Why are Southern College Counties so Republican?

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County). 

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

In continuation of the trend of southern college counties getting bluer, Jim Hood won Lafayette County (Ole Miss) and was one of the small handful of counties to swing in his favor from his 2015 AG win.

This on top of Andy Beshear crushing it in all the college counties in Kentucky except for McCracken.

[Adam Griffin]

It's mostly socioeconomic reasons. All one has to do is look at the white percentage of college attendees nationally versus the college-age population and then expand that discrepancy even more so for Southern states. HBCUs may have a nominal impact on the discrepancy, but not much.

Additionally, there is a huge income gap along racial lines. The South gets a wrap for being "poor and uneducated", but the simple fact is that the vast majority of the statistical difference is concentrated in non-white communities; the average white family in GA has a higher per capita income than the average white family in PA, just as one example. Among whites, most of the South isn't any poorer (and in a good number of cases, better off) on average than whites in most other states.

In short, there's a lot of well-off white Southern families sending their privileged children to Southern colleges and a greater percentage of these attendees absorb the political affiliations of their parents (because college life is far less removed from their local pre-college community lives than it is in the rest of the country; there's not as much challenge to their de-facto worldviews on campus).

[Adam Griffin]

There's a widespread misconception that evangelicals are overwhelmingly poor. In reality most have above average incomes and live in upscale suburbs. While they aren't as wealthy as Jews or Hindus, there's a very clear reason they love the televangelist "Prosperity Gospel" so much.

Education is not a perfect proxy for income, but the relationship is pretty strong. So when I see a graphic like this from a highly respectable survey outfit, it makes me deeply skeptical of your hypothesis:  

To add to my above post, I will point out that particularly in the South, there are notable structural advantages income-wise when you are essentially subjugating anywhere from one-quarter to one-half of the population from earning equal wages (on top of other universal and well-known unequal pay discrepancies like those based on gender). If anybody thinks the genuine opposition from the aristocracy to freeing the slaves or other comparable reforms of enfranchisement following such were based around a social concept rather than an economic one, they're sorely mistaken.

It's honestly easier to earn more money in the region with a relative lack of education than elsewhere if you are white, which is why white Southern household income is so high and defies the broader stereotypes of the region. If Southern blacks earned what Southern whites did in the aggregate, it would be the most prosperous region in the US.

It's also of course easier to find stereotypes given that poor whites do tend to be poorer (and worse-off with respect to forms of assistance) than elsewhere, but at least in aggregate terms, these stereotypes aren't reflective. The South has always maintained a variety of two-caste systems whether it's based on race and/or income.

[R.P. McM]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County).  

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

[TJ in Oregon]

There's a widespread misconception that evangelicals are overwhelmingly poor. In reality most have above average incomes and live in upscale suburbs. While they aren't as wealthy as Jews or Hindus, there's a very clear reason they love the televangelist "Prosperity Gospel" so much.

That's not really what the Prosperity Gospel appeal is. It's not so much rich people who want to feel good about that as it is poor people who want to be rich. The Prosperity Gospel types skew poorer and less educated than the average evangelical.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County). 

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

[R.P. McM]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County).  

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron. I said "aristocracy," but we don't even have to go that far — no merely affluent white from NYC or Boston is ever going to willingly attend an SEC school.  

[Roll Roons]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County).  

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron. I said "aristocracy," but we don't even have to go that far — no merely affluent white from NYC or Boston is ever going to willingly attend an SEC school.  

I wouldn't go quite that far - Vandy is SEC but plenty of affluent Northeastern kids go there. Hell, my cousin is from a very wealthy Silicon Valley town but he goes to A&M.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Just looking at the SEC schools...

Alachua County, Florida (University of Florida) voted 58-36 D in 2016.

Clarke County, Georgia (University of Georgia) voted 65-28 D.

Fayette County, Kentucky (University of Kentucky) voted 51-41 D.

Boone County, Missouri (University of Missouri) voted 55-41 D.

Richland County, South Carolina (University of South Carolina) voted 64-31 D.

Knox County, Tennessee (University of Tennessee) voted 58-35 R.

Davidson County, Tennessee (Vanderbilt University) voted 60-34 D.

Tuscaloosa County, Alabama (University of Alabama) voted 58-38 R.

Washington County, Arkansas (University of Arkansas) voted 51-41 R.

Lee County, Alabama (Auburn University) voted 58-36 R.

East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (Louisiana State University) voted 52-43 D.

Lafayette County, Mississippi (University of Mississippi) voted 55-41 R.

Oktibbeha County, Mississippi (Mississippi State University) voted 49-47 D.

Brazos County, Texas (Texas A&M) voted 58-34 R.

As you can see, a majority (eight of fourteen) of the counties voted D. So I question your premise.

