why has delaware become virtually a solid democrat state (from the presidential level on down).
New Castle (the northern county with Wilmington) has about 63% of the population, down from 70% in 1970. In 1790, the 3 counties each had about 20,000 people. Kent (the middle county) only doubled in population between 1790 and 1950, while Sussex County had trebled, but New Castle increased by more than 10 times.
Between 1950 and 1980 Kent caught up with Sussex, but since then Sussex has surged ahead. I assume Kent growth is outer suburbs of Wilmington and Philadelphia, while Sussex is recreation/retirement based on Rehobeth Beach, which has been opened up by completion of the cross-Chesapeake bridge at Annapolis, which make it as close to Baltimore and Washington as it is to Philadelphia. But New Castle has been outpacing the national growth rate, so its dominance has only been slowly coming down.
There appears to be significant divergence between the north and south. In 1996-2004 New Castle has been steady at just over 20% Democrat margin, while Sussex has gone from a 2% Democrat majority to a 22% Republican majority. Overall, Delaware may be trending back toward the Republicans.
