The breaking down of party loyalties in Eastern Kentucky

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The 2008 Presidential election in which Obama, of course, lost a load of traditional Democratic strongholds in Eastern Kentucky. We are all familiar with this pattern, with this map. It shows, quite clearly, that the total loyalty to the Democratic Party in much of the area is a thing of the past.

However...



The 2007 Gubernatorial election in Kentucky. Note how well Beshear did in the traditionally Republican parts of the area (an explanation exists for Leslie, but not the others). Okay, this isn't so unusual as 2008, but when this sort of thing has happened in the past it has usually been in landslides far larger than Beshear managed over Fletcher or in elections blatently polarised along regional lines (not true of 2007).

So. What's going on?

[Sam Spade]

Good question.  I know that Beshear ran well in the Dem governor's primary in 1987, but that wouldn't explain this.

[Rob]

So. What's going on?

Maybe the Appalachians are starting to realize that the Civil War ended in 1865.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So. What's going on?

Maybe the Appalachians are starting to realize that the Civil War ended in 1865.

But that doesn't answer the question All it does is shifts the emphasis; why now?

[dwkulcsar]

Maybe Beshear is a name that has been around since the early 1980's and Obama wasn't? Or that Beshear actually campaigned heavily in Kentucky (see what I did there)?

[minionofmidas]

So. What's going on?

Maybe the Appalachians are starting to realize that the Civil War ended in 1865.

But that doesn't answer the question All it does is shifts the emphasis; why now?

It takes 144 years to carry news through the laurel jungles.

[minionofmidas]

Or that Beshear actually campaigned heavily in Kentucky (see what I did there)?

The question was why he did comparatively well in a certain portion of Kentucky - the blue center-east bit, which has usually been insanely Republican ever since 1864. This was considered to be a development somewhat similar to the abandonment, by the Dems living to their immediate east, of Democratic presidential candidates.

Just to make it clear to people who don't know KY that well what Al was actually talking about - not Obama's and Beshear's statewide percentages. (For those, one might just say that John McCain was a far worthier opponent than Ernie Fletcher. )