I think WV threw out a corrupt GOP governor at the same time.
Vermont didn't trend to the left till the 1990s anyway.
It actually started trending to the left right around 1988. Dukakis nearly won Vermont and I believe was leading in most polls there up until the election.
MMhm. Looks like the leftward trend started after 1984 and before 1988.
It likely would have ended up in Dukakis's column in a 50-50 race.
I think thats true but you also have to remember that vermont is an old school new england republican state they where used to more moderate Republicans like Abraham lincon ,Ike Eisnhower and Jerry Ford vermont started to trend more to the left but the republican party started to trend more toward the right starting with Goldwater then Reagan and finally George W Bush. George Bush's father fits the profile more of an old school moderate republican.
west virgina was then and is still a socially conservative , economically liberal state they will vote overwelmingly for mccain because they don't see obama as American enough of course it would also help if obama put a little money in the state.
cultural reasons as much as anything decide who people are going to vote for if in West Virgina they see you as a liberal elitist or don't think your patriotic enough they will not vote for you regardless of how they feel about the issues.
If you an old school moderate new england republican and you see the candidate of the GOP as a right wing cook they are not going to vote for you, regardless of the fact they might agree with you on some economic matters.
politics is as much about Identity as anything else.
