County political descriptions - Washington

[Grad Students are the Worst]

I might do this for other states as I gain more knowledge (I'm looking into Oregon more).  But here's a county-by-county breakdown of politics in Washington.

Of course, feel free to do this with your own state or another one -- and questions, if you have them and I can answer them, are welcomed.

As a note, I use "hippies" here to mean those with very liberal attitudes on all fronts, especially culturally...not to mean that they don't bathe and they're still obsessed with the Vietnam War.

Adams (73-26 Bush)
Staunchly Republican, poor area with lots of agriculture.  Some Hispanic Dem areas around Othello, but most Mexican residents don't vote.

Asotin (61-38 Bush)
Unpredictable, but Republican-leaning.  Political climate in Clarkston area oftentimes reflects neighboring Lewiston, Ida., but is less Republican.  City of Asotin is strongly GOP, but not hyperpartisan.  Oftentimes will go through liberal years (2006 was one; 2004 wasn't) where it even has socially liberal leans.

Benton (66-32 Bush)
Staunchly Republican.  Wealthiest county in eastern Washington.  Hanford Nuclear Reservation is located here, and has fueled a significant anti-environmentalist vote.  No real Dem areas of note, although the urbanest parts of Richland and Kennewick are somewhat moderate.

Chelan (63-36 Bush)
Moderate resort areas around Bavarian tourist village of Leavenworth, while Wenatchee and Chelan areas are staunchly Republican.

Clallam (51-46 Bush)
Slight Republican lean.  Port Angeles has populist Dem tradition that remains today.  Growth is retirees in Republican hills around Sequim.  Extremely lopsided anti-environmentalist voting around logging town of Forks.  Isolated pockets of "hippie" and Native American Demism.

Clark (52-47 Bush)
Swing area with small GOP advantage.  Boomtown Portland exurbs still lean GOP; Battle Ground is the rare solid GOP Western Washington suburb.  Inner ring Vancouver still leans Dem.  Oddly conservative on abortion, drugs and some economic issues, but some of this may have to do with Portland media market (other counties follow similar trends).

Columbia (70-29 Bush)
Overwhelmingly Republican and sparsely-populated.  Parts of county seat of Dayton are fairly moderate.  Perhaps less pro-Dem-incumbent than neighboring Garfield County, but also less staunchly conservative, especially on social issues.

Cowlitz (51-48 Kerry)
Populist with a slight Dem lean.  Working-class urban Kelso-Longview area provides margins, with Dems also winning votes in incorporated Castle Rock and Kalama.  Other areas lean slightly GOP, especially around staunchly conservative Woodland.  Votes conservatively on some cultural issues; effected somewhat by inclusion in Portland media market.

Douglas (67-32 Bush)
Uniformly hardcore Republican, with only a few parts of more "urban" East Wenatchee giving relatively smaller GOP margins.  Coulee Dam provides one small and lone, but very strong, bastion of Dem support.

Ferry (60-36 Bush)
Logging area with history of picking winners; now quite Republican.  Dems still perform decently in some areas, but mostly only win Native American ones.  Parts of Republic, and areas with working-class populism, remain moderate.  Strong anti-environment vote still in effect.

Franklin (67-32 Bush)
Heavily Hispanic downtown Pasco votes strongly Democratic, but is offset by ethnically split and GOP-voting West Pasco and the ultra-partisan GOP rural areas.  Fast-growing exurbs also hurt Dems.  Bush achived some of his greatest statewide margins upcounty, approaching 10-to-1.

Garfield (71-28 Bush)
Sparsely-populated and extremely Republican.  All areas very GOP, although a ward of Pomeroy or two is occasionally winnable in small landslides.  Generally more incumbent-friendly than neighboring Columbia, but also more conservative and more apt to vote for even joke GOP candidates.

Grant (68-30 Bush)
Overwhelmingly Republican, with Dem vote generally limited to poorest whites (correlation between manufactured homes and relative moderation).  Hispanics around Mattawa and populists near the Coulee Dam are only notable Dem-leaning bastions.

Grays Harbor (52-46 Kerry)
More staunchly Dem on the local level, but still Dem-leaning swing.  Aberdeen and Hoquiam vote staunchly Dem.  Populist with heavy union politics, although not really very socially conservative.  Rural areas have moved GOP in more recent years, especially around Oakville.

