Democratic rural areas?

[Redefeatbush04]

What is the most rural area that Kerry won which is still majority white (not native american areas/black-belt)?

Does anything beat northern minnesota? (Koochiching, Itasca, St. Louis, Lake)

[Rob]

Mountain counties in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky- the ultimate examples being Elliot, Kentucky and Mingo, West Virginia.

[Redefeatbush04]

Mountain counties in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky- the ultimate examples being Elliot, Kentucky and Mingo, West Virginia.

Elliot, KY: 29 people per square mile (Kerry +41)
Mingo, WV: 67 people per square mile (Kerry +13)
Koochiching, MN: 5 people per square mile (Kerry +2)
St. Louis, MN: 32 people per square mile (Kerry +32)

I don't know. Its pretty close but I still think northern Minnesota is in the lead, although the extend to which Kerry won in Elliot county surprised me.

I'm also very curious about Blaine, ID. Why is it so solidly democratic. I don't notice too many statistical differences between it and the surrounding counties.

Bush won nearly every rural area. I can't think of too many more exceptions to the rule.

[nclib]

Vermont has some highly Democratic white rural counties.

[Rob]

I'm also very curious about Blaine, ID. Why is it so solidly democratic. I don't notice too many statistical differences between it and the surrounding counties.

Latte liberals. It's not native Idahoans that carry Blaine for the Democrats; its people who have moved from out of state. The resort town of Sun Valley is very liberal. The Idaho county that's closest to being "naturally" Democratic is Latah (site of Moscow, where the University of Idaho is). Latah was very close in 2004- Kerry lost by only 2 points- but Blaine is the only solidly Democratic area in the state.

[Cashcow]

I'm also very curious about Blaine, ID. Why is it so solidly democratic. I don't notice too many statistical differences between it and the surrounding counties.

Latte liberals. It's not native Idahoans that carry Blaine for the Democrats; its people who have moved from out of state. The resort town of Sun Valley is very liberal. The Idaho county that's closest to being "naturally" Democratic is Latah (site of Moscow, where the University of Idaho is). Latah was very close in 2004- Kerry lost by only 2 points- but Blaine is the only solidly Democratic area in the state.

Same with Teton, Wyoming.

[Rob]

I'm also very curious about Blaine, ID. Why is it so solidly democratic. I don't notice too many statistical differences between it and the surrounding counties.

Latte liberals. It's not native Idahoans that carry Blaine for the Democrats; its people who have moved from out of state. The resort town of Sun Valley is very liberal. The Idaho county that's closest to being "naturally" Democratic is Latah (site of Moscow, where the University of Idaho is). Latah was very close in 2004- Kerry lost by only 2 points- but Blaine is the only solidly Democratic area in the state.

Same with Teton, Wyoming.

Yep. Sweetwater used to be the token Democratic county in Wyoming- now it's Republican (though to a lesser degree than most of the state).

Teton is now the banner Democratic county, and that used to be solidly for the GOP (it voted for Goldwater, for example). That's due entirely to the growth of touristy Jackson, and the influx of liberals that came with it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Kerry won in Elliot county surprised me.

It was quite a poor showing actually

I think Elliot has voted for the Democratic nominee every single time... (before the New Deal this were because it was, unlike the rest of East KY, settled by Virginians hostile to the GOP, after the New Deal this were because it's a mining county).

[minionofmidas]

There's also some Dem rural areas left in Iowa and Wisconsin. And Maine.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Some white counties in TN and AR voted for Kerry

[Nym90]

A few rural Democratic counties in Michigan, too. Gogebic, Marquette (my home county) etc.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Shannon, SD
6.0 people per square mile.
Kerry won 84.6-12.5

Todd, SD
6.5 people per square mile.
Kerry won 72.2-25.2

Buffalo, SD
4.3 people per square mile.
Kerry won 71.7-26.5

I think those are about the poorest areas in the United States.

Kerry won Corson, SD, which has 1.7 people per square mile.

[Redefeatbush04]

Shannon, SD
6.0 people per square mile.
Kerry won 84.6-12.5

Todd, SD
6.5 people per square mile.
Kerry won 72.2-25.2

Buffalo, SD
4.3 people per square mile.
Kerry won 71.7-26.5

I think those are about the poorest areas in the United States.

They are also native american counties

[Alcon]

Shannon, SD
6.0 people per square mile.
Kerry won 84.6-12.5

Todd, SD
6.5 people per square mile.
Kerry won 72.2-25.2

Buffalo, SD
4.3 people per square mile.
Kerry won 71.7-26.5

I think those are about the poorest areas in the United States.

Kerry won Corson, SD, which has 1.7 people per square mile.

Indeed, Native Americans. Shannon, SD, is my "home county," so to speak. It was a 2000-to-2004 flip. The Native Americans really got the vote out this year.

