Appalachian North Carolina vs. Appalachian Virginia

[Oedipus Rex]

Looking at the edge of each state, it appears there are a lot more Democratic voters in the Western edge of NC than in Virginia.  Specifically, Obama kept Romney in Madison, Swain, Jackson, and Haywood Counties down to the mid 50's, while in Virginia's Southwest tip, all of the counties went 60%+ for Romney.  I know that SW Virginia swung hard against Obama because it's coal country, but isn't Western NC coal country as well?

[DINGO Joe]

No coal in NC.

[JacobNC]

In North Carolina it's illegal to have a building that obstructs the natural curvature of a mountain, let alone a coal mining operation.

[Oedipus Rex]

In North Carolina it's illegal to have a building that obstructs the natural curvature of a mountain, let alone a coal mining operation.

Interesting.  I just saw a map of coal mines by county and it had a lot of Western Virginia, as well as WVA, most of Kentucky, and the eastern half of TN, but NC was completely not on there.

Why did NC adopt this law but not other parts of Appalachia?

[DINGO Joe]

Cuts off Tennessee some, but the coalfields swing well west of NC

[Sol]

There's also a very strong blue dog tradition is large sections of WNC which goes back, I believe to the civil war (although it varies immensely by county).

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

No coal in NC.

There is a small area of coal in Chatham Co in Central NC, but it's not as central to the economy and identity, and there was not much swing from 08 to 12.

[Sol]

No coal in NC.

There is a small area of coal in Chatham Co in Central NC, but it's not as central to the economy and identity, and there was not much swing from 08 to 12.

Chatham also has a lot of Democratic spillover from Chapel Hill/Durham, also.

[Miles]

Yet some geniuses at the NRSC thought an effective line of attack on Hagan would be the War on Coal.

[TarHeelDem]

I don't know about Southwestern VA, but Western NC is home to several colleges and universities, whose grad students and faculty members I imagine live across its various counties. This may cause the region to be more liberal than its Appalachian counterpart in Virginia.

[Miles]

I don't know about Southwestern VA, but Western NC is home to several colleges and universities, whose grad students and faculty members I imagine live across its various counties. This may cause the region to be more liberal than its Appalachian counterpart in Virginia.

Actually VA-09 has a good amount; Washington and Lee, Emory and Henry, Virginia Tech and Roanoke College are all located there.

[Skill and Chance]

This is part of the reason that Democrats shouldn't be as optimistic about NC as VA and FL (or maybe even GA) IMO.  There are still a lot of blue dog voters left in Appalachian and eastern NC so Republicans have plenty of room to grow with the rural vote to offset the new urban Dems unlike in neighboring states.

[Sol]

This is part of the reason that Democrats shouldn't be as optimistic about NC as VA and FL (or maybe even GA) IMO.  There are still a lot of blue dog voters left in Appalachian and eastern NC so Republicans have plenty of room to grow with the rural vote to offset the new urban Dems unlike in neighboring states.

It should be noted that these blue dog voters in WNC are a very small portion of NC's population.

Also, several WNC counties, such as Buncombe, Watauga, Transylvania, and Polk have a large leftist hippy-ish contingent which is obviously less willing to vote for the pubs.

[Skill and Chance]

This is part of the reason that Democrats shouldn't be as optimistic about NC as VA and FL (or maybe even GA) IMO.  There are still a lot of blue dog voters left in Appalachian and eastern NC so Republicans have plenty of room to grow with the rural vote to offset the new urban Dems unlike in neighboring states.

It should be noted that theseblue dog voters in WNC are a very small portion of NC's population.

Also, several WNC counties, such as Buncombe, Watauga, Transylvania, and Polk have a large leftist hippy-ish contingent which is obviously less willing to vote for the pubs.

Agreed on Appalachian NC, but I would be a lot more worried about greater SE NC slipping out from under Democrats over the next decade.  It has enough population to be relevant.  A lot of surprisingly rural areas there actually trended left in 2012, though.  NC is also diversifying more slowly than its neighbors.

[Miles]

This is part of the reason that Democrats shouldn't be as optimistic about NC as VA and FL (or maybe even GA) IMO.  There are still a lot of blue dog voters left in Appalachian and eastern NC so Republicans have plenty of room to grow with the rural vote to offset the new urban Dems unlike in neighboring states.

It should be noted that theseblue dog voters in WNC are a very small portion of NC's population.

Also, several WNC counties, such as Buncombe, Watauga, Transylvania, and Polk have a large leftist hippy-ish contingent which is obviously less willing to vote for the pubs.

Agreed on Appalachian NC, but I would be a lot more worried about greater SE NC slipping out from under Democrats over the next decade.  It has enough population to be relevant.  A lot of surprisingly rural areas there actually trended left in 2012, though.  NC is also diversifying more slowly than its neighbors.

Robeson and Cumberland Counties are growing and getting less white. New Hanover is slowly trending D, but Brunswick is getting wealthier and more conservative.

[illegaloperation]

This is part of the reason that Democrats shouldn't be as optimistic about NC as VA and FL (or maybe even GA) IMO.  There are still a lot of blue dog voters left in Appalachian and eastern NC so Republicans have plenty of room to grow with the rural vote to offset the new urban Dems unlike in neighboring states.

Nonsense! That's like somebody in 2000 saying that Democrats shouldn't be optimistic in Virginia because they haven't collapsed in southwest Virginia yet.

[minionofmidas]

Asheville is a fast-growing and ever-more-austinizing city. Boone is a hippy college town in a once very Civil War Republican county. Jackson and Swain have a pretty sizable Native American Reservation.
Apart from that, Western North Carolina is mostly Republican and has been for a long time.

[Sol]

Asheville is a fast-growing and ever-more-austinizing city. Boone is a hippy college town in a once very Civil War Republican county. Jackson and Swain have a pretty sizable Native American Reservation.
Apart from that, Western North Carolina is mostly Republican and has been for a long time.

What about areas like Madison County?

Anyway, btw, does anyone know precisely why Henderson County is so pubbie? I know it has lots and lots of Floridian Retirees, but it isn't like there's a shortage of them in the other mountain counties. I don't think Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville spillover is the answer, although I'm not sure. Unionist Stronghold?

[Miles]

What about areas like Madison County?

Anyway, btw, does anyone know precisely why Henderson County is so pubbie? I know it has lots and lots of Floridian Retirees, but it isn't like there's a shortage of them in the other mountain counties. I don't think Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville spillover is the answer, although I'm not sure. Unionist Stronghold?

Looking at some county maps from the late 19th/early 20th century, there seems to be case for this. It was usually more R than the counties surrounding it.

[Vern]

Obama was a bad fit for WNC, it will be very interesting to see what happens in 2016 in WNC.