Island (51-47 Bush)
Toss-up with slight GOP lean.  Extremely split between conservative Republican and military-influenced north Whidbey and liberal, hippie south Whidbey.  Oak Harbor is one of the most GOP Western Washington towns; Langley, one of the most Dem.  Camano Island leans slightly GOP, but politically follows Skagit County (to which it is attached) more than Whidbey Island.

Jefferson (62-36 Kerry)
Heavily Democratic.  Dems flourish in and around Port Townsend (dominated by hippies), which occasionally rivals Seattle in liberalism.  Tri-City area (Port Hadlock, Irondale, Chimacum) also votes strongly Dem.  Northern rural areas are Dem-leaning with strongly Dem pockets.  Port Ludlow leans GOP slightly; Brinnon-Quilcene has very slight GOP lean.

King (65-34 Kerry)
Strongly Dem overall.  Seattle and inner suburbs vote strongly Dem.  Outer suburbs lean Dem strongly, excepting Gold Coast (around Medina), which is Dem-trending but still GOP-leaning.  Exurbs are fairly split, although GOP saw some gain in this area from new development.  GOP still holds on in southeastern area, around Maple Valley.

Kitsap (51-47 Kerry)
Dem lean.  Kitsap Peninsula itself is toss-up area, with Dem Bremerton and Republican-leaning outer areas.  Exurban areas around Silverdale and Bangor Naval Base are GOP strongholds.  Elsewhere, Dems do not perform all so badly even in rural areas.  County's Dem lean comes from affluent and staunchly liberal Bainbridge Island, aided by a strip of waterfront Demness running from Suquamish to Kingston to Port Gamble.

Kittitas (56-42 Bush)
Former rural populism has now solidified into GOP, taking Cle Elum area with it.  Dems avoid landslides thanks to Dem-leaning county seat/college town Ellensburg, but do poorly elsewhere, except in surprising Dem stronghold of Roslyn.  GOP vote in rural areas around Ellensburg remarkably strong, and not particularly friendly to even Dem incumbents.

Klickitat (54-44 Bush)
GOP lean.  Dem lean around Columbia River towns, especially near Bingen and White Salmon.  Republicans run very strongly in and around Goldendale.  Rolling hills around Horse Haven in eastern county staunchly Republican.

Lewis (65-33 Bush)
Staunchly Republican, and a major contrast to the rest of western Washington.  Rural areas dotted with churches plus Centralia and Chehalis, known primarily for outlet stores.  All area is quite conservative, although parts of central Centralia are more moderate.  Eastern county can be convinced to vote Dem.  Only two federally Dem-leaning locales -- the town of Vader and in recreational area near Mount Rainier.

Lincoln (69-29 Bush)
Staunchly Republican.  GOP performs strong countywide, and landslides thanks to strong "urban" showing (largest town Davenport is also most GOP).  Dems occasionally competitive in random rural areas, and in Creston and Sprague (the latter which Kerry won).  Eastshore of Lake Roosevelt around Seven Bays is Dem.

Mason (51-47 Kerry)
Dem-leaning swing area.  Both urban Shelton and rural areas are overall Dem, but weakly so.  GOP does well in northeast corner of county, around Belfair.  Both Dems and GOP maintain strong voteshares countywide.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Okanogan (59-39 Bush)
Strongly GOP-leaning, although also having trended Dem remarkably fast between 2000 and 2004.  Mazama Valley around Twisp and Winthrop has gone from staunchly GOP to staunchly Dem in only a few years.  Hispanic and Native American areas elsewhere vote Dem, otherwise areas are moderately to strongly GOP.  Indian town of Nespelem frequently most Dem in state.

Pacific (53-44 Kerry)
Dem lean.  Mix of old working-class and retirees.  Dems do very well in coastal areas, while GOP wins inland.  More Dem on state level than federally, but with no significant social conservative lean.  Dems also perform well around Raymond and South Bend.

Pend Oreille (60-37 Bush)
Poor, anti-environmental populism, and thus GOP.  Some of the county very GOP, but most still retains significant Democratic vote.  Only true GOP stronghold areas around Camden and Ione, although the latter may have been a significant Bush overperformance.

