Top Dem and Rep results, by state

[minionofmidas]

From 1960 (or possibly before) to 1980, at every single presidential election, Androscoggin was the most Democratic county in Maine and Hancock was the most Republican one.
Since then, these ranks have changed hands at almost every single election (Rep) / have changed hands at every single election (Dem)
1984 Cumberland / Lincoln
1988 Androscoggin / Lincoln
1992 Cumberland / York
1996 Androscoggin / Lincoln
2000 Kennebec / Piscataquis
2004 Cumberland / Piscataquis...which are, respectively, the largest and the smallest county in the state, population wise. (and have been at every election since 1960)

2008 Cumberland / Piscataquis

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Strange...

[minionofmidas]

As you may have noticed, I just renamed the thread...
New Hampshire
Hillsborough has been the largest county (by votes cast) through 60-04
smallest county was Carroll until 76, Sullivan in 80, Coos since 84
most Republican county was Carroll til 88, Belknap since 92
most Democratic county has a lot of changes though - no less than 5 of the state's 10 counties have been the most Democratic in the state at one point or another:
1960 - Hillsborough
1964 - Coos
1968 - Coos
1972 - Strafford
1976 - Coos
1980 - Sullivan
1984 - Strafford
1988 - Cheshire
1992 - Cheshire
1996 - Strafford
2000 - Cheshire
2004 - Cheshire

2008 - Grafton. Yeah, got a new favorite. And a new best Republican too, Rockingham.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Prediction:

For KY top GOP is almost always Jackson, top Dem is almost always Elliot

[minionofmidas]

Vermont
Largest county - always Chittenden
Smallest county - Grand Isle to 80, Essex since 84
Most Democratic
1960 Chittenden
64, 68 Franklin
1972 Chittenden
1976 Franklin
1980 Grand Isle
84-92 Windham
96, 00 Chittenden
2004 Windham

2008 Windham

Most Republican
1960 Orange
64-76 Lamoille
1980 Caledonia
84-92 Essex
1996 Rutland
00, 04 Essex

08 Essex.

[minionofmidas]

Prediction:

For KY top GOP is almost always Jackson, top Dem is almost always Elliot

Have patience.
Kentucky isn't due till early next year or so.
You should now place your predictions on Southern New England.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Prediction:

For KY top GOP is almost always Jackson, top Dem is almost always Elliot

Have patience.
Kentucky isn't due till early next year or so.
You should now place your predictions on Southern New England.

Southern New England, eh? Hmm... Boston (Suffolk IIRC) is pretty much always the most Democratic county in MA (maybe Berkshire beats it some years?)... most Republican would have to be either Plymouth or Barnstable. Ages ago it would have been Frankin IIRC
Most GOP in CT would be Litchfield (maybe Fairfield some years?)... most Dem would be Hartford.
For RI most Dem would be Providence. Most GOP... Washington or Kent.

I meant to say Elliot or Knott, BTW

[minionofmidas]

Massachusetts
Largest: Always Middlesex
Smallest: always Nantucket
Most Dem: always Suffolk
Most Rep:
1960 Nantucket
64-80 Barnstable
84, 88 Plymouth
1992 Worcester (!!!)
96, 00 Barnstable
2004 Plymouth

2008 Plymouth. And still Suffolk.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Massachusetts
Largest: Always Middlesex
Smallest: always Nantucket
Most Dem: always Suffolk
Most Rep:
1960 Nantucket
64-80 Barnstable
84, 88 Plymouth
1992 Worcester (!!!)
96, 00 Barnstable
2004 Plymouth

I wass mostly right. '92 is odd though...

[minionofmidas]

Speaking of odd...
Most Republican county, Rhode Island
1960-68 Washington (this much is fine)
1972 Newport
1976 Washington
1980 Newport
1984 Washington
1988 Newport (you think this is odd? Read on)
1992 Bristol
1996 Newport
2000 Washington
2004 Kent

2008 Kent

That's all the counties in RI except for Providence, consistently largest, consistently most Democratic (still so).
Bristol is consistently smallest.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I like Rhode Island

[minionofmidas]

Connecticut
Largest
1960-1980 Hartford
1984 Fairfield
1988, 1992 Hartford
1996-2004 Fairfield

Smallest
1960, 1964 Tolland
1968-2004 Windham

Most Democratic
Hartford except 1964, 1976 Windham (still)

Most Republican
Fairfield except 1960, 1984, 2000, 2004 Litchfield. 2008 still Litchfield.

[nclib]

Lewis,

Are you using margin of victory or party percentage?

[minionofmidas]

Lewis,

Are you using margin of victory or party percentage?

I was using party percentage.
The 92 results are bound to behave oddly since that was a real 3-way election. But going with margin of victory would, at least in Northern New England, have been even stranger, since Perot came second and even first in a number of counties there.

[minionofmidas]

New York
Largest county -
1960 to 1972 Kings
1976 to 1996 Nassau
since 2000 Kings

Smallest county - Hamilton

Most Democratic county -
1960, 1980, since 1996 - Bronx
1964-1992 except 1980 - New York

2008 Bronx

Most Republican county -
Hamilton except 1960 Delaware, 1964 Richmond (!!!), 1980 Putnam

2008 Hamilton

[minionofmidas]

New Jersey
largest - 60 and 64 Essex, Bergen ever since
smallest - 60 Suusex, 64 Hunterdon, Salem ever since
most dem - Essex except 60 Mercer, 64 and 96 Hudson, 76 Cumberland
most rep - Sussex except 76 and 92 Morris, 96 Hunterdon

Still Essex and Sussex.

[minionofmidas]

Pennsylvania
Largest county - Philadelphia to 92, Allegheny in 96 and 00, Philadelphia in 04
Smallest county - searching for the smallest county at every election is pretty timeconsuming. I've decided to drop that except in states with very few counties. Smallest county in PA in 1960 was Forest, in 2004 it was Sullivan.
Most Dem - Philadelphia except 1964 Greene

Still Philly

Most Rep - Snyder to 1988, Lancaster in 92 and 96, Fulton in 2000 and 04.

2008 Fulton

[minionofmidas]

Delaware
Largest - New Castle
Smallest - Kent
Most Dem - New Castle except 1976, Kent
Most Rep - Sussex
Error in the data for 1968, btw.

Still New Castle and Sussex.

[Nym90]

Very interesting. I hope you eventually finish the whole country.

[Nym90]

Going back before 1960, we find the following.

For Maine--

               Most Dem                           Most GOP
1956       Androscoggin                     Hancock
1952       Androscoggin                     Lincoln
1948       Androscoggin                     Lincoln
1944       Androscoggin                     Waldo
1940       Androscoggin                     Lincoln
1936       Androscoggin                     Lincoln
1932       Androscoggin                     Hancock
1928       Androscoggin                     Hancock
1924       Androