Your county over the past 10 years?

[Adam Griffin]

I thought it might be interesting to see how each user's county is represented.

Whitfield County, Georgia:



Area Statistics:

Population: 90,889*
County Seat: Dalton
Geography: 30 miles south of Chattanooga, TN and 80 miles north of Atlanta, GA
Economy: Textile/floor manufacturing; produces 90% of world's floor covering

Voting Record:

2006 - Governor:
Sonny Perdue (R): 74.5%
Mark Taylor (D): 23.3%

2004 - President:
George W Bush (R): 73.2%
John Kerry (D): 26.3%

2004 - Senator:
Johnny Isakson (R): 73.27%
Denise Majette (D): 24.69%

2002 - Governor:
Sonny Perdue (R): 69.4%
Roy Barnes (D): 28.6%

2002 - Senator:
Saxby Chambliss (R): 65.2%
Max Cleland (D): 33.3%

2000 - President:
George W Bush (R): 68.0%
Al Gore (D): 30.2%

1998 - Governor:
Roy Barnes (D): 42.5%
Guy Millner (R): 55.4%

1998 - Senator:
Paul Coverdell (R): 70.0%
Michael Coles (D): 28.7%

1996 - President:
Bill Clinton (D): 35.4%
Bob Dole (R): 56.7%
Ross Perot (I): 7.5%

1996 - Senator:
Max Cleland (D): 32.4%
Guy Millner (R): 65.2%

Whitfield County is a fort for Republicanism. Even during the running of George Wallace when most Georgia counties flipped to vote for him, Whitfield remained Republican. Whitfield County didn't vote for Kennedy either, when most of the state did. It went Democrat in 1964, 1976, & 1980 only. This perhaps has something to do with the fact that my area of the state did not want to secede from the Union and has held to the party for the most part since then. When I ask a lot of my friends their stances on issues, they have liberal stances but they will refer to themselves as Republicans. There is quite an amount of liberal attitude in my county, but also quite a bit of apathy as well; normally only about 20-25% of the population will vote in a presidential election.

(* Including undocumented residents, it is estimated to be 100,000+)

[Padfoot]

Although I currently live in Franklin County I was raised in Butler County and I will likely return there once I have completed my education so I chose to profile Butler.



Butler County Stats:

Population: 332, 807 (as of the 2000 Census)
County Seat: Hamilton
Geography: directly north of Cincinnati, OH (Hamilton County) and directly southwest of Dayton, OH (Montgomery County)
Economy: I'm not even sure it really has one.  Historically it would have been agriculture (mostly soybeans and corn I think) but the county has been rapidly suburbanizing for a while now.  It is covered almost entirely in either farms or suburban subdivisions.

2006-Governor
J. Kenneth Blackwell (R): 51.79%
Ted Strickland (D): 45.81%
William S. Peirce (L): 1.86%
Robert Fitrakis (G): 1.15%

2006-Senate
Mike DeWine (R): 57.11%
Sherrod Brown (D): 42.88%

2004-President
George W. Bush (R): 65.86%
John Kerry (D): 33.71%
other: 0.42%

2004-Senate
George Voinovich (R): 72.90%
Eric D. Fingerhut (D): 27.10%

2002-Governor
Bob Taft (R): 71.63%
Timothy Hagan (D): 24.11%
John Eastman (NL): 4.26%

2000-President
George W. Bush (R): 63.32%
Al Gore (D): 33.93%
Ralph Nader (G): 1.98%
other: 0.77%

2000-Senate
Mike DeWine (R): 69.63%
Ted Celeste (D): 26.33%
John McAlister (L): 2.63%
John Eastman (NL): 1.41%

1998-Governor
Bob Taft (R): 61.9%
Lee Fisher (D): 33.1%
John Mitchel (I): 3.4%
other: 2.1%

1998-Senate
George Voinovich (R): 66.0%
Mary Boyle (D): 34.0%

1996-President
Bill Clinton (D): 35.7%
Bob Dole (R): 54.8%
Ross Perot (Ref.): 8.6%
other: 0.9%

Butler County is one of the most heavily Republican counties in Ohio.  It is both socially and fiscally conservative.  One fourth of the county's residents are under the age of 18 and 35% of households are families with children.  nearly 60% of households are married couples.  People here are pretty well known for being fairly far to the right and that is reflected in the county's voting history.  Out of 88 counties in Ohio, Butler was one of only 16 won by Blackwell in the embarrassing (for the GOP) 2006 gubernatorial election.  LBJ was the last Democrat to take the county in a presidential election in his landslide defeat of Barry Goldwater.

