2. The Electoral Map: Where You Live is How You Vote, Appendix I
How The Counties Vote: A National Sampler of Republican Strongholds Just as the cities are the basic building blocks for the Democrats, rural and small-town America are the starting point for Republicans in fashioning presidential election victories. Republicans swept roughly 80% of the nation’s counties in 2004, a total that is not particularly unusual since the GOP has won more counties than the Democrats in every presidential election since 1980—usually many more. But the landslide majorities that Bush posted in 2004 in hundreds of rural counties helped provide him with the votes to win a second term. “Mountain Republican” counties are broken out into a separate category; in many cases they are historically Republican counties in the South that were in the GOP column long before it was fashionable in their states to vote Republican. Following is a geographically diverse sampling of rural counties listed in each category according to the Republican share of the total vote in 2004. 2004 Presidential Vote Bush Kerry
Change, 2000-04 Reps. Dems.
NATIONAL
51%
48%
+ 3%
0%
Rural Heartland Madison Co., Idaho Arthur Co., Neb. Fulton Co., Pa. Neshoba Co., Miss. Huntington Co., Ind. Cape Girardeau Co., Mo. Winn Parish, La. Green Lake Co., Wis. Davison Co. (Mitchell), S.D. Lee Co. (Dixon), Ill. Marion Co., Ohio Madison Co., Iowa
92% 90% 76% 75% 74% 69% 67% 64% 62% 59% 59% 57%
7% 9% 24% 25% 25% 31% 32% 35% 36% 40% 41% 42%
+ 3% + 4% + 5% + 4% + 5% + 3% + 4% + 4% + 3% + 3% + 4% + 4%
-2% -1% -4% -3% -3% -1% -3% -1% -3% -1% -1% -2%
Mountain Republican (Appalachian and Ozark) Jackson Co., Ky. 84% 15% 81% 19% Grant Co., W.Va. 78% 22% Winston Co., Ala. 74% 25% Rockingham Co., Va. 73% 26% Garrett Co., Md. Mitchell Co., N.C. 73% 27% 72% 28% Johnson Co., Tenn. 71% 28% Fannin Co., Ga. Benton Co., Ark. 68% 31%
0% + 1% + 2% -1% + 9% -7% + 2% + 1% + 2% -1% -3% + 3% + 5% -4% + 6% -4% + 4% -2%
Comments
Becoming more Rep., if that’s possible 4th straight election Dems. fail to draw 10% of vote Part of Pa.’s Republican ‘T’ Even national pols appear at county fair Dan Quayle’s roots here Megadittos–Rush Limbaugh from here Huey Long’s home parish voting increasingly Rep. Near Ripon, one of birthplaces of GOP Home of the Corn Palace and George McGovern Part of Midwest heartland where Reagan was raised Home of Warren Harding Trending back to Reps. after fling with Dems.
Gave Reps. their highest vote share in Ky. in ’04 Historically the top Rep. county in W.Va. Only Ala. county to back Landon over FDR in ’36 Except for ’64, in GOP column since 1940 Posted top Rep. percentage in Md. in ’00 and ’04 Was top county in N.C. for Bush Sr. in ’88 and ’92 Even Gore lost by margin of 2-to-1 here in ’00 Only county in Ga. to vote against FDR all 4 times Voted against Clinton in both ’92 and ’96
Special Places in Small-Town America (associated with recent presidential, vice-presidential nominees) Midland Co., Texas 82% 18% + 2% -1% Rep. stronghold even before W Russell Co., Kan. 76% 23% + 6% -2% Birthplace of Bob Dole 68% 31% + 3% -2% Includes John Edwards’ birthplace of Seneca Oconee Co., S.C. 67% 31% + 2% 0% Cheneys from here Natrona Co. (Casper), Wyo. + 3% -3% Not so Dem. without Clinton on ballot Hempstead Co. (Hope), Ark. 48% 51% Gore family’s home base Smith Co. (Carthage), Tenn. 48% 52% + 15% -15%
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