Pierce (51-48 Kerry)
Working-class Tacoma and suburban north end provide Dem vote.  Suburbs, even apartment-laden ones, are only slightly Dem.  Exurban areas around Puyallup and Bonney Lake provide balance to make this area competitive.  Growth and exurban Republicanism provided GOP a big boost between 2000 and 2004.  History of railroad-related populist politics.

San Juan (65-33 Kerry)
In a few decades, has gone from most GOP to most Dem county.  Fairly wealthy, and strongly socially liberal.  Friday Harbor, only town and county seat, actually one of the most moderate areas.  Dems actually do better on outlaying islands (not unlike Hawai'i).  GOP wins sparsely-populated Blakely/Decatur Island precinct; Waldron Island is functionally a socialist commune.

Skagit (50-48 Bush)
A mix of populist Dem politics (around Mount Vernon) and growing exurban areas.  Seattle influence has been mixed, with some escaping urban life and voting GOP and others bringing their politics.  La Conner area has many hippies and votes Dem; Burlington and Sedro-Woolley lean GOP, while Anacortes is a swing area.

Skamania (52-46 Bush)
Slight GOP lean.  Roosevelt Democrats and pro-environment Democrats mix with anti-environmentalist Republicans.  Dems control Underwood areas and much of Carson River Valley; GOP wins North Bonneville area and Upper Washougal.

Snohomish (53-46 Kerry)
Strong Dem lean.  West part of county (especially southwest) is strongly Dem, with only isolated pockets of Republicanism.  Marysville area recently trended GOP, offsetting suburban gains.  Arlington and Mill Creek slightly lean GOP.  Mountain areas vary, but are mostly Dem.  Rural northern county near Arlington leans GOP.

Spokane (55-43 Bush)
Central Spokane leans Dem, while outer areas make the city competitive.  Spokane Valley mostly GOP, with isolated pockets of Dem.  Religious college town of Cheney is moderate.  Elsewhere, Republican-dominated politics.  Recent growth heavily favors GOP.

Stevens (64-34 Bush)
Most GOP of northeastern counties.  Only Indian areas and a few populist white areas such as Marcus and Springdale are competitive.  Wellpinit area is lone Dem stronghold.  GOP racks up big margins in Colville and Tum Tum areas.

Thurston (56-43 Kerry)
Strongly Dem.  Olympia area is overwhelmingly Dem.  Inner suburbs of Lacey and Tumwater also lean Dem, as does rural waterfront areas north of Olympia.  Exurban areas to the south more moderate.  Rapid growth around Yelm leans GOP, but not very meaningfully.  Bush barely placed 3rd at Evergreen College in 2000, making it one of the most liberal in the country.  GOP has fairly strong report in southern county growth areas and exurbs.

Wahkiakum (52-46 Bush)
Old-time Dem stronghold that has given Bush fairly solid victories.  Cathlamet and Puget Island areas are quite competitive; other rural areas and developments near Cathlamet generally go GOP.  Popular Dems, especially incumbents, can win this county solidly.

Walla Walla (62-36 Bush)
Strongly GOP.  City of Walla Walla leans quite GOP, but parts around Whitman College are Dem.  Despite name, College Place is religious and conservative.  Rural areas are heavily Republican.

Whatcom (53-45 Kerry)
Extremely polarized.  Liberal and Democratic Bellingham offsets Dutch Reform areas around Lynden, some of the most GOP in western Washington.  Rural areas around Bellingham and Lummi Reservation are Dem.  Blaine very slightly Dem; Ferndale somewhat competitive but Republican-leaning.  Delta area outside of Lynden and Nooksack the most GOP in western Washington.

Whitman (52-46 Bush)
College city of Pullman vs. rural areas and Republican Colfax.  Slight GOP lean overall.  A few rural towns, including Malden and Palouse, competitive and Dem-leaning.  Colfax about 2-to-1 GOP, and rural areas outside even more Republican.  Sometimes will take very liberal positions on farm-friendly economics that farmers and college students can agree on.

