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Gaylord Anton Nelson

an elite senate candidate from Wisconsin who won 5 consecutive elections, consistently outperforming expectations

Democratic
US SenateGovernor
Electoral Grade
A
+100.5 pts
avg overperformance
Better than 89% of candidates6 graded races

Overperformance vs. state presidential baseline. Incumbents held to a higher bar: Senate/Gov −3 pts.

6
Races
5-1
W-L (83%)
+10.6
Avg Margin
1958–1980
Career Span
Best: +26.0 (1974 Senate)Worst: -1.9 (1980 Senate)
83%
Win Rate
+12.3
Avg Overperformance
5
Win Streak
22 yrs
Career Span
5.0M
Career Votes
Top 11%
Percentile

Evidence & provenance

Source owners

Certified contest returns, candidate career records, and Akashic Edge deterministic grading inputs.

Freshness

Rendered Apr 14, 2026 from the latest candidate, contest, and forecast tables loaded in Akashic Edge.

Boundary scope

Candidate-level profile spanning every contest recorded for this person in Akashic Edge.

Claim type

Deterministic summaries, calculated grades, and certified election history. No freeform AI prose.

Source chain

MethodologyCertified contest returnsCandidate grade inputs
Open methodology

Career Margin Trend6 races

Governor
Senate
R+20EvenD+201958: D+7.3 - Click to view1960: D+3.1 - Click to view1962: D+5.4 - Click to view1968: D+23.4 - Click to view1974: D+26.0 - Click to view1980: R+1.9 - Click to view195819601962196819741980

Career Timeline

1,065,487
Candidate Votes
48.3%
Vote %
2,204,202
Total Votes
-1.9%
Margin
Electoral Performance
+2.1
Race Score
+5.1
vs. State Pres.
D-7.0
State Pres.
Incumbent (−3pt bar)
Top opponent: Bob KastenREP

Key Insights

5 insights generated

Deterministic highlights from career record, margins, and standout performances.

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Geographic Performance

6 races with county data

County-level results, strongest and weakest counties, and performance by county type.

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County Results Table

Sortable, searchable table of every county result for each race.

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Demographic Coalition Analysis

6 races available

Scatter plots correlating county performance with demographics: race, education, income, foreign-born.

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Similar Candidates

8 matches found

Candidates with the closest career profiles — same era, similar performance.

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Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Curious about Gaylord Anton Nelson's performance?

Ask the Historian

Interactive AI-powered chat about Gaylord Anton Nelson's career, opponents, and performance.

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