The Redskins Rule is a trend involving NFL football and presidential elections.
This coincidence has held true since 1940.
The Redskins moved to Washington in 1937. Since then, there have been 18 presidential elections. In 17 of those, the rule applied:
If the Redskins win their last home game before the election, the party that won the previous election wins the next election. If the Redskins lose, the challenging party's candidate wins.
Here’s a rundown of the Redskins Rule games since 1940:
1940 – Redskins 37, Steelers 10 – Roosevelt (D) defeats Willkie. 1944 – Redskins 14, Rams 10 – Roosevelt defeats Dewey. 1948 – Redskins 59, Boston Yanks 21 – Truman (D) defeats Dewey. 1952 – Steelers 24, Redskins 23 – Eisenhower (R) defeats Stevenson. 1956 – Redskins 20, Browns 9 – Eisenhower defeats Stevenson. 1960 – Browns 31, Redskins 10 – Kennedy (D) defeats Nixon. 1964 – Redskins 27, Bears 20 – Johnson (D) defeats Goldwater. 1968 – Giants 13, Redskins 10 – Nixon (R) defeats Humphrey. 1972 – Redskins 24, Cowboys 20 – Nixon defeats McGovern. 1976 – Cowboys 20, Redskins 7 – Carter (D) defeats Ford. 1980 – Vikings 39, Redskins 14 – Reagan (R) defeats Carter. 1984 – Redskins 27, Falcons 14 – Reagan defeats Mondale. 1988 – Redskins 27, Saints 24 – Bush defeats Dukakis. 1992 – Giants 24, Redskins 7 – Clinton (D) defeats Bush. 1996 – Redskins 31, Colts 16 – Clinton defeats Dole. 2000 – Titans 27, Redskins 21 – Bush (R) defeats Gore. 2004 – Packers 28, Redskins 13 – Bush defeats Kerry, ending the streak. 2008 – Steelers 23, Redskins 6 – Obama (D) defeats McCain, restoring the Redskins Rule.
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