Consistency in Presidential Elections

This survey stops with the Presidential election of 2008.  Too lazy to update it.

Four states – Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota – have voted Republican in every Presidential election since 1940 (FDR’s third term), except for 1964 (Johnson vs. Goldwater).

Four more states – Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho – have voted Republican in every Presidential election since 1952 (Eisenhower’s first term), except for 1964.

Arizona has voted Republican since 1952, except for 1996 (Clinton’s second term).  

Alaska has voted Republican since 1960 (JFK), except for 1964.  

Minnesota has voted Democratic since 1960, except for 1972 (Nixon vs. McGovern).  

Indiana has voted Republican since 1940, except for 1964 and 2008 (Obama).  

Virginia and Montana have voted Republican since 1952, except for 1964 and 1992 (Montana, Clinton’s first term) or 2008 (Virginia).  

Hawaii has voted Democratic since 1960, except for 1972 and 1984 (Reagan’s second term).  

Finally, Alabama and Mississippi have voted Republican since 1964, except for 1968 (Nixon vs. Humphrey) and 1976 (Ford vs. Carter).  

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

Fifteen states have voted Republican and two states Democratic nearly monolithically, since at least 1964.  The other thirty-three states have voted less predictably over the same time period.

It can be said that these states know their own mind.  It can be said with equal justice that they don’t pay much attention to Presidential campaigns, that their radios and TV’s are used for different purposes than politics.  You decide.

And it is interesting that such a huge disproportion, 15 out of 17 states, voted Republican.  Yet Democrats won the Presidency as many times as Republicans.  What this means is anybody’s guess.

I have no idea why this essay is in this book.  It was interesting to research, so I included it.