Most residents are commuters who drive to either Cincinnati or Dayton for work.  It is estimated that these two metro areas will soon meet along the 1-75 corridor in western Butler creating the mega-opolis of Cincy-Dayton much like the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro in Texas.  This is also reflected in the fact that Butler (like the other Cincy suburban counties) is one of the few areas in Ohio that is seeing significant population growth. 

The county seat of Hamilton received some national attention when President Bush signed the famous (or infamous) No Child Left Behind Act there.  Hamilton City Schools have since had one of the most amazing recoveries ever but it is unclear if this is a direct result of the federal act or not. 

Butler County also contains the former headquarters of Voice of America and is home to the prestigious and historic Miami University.

[Rob]

Lane County, Oregon



Area Statistics

Population: 322,959 (2000)
County Seat: Eugene
Geography: 95 miles north of the California line; 65 miles south of Portland
Economy: Agriculture and timber form the traditional base of Lane's economy, but these industries have been declining. Other important sources of revenue include tourism and education; the 20,000-student University of Oregon is located in Eugene.

Voting Record

Governor (2006)
Ted Kulongoski (D): 58.31%
Ron Saxton (R): 35.96%

President (2004)
John Kerry (D) 57.98%
George W. Bush (R): 40.35%

Senate (2004)
Ron Wyden (D): 64.61%
Al King (R): 29.70%
Teresa Kean (G): 3.07%

Governor (2002)
Ted Kulongoski (D): 56.89%
Kevin Mannix (R): 38.51%
Tom Cox (L): 4.51%

Senate (2002)
Gordon Smith (R): 48.56%
Bill Bradbury (D): 47.13%
Dan Fitzgerald (L): 2.52%

President (2000)
Al Gore (D): 51.64%
George W. Bush (R): 40.46%
Ralph Nader (G): 6.73%

Governor (1998)
John Kitzhaber (D): 68.33%
Bill Sizemore (R): 25.17%
Blair Bobier (P): 2.34%

Senate (1998)
Ron Wyden (D): 61.44%
John Lim (R): 31.35%
Karyn Moskowitz (P): 3.23%

President (1996)
William Clinton (D): 49.69%
Robert Dole (R): 34.52%
H. Ross Perot (REF): 8.23%
Ralph Nader (P): 5.66%

Senate (1996)
Tom Bruggere (D): 52.05%
Gordon Smith (R): 43.03%

Lane is dominated by the Eugene-Springfield metro area, and votes accordingly. In Eugene, the tone is set by the progressive-to-radical activism of the student body; the city is also known as the headquarters of the Pacific Northwest's anarchist movement, with a strong emphasis on environmentalism.

But this is a city where virtually everyone- from professionals to factory workers- votes Democratic. The views of the majority are expressed in the establishment liberalism of the Register-Guard editorial page, or with a militant edge in the alternative Eugene Weekly. John Kerry took 69 percent to George W. Bush's 28 percent; Greens regularly outpoll Republicans in the university precincts (and, in 1996, Socialists knocked the GOP into third place).

Springfield is the smaller, less affluent of the two cities. Located across the Willamette River, it lacks the revenue provided by the University and depends on timber and manufacturing. With a gritty, blue-collar atmosphere, it has moved toward Republicans because of the same cultural issues that help the Democrats in Eugene. There is also a backlash against the environmentalism so prominent across the river, and the perceived excesses of campus leftism. Still, Kerry won a solid 56 percent in 2004.

Smaller towns and cities- Junction City, Creswell, Cottage Grove- tend to be quite conservative, and vote solidly Republican. There may be an "anti-Eugene" vote in these places as well, but it's not nearly enough to make the county competitive.

