The Raiders had a winning 1963, but fell to 5-7 and third in the AFL West.

1968: Richard Nixon (R) defeated Hubert Humphrey (D)
This time the party in power changed, and the Raiders won the AFL West, but lost to the New York Jets in the AFL Championship game.

1972: Richard Nixon i (R) defeated George McGovern (D)
The party in power remained as Nixon was re-elected. The Raiders won the AFC West that season, but were jobbed in the playoffs in what will be eternally known as the "Immaculate Deception."

1976: Jimmy Carter (D) defeated Gerald Ford (R)
The party in power shifted as Carter defeated the sitting president Ford. This was a banner year for the Oakland Raiders as they would go on to win their first Super Bowl.

1980: Ronald Reagan (R) defeated Jimmy Carter (D)
Once again the party in power shifted as Reagan defeated the incumbant Carter. The Oakland Raiders would go on to become the first Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl.

1984: Ronald Reagan (R) defeated Walter Mondale (D)
Reagan rolled to re-election. The Raiders finished third in the AFC West, but lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks.

1988: George Bush (R) defeated Michael Dukakis (D)
The same party kept the White House. The Raiders finshed 7-9 and missed the playoffs.

1992: Bill Clinton (D) defeated George Bush (R)
This year the White House changed hands for the first time since 1980. The Raiders were 7-9 and missed the playoffs.

1996: Bill Clinton (D) defeated Bob Dole (R)
The same party kept the white house. The Raiders finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs.

2000: George W. Bush (R) defeated Al Gore (D)
The White House changed hands. The Raiders won the AFC West and made it to the AFC Championship game where only a Tony Siragusa flop on Rich Gannon kept the Raiders out of the Super Bowl.

2004: George W. Bush (R) defeated John Kerry (D)
The same party kept the White House. The Raiders were a dismal 5-11.

In the 11 election-year seasons since 1964 the party in power has retained control six times, and in those six years four times the Raiders have had losing seasons. There has been a change in party five times and in those years the Raiders have been to the playoffs four times, with only one losing season.