How did the South vote in previous presidential elections?

[TDAS04]

It just goes to show that Barry Goldwater and The Civil Rights Act (and later Nixon and the Southern Strategy) is given far too much credit in turning the South to the GOP. The South was moving towards the GOP even before Eisenhower appeared.

You're right about the non-Deep South, but not the Deep South.  Goldwater was the first GOP candidate to win any Deep South state (he carried all five) since Reconstruction (except for Ike winning Louisiana in 1956).