In the not-local, but I’m-a-nerd department …
Today, the Associated Press called Missouri for John McCain, breaking the state’s 12-election streak of siding with the winner, going back to JFK’s 1960 win.
So who’s the nation’s new bellwether? Not a big shocker — Ohio, whose current streak began with LBJ in 1964.
The new runner-up, though, surprised me a bit: Nevada, whose eight-election string started in 1980’s Reagan landslide.
Only one state has as many as four straight (Florida), and just two are threepeaters (Colorado and Virginia).
Minnesota? One in a row.
It’s “bellwether“, not bellweather.
David replies: Fixed, with thanks.
But regardless of spelling, pluralized the word rhymes with bullfeathers.
This is numerology for political junkies, just like Dixville Notch is homeopathy for poll watchers.