Yakima (60-39 Bush)
Parts of urban Yakima city vote Dem.  Rural areas and middle-class Yakima strongly Republican.  Hispanic town of Mabton one of the most liberal in the state.  Some significant Hispanic Dem rural vote along Interstate 82.  Vote isn't explicitly down racial lines, as it is in some other areas.

[Sibboleth]

Interesting to compare Washington voting patterns (where class seems to matter for very little, or not much, these days) with B.C. which still has some of the most class influenced voting patterns in North America.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Interesting to compare Washington voting patterns (where class seems to matter for very little, or not much, these days) with B.C. which still has some of the most class influenced voting patterns in North America.

Yup...

In fact, looking at the rural counties, it seems that attitudes toward government have more to do with voting than social or economic issues.  Eastern Washington isn't THAT socially conservative, but when it has a very skeptical view of the Democratic Party, which it views as too invasive and impacting their lives too much.  Case in point -- Lincoln County is somewhat poor and voted against the partial-birth abortion ban (!), but look how it voted for President.

Dem areas in E. Washington might be poorer by general rule, but I don't think they're Dem because they're poor as much as because they don't distrust governmental invasiveness as much.  There are staunchly GOP poor areas too.  I think this also explains why the Coulee Dam area is Democratic.

On the other hand, while B.C. follows a similar pattern (socially liberal, economically conservative suburbs), the way it votes is ENTIRELY different.  It's very interesting.

[Cubby]

Awesome list Alcon!

Grays Harbor and Pacific always seemed weird b/c they were rural yet consistently Democrat (only counties in state to vote for McGovern and Carter in '80)

Okanogan must have beautiful scenery. Its swing to Kerry in '04 was suprising like you mentioned. Whitman is like Latah, ID; Boone, ID; Albany, WY and Centre, PA in the sense that they have big universities, yet can't manage to make the county as a whole vote Dem, like Travis, TX and Lawrence, KS can. 
 
I hope the Dems improve in Clark County in the coming years. If Washington C, OR and Snohomish can be Dem exurbs I don't see why Clark can't.

[Adlai Stevenson]

Good idea and interesting analysis.  I hope other people take this up.

[Bacon King]

I would love to do Georgia, but there are too many counties for me to do by myself.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Awesome list Alcon!

Grays Harbor and Pacific always seemed weird b/c they were rural yet consistently Democrat (only counties in state to vote for McGovern and Carter in '80)

Okanogan must have beautiful scenery. Its swing to Kerry in '04 was suprising like you mentioned. Whitman is like Latah, ID; Boone, ID; Albany, WY and Centre, PA in the sense that they have big universities, yet can't manage to make the county as a whole vote Dem, like Travis, TX and Lawrence, KS can. 
 
I hope the Dems improve in Clark County in the coming years. If Washington C, OR and Snohomish can be Dem exurbs I don't see why Clark can't.

Thanks. 

Yes, the Okanogan/Okanagan (U.S. side/Canada side - spelled AND pronounced differently) is supposed to be beautiful.  I'm going through there on a tour of E. Washington this summer that will actually take me through every county except for Adams in an attempt to be able to describe them better, maybe understand their politics some more. 

I definitely think Clark County, WA, and Clackamas County, OR, are areas in which the Democrats have significant room to improve, but they both have a dedicated GOP base.

I would love to do Georgia, but there are too many counties for me to do by myself.

Haha - no kidding.  Sometimes I'm glad we only have 39 counties.

[Adlai Stevenson]

I would love to do Georgia, but there are too many counties for me to do by myself.

Yeah - all 159 of them!  Perhaps for the larger states one could do it by regions or congressional districts?  Texas would be impossible to do without this method I feel.

[Sibboleth]

In fact, looking at the rural counties, it seems that attitudes toward government have more to do with voting than social or economic issues.  Eastern Washington isn't THAT socially conservative, but when it has a very skeptical view of the Democratic Party, which it views as too invasive and impacting their lives too much.  Case in point -- Lincoln County is somewhat poor and voted against the partial-birth abortion ban (!), but look how it voted for President.

