Richard Winger’s <a href=http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/12/09/republican-share-of-us-house-vote-is-lowest-for-either-major-party-since-1976/>Ballot Access News</a> has tallied up the total vote for the U.S. House.  The Democrats received 53.9%, the Republicans just 43.0%.  This is the lowest total for either party since 1976, when the Republicans won just 42.0% of the popular vote.  The last time the Democrats polled this low in the total vote for U.S. House was 1928.

Republican vote totals are also trending downward, from 50.6% in 2002 to 49.9% in 2004 to 44.8% in 2006, then this year’s 43.0%.  (In 1994, Republicans won 52.0% of the Congressional vote.)

In <a href=http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/12/11/us-senate-election-results/>Senate races,</a> Democrats won 52.1% of the vote, to the Republicans 44.6%.  Six years ago, when these same seats were up, the GOP candidates won 50.3%.

For 11 Governor’s races, the Democrats picked up 50.2% of the total vote to the Republicans’ 47.3%.

Obviously, the House statistics are most interesting, since they cover the country.  These numbers, of course, show real erosion and danger for Republicans.  But one can notice one upside: the last time the Democrats polled so low as this year’s GOP was 1928; four years later they elected Franklin Roosevelt in a landslide.  The last time the Republicans polled so low was 1976 – four years later they elected Ronald Reagan and won Senate control for the first time in 28 years.

Still, not a pretty picture.