“System of 1896” county map

[catographer]

What made Mississippi and South Carolina vote more Democratic then the Other Solid South states during this time period?

I'm just gonna make a wild guess based on the geography: note that the less-Democratic areas of Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina are all Appalachian regions that border the solid Republican regions of eastern Tennessee and Kentucky. This region is a more Republican, less pro-slavery region, so maybe some of those voters vote similarly in other states.