How much of that has to do with a view of the Democratic Party as being the party of environmentalism? (or at least of the sort of environmentalism seen as damaging the economy of those sort of areas). That might also impact on the view voters there have of government.
The tendency of such areas in the Northwest of the U.S to vote heavily for Republicans recently isn't just interesting when compared with similer areas north of the border; there's also the history of the area as a stronghold of radical Unions to consider. The interesting thing about those (especially as far as the areas attitude to government goes) is that they tended (o/c) to have more than just a little anarcho-syndicalist leaning to them.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

How much of that has to do with a view of the Democratic Party as being the party of environmentalism? (or at least of the sort of environmentalism seen as damaging the economy of those sort of areas). That might also impact on the view voters there have of government.
The tendency of such areas in the Northwest of the U.S to vote heavily for Republicans recently isn't just interesting when compared with similer areas north of the border; there's also the history of the area as a stronghold of radical Unions to consider. The interesting thing about those (especially as far as the areas attitude to government goes) is that they tended (o/c) to have more than just a little anarcho-syndicalist leaning to them.

Environment has a lot to do with it in some areas, especially logging areas.   But the agricultural areas (there is not really any logging in Lincoln or Adams Counties) seems to be just plain resentment of government intervention.  O/c, when it was protecting their farms, it was just grand, but things have changed.

What area are you referring to about radical unions?  I have limited familiarity with unions in western Washington, let alone eastern and B.C.

[Sibboleth]

What area are you referring to about radical unions?  I have limited familiarity with unions in western Washington, let alone eastern and B.C.

In the early 20th century unions in the Pacific Northwest tended to be very left-wing; the IWW was very strong there as were smaller radical unions (like the Western Federation of Miners; which was eventually taken over by Communists IIRC) and the whole area had a reputation for industrial militancy.
I brought it up, mainly, because they tended to have an almost anarchist bent to them, rather than the reformist lean that unions in areas with more stable populations and with members living closer to various forms of government (if that makes any sense) have traditionally had.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

In the early 20th century unions in the Pacific Northwest tended to be very left-wing; the IWW was very strong there as were smaller radical unions (like the Western Federation of Miners; which was eventually taken over by Communists IIRC) and the whole area had a reputation for industrial militancy.
I brought it up, mainly, because they tended to have an almost anarchist bent to them, rather than the reformist lean that unions in areas with more stable populations and with members living closer to various forms of government (if that makes any sense) have traditionally had.

I see.  I don't see any sign of this political militantism left over.  I don't think our unions are particularly militant, and I'm not sure the east ever had a huge union presence (?).  I thought that was more a Sound/coastal thing?

[Sibboleth]

I see.  I don't see any sign of this political militantism left over.  I don't think our unions are particularly militant, and I'm not sure the east ever had a huge union presence (?).  I thought that was more a Sound/coastal thing?

This is shorter than originally written because my internet connection decided to seize up a few minutes ago...

Anyway, I wouldn't expect to see any of the militancy still around; I was thinking more along the lines of whether or not the anarchic tendencies of western unions was reflective of a wider, and deeper, political culture in the area.

[Grad Students are the Worst]

I see.  I don't see any sign of this political militantism left over.  I don't think our unions are particularly militant, and I'm not sure the east ever had a huge union presence (?).  I thought that was more a Sound/coastal thing?

This is shorter than originally written because my internet connection decided to seize up a few minutes ago...

Anyway, I wouldn't expect to see any of the militancy still around; I was thinking more along the lines of whether or not the anarchic tendencies of western unions was reflective of a wider, and deeper, political culture in the area.

That's a very valid question.  I do think there is some element of "anarchy" (or at least Western anti-establishmentism) that still affects the Pacific Northwest's politics today.  In the East, it manifests itself as hands-off conservatism; in the suburbs, as left-leaning libertarianism; and in Seattle, as anti-neoconservativism.

[memphis]

Interesting to compare Washington voting patterns (where class seems to matter for very little, or not much, these days) with B.C. which still has some of the most class influenced voting patterns in North America.

I don't know a thing about Canadian politics, but I think it's fairly safe to say that class doesn't affect voting all that much in the US, once you account for race/ethnicity, which is a far more important factor,

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Interesting to compare Washington voting patterns (where class seems to matter for very little, or not much, these days) with B.C. which still has some of the most class influenced voting patterns in North America.

