A FEW LISTS OF 2008 ELECTION RESULTS (PART II)
Here are a few more lists of results from the 2008 presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain (with reference to historical data going back to 1868).

To see Part I (numerous other lists containing 2008 presidential election data), go here.


OBAMA COUNTIES WHICH HAD NEVER PREVIOUSLY (AT LEAST SINCE THE CIVIL WAR) VOTED FOR A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Five counties in Illinois, mostly suburban and exurban counties around Chicago, voted for Barack Obama in 2008, yet had not voted for a Democrat back through the election of 1868 (and possibly even before then).

COUNTY* 1. Kane, Illinois 2. Du Page, Illinois 3. Kendall, Illinois 4. McHenry, Illinois 5. Carroll, Illinois

PERCENT OF VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA IN 2008 ELECTION 11.1% 10.7% 6.3% 5,3% 4.8%

COUNTIES WHICH HAVE NEVER (AT LEAST SINCE THE CIVIL WAR) VOTED FOR A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Thirty-eight counties in the US (and one fairly new independent Virginia city), all in the Midwest or the South, have not voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate since at least the Civil War (if ever). One common theme (at least based on current demographics) is that these counties have a strong white, non-Hispanic majority (all are at least 85% white, non-Hispanic, and many are greater than 95% with the top 2 being Jackson County, Kentucky and Putnam County, Missouri at 98.7%). Most, but not all, are rural (3 have populations greater than 100,000 and are starred below).

Some of the counties are in sub-regions, such as far eastern Tennessee (which has been very heavily Republican since the 1800s), eastern Kentucky, southern Missouri and rural northern Illinois).

Boone, Illinois
Edwards, Illinois
Lee, Illinois
Ogle, Illinois
Doniphan, Kansas
Riley, Kansas
Butler, Kentucky
Clay, Kentucky
Jackson, Kentucky
Leslie, Kentucky
McCreary, Kentucky
Monroe, Kentucky
Owsley, Kentucky
Garrett, Maryland
Missaukee, Michigan
Ottawa, Michigan*
Sanilac, Michigan
Gasconade, Missouri
Ozark, Missouri
Putnam, Missouri
Taney, Missouri
Avery, North Carolina
Wilkes, North Carolina
Snyder, Pennsylvania
Union, Pennsylvania
Blount, Tennessee*
Carter, Tennessee
Cocke, Tennessee
Grainger, Tennessee
Hancock, Tennessee
Jefferson, Tennessee
Johnson, Tennessee
Scott, Tennessee
Sevier, Tennessee
Unicoi, Tennessee
Washington, Tennessee*
Poquoson (City), Virginia (only voted since '80)
Grant, West Virginia
Morgan, West Virginia


* Contains over 100,000 people.

Four of the above counties could be considered "most vulnerable" in future elections as McCain won them by less than 10 percent. They are (with McCain margins of victory): Lee, Illinois (3.0%), Ogle, Illinois (7.6%), Riley, Kansas (7.7%) and Sanilac, Michigan (8.0%).

COUNTIES WHICH HAVE NEVER (AT LEAST SINCE THE CIVIL WAR) VOTED FOR A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
There are four counties in the United States which have never voted Republican in presidential elections, back through the election of 1868. All are likely to remain that way in near-future as Obama won by large margins (from a 25.1% margin in Elliott County, Kentucky to 74.1% in Menominee County, Wisconsin, which had only been a county since 1959 due to creation of the Menominee Indian Reservation).

Elliott, Kentucky
Brooks, Texas
Jim Hogg, Texas
Menominee, Wisconsin


If the District of Columbia were considered a county, it would also be on this list (though it has only voted in presidential elctions since 1964).

MCCAIN COUNTIES WHICH HAD NEVER PREVIOUSLY (AT LEAST SINCE THE CIVIL WAR) VOTED FOR A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Despite Obama winning the election in 2008 (and picking up 5 counties which had not voted Democratic in presidential elections since at least the Civil War), McCain won 3 new counties.

Floyd, Kentucky
Knott, Kentucky
Stewart, Tennessee*


* Voted for the American Independent Party (George Wallace) in 1968; otherwise, it had always voted for the Democratic nominee in presidential elections.

OBAMA COUNTIES WHICH HAD BEEN DEMOCRATIC THE LONGEST IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Here are the counties that have been reliably Democratic in presidential elections the longest. Note that all of the Texas counties are in the very Democratic far-southern part.

COUNTY* 1. Elliott, Kentucky 1. Brooks, Texas 1. Jim Hogg, Texas 4. Starr, Texas 5. Northampton, North Carolina 6. Duval, Texas 7. Webb, Texas 8. Jackson, Tennessee 8. Zapata, Texas 10. Costilla, Colorado 10. Suffolk, Massachusetts (Boston) 10. Ramsey, Minnesota (St. Paul) 10. St. Louis (City), Missouri 10. Deer Lodge, Montana 10. Bronx, New York 10. Kings, New York (Brooklyn) 10. New York, New York (Manhattan)

LAST YEAR THAT THE COUNTY DIDN'T VOTE DEMOCRATIC IN A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (before 1868) (before 1868) (before 1868) 1892 1896 1900 1912 1920 1920 1924 1924 1924 1924 1924 1924 1924 1924

Source of most historical data: Albert Menedez, The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2005.

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Copyright ©2008 Brandt Maxwell.