And again, that’s just SEC schools and doesn’t even go into Virginia or North Carolina schools, many other Florida and Texas schools for example, etc.

Also note that even if the county as a whole voted R, in some (Knox County for example) the college town itself may not make up the majority of the county and may itself be Democratic (both Knoxville and Tuscaloosa have Democratic mayors, for example), and/or the areas immediately surrounding the schools themselves may be Democratic even if the town is not. Often much more heavily Democratic than the county as a whole even if it voted D. This can be seen on the detailed NYTimes map that broke the election down by precinct:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/election-2016-voting-precinct-maps.html

Also note that even the R-voting counties still are often much less R-leaning than the surrounding counties, suggesting the universities have some D-leaning influence but it may not be large enough to overcome the R lean of the area as a whole.

I'm sure if you looked at the ACC or AAC schools in the region the majority would also be Democratic.  Off the top of my head:

Miami
Florida State (Tallahassee)
Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
Tulane (New Orleans)
Houston
Memphis
etc.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Just looking at the SEC schools...

Alachua County, Florida (University of Florida) voted 58-36 D in 2016.

Clarke County, Georgia (University of Georgia) voted 65-28 D.

Fayette County, Kentucky (University of Kentucky) voted 51-41 D.

Boone County, Missouri (University of Missouri) voted 55-41 D.

Richland County, South Carolina (University of South Carolina) voted 64-31 D.

Knox County, Tennessee (University of Tennessee) voted 58-35 R.

Davidson County, Tennessee (Vanderbilt University) voted 60-34 D.

Tuscaloosa County, Alabama (University of Alabama) voted 58-38 R.

Washington County, Arkansas (University of Arkansas) voted 51-41 R.

Lee County, Alabama (Auburn University) voted 58-36 R.

East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (Louisiana State University) voted 52-43 D.

Lafayette County, Mississippi (University of Mississippi) voted 55-41 R.

Oktibbeha County, Mississippi (Mississippi State University) voted 49-47 D.

Brazos County, Texas (Texas A&M) voted 58-34 R.

As you can see, a majority (eight of fourteen) of the counties voted D. So I question your premise.

And again, that’s just SEC schools and doesn’t even go into Virginia or North Carolina schools, many other Florida and Texas schools for example, etc.

Also note that even if the county as a whole voted R, in some (Knox County for example) the college town itself may not make up the majority of the county and may itself be Democratic (both Knoxville and Tuscaloosa have Democratic mayors, for example), and/or the areas immediately surrounding the schools themselves may be Democratic even if the town is not. Often much more heavily Democratic than the county as a whole even if it voted D. This can be seen on the detailed NYTimes map that broke the election down by precinct:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/election-2016-voting-precinct-maps.html

Also note that even the R-voting counties still are often much less R-leaning than the surrounding counties, suggesting the universities have some D-leaning influence but it may not be large enough to overcome the R lean of the area as a whole.

I'm sure if you looked at the ACC or AAC schools in the region the majority would also be Democratic.  Off the top of my head:

Miami
Florida State (Tallahassee)
Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
Tulane (New Orleans)
Houston
Memphis
etc.

Georgia Tech and Miami have a fair share of brown people like me.  Ditto for the University of Texas and its satellite campuses. 

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County). 

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron.

Some of the best people are morons.

I said "aristocracy," but we don't even have to go that far — no merely affluent white from NYC or Boston is ever going to willingly attend an SEC school. 

Aside from the part where this is a ludicrously absolute statement and demonstrably untrue, PQG didn't mention NYC or Boston, did she? She mentioned Upstate New York and parts of New Jersey, specifically Monmouth County. I've spent a lot of time in Central Jersey (I lived in the northern tip of Burlington County, and thus also the northern tip of South Jersey, for over a decade) and I can assure you that, even if we're going purely by stereotypes of what SEC schools are like, there are plenty of ~culturally conservative~ upper-middle-class families there who'd be happy to send their little Graysons and Sierras to schools with faith-and-football-centered social scenes. Central Jersey and Hudson Valley exurbia is just not the kind of place you seem to think it is.

[UWS]

Because they are in the south and so they have such a good chance to be Republican.

[R.P. McM]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County).  

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron. I said "aristocracy," but we don't even have to go that far — no merely affluent white from NYC or Boston is ever going to willingly attend an SEC school.  

I wouldn't go quite that far - Vandy is SEC but plenty of affluent Northeastern kids go there. Hell, my cousin is from a very wealthy Silicon Valley town but he goes to A&M.

Every rule has an exception. Vanderbilt, not Texas A&M, btw!

[R.P. McM]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County).  

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron.

Some of the best people are morons.

No, that's really not true. Stupid people are borderline animals, so they're incapable of adhering to any sort of ecumenical principle. What feels good for the animal is what it does. Rules, norms, scriptures, and laws mean nothing to the animal. You can never trust the animal, because it always does what's in its short-term interest.

