Title: What is a Mandate? - Definition & Examples - Social Science Class [2021 Video] | Study.com
Headings: What is a Mandate? - Definition & Examples
What is a Mandate? - Definition & Examples
Lesson Transcript
Mandates: When Winning Might Not Be Enough
When Is a Mandate Really a Mandate?
Roosevelt's Mandate
Reagan's Mandate
Truman's Mandate
Obama's Mandate
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Content: most notably, a major tax cut, especially for wealthier Americans. In 1984, when he ran for re-election, a major question existed as to how American voters would react, both to Reagan's policies and to the economic situation. The answer to both was exceedingly positive - Reagan defeated the Democratic challenger, Walter Mondale, in the most lopsided victory in presidential history. It would have been hard, after Reagan took 49 out of 50 states, to deny that his mandate was clear. Truman's Mandate
Sometimes, presidents win the White House in a manner that tends to negate the perception of a mandate. In 1948, Harry Truman was running for re-election at a point in his presidency when he was deeply unpopular. The Republican nominee, Thomas Dewey (who had run previously against Franklin Roosevelt and done better than expected), was the clear frontrunner and thought to be a sure thing for victory. When Truman surprised many by eking out a win on election night, it ranked as one of the great presidential upsets in modern history, even though Truman was the incumbent. That fact, then, tended to negate the idea that Truman had earned a mandate from the nation. Though he had won, he had done so in a terribly narrow fashion, even with the advantages of incumbency behind him.