In any case, Democratic rural areas tend to be seperatable into a few categories:

1. Heavily populated by minorities (Shannon, SD)
2. With a large service industry population, like with ski resorts (Alpine, CA)
3. With a large "latte liberal" population or year-round vacationers (Blaine, ID)
4. With extreme left economics that outdo social leanings (Mingo, WV)
5. With an odd population attraction, such as environmentalism (San Juan, WA)
6. Counties that actually have major population centers but are huge (St. Louis, MN)
7. A mainly northeastern phenomenon of progressive rural counties (the entire state of Vermont)

Basically any rural county can be seperated into one or more of these seven counties.

[bgwah]

San Juan was a Republican county in the 80s. A lot of people from Seattle moved there, which probably made it more liberal. But yeah, I guess its rural and environmentalist. I wonder if Vashon could count as "rural."

Mason and Cowlitz might qualify. Jefferson is probably democrat all over, but made especially democrat by Port Angeles. I'm not sure what's up with Pacific and Grays Harbor counties.

Asotin, Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Klickitat used to vote democrat quite a bit, until the 90s.

[they don't love you like i love you]

St. Louis isn't really rural. Almost half the population lives in Duluth, which is a super Democratic city. The population density is brought down by the fact the county is huge area wise, and a large part is a huge forest where no one lives.

However, the rural parts of it also voted heavily for Kerry, so you can count it. I've always said northern Minnesota is the most heavily Democratic predominately white rural area in the country, the reason being it's a huge union stronghold, full of loggers and miners.

[danwxman]

Greene, Fayette, Lawrence and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania are all rural/small town Democratic counties.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Greene, Fayette, Lawrence and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania are all rural/small town Democratic counties.

Ditto for most of New England, and the parts of New York State near Quebec.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A lot of the rural counties in New England that voted for Kerry are actually pretty blue collar for the most part.

[minionofmidas]

Pacific, Grays Harbor - poor, logging, union areas that have been solidly Democratic for ages. Kurt Cobain grew up in Grays Harbor county, btw.
Alcon: Categories 2 & 3 (and arguably 5) are identical. 3 represents the cliché, 2 the truth of the matter. Those year-round vacationers are certainly there, but they don't cast too many votes here. Most of them vote elsewhere. Anyways they aren't that Democratic a group (although in places like Blaine or Teton, they are bound to be more Democratic than the oldtimers).
All these areas swung heavily Dem on increased turnouts, btw, thanks to ABB registration drives among young leisure industry employees.

[danwxman]

A lot of the rural counties in New England that voted for Kerry are actually pretty blue collar for the most part.

Are you sure? Outside of New York state, I don't think that is true. I could be wrong.

[Alcon]

San Juan was a Republican county in the 80s. A lot of people from Seattle moved there, which probably made it more liberal. But yeah, I guess its rural and environmentalist. I wonder if Vashon could count as "rural."

Mason and Cowlitz might qualify. Jefferson is probably democrat all over, but made especially democrat by Port Angeles. I'm not sure what's up with Pacific and Grays Harbor counties.

Asotin, Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Klickitat used to vote democrat quite a bit, until the 90s.

Yeah, Mason and Cowlitz sort of qualify for #4 - I should remove the word "extreme" though. Jefferson is Democratic almost all over (I've seen the city results - other than Port Ludlow, it's quite Democratic). It's Port Townsend, not Port Angeles, by the way; PA is in Clallam. Port Townsend is pretty much hippieville.

By the way, Lewis, what you say about the categories is *somewhat* true. #3 is true in Blaine County, Idaho, where there are year-round visitors like that more than service employees. I was trying to cover all specific bases; #5 made me think of San Juan Island, which doesn't really have a large service industry, so I included it. It might also qualify for #3, though.

[True Democrat]

Greene, Fayette, Lawrence and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania are all rural/small town Democratic counties.

The only one of those counties that went Democratic by any large margin was Fayette, which Kerry won by about 6 points.  He even lost Greene county.

[danwxman]

Greene, Fayette, Lawrence and Beaver counties in Pennsylvania are all rural/small town Democratic counties.

The only one of those counties that went Democratic by any large margin was Fayette, which Kerry won by about 6 points.  He even lost Greene county.

Yes, but they are still structurally Democratic counties. Gore won them all.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Are you sure? Outside of New York state, I don't think that is true. I could be wrong.

A lot of the ones in Vermont aren't, but Vermont in't at all typical of rural New England (it's much more rounded so to speak).
Rural Maine is pretty blue collar for the most part (logging etc.) as is the northern tip of New Hampshire (which Kerry won). In southern New England a lot of the small towns are old mill towns and there's still a fair amount of factories there.