Do you think that Mitt Romney's "47%" comment caused him to lose the 2012 presidential election? Or that Richard Nixon lost the 1960 presidential election because he sweated on TV? Maybe John Kerry was "swiftboated" out of the presidency in 2004? Think again! In Predicting the Next President, political analyst and historian Allan J. Lichtman presents thirteen historical factors, or "keys" (four political, seven performance, and two personality), that determine the outcome of presidential elections. In the chronological, successful application of these keys to every election since 1860, Lichtman dispels much of the mystery behind electoral politics and challenges many traditional assumptions. An indispensable resource for political junkies!

Author Biography

Allan J. Lichtman teaches history at American University in Washington, D.C. He is a regular political analyst for CNN Headline News and also provides political commentary for national networks and newspapers. He is the author of White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement. He has published more than one hundred scholarly and popular articles that have appeared in such journals and newspapers as the American Historical Review, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, New Republic, Washington Monthly, New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and Los Angeles Times.