I don't know a thing about Canadian politics, but I think it's fairly safe to say that class doesn't affect voting all that much in the US, once you account for race/ethnicity, which is a far more important factor,

I have to disagree somewhat.  It's overrated, but there's still a pretty notable effect.  The thing about Washington, is that there's almost a reverse income effect.  Kerry did better among those who make $50,000 than those who make less (here).

It's a smaller sample size, but not small enough to be immaterial - Kerry murdered Bush in WA among those who make $100,000 or more (63% to 37%), and narrowly won those who make less (51% to 46%).

This is increasingly evident in the Northeast and West Coast.  Washington is an exaggerated example, but compare to, say, Ohio.  There, Kerry won among the under-$50,000 crowd by 14 points and lost the over-$50,000 crowd by the same margin.

Among those who make more than $100,000, he got killed by 21 points.  Again, it's just exit polls, but the sample size is large enough and has been duplicated enough that I believe it (this pattern disappeared a bit in 2006, but only because Cantwell's second-smallest gain was King County).

Your income point has truth to it.  Washington is a white-dominated state, and minorities make up only a little over 10% of our electorate by most estimations.  Looking at only whites, we are one of the most Democratic states, moreso than traditional strongholds like California or New York.

In any case, the average Washington state Democratic voter (educated, well-to-do, medium-density suburbanite) may be coming to represent the party more nationally as of late, but it's not quite the party's core nationally as it is in Washington, yet.

[bgwah]

King (65-34 Kerry)
Strongly Dem overall.  Seattle and inner suburbs vote strongly Dem.  Outer suburbs lean Dem strongly, excepting Gold Coast (around Medina), which is Dem-trending but still GOP-leaning.  Exurbs are fairly split, although GOP saw some gain in this area from new development.  GOP still holds on in southeastern area, around Maple Valley.

The outer suburbs will continue trending Democrat, the inner suburbs a little bit, but for the most part I doubt the GOP can do much worse in King than it currently does.

Spokane (55-43 Bush)
Central Spokane leans Dem, while outer areas make the city competitive.  Spokane Valley mostly GOP, with isolated pockets of Dem.  Religious college town of Cheney is moderate.  Elsewhere, Republican-dominated politics.  Recent growth heavily favors GOP.

Disturbingly Republican for an urban area! Spokane Valley is exurban hell. Didn't want to be annexed by Spokane, probably afraid of the big bad liberal city. Dems made gains in the 6th district though, taking two of the three legislative seats. I believe both involved the defeat of incumbents, too! The central Spokane district already has all three legislators belonging to the Democratic Party.

Anyway, Spokane can be summed up as suburban white trash strung out on meth. Who knows? Perhaps the drug makes them like crazy people named George!?

Also has an amazingly high murder rate for being so white!

Whitman (52-46 Bush)
College city of Pullman vs. rural areas and Republican Colfax.  Slight GOP lean overall.  A few rural towns, including Malden and Palouse, competitive and Dem-leaning.  Colfax about 2-to-1 GOP, and rural areas outside even more Republican.  Sometimes will take very liberal positions on farm-friendly economics that farmers and college students can agree on.

Rest of the county keeps losing population, Pullman keeps growing, may cause overall trend towards the Democratic Party. Those little towns are kind of creepy. WSU isn't that liberal for a major university but does have a huge influence over the county, with students and staff of WSU composing most of Whitman's population. Overflow from Western Washington's lack of universities (relative to its population) will probably contribute to an increasing liberalization of the university and therefore the county. Most students are already from Western Washington.

I'm going through there on a tour of E. Washington this summer that will actually take me through every county except for Adams in an attempt to be able to describe them better, maybe understand their politics some more. 

I dunno why anyone would come out here willingly

[Dave Leip]

Alcon - are you planning on completing these entries in the Wiki?  I know that you had started working on these here.  That would be cool.
Enjoy,
Dave

[Grad Students are the Worst]

Alcon - are you planning on completing these entries in the Wiki?  I know that you had started working on these here.  That would be cool.
Enjoy,
Dave

I entirely forgot about that!  Absolutely.  Just did Asotin.  Hopefully I'll do one a day.