Al Gore is from Smith County. That explains why there was a 43 point swing to the Dems in 1992 when he was the VP candidate. Then in 2004 when he wasn't on the ticket, there was a 30 point swing to the GOP.
But these counties stayed Democrat even in 1984/1988, so there must be other factors as well.
Lewis I'm surprised by Arkansas too. They are still electing Dem. Senators and in 2004 had only a small swing to the GOP. The eastern half of the state is where most of the black population lives. The Northwest Corner is the most Republican b/c it has the lowest black population in the state.
Nyes. The Northwest Corner is the most Republican and it has the lowest black population, as a region, in the state, but there's no causal relationship there. That area never was that Democratic. There are
quite lillywhite counties in the northeast as well.
