Just a mere glance at that map shows that its pretty obvious that a
majority of southern counties saw swings, on 2004, to the Democratic presidential nominee
Obama is the first non-Southern Democratic presidential nominee to carry any Confederate states since Hubert Humphrey, who, forty years ago, carried Texas - and for him to win Virginia, Florida and North Carolina was quite an achievement
netting him 55 electoral college votes
Democrats' have made significant congressional gains in the South these past two election cycles. The 112th Congress will have seven Democratic senators and 59 Democratic representatives from the 'Old Confederacy'
Taking the US as a whole, this is how the parties stand in terms of federal government [changes from 2004 in paranthesis]:
Presidency Central: Obama (D) 15 electoral votes [+15] / McCain (R) 29 [-15]
Midwest: Obama (D) 96 electoral votes [+38] / McCain (R) 19 [-38]
Northeast: Obama (D) 117 electoral votes / McCain (R) 5
South: Obama (D) 55 elecoral votes [+55] / McCain (R) 98 [-55]
West: Obama (D) 82 electoral votes [+5] / McCain (R) 22 [-5]
Total: Obama (D) 365 electoral votes [+113] / McCain (R) 173
Senate Central: Democratic 10 [+3] / Republican 8 [-3]
Midwest: Democratic 11 [+2] / Republican 6 [-2] / Undecided 1
Northeast*: Democratic 20 [+3] / Republican 4 [-3]
South: Democratic 7 [+3] / Republican 15 [-3]
West: Democratic 10 [+2] / Republican 8 [-2]
Total*: Democratic 58 [+ 13] / Republican 41 [-13] / Undecided 1
* Democratic total include two Independents who caucus with the Democrats
House Central: Democratic 12 [+4] / Republican 14 [-4]
Midwest: Democratic 54 [+16] / Republican 43 [-16]
Northeast: Democratic 77 [+18] / Republican 18 [-18]
South: Democratic 59 [+10] / Republican 72 [-10]
West: Democratic 55 [+6] / Republican 31 [-6]
Total: Democratic 257 [+54] / Republican 178 [-54]
Dave
