Which election was more of realignment: 1968 or 1980?

[Sir Mohamed]

It's being debated whether 1968 or 1980 are considered realignment elections or not. Do you think both were and if so, equally or not?

I would argue that 1968 was more of a realignment than 1980, and possibly the most significant between 1932 and 2000. While the election was close, Nixon's "Southern strategy" had lasting implications and consequences for all decades to come. Carter and Clinton were at least in part able to reverse the shifts in the South, but these were short-lived and limited to certain states and only during their own elections. 1968 was also the year the New Deal coalition finally broke up. Carter and Clinton also moved closer to the political center than Johnson (the previous D-prez) was.

What are your thoughts?