[Gabu]

I wouldn't know where to find voting records for the Capital Region District, so I'll do my riding instead.

Saanich-Gulf Islands, BC:



Area Statistics:

Population: 110,284 (2001)
Geography: Composed of northern Saanich, all of Central Saanich, North Saanich, and Sidney, and the southern Gulf Islands to the north.

Voting Record:

2006
Gary Lunn (Cons.): 37.15%
Jennifer Burgis (NDP): 26.54%
Sheila Orr (Lib.): 26.08%
Andrew Lewis (Grn.): 9.94%

2004
Gary Lunn (Cons.): 34.57%
David Mulroney (Lib.): 26.78%
Jennifer Burgis (NDP): 21.58%
Andrew Lewis (Grn.): 16.71%

2000
Gary Lunn (CA): 43.15%
Karen Knott (Lib.): 32.29%
Don Page (PC): 10.28%
Pat O'Neill (NDP): 8.02%
Wally Du Temple (Grn.): 5.51%

1997
Gary Lunn (Ref.): 43.06%
Clark Roberts (Lib.): 31.47%
Chuck Beyer (NDP): 14.33%
Marilyn Loveless (PC): 7.52%
Julia Lerner (Grn.): 2.74%

Saanich-Gulf Islands is a deceptively liberal area, which one would not glean purely at looking at its representation.  In recent years, the percentage of people voting for "not Gary Lunn" has been well over 60% of the population.  However, due to the fact that Canada unfortunately uses the election scheme of "first past the post" as well as the fact that massive vote-splitting occurs between the Liberals, the NDP, and the Greens, Lunn nonetheless keeps getting elected again and again even though only a minority actually want him as their representative.  The last time it had a representative from a non-conservative party was 1988, when it was represented by Lynn Hunter of the NDP.

The riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands is notable for the fact that it has the third largest senior population of any riding, with 19% of its citizens over the age of 65.  Its population is fairly well-off, with an average family income of over $70,000.  It's also notable for consistently being the Green Party's most favorable riding, giving the Green candidate a remarkable 16.71% of the vote in 2004.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Blue Earth, MN



Area Statistics

Population: 55,941
County Seat: Mankato
Geography: 80 miles southwest of the Twin Cities (or just "the cities" as Minnesotans say. Saying "Twin Cities" in Minnesota is a sure sign you're from out of state.)
Economy: Education, farming, ethanol, some factory and blue collar labor.

Voting Record

2006 - Governor:
Mike Hatch (DFL): 47.68%
Tim Pawlenty (R): 44.12%
Peter Hutchinson (I): 6.36%

2006 - Senator
Amy Klobuchar (DFL): 58.71%
Mark Kennedy (R): 36.94%

2004 - President:
John Kerry (DFL): 50.92%
George W Bush (R): 47.52%

2002 - Governor:
Tim Pawlenty (R): 37.19%
Tim Penny (I): 33.34%
Roger Moe (DFL): 26.39%

2002 - Senator:
Norm Coleman (R): 48.02%
Walter Mondale (DFL): 47.28%

2000 - President:
Al Gore (D): 44.99%
George W Bush (R): 47.23%

1998 - Governor:
Jesse Ventura (I): 43.78%
Norm Coleman (R): 30.86%
Hubert Humphrey III (DFL): 24.87%

1996 - President:
Bill Clinton (D): 49.17%
Bob Dole (R): 35.95%
Ross Perot (I): 13.16%

1996 - Senator:
Paul Wellstone (DFL): 51.07%
Rudy Boschwitz (R): 42.52%

Blue Earth county has the lowest median age of any county in Minnesota. It is dominated by the college town of Mankato, which has over 60% of the county's population. The rest of the county consists of some townships which are essentially becoming affluent Mankato suburbia and rural areas. Almost everywhere in the county outside of Mankato votes Republican, but Mankato's votes are usually enough to swing the county, or at least come close. Nader swung the county to Bush in 2000, Coleman eked out a narrow win in 2002 and that same year Pawlenty carried the county due to third party candidate Tim Penny, who used to represent the county in Congress splitting the DFL vote, and the college vote carried it for Ventura in 1998, but otherwise it tends to vote solidly DFL. The county is very polarized. Mankato proper contains some areas in the downtown which are suffering from urban decay and growing crime and poverty that vote solidly DFL, as do the campus areas which are generally unswingable, but the GOP almost makes up for this with a strong rural base. The swing areas are the semi-suburban townships and middle class areas within Mankato. Even the non-poor and non-campus areas tend to lean DFL though, only one precinct leans Republican. The county did however swing heavily to local man Tim Walz, who carried it with over 60% in his congressional run, even outpolling Amy Klobuchar.

