Oregon V. Washington 1968/1976 Results

[Sumner 1868]

It's interesting to see how Humphrey won Washington in 1968 while Carter came closer to carrying Oregon than Washington.

1968:

Washington

Humphrey: 47.23
Nixon: 45.12

Oregon

Nixon: 49.83
Humphrey: 43.78

1976:

Washington

Ford: 50.00
Carter: 46.11

Oregon

Ford: 47.78
Carter: 47.62

Why was this the case?

[Boston Bread]

It boils down to Oregon being a more working class state, and the anti-war left which has a larger presence in OR (they didn't like Humphrey). In several elections like 1988 and 1976 Oregon was the more democratic one. WA became consistently more democratic around the 1990's when resource extraction industries started souring with the democrats, logging is a big one in this case.

[Sumner 1868]

It boils down to Oregon being a more working class state, and the anti-war left which has a larger presence in OR (they didn't like Humphrey). In several elections like 1988 and 1976 Oregon was the more democratic one. WA became consistently more democratic around the 1990's when resource extraction industries started souring with the democrats, logging is a big one in this case.

I think the early 1990s recession and the dot-com crash must have played a major role as well, as both hit Washington harder than Oregon.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

It boils down to Oregon being a more working class state, and the anti-war left which has a larger presence in OR (they didn't like Humphrey). In several elections like 1988 and 1976 Oregon was the more democratic one. WA became consistently more democratic around the 1990's when resource extraction industries started souring with the democrats, logging is a big one in this case.

How long has Oregon been a more working class state?  Oregon was the more Republican state in Mid-Century (FDR-'68, with '64 being I think the only exception).

[Sumner 1868]

It boils down to Oregon being a more working class state, and the anti-war left which has a larger presence in OR (they didn't like Humphrey). In several elections like 1988 and 1976 Oregon was the more democratic one. WA became consistently more democratic around the 1990's when resource extraction industries started souring with the democrats, logging is a big one in this case.

How long has Oregon been a more working class state?  Oregon was the more Republican state in Mid-Century (FDR-'68, with '64 being I think the only exception).

It was also fairly Republican at the state level until Watergate.

[Podgy the Bear]

The large Asian-American influx into these states (Washington more than Oregon) keeps these Pacific Coast states considerably more Democratic than the national trend.

[Sumner 1868]

The large Asian-American influx into these states (Washington more than Oregon) keeps these Pacific Coast states considerably more Democratic than the national trend.

Democrats usually win the white vote in Washington. With Oregon, your may be right.

[SingingAnalyst]

Is Oregon more rural? It appears to be more anti-incumbent, more like South Dakota or Iowa while Washington is more like Minnesota.