Strange county results

[Rob]

Does anyone know why all these resort counties went so Democratic this time?

[Blue Rectangle]

Does anyone know why all these resort counties went so Democratic this time?

The best ski resorts in Colorado attract plenty of super-rich liberal elites and celebrities.  I didn't realize so many of them were actually residents.

Aspen is like Martha's Vineyard with ski slopes.

[phk]

Does that explain Teton, Wyoming.

[Rob]

Does that explain Teton, Wyoming.

Yeah. Jackson, a tourist resort town, is in Teton, and went heavily for Kerry.

[Sam Spade]

Does anyone know why all these resort counties went so Democratic this time?

I still think it's because of the windsurfing commercial.  It's the one demographic that probably found the commercial offensive.

[Alcon]

Does that explain Teton, Wyoming.

Yeah. Jackson, a tourist resort town, is in Teton, and went heavily for Kerry.

It was actually a countywide swing - very impressive to look at. Here's a comparison:

Lower Valley Energy, Jackson, WY
2004: Bush +10
2000: Bush +38
SWING: Dem +28

LDS Church, Jackson, WY
2004: Kerry +21
2000: Bush +10
SWING: Dem +31

National Museum of Wildlife, Jackson Hole, WY
2004: Bush +4
2000: Bush +28
SWING: Dem +24

Teton County Fair, Jackson, WY
2004: Kerry +16
2000: Gore +0
SWING: Dem +16

Jackson Hole Christian Center, Jackson Hole, WY
2004: Kerry +10
2000: Bush +11
SWING: Dem +21

Jackson Hole Airport, Jackson Hole, WY
2004: Bush +3
2000: Bush +18
SWING: Dem +15

Moran School, Moran, WY
2004: Kerry +5
2000: Bush +12
SWING: Dem +17

Wilson School, Wilson, WY
2004: Kerry +32
2000: Gore +8
SWING: Dem +24

New Wilson Fire House, Wilson, WY
2004: Kerry +11
2000: Bush +16
SWING: Dem +27

Alta School/Church, Alta, WY
2004: Bush +26
2000: Bush +53
SWING: Dem +27

By township:

Alta, WY
2004: Bush +26
2000: Bush +53
SWING: Dem +27

Jackson, WY
2004: Kerry +12
2000: Bush +18
SWING: Dem +30

Jackson Hole, WY
2004: Kerry +6
2000: Bush +16
SWING: Dem +22

Moran, WY
2004: Kerry +5
2000: Bush +12
SWING: Dem +17

Wilson, WY
2004: Kerry +20
2000: Bush +5
SWING: Dem +25

Unknown (WYDOT Precinct)
2004: Bush +31
2000: Unestablished
SWING: N/A

EDIT: Oh, yes...

Teton County Overall
2004: Kerry +8
2000: Bush +13
SWING: Dem +21

[phk]

Strange...

[Rob]

LDS Church, Jackson, WY
2004: Kerry +21
2000: Bush +10
SWING: Dem +31

That is amazing. Does this mean that Kerry won Mormons in Teton County? What is this madness???

[Alcon]

LDS Church, Jackson, WY
2004: Kerry +21
2000: Bush +10
SWING: Dem +31

That is amazing. Does this mean that Kerry won Mormons in Teton County? What is this madness???

Nah...people are assigned precincts. Kerry just happened to win whatever neighborhood the LDS Church is located in.

I have no idea whatsoever what caused this. It extended even over to Alta, which is basically like Idaho.

[Rob]

It's still bizarre. So there's no explanation as to why Teton swung so heavily to Kerry... of course the Nader factor has something to do with that, but it still trended Democratic.

And as you pointed out, the trend wasn't entirely among "latte liberals" in Jackson- every area in Teton(except maybe that WYDOT precinct) shifted heavily to Kerry. This is perplexing me more as I think more about it...

[Bandit3 the Worker]

It's because Dick Cheney is from that county, and nobody there wants anything to do with him.

[Alcon]

It's still bizarre. So there's no explanation as to why Teton swung so heavily to Kerry... of course the Nader factor has something to do with that, but it still trended Democratic.

And as you pointed out, the trend wasn't entirely among "latte liberals" in Jackson- every area in Teton(except maybe that WYDOT precinct) shifted heavily to Kerry. This is perplexing me more as I think more about it...