[Verily]

Bergen County, New Jersey

Statistics

Founded: 1683
Population: 884,118
Size: 247 sq mi (639 km²)
Population Density: 3,778/sq mi (1,459/km²)
County Seat: Hackensack
Geography: Borders New York City to the east across the Hudson River
Economy: Retail, white-collar business, New York City commuting

Voting Record

2006 - Senator:
Bob Menendez (D): 53.44%
Tom Kean, Jr. (R): 45.26%

2005 - Governor:
Jon Corzine (D): 55.59%
Doug Forrester (R): 42.19%

2004 - President:
John Kerry (D): 51.88%
George W Bush (R): 47.43%

2002 - Senator:
Frank Lautenberg (D): 54.85%
Doug Forrester (R): 48.02%

2001 - Governor:
Jim McGreevey (D): 55.09%
Bret Schundler (R): 43.69%

2000 - President:
Al Gore (D): 55.27%
George W Bush (R): 41.65%

2000 - Senator:
Bob Franks (R): 49.75%
Jon Corzine (D): 48.64%

1997 - Governor:
Christie Whitman (R): 53.4%
Jim McGreevey (D): 42.6%

1996 - President:
Bill Clinton (D): 52.7%
Bob Dole (R): 38.9%
Ross Perot (I): 7.0%

1996 - Senator:
Rob Torricelli (D): 53.6%
Dick Zimmer (R): 43.6%



For time immemorial, Bergen County was a stronghold of moderate Republicanism. That time, however, came to an end in the 1990s when the bloated machine of the New Jersey Republican Party, aided by the rightward move of the national Republican Party, collapsed in upon itself. The last time Bergen County voted for a Republican was in 2000, and narrowly. Nonetheless, the county remains an important bellwether for New Jersey, generally coming very close to the actual result statewide. It is also the most populous county, making appeasing its residents of particular interest to state politicians.

Bergen County consists overwhelming of suburban environments, though some areas of the county mimic urban slums, and the borough of Fort Lee, on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge, has veritable skyscrapers. Many of the residents of Bergen County commute into New York City and are nearly as affected by New York politics as by local politics. Those who do not are generally among the poor, who, in Bergen County, are also overwhelmingly minority. Particularly concentrated poverty exists in the cities of Englewood and Hackensack, while most of the towns in the northern part of the county are extremely wealthy. Despite areas of poverty, Bergen County has the twenty-first highest per capita income in the country and is home to the ZIP code with the highest retail sales nationwide, 07652 (Paramus). Bergen County also has an exceptionally high Jewish population, particularly in Teaneck and Englewood, and the towns of Palisades Park and Cliffside Park are overwhelmingly Korean-American.

Bergen County is split across the 5th and 9th congressional districts. The 5th congressional district of northern Bergen County, stretches also across northern Passaic County and encompasses most of Sussex and Warren Counties, is moderately Republican and represented by Scott Garrett. The 9th congressional district, which also contains small portions of Hudson and Essex Counties, contains the bulk of Bergen County's population. It is heavily Democratic and represented by Steve Rothman.

Of interest as a sidenote are Bergen County's blue laws, the strictest remaining in the United States. All retail businesses that do not sell "essential items" must close on Sundays. While, like most other blue laws, this law was originally for religious purposes, today it is maintained because of extremely heavy traffic on Bergen County highways the rest of the week; the residents of the county want a day of the week for peace and quiet. Paramus, then, holds the title of most retail sales nationwide while only being open for business 6 days a week. Paramus also has even stricter blue laws within the borough that prevent any business at all that is not a retail business selling essentials from opening on Sundays.

