highest popular vote % since 1964 by county by party

[Linus Van Pelt]

This takes a bit of explanation: there's a map for each of the two main parties. On each party's map, each county is colored for the year in which that party received the highest percentage of the vote in a presidential election from 1964 to the present. So, for example, if a county is colored for 1964 on the D map and 1972 on the R map, it means that LBJ's percentage in 1964 is higher than any other D candidate during this period, and Nixon's percentage in 1972 is higher than any other R candidate.

1964 was chosen as a semi-arbitrary start date; it made for a nice 50-year period when I started the maps in 2014, and in some sense the VRA is as good a start date for contemporary politics as any.

Full-sized versions are in the gallery, or through right-click/control-click, etc.

Color code:
1964: red
1968: orange (appears only on the R map)
1972: light green (appears only on the R map)
1976: yellow
1980: purple
1984: lighter purple/mauve (appears only on the R map)
1988: light grey
1992: pink (appears only on the D map)
1996: bronze (appears only on the D map)
2000: darker green
2004: darker grey (appears only on the R map)
2008: light blue
2012: darker blue

Democrats:


Republicans:

[Linus Van Pelt]

There are a number of interesting patterns worth discussing here.

- why is there a scattering of counties in Iowa where 1968 was the top Republican year? It seems surprising given that Humphrey was from the next-door state.

- what explains the distribution between the 1972 and 1984 landslides on the Republican map in the northeast and midwest? I can understand why Nixon outpolls Reagan in the south (less Black turnout & Dem dominance), and vice versa in the west (Reagan was western, plus the Dem resource vote had dwindled). But why does Reagan outpoll Nixon in Michigan, eastern Wisconsin, non-Appalachian Ohio, and much of lower New England, while Nixon outpolls Reagan in the Mississippi Valley, most of Indiana, the Ohio Valley, and upstate New York? I can't put my finger on this pattern.

- the progressive "northernization" of Florida as you go south is clearly visible. Palm Beach and Broward are the only two countries on the Democratic map where 2000 is the best Democratic year, suggesting Lieberman's influence.

- the northwestern counties where 2000 is the top Republican year suggest the influence of gun control and the forestry controversies.

- Bush 2004's strength in Indiana and the Milwaukee and Minneapolis suburbs is interesting. I wonder if this has to do with a particular strength among non-southern Evangelicals.

- it's interesting how far into Illinois and Wisconsin the 2008 zone goes on the Democratic map, beyond metro Chicago. Goldwater did quite well in this traditionally Republican area.

[nclib]

Awesome. Great work.

I can't tell apart the 1988 and 2004 counties on the Rep map--please give the state/region for each.

Guesses at unusual results:

1968 - Nixon - unsure
1976 - Ford - home area in Mich.
1980 - Carter - southern counties that swung slightly Carter in 1980
1988 - Dukakis - Bentsen in TX, economics, poverty in 1980s
1988 - Bush - suburbs?
1992 - Clinton - Gore VP in TN
1996 - Clinton - home state of AR, targeted LA and AZ
2000 - Gore - Jewish and urban in South Fla.
2000 - Bush - anti-gun control
2004 - Bush - non-Southern evangelicals (as LVP said)

[nclib]

LVP (or anyone) can you explain the color distinction between the 1988 and 2004 counties on the GOP map?

[Linus Van Pelt]

LVP (or anyone) can you explain the color distinction between the 1988 and 2004 counties on the GOP map?

There are only two 1988 counties on the GOP map - Huntingdon, Indiana, and Cumberland, Virginia. It wasn't a very extreme election for either side. The rest are all 2004.

[Nichlemn]

It's not terribly surprising if you know about the election, but still kind of interesting how 1976 is the clear runner up in terms of best results despite being the weakest of all the Democrats wins. It just goes to show how regionally concentrated Carter's strength was.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Fantastic work.

[Del Tachi]

Its great to see how well-defined Northeast Mississippi is in the GOP map

[Stranger in a strange land]

Fantastic work.

[Beet]

Fantastic work.

What's most striking to me is how many counties where Romney '12 did better than Nixon '72. I had no idea it was so many outside of Appalachia.

[nclib]

Trying to figure out the 1968 R counties, many of which are pretty liberal. Perhaps they got more Democratic after 18-20 year-olds got the right to vote?

[nclib]

Trying to figure out the 1968 R counties, many of which are pretty liberal. Perhaps they got more Democratic after 18-20 year-olds got the right to vote?

Humphrey was HATED by certain elements of the left.

Which elements? I know anti-war was part of it. Did those people not vote or vote for Nixon? Makes sense that 15/21 of the 1968 R counties voted for Obama in 2012 and included universities as: UC-Santa Cruz, U. of Colo., U. Of Iowa, U. of Oregon, Oregon St., as well as Native Am. Shannon, SD and several Hispanic counties in NM.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Voting age was still 21 in 1968. I think that answers your question.

[Skill and Chance]

Great work!

Other surprising features to me:

1. How uniformly 1964 wins for Dems outside of the South.  I would have expected 2008 to be a lot more dominant in traditionally libertarian parts of the West.

2. Romney outperforms Bush 2004 in so much of rural Texas.

3.  The fact that Romney places a clear 3rd in # of counties on the Republican map despite losing and not even having the narrowest loss!

4.  I was not expecting a meaningful number of 2012 counties for Democrats.