Maryland is solid D at this point. Republicans haven't carried Maryland since the 1988 Presidential Election of George H.W. Bush. It was one of Bill Clinton's best states in both of his Presidential Election Wins. It was also one of Jimmy Carter's 6 states that he carried in the 1980 Presidential Election when he lost to Reagan.
"at this point"...? Maryland's been a solid D for decades. The recent demographic landslide that has hit the state cements that. People forget that Maryland's the fourth blackest state in the country. Maryland is 43% VAP minority the vast majority of which is blacks. Interestingly the white population of Maryland has grown very conservative. McCain won Maryland whites by 2% and I bet Bush won them by 6 or 7 in 2004
I wouldn't say McCain winning whites by 2% in Maryland when he won whites by 12% nationwide = very conservative.
Now, the rural less educated whites in western MD and along the eastern shore would fit that bill, the suburban well educated whites, not so much....
It's pretty impressive McCain won Maryland whites despite how liberal the state is. McCain didn't even win the white vote in Colorado.
Native Maryland whites tend to be conservative, hence the high uncommitted vote against Obama in the democrat primary outside of PG, Montgomery, Howard and the city. The whites living in Montgomery/Howard county tend not to be native to the state. Some of those Bethesda precincts are 80% white and voted 85% Obama. Carroll/Harford are mega Republican and Baltimore/AA Co whites are pretty republican too
McCain actually probably did better among whites than the polls suggest
The heavily white precincts are shaded in green and they as a whole gave McCain 56.2% of the vote.
