The South didn’t become more Republican than the nation until 2000. Reagan eked it out in 1980 despite winning by nearly 10 points (and still lost GA), and the Republican southern sweeps of 1984 and 1988 were more due to big national margins than anything. Also remember that Obama was a poor fit for the South in general...a 2008 Democratic margin would’ve likely given Gore and Kerry AR/TN and given Hillary GA.
Um, the South became more Republican the the nation at the presidential level in 1984. Every ex-Confederate state (except TN) voted for Reagan that year by a greater margin than the national PV. They all voted to the right of the nation in 1988. Even when Clinton/Gore was the ticket, this was still the case in 1992 (except for AR) and 1996 (except for AR & LA).
Wasn't 2012 the first Democratic win in history where the Republican swept the Deep South?
1964 and 2008? In any case, why does Clinton carrying one or two Deep South states preclude the South being more Republican than the nation? Clinton/Gore carried only four out of eleven Confederate states each time.
Johnson carried NC, TN, and AR, and Barry carried NC in 2008. Historically speaking, a Democrat needs Southern states to win a presidential election.
