theory on why new england votes dem

[freepcrusher]

my view is that there was sort of a precursor to white flight going on in that part of the country. The yankees moved out to Ohio, Indiana, and even as far as Kansas during the 19th century and they were replaced by Italians, Portuguese, Irish etc who voted dem. Anyone here agree with this?

[LLR]

Why is this a theory? Part of this makes no sense and part of this is obvious facts that don't need to be stated - typical from you of course

[Nyvin]

The Irish population here has voted Dem for quite a while,  I think northern New England voted Republican back in the day more as a vote against the Irish in Mass and RI.   

Once the GOP became much more invested in the religious right and southern conservatives the moderate GOP here became really turned off and switched over to Dem,  neither of those really fit with the more educated northeast.   

[muon2]

The Irish population here has voted Dem for quite a while,  I think northern New England voted Republican back in the day more as a vote against the Irish in Mass and RI.   

Once the GOP became much more invested in the religious right and southern conservatives the moderate GOP here became really turned off and switched over to Dem,  neither of those really fit with the more educated northeast.   

I agree with Nyvin here. The Yankee Pub was for a open civil society with regulations to curb government's power. Kind of a soft libertarian. As a resident of MA in the 1980's I watched statewide referenda pass to limit municipal taxes with prop 2 1/2, then repeal the mandatory seat belt law! That same Yankee Pub didn't see old-time southern religious views as compatible with their view of society.

[hopper]

Lets Go State by State:

Maine-Probably it was because the GOP went Southern Culturally on Social Issues. The state is still in the "radical center" on fiscal issues and I think has been for awhile.

RI and MA: Have mostly been Dem for a long time.

NH-Not really sure.

VT-Canadians moved to the Northern Tip of that state.

CT-Probably Social Issues and minority growth(mainly Puerto Ricans I think.) The State also has a Black Population% in the low teens probably of Black Families that stayed in the state from "The Great Migration" Days. Connecticut is basically politically like New Jersey also.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Massachusetts and Rhode Island became Dem back in the 20s thanks to massive immigration.
Maine and New Hampshire are among the most secular states in the nation, so of course they swung Dem thanks to social issues.
Vermont has went to the left thanks to immigration from NYC and Massachusetts, with many being environmentally conscious folks. Plus, Vermont is also very secular.