2. The Electoral Map: Where You Live is How You Vote
Two of Bush’s “landslide” counties in Ohio were Delaware and Warren, exurban counties outside Columbus and Cincinnati, respectively, that were among the fastest-growing counties in the country between 2000 and 2004 (Delaware County ranked No. 11, with 30% population growth; Warren grew 19%). The inflated Republican numbers in these and other exurban counties around the state, combined with the GOP’s rural strength, was enough to offset the Democrats’ strong showing in most of Ohio’s leading urban centers. The 25 Fastest-Growing Counties: A Republican Building Block Most of the 25 counties that grew fastest between 2000 and 2004 are in the Sun Belt, and most are exurbs— bustling new bedroom communities that lie beyond a dense inner ring of suburbs. All could be found in the GOP column in 2004 (and all but two in 2000). While these fast-growing counties offer comparatively small numbers of votes in comparison with the nation’s most populous counties, they are a growing counterweight in many states to Democratic urban majorities. Estimated Pop. Gain, 2000-04
2004 Population Estimate
Victory Margins in Presidential Elections 2004 2000
Rank
County (Nearby City)
1 2 3 4 5
Loudoun Co., Va. (Washington, D.C.) Flagler Co., Fla. (Jacksonville) Douglas Co., Colo. (Denver) Rockwall Co., Texas (Dallas) Forsyth Co., Ga. (Atlanta)
41.0% 38.5% 35.4% 35.2% 34.0%
239,156 69,005 237,963 58,260 131,865
13,111 1,055 40,990 14,800 38,066
R R R R R
11,515 1,284 28,931 10,024 21,075
R D R R R
6 7 8 9 10
Henry Co., Ga. (Atlanta) Kendall Co., Ill. (Chicago) Newton Co., Ga. (Atlanta) Lincoln Co., S.D. (Sioux Falls) Paulding Co., Ga. (Atlanta)
33.6% 33.0% 31.5% 30.2% 29.7%
159,506 72,548 81,524 31,437 105,936
21,663 7,279 7,156 5,458 21,423
R R R R R
13,844 5,244 4,424 2,702 10,138
R R R R R
11 12 13 14 15
Delaware Co., Ohio (Columbus) Scott Co., Minn. (Minneapolis) Collin Co., Texas (Dallas) Osceola Co., Fla. (Orlando) Williamson Co., Texas (Austin)
29.6% 28.3% 27.7% 27.3% 27.2%
142,503 114,794 627,938 219,544 317,938
26,095 12,097 105,500 4,484 40,167
R R R R R
19,505 6,451 85,295 1,969 38,450
R R R D R
16 17 18 19 20
Hamilton Co., Ind. (Indianapolis) Spencer Co., Ky. (Louisville) Lyon Co., Nev. (Reno) Fort Bend Co., Texas (Houston) Stafford Co., Va. (Washington, D.C.)
26.8% 26.0% 25.3% 24.9% 24.2%
231,760 14,822 43,230 442,620 114,781
51,499 2,846 5,499 24,903 11,292
R R R R R
38,370 1,596 3,315 25,998 8,135
R R R R R
21 22 23 24 25
Union Co., N.C. (Charlotte) Lake Co., Fla. (Orlando) St. Johns Co., Fla. (Jacksonville) Spotsylvania Co., Va. (Washington, D.C.) Placer Co., Calif. (Sacramento)
24.1% 23.9% 23.8% 23.7% 23.6%
153,652 260,788 152,473 111,850 307,004
24,846 26,168 32,797 11,904 40,396
R R R R R
16,986 13,439 20,044 7,284 27,386
R R R R R
Aggregate Total
4,442,897
Note: Republican victory margins are noted in bold. Source: U.S. Census Bureau for estimates of 2004 population and population growth from April 2000 to July 2004
133
591,494 R
416,898 R