He earned his MA in August 1966, taking a gap in studies through 1966 to 1968 to serve in the Peace Corps in Guatemala.
Lewis-Beck has received media attention for his predictions of the results of United States presidential elections based on economic factors.
"[11][12] After Gore lost the 2000 election, Lewis-Beck modified his model to take job growth during the incumbent president's previous four-year term into account.
[8] He predicted in August 2004 that George W. Bush would receive 51% of the vote in that November's election, making it too close to call.
[16][17][18] Using polls on voter expectations for the winning presidential candidate in the 2024 election, Lewis-Beck forecast a victory by Kamala Harris.