Why do state capitals tend to be in conservative metropolitan areas?

[danwxman]

A few notable ones would be Harrisburg, Richmond, Oklahoma City and Austin. On the face of it, it seems plausible most state employees would identify as Democrats, but most state capital's metro areas are conservative/Republican.

[minionofmidas]

Are they?
Most are Democrat, or at least more Democrat than other cities of the same size in the same state. Remember that not all state employees work in the state Capital.
There exists a no. of exceptions though.

[Alcon]

Here's a map of how the counties containing the state capitals voted:



I wouldn't exactly say they tend to be conservative.

[Cashcow]

Your % in Texas is wrong -- Travis County was 56% Kerry

[Alcon]

Your % in Texas is wrong -- Travis County was 56% Kerry

Thanks, fixed that.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

There are some exceptions. Atlanta, Santa Fe, Austin, and  Boston, are definitely more liberal than the state as a whole.

[danwxman]

Here's a map of how the counties containing the state capitals voted:



I wouldn't exactly say they tend to be conservative.

I don't think you can count just the counties the capitals are in, but the entire metropolitan area. It would be difficult to make a map of that, but I bet almost all of them would be Republican.

[nini2287]

Perhaps, because state capitals tend to be more in the middle of the state and coastal areas tend to be more liberal (applicable for some states)

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Perhaps, because state capitals tend to be more in the middle of the state and coastal areas tend to be more liberal (applicable for some states)

It'd help Sacramento, CA, I bet Kerry got over 50% of its metro area.

The following would obviously still be fairly Democrat
Olympia, WA
Santa Fe, NM
Boston, MA
Albany, NY
Washington, DC
St. Paul, MN
Madison, WI
Providence, RI
Montipelier, VT

[danwxman]

Perhaps, because state capitals tend to be more in the middle of the state and coastal areas tend to be more liberal (applicable for some states)

It'd help Sacramento, CA, I bet Kerry got over 50% of its metro area.

The following would obviously still be fairly Democrat
Olympia, WA
Santa Fe, NM
Boston, MA
Albany, NY
Washington, DC
St. Paul, MN
Madison, WI
Providence, RI
Montipelier, VT

Isn't the Sacramento area less Democratic then San Francisco and Los Angeles?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Kerry only just squeaked Sacramento county

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Perhaps, because state capitals tend to be more in the middle of the state and coastal areas tend to be more liberal (applicable for some states)

It'd help Sacramento, CA, I bet Kerry got over 50% of its metro area.

The following would obviously still be fairly Democrat
Olympia, WA
Santa Fe, NM
Boston, MA
Albany, NY
Washington, DC
St. Paul, MN
Madison, WI
Providence, RI
Montipelier, VT

Isn't the Sacramento area less Democratic then San Francisco and Los Angeles?

My point is the metro area is probably mode Democratic than the county, especially if the metro area includes Davis.

[TB]

Perhaps, because state capitals tend to be more in the middle of the state and coastal areas tend to be more liberal (applicable for some states)

That's a very good point. Most state capitols are located near the geographical center of the state, that means that most state capitals are fairly small.

[minionofmidas]

Perhaps, because state capitals tend to be more in the middle of the state and coastal areas tend to be more liberal (applicable for some states)

It'd help Sacramento, CA, I bet Kerry got over 50% of its metro area.

The following would obviously still be fairly Democrat
Olympia, WA
Santa Fe, NM
Boston, MA
Albany, NY
Washington, DC
St. Paul, MN
Madison, WI
Providence, RI
Montipelier, VT

Isn't the Sacramento area less Democratic then San Francisco and Los Angeles?

My point is the metro area is probably mode Democratic than the county, especially if the metro area includes Davis.

It does...but then it also includes Placer and Amador and such places.

[Alcon]

My point is the metro area is probably mode Democratic than the county, especially if the metro area includes Davis.

It does...but then it also includes Placer and Amador and such places.

Out of curiosity, why? Amador City and Ione are quite rural if I recall correctly. Worlds apart from Sacramento, certainly.

[True Democrat]

I don't think Fulton County was that Democratic.

[minionofmidas]

Most of the population is on the Western fringe of the county...Sacramento exurbs really. I noticed that when I ddid that regerrymandering.

[The Duke]

Maybe its that state capitals are not ususally that large.  They are ususally more medium sized cities.

[jimrtex]

The census bureau bases metropolitan areas more on commuter patterns than settlement patterns.   This can produce some odd results.  For example, the Flagstaff metropolitan area at one time extended into Utah, based on people commuting from a small rural county in Utah into Coconimo County, Arizona, even though this was a couple 100 miles from Flagstaff (and the other side of the Grand Canyon).

There was a concern that some parts of Nevada would be in the Sacramento metro area, since one of the California counties extends from outside Sacramento to the Lake Tahoe area.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The census bureau bases metropolitan areas more on commuter patterns than settlement patterns.   This can produce some odd results.  For example, the Flagstaff metropolitan area at one time extended into Utah, based on people commuting from a small rural county in Utah into Coconimo County, Arizona, even though this was a couple 100 miles from Flagstaff (and the other side of the Grand Canyon).

There was a concern that some parts of Nevada would be in the Sacramento metro area, since one of the California counties extends from outside Sacramento to the Lake Tahoe area.

Metro areas shouldn't be by county. It's pretty dumb to have San Bernardino County, CA be considered part of a metro area when it's about 20 times the size of RI.

[Q]

I don't think Fulton County was that Democratic.

Kerry received 59.7% in Fulton (of which I was .000005%), according to my calculations.

[Sam Spade]

Here's a map of how the counties containing the state capitals voted:



I wouldn't exactly say they tend to be conservative.

I don't think you can count just the counties the capitals are in, but the entire metropolitan area. It would be difficult to make a map of that, but I bet almost all of them would be Republican.

If you include the city of Austin and its suburbs and metropolitan, specifically (ie Williamson County and Hays County) the total will come to being very close to 50%-50%, though Kerry could well be ahead by a couple of points.

Nonetheless, compare this to the rest of the state of Texas, which was 61%-38% Bush.  That's nearly a 20-point disparity.

Also compare this to other metropolitan areas in Texas:

Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston are probably right around 60%-40% Bush.  These areas are roughly 50% of the population of the state.

San Antonio is probably around 55%-45% Bush, and El Paso is probably around 55%-45% Kerry.

The border area still is Democrat, but much less so that it has ever been in a long time, probably around 60%-40% Kerry this time around (don't know for sure).

The rural areas kill the Democrats, because they went around 70%-30% for Bush.
Anyway, the way Democrats used to win Texas in Presidential elections was to get killed in the Houston and Dallas metro areas and then rack up huge gains in the rural areas and in South Texas.  Read the numbers on how Humphrey won in 1968 and how Carter won in 1976.

Unless the Democrats can shorten their losses in the Houston or Dallas metro areas or get back the rural vote, they'll never win in Texas for a long time.

[jimrtex]

The border area still is Democrat, but much less so that it has ever been in a long time,
probably around 60%-40% Kerry this time around (don't know for sure).

Kerry 55.5%-Bush 44.5% for the counties from Eagle Pass to Brownsville.

Bush carried Cameron County (as well as Nueces and Kleberg, not on the border of course).

Bexar was 54% Bush.  But if you include the counties ringing it, it is almost 60%.  Bush had a 54%
lead in Comal (New Braunfels) and a 60% lead in Kendall.