[Smash255]

Nassau County, NY



Area Statistics [/u]

Population 1,334,544

Area 453 sq miles

Density 4,655 people per sq mile

Geography western portion of Long Island, directly east of the NYC borough of Queens

Voting Record [/u]

2006 - Governor
Elliot Spitzer (D): 64.88
John Faso (R): 33.92

2006- Senator
Hillary Clinton (D): 60.47%
John Spencer (R): 38.23%

2004 President
John Kerry (D): 52.25%
George Bush (R) : 46.63%

2004 Senate
Chuck Schumer (D): 66.45%
Howard Mills (R): 27.71%

2002 Governor
George Pataki (R): 61.50%
Carl McCall (D): 26.38%

2000 President
Al Gore (D): 57.93%
George Bush (R): 38.49%

2000 Senate
Rick Lazio (R): 53.41%
Hillary Clinton (D): 45.15%

1998 Governor
George Pataki (R): 64.68%
Peter Vallone (D): 28.29%

1998 Senate
Al D'Amato (R): 52.93%
Chuck Schumer (D) : 46.49%

1996 President
Bill Clinton (D):  55.74%
Bob Dole (R): 36.14%


In 2005, Forbes magazine named Nassau County, along with Suffolk County, New York, as the safest region in the United States, with the lowest crime rate.

As of 2004, Nassau County is the richest county per capita in the State of New York and the sixth richest in the nation, with a median household income of $78,762.  As of 2005, Nassau had the second highest median property tax in the nation at $7,025


The head of the executive is the County Executive, a post created in Nassau County in 1938. The current county executive is Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat who was elected in 2001; he is the first Democratic county executive since Eugene Nickerson left office in 1970. The District Attorney is Democrat Kathleen Rice, who in November, 2005 defeated 30-year incumbent Republican Denis Dillon in an upset victory. The county comptroller is Howard Weitzman, a Democrat, the county clerk is Republican Maureen O'Connell, and the county assessor is Harvey Levinson, another Democrat.  Virtually all of these offices were held by the Republicans 10 years ago, as was the Nassau County Legislature.  Which is now 9-9 with a vacant seat with the State Senate Special Election Victory of Craig Johnson.  Special election will be held tomorrow and its virtually assured it will be a Dem victory.

[Bacon King]

Barrow County, Georgia:



Area Statistics:

Population: 63,702 (2005 census estimate)
County Seat: Winder
Geography: Northern tier of Atlanta's eastern suburbs. Also near Athens-Clarke County.
Economy: Many commute to either Athens or Atlanta. Locally, poultry is large, and there are a few chemical factories. Walmart is the county's fifth largest employer, sadly.

Voting Record:

2006 - Governor:
Sonny Perdue (R): 73.51%
Mark Taylor (D): 21.64%
Garrett Hayes (L): 4.85%

2004 - President:
George W Bush (R): 76.19%
John Kerry (D): 23.08%

2004 - Senator:
Johnny Isakson (R): 73.58%
Denise Majette (D): 23.81%
Allen Buckley (L): 2.62%

2002 - Governor:
Sonny Perdue (R): 64.56%
Roy Barnes (D): 31.76%
Garrett Hayes (L): 3.68%

2002 - Senator:
Saxby Chambliss (R): 64.87%
Max Cleland (D): 33.22%

2000 - President:
George W Bush (R): 65.49%
Al Gore (D): 30.22%
Harry Browne (L): 3.15%

1998 - Governor:
Roy Barnes (D): 41.42%
Guy Millner (R): 51.96%
Jack Cashin (L): 6.62%

1998 - Senator:
Paul Coverdell (R): 58.13%
Michael Coles (D): 37.23%
Bertil Armin Loftman (L): 4.64%

1996 - President:
Bill Clinton (D): 37.98%
Bob Dole (R): 51.65%
Ross Perot (I): 9.11%

1996 - Senator:
Max Cleland (D): 42.57%
Guy Millner (R): 52.72%
Jack Cashin (L): 4.71%

Barrow is, largely, your typical conservative outer suburban county. However, it does have a large Libertarian "niche"- in many statewide elections, the Libertarian candidate gets their greatest share of the vote here. Barrow was also Harry Browne's best county, nationwide. The county is mostly white, though there is a sizable African American and Hispanic population, and (I believe) has the largest Hmong community outside of Minnesota.