Hard to know since the WYDOT precinct is newly formed and I can't find where it is located. Teton County doesn't offer any precinct maps, and there is no Wyoming Department of Transportation facility listed for Teton County.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Likely in 2000 Bush got an artifically high result there because Cheney gave him a big boost. This year the Cheney effect had worn off.

[minionofmidas]

Likely in 2000 Bush got an artifically high result there because Cheney gave him a big boost. This year the Cheney effect had worn off.

Yeah, but 2000 was the first time that Teton was the Dems' best county in the state (see my thread, Best Dem and Rep results, by county ).
As for why I'm not quite sure, but obviously resort area workers turned out heavily for Kerry. Since many of these people are pretty young and have relatively recently moved to wherever they are now, I'd figure it's got a lot to do with Dem registration drives since and low turnout among 18-30 year olds in 2000 - much like the equally pronounced Dem swing in college town-dominated counties.

Oh, à propos LDS: Alpine County CA which Kerry swung is 45% Mormon.

[MaC]

What I found interesting about my home state is that traditionally, Macomb County has been known to be very Democratic, and Oakland County has been known to be very Republican.  However this year, Macomb voted Bush and Oakland voted Kerry.  I also found it strange how the Upper Peninsula almost always is strongly Democratic, yet Bush won most of it in 2000 and 2004.  My state is usually rather pedictable in that Detroit and the area around it votes Democrat and the rest of the state votes Republican

[Nym90]

What I found interesting about my home state is that traditionally, Macomb County has been known to be very Democratic, and Oakland County has been known to be very Republican. However this year, Macomb voted Bush and Oakland voted Kerry. I also found it strange how the Upper Peninsula almost always is strongly Democratic, yet Bush won most of it in 2000 and 2004. My state is usually rather pedictable in that Detroit and the area around it votes Democrat and the rest of the state votes Republican

That hasn't been ture for quite some time, however.

Oakland is very wealthy, and leans libertarian (economically conservative, socially liberal). Macomb is more working class, and leans populist (economically liberal, socially conservative). Thus, as social issues have become more important and economic issues less so, these counties are slowly switching allegiances from what they once were.

The UP, likewise, is populist, and thus is trending away from the Dems. Kerry did a lot better in the western UP than Gore did, however, overall.

There are a lot of places outside of Metro Detroit that vote Democratic, too...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oakland is very wealthy, and leans libertarian (economically conservative, socially liberal). Macomb is more working class, and leans populist (economically liberal, socially conservative). Thus, as social issues have become more important and economic issues less so, these counties are slowly switching allegiances from what they once were.

Macomb has voted Republican in most Presidential elections since the '60's, with the exception of '96 and '00. A lot of the county seems to have gentrified (the south of the county is still mostly Democratic though). A bit like Anoka county, MN actually.
Oakland went to Kerry by just under 3000 votes because of a decent turnout in Pontiac and just enough socially liberal suburbanites worried by Bush's wedge issue policies (a bit of a freak result actually).

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True. Interestingly, suburban Detroit swung away from Kerry this year. Were it not for non-Detriot metro Democratic areas, Bush would have won Michigan.

[AuH2O]

There has been a lot of development in that part of Wyoming... a lot of retired people move there, people from blue states and what not.

[jimrtex]

Likely in 2000 Bush got an artifically high result there because Cheney gave him a big boost. This year the Cheney effect had worn off.

Yeah, but 2000 was the first time that Teton was the Dems' best county in the state (see my thread, Best Dem and Rep results, by county ).
As for why I'm not quite sure, but obviously resort area workers turned out heavily for Kerry. Since many of these people are pretty young and have relatively recently moved to wherever they are now, I'd figure it's got a lot to do with Dem registration drives since and low turnout among 18-30 year olds in 2000 - much like the equally pronounced Dem swing in college town-dominated counties.

People who live in ski resort areas have to be wealthy enough to afford to live in a place where their aren't jobs that can pay for the cost of housing, or have jobs that aren't in the area (telecommuting or executive positions), or persons who are indifferent to their economic postion (willing to pay outlandish rent for sharing a tiny apartment, so that they can ski, and wait tables at night).

Many of the workers in the ski resorts are seasonal and might not have been able to register before the election.