Counties with the longest streak of voting for one party for President

[nclib]

Does anyone know how many of these counties have voted for the other party in Senatorial or Gubernatorial elections, as far as the Atlas goes back (since 1990)?

[RBH]

Thanks for updating this thread, RBH.

Interesting that some Kentucky counties didn't vote in 1864. I assume these were areas sympathetic to the Confederate cause. Had they officially seceded? Or was it just too difficult to hold an election with war raging in their midst?

Areas of Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia weren't organized enough to vote in 1864.

The 1864 Missouri results also indicate very low turnout in some counties, mainly because the Democratic party base was busy fighting the civil war that year.

[nclib]

bump for 2008

[HAnnA MArin County]

Not that anyone cares but I'll give the data for my county in Missouri.

Bollinger County hasn't voted Democratic at the presidential level since 1976 (Jimmy Carter) and at the gubernatorial level since 1996 (Mel Carnahan).

That's all.

[Verily]

Brooks County, Texas is I think the only remaining county to have never voted Republican. Elliot County, Kentucky might be, too. There are a bunch of never-Democratic counties still.

[HAnnA MArin County]

As for the never-Democratic counties, I'd assume one should look in Utah, Wyoming or Idaho, the three most notorious GOP bastions in the country. Or look in the Texas Panhandle where recently the counties have been going 80-90% Republican; in fact, King County, TX delivered John McCain with his strongest victory in 2008, I think it was like 93-5% and Obama only received 8 votes in the entire county. Of course, you also can't dismiss some counties in Oklahoma where not one single county voted for Obama in 2008. Look closely at the three counties in the Oklahoma Panhandle as well: Cimarron, Texas and Beaver counties. I couldn't fathom living a county named Beaver LOL

That would be quite interesting to know, i.e. the two counties that have the longest streak of voting Republican and Democratic. I believe I read somewhere where Elliott County, Kentucky has the longest streak of voting Democratic, which is kind of ironic seeing as how it's in Appalachia.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

As for the never-Democratic counties, I'd assume one should look in Utah, Wyoming or Idaho, the three most notorious GOP bastions in the country.

Check the 1896 election.

[Rob]

I believe I read somewhere where Elliott County, Kentucky has the longest streak of voting Democratic, which is kind of ironic seeing as how it's in Appalachia.

Paging Al.

[Nym90]

I believe I read somewhere where Elliott County, Kentucky has the longest streak of voting Democratic, which is kind of ironic seeing as how it's in Appalachia.

Paging Al.

Either that, or RBH's post in page 2 of this thread.

[Nym90]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

[RI]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

Nope. Voted Republican in 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, and 1896.

[RI]

As for the never-Democratic counties, I'd assume one should look in Utah, Wyoming or Idaho, the three most notorious GOP bastions in the country. Or look in the Texas Panhandle where recently the counties have been going 80-90% Republican; in fact, King County, TX delivered John McCain with his strongest victory in 2008, I think it was like 93-5% and Obama only received 8 votes in the entire county. Of course, you also can't dismiss some counties in Oklahoma where not one single county voted for Obama in 2008. Look closely at the three counties in the Oklahoma Panhandle as well: Cimarron, Texas and Beaver counties. I couldn't fathom living a county named Beaver LOL

That would be quite interesting to know, i.e. the two counties that have the longest streak of voting Republican and Democratic. I believe I read somewhere where Elliott County, Kentucky has the longest streak of voting Democratic, which is kind of ironic seeing as how it's in Appalachia.

Sigh. This post makes me head hurt. Sorry...

The trends we see today are nothing like those of the past. Every county in Utah voted Dem in 1916 and almost all did in 1896 and 1936. Every county voted Dem in Idaho in 1896, and all but one in 1932 and 1936. Every county in Wyoming voted Dem between 1932 and 1936. Every county in the Texas panhandle voted Dem in 1904-1916 and 1932-1948. King County, TX has voted Dem many times, last in 1976 (Every county in Texas voted Dem in 1932). Every county in Oklahoma voted Dem in 1932. The south historically has voted overwhelmingly Democratic.

Appalachia is a very strange area. There are parts that have never voted Republican and there are parts that have never voted Democratic. The coal mining areas of Appalachia have been very historically Democratic.

[Nym90]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

Nope. Voted Republican in 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, and 1896.

Wow. Wonder what the reason is for why it was GOP during the early Solid South days and then changed to so solidly Dem. I assume today it is a heavily black area, though it also voted very strongly Dem in the 20's, 30's and 40's (as strongly Dem as most any other Solid South county). Anyone know what happened in the first part of the 20th century to flip its partisan allegiance?

[Alcon]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

Nope. Voted Republican in 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, and 1896.

Wow. Wonder what the reason is for why it was GOP during the early Solid South days and then changed to so solidly Dem. I assume today it is a heavily black area, though it also voted very strongly Dem in the 20's, 30's and 40's (as strongly Dem as most any other Solid South county). Anyone know what happened in the first part of the 20th century to flip its partisan allegiance?

It's actually not that heavily black -- about 3:2 -- which makes it one of the unique areas where there's a black population and the traditional white Democratic voting patterns aren't dying quite as fast as most places.

