Why did Alabama swing so heavily towards Bush?

[OneJ]

2000:
Bush - 944,409 votes (56.47%)
Gore - 695,602 votes (41.59%)

2004:
Bush - 1,176,394 votes (62.46%)
Kerry - 693,933 votes (36.84%)
______________
Swing: 10.74% (Largest swing % in the country)

What happened?

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

2000:
Bush - 944,409 votes (56.47%)
Gore - 695,602 votes (41.59%)

2004:
Bush - 1,176,394 votes (62.46%)
Kerry - 693,933 votes (36.84%)
______________
Swing: 10.74% (Largest swing % in the country)

What happened?

Probably because Gore was a Southerner from neighboring Tennessee.

[Hydera]

2004 caused a huge increase in turnout compared to 2000. The Iraq War brought out lots of voters on both sides. Conservatives who well for the drummed up patriotism in the wake of the Iraq War and Anti-war liberals. Meanwhile it also brought out a lot of social conservatives not just because of Iraq but also the debate over gay marriage. Lots of previously nonvoting social conservatives turned up and in Alabama where there was a very very very conservative white population there wasn't much white liberals to turn up but for the republicans there was a large pool of that white conservative white(+200k) that started voting only in 2004 because of those factors.

[MT Treasurer]

There was also an Interracial Marriage Amendment on the ballot in 2000, so maybe that had something to do it as well. I agree that it is quite interesting, though.

[Beet]

2000:
Bush - 944,409 votes (56.47%)
Gore - 695,602 votes (41.59%)

2004:
Bush - 1,176,394 votes (62.46%)
Kerry - 693,933 votes (36.84%)
______________
Swing: 10.74% (Largest swing % in the country)

What happened?

Probably because Gore was a Southerner from neighboring Tennessee.

This. People always underestimate the impact of regionalism, especially outside the Northeast.

[This is Eharding, guys]

Same reason Zell Miller left the Democratic party at the time.

[RINO Tom]

Same reason Zell Miller left the Democratic party at the time.

He did not do that and still hasn't, though.

[Alabama_Indy10]

Same reason Zell Miller left the Democratic party at the time.

He did not do that and still hasn't, though.

[Technocracy Timmy]

There was also an Interracial Marriage Amendment on the ballot in 2000, so maybe that had something to do it as well. I agree that it is quite interesting, though.

Omg as recently as 2000, 40% of Alabama voters wanted to keep an anti-miscegenation law on the books. Damn.

[heatcharger]

There was also an Interracial Marriage Amendment on the ballot in 2000, so maybe that had something to do it as well. I agree that it is quite interesting, though.

Omg as recently as 2000, 40% of Alabama voters wanted to keep an anti-miscegenation law on the books. Damn.

Referendum vote vs. 2008 presidential trend map. Correlation? Hmm...