Aside from the part where this is a ludicrously absolute statement and demonstrably untrue, PQG didn't mention NYC or Boston, did she? She mentioned Upstate New York and parts of New Jersey, specifically Monmouth County. I've spent a lot of time in Central Jersey (I lived in the northern tip of Burlington County, and thus also the northern tip of South Jersey, for over a decade) and I can assure you that, even if we're going purely by stereotypes of what SEC schools are like, there are plenty of ~culturally conservative~ upper-middle-class families there who'd be happy to send their little Graysons and Sierras to schools with faith-and-football-centered social scenes. Central Jersey and Hudson Valley exurbia is just not the kind of place you seem to think it is.

Why would you ever think I would confuse a Woodbine carpenter's son for the intellectual / financial elite? Fact is, the latter would never willingly send their offspring to an SEC school. I'm sorry, but the stereotype is well known, and it's true.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

In general I'd say that most colleges don't have enough votes to change the results of their counties. The two largest colleges in SC, USC and Clemson, are located in Richland and Pickens counties respectively. Richland is solid Democratic but is the most liberal large city in the state and would be so even without USC. Pickens is solid Republican despite the presence of Clemson as the study body (25,000) is not the majority of the total population (119,000). Combine that with a more republican lean than average being in the south.

If you look at the precinct-level results for 2016, the Clemson area precincts are non-Atlas blue, but they just can't overwhelm the rest of solidly non-Atlas red Pickens.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County). 

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron.

Some of the best people are morons.

No, that's really not true. Stupid people are borderline animals,

I have no reason to read any further than this. I'm saying this from the bottom of my ~high-IQ~, ex-~gifted child~ heart: Get bent, you self-important jackass.

[R.P. McM]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County).  

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron.

Some of the best people are morons.

No, that's really not true. Stupid people are borderline animals,

I have no reason to read any further than this. I'm saying this from the bottom of my ~high-IQ~, ex-~gifted child~ heart: Get bent, you self-important jackass.

You don't have to flash your intellectual bonafides — 90% of the folks on this forum fit the same description. It's just that some of us have become deeply skeptical of the notion that the voters who've entrusted Donald Trump with nuclear weapons and the rule of law are capable of making responsible decisions. All evidence suggests they're just too stupid.

[HillGoose]

Where I went to college in rural TN there was very very few people on the left. The precinct my college campus itself even was in (the precinct was basically just the campus, as well) was like 58% for Trump to 33% for Clinton, if I'm remembering correctly.

I just sort of assume young people in the midlands aren't as far left as their coastal counterparts. Around here, the furthest left you find is establishment Republicans for the most part. Unless you have a rare Demosaur encounter.

Also, young people in the south tend to be extremely religious from what I can tell. Like more so than older people, even. Which probably impacts their politics.

But these are all just my observations.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

In Mississippi, all the Confederate/Old South imagery and nostalgia attracts some people to Ole Miss and repels others to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, and voting patterns follow.

Granted, a lot of people don't care either way, but that effect is there. Also a lot of students at all 3 universities stay registered at home rather than at college.

Interestingly, colleges like Ole Miss and the University of Alabama seem to attract a decent amount of students from wealthy and affluent suburbs up north -- especially (in my experiences) mid-to-upstate New York and Central Jersey (particularly Monmouth County). 

You know that no genuinely intelligent member of the Northeast aristocracy would every voluntarily attend Ole Miss or the University of Alabama, right? Those schools are more for Trump-esque prodigal sons and idiot scions.

Seriously? There are plenty of college-educated people in New York and New Jersey who do pretty well for themselves without being "members of the Northeast aristocracy", you know. It's not wall-to-wall Roosevelts any more, even in the Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge.

The son/daughter of a wealthy Northeastern family who chooses to attend Ole Miss is a moron.

Some of the best people are morons.

No, that's really not true. Stupid people are borderline animals,

I have no reason to read any further than this. I'm saying this from the bottom of my ~high-IQ~, ex-~gifted child~ heart: Get bent, you self-important jackass.

You don't have to flash your intellectual bonafides — 90% of the folks on this forum fit the same description. It's just that some of us have become deeply skeptical of the notion that the voters who've entrusted Donald Trump with nuclear weapons and the rule of law are capable of making responsible decisions. All evidence suggests they're just too stupid.

Depends.

[Badger]

It's worth also noting in addition to several the very astute observations here, that these college counties are relatively, emphasis relatively, liberal for their states as a whole, more often than not. Texas A&M I think it's one of the few examples, but if you compare the rest of non Rio Valley Texas outside of big cities, it's still is somewhat more liberal than the ruby non Atlas red similar counties.