[nclib]

Orange County, NC:



Area Statistics

Population (2005 est.): 118,386
Land area, 2000 (square miles)  399
Persons per square mile, 2000  295.6

Voting Record

President (2004)
John Kerry (D): 66.9%
George W. Bush (R): 32.4%

Governor (2004)
Mike Easley (D): 71.7%
Patrick Ballentine (R): 26.3%

Senate (2004)
Erskine Bowles (D): 67.8%
Richard Burr (R): 30.9%

Senate (2002)
Erskine Bowles (D): 64.3%
Elizabeth Dole (R): 34.5%

President (2000)
Al Gore (D): 62.7%
George W. Bush (R): 36.3%

Governor (2000)
Mike Easley (D): 67.0%
Richard Vinroot (R): 30.7%

Senate (1998)
John Edwards (D): 68.2%
Lauch Faircloth (R): 30.2%

President (1996)
Bill Clinton (D): 61.3%
Bob Dole (R): 32.2%
Ross Perot (Ref.): 3.3%

Governor (1996)
Jim Hunt (D): 71.8%
Robin Hayes (R): 25.7%

Senate (1996)
Harvey Gantt (D): 67.6%
Jesse Helms (R): 31.0%

Orange County is dominated by the town of Chapel Hill, which contains the University of North Carolina. The county is liberal and reliably Democratic. Chapel Hill is also part of the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area, whcih contains Research Triangle Park.

[Jaggerjack]

Alameda County, CA:


Population (2000): c. 1,443,741
Land Area: 1,910 km²
Population Density: 756/km²

Voting Record:
         |Republicans      |Democrats
2004 |23.3% 130,911 |75.2% 422,585
2000 |24.1% 119,279 |69.4% 342,889
1996 |23.1% 106,581 |65.8% 303,903
1992 |20.6% 109,292 |63.0% 334,224
1988 |34.0% 162,815 |64.8% 310,283
1984 |40.0% 192,408 |58.7% 282,041
1980 |38.0% 158,531 |48.3% 201,720
1976 |38.1% 155,280 |57.9% 235,988
1972 |42.8% 201,862 |55.0% 259,254
1968 |37.6% 153,285 |53.9% 219,545
1964 |33.5% 142,998 |66.4% 283,833
1960 |45.6% 183,354 |54.0% 217,172

Alameda County is a stronghold of the Democratic Party. It has not supported a Republican since Eisenhower's victory in 1956. In 2004 it provided Kerry with over a 50% margin. The county is represented in Congress by the 9th-13th districts. All the seats are held by Democrats. In the State Assembly four out of five of its legislators are Democrats.

[SPC]

Orange County, CA:

2006 Senate:
Mountjoy (R) 50%
Feinstein (D) 45%
Metti (L) 2%

2006 Gubernatorial:
Schwarzenegger (R) 70%
Angiledes (D) 25%
Olivier (L) 2%

2006 House:
Campbell (R) 60%
Young (D) 37%
Cohen (L) 3%

2005 House Special Election:
Campbell (R) 44%
Young (D) 28%
Gilchrist (C) 25%

2004 Presidential Election:
Bush (R) 60%
Kerry (D) 39%

2004 Senate Election:
Jones (R) 51%
Boxer (D) 44%
Gray (L) 3%
Feinland (P&F) 2%

2003 Gubernatorial Recall Election:
Schwarzenegger (R) 63%
Bustamante (D) 17%
McClintock (R) 15%

2002 Gubernatorial Election:
Simon (R) 57%
Davis (D) 35%
Camejo (G) 3%
Copeland (L) 2%

2000 Presidential Election:
Bush (R) 56%
Gore (D) 40%
Nader (G) 3%

2000 Senatorial Election:
Campbell (R) 50%
Feinstein (D) 43%
Lightfoot (L) 2%