[bgwah]

From one of my threads from January:

Never voted Republican Club
Kicked out in 2008: Floyd, KY and Knott, KY
Left: Elliott, KY, Brooks, TX and Washington, DC

[Nym90]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

Nope. Voted Republican in 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, and 1896.

Wow. Wonder what the reason is for why it was GOP during the early Solid South days and then changed to so solidly Dem. I assume today it is a heavily black area, though it also voted very strongly Dem in the 20's, 30's and 40's (as strongly Dem as most any other Solid South county). Anyone know what happened in the first part of the 20th century to flip its partisan allegiance?

It's actually not that heavily black -- about 3:2 -- which makes it one of the unique areas where there's a black population and the traditional white Democratic voting patterns aren't dying quite as fast as most places.

So there's actually a racially diverse rural county in the South that doesn't have racially polarized voting. Wonder what the story behind that is?

[Nym90]

From one of my threads from January:

Never voted Republican Club
Kicked out in 2008: Floyd, KY and Knott, KY
Left: Elliott, KY, Brooks, TX and Washington, DC

It's a moot point now as far as this list, but had Breathitt, KY voted R before 2008? RBH said he was unsure, but I never saw confirmation of when it had voted R.

[RI]

From one of my threads from January:

Never voted Republican Club
Kicked out in 2008: Floyd, KY and Knott, KY
Left: Elliott, KY, Brooks, TX and Washington, DC

It's a moot point now as far as this list, but had Breathitt, KY voted R before 2008? RBH said he was unsure, but I never saw confirmation of when it had voted R.

1908.

[bgwah]

Oh yeah, and there's also Menominee. Easy to forget such a new county.

[RI]

Morgan County, WV has not voted Democratic since 1852, before the existence of the Republican Party.

Doesn't quite count...

[minionofmidas]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

Nope. Voted Republican in 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, and 1896.

Wow. Wonder what the reason is for why it was GOP during the early Solid South days and then changed to so solidly Dem. I assume today it is a heavily black area, though it also voted very strongly Dem in the 20's, 30's and 40's (as strongly Dem as most any other Solid South county). Anyone know what happened in the first part of the 20th century to flip its partisan allegiance?

The end of voting rights for Blacks in Northeast NC, of course.

[Nym90]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

Nope. Voted Republican in 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, and 1896.

Wow. Wonder what the reason is for why it was GOP during the early Solid South days and then changed to so solidly Dem. I assume today it is a heavily black area, though it also voted very strongly Dem in the 20's, 30's and 40's (as strongly Dem as most any other Solid South county). Anyone know what happened in the first part of the 20th century to flip its partisan allegiance?

The end of voting rights for Blacks in Northeast NC, of course.

Ah, ok. Makes sense, though surprising that an area with such a past would have whites voting so Democratic now.

[Verily]

Northampton, NC is another county that may never have voted R.

Nope. Voted Republican in 1868, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, and 1896.

Wow. Wonder what the reason is for why it was GOP during the early Solid South days and then changed to so solidly Dem. I assume today it is a heavily black area, though it also voted very strongly Dem in the 20's, 30's and 40's (as strongly Dem as most any other Solid South county). Anyone know what happened in the first part of the 20th century to flip its partisan allegiance?

The end of voting rights for Blacks in Northeast NC, of course.

Ah, ok. Makes sense, though surprising that an area with such a past would have whites voting so Democratic now.

It doesn't. Obama got around 20% of the white vote in the county. 59.5% black, 65% Obama, so around 7% of Obama's vote came from white voters assuming blacks went more than 95% Obama (other races being negligible in population). 39% white means around 18% of whites voted for Obama to make up that 7%.

[Nym90]

Hmm. So maybe it's really the 1964 results that are surprising there. Perhaps blacks were allowed to vote a little earlier here than in the Deep South?

[Nym90]

Updated for 2008:

Alabama

D: Greene, Macon, Sumter (Greene and Sumter voted R in 1964, Macon voted I in 1964, R in 1956)
R: Baldwin, Houston, Lee, Mobile, Shelby (All voted I in 1968, Baldwin, Mobile, and Shelby last voted D in 1952 which is the longest streak of not voting D, though all three voted D/I in 1960, so Houston can make an argument, having last voted D in 1956, but R in 1960).

Arizona

D: Apache (since 1980)
R: Maricopa, Yavapai (since 1948)

Arkansas

D: Chicot, Desha, Jefferson, Lee, Phillips, Woodruff (since 1972)
R: Benton, Sebastian (since 1948)

California

D: Yolo (since 1952)
R: Orange (since 1936)

Colorado

D: Costilla (since 1924)
R: Elbert (since 1932)

Connecticut

D: Hartford (since 1984)
R: None. The last to vote R was Litchfield in 2004.

Delaware

D: New Castle (since 1988)
R: Sussex (since 1996)

Florida

D: Gadsden (since 1972)
R: Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Sarasota (since 1944)

Georgia

D: Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Dooly, Fulton, Hancock, Macon, Quitman, Stewart, Talbot, Taliaferro, Twiggs, Warren (since 1972)
R: Catoosa, Cobb, Columbia, Dade, Fannin, Fayette, Gwinnett, Lee, Lowndes, Walker (since 1976)

Hawaii

D: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui (since 1984)
R: None (Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui all voted R in 1984, the last time any county voted R)