Even though the electoral college vote was more decisive, there has always been the whiff of jiggery pokery about it, and nowhere more so than in Cook County, Illinois.

There, it is said, the fearsome Democratic machine run by Mayor Richard Daley could be relied upon to deliver the correct result and Kennedy’s 450,000 winning margin in the city was a touch suspicious.

So as Donald Trump cries foul ahead of election day, it would be disingenuous of the Democrats to pretend that the party’s record is unblemished.

But over the past few months it appears to be the Republicans who are doing their utmost to stack the odds in favour of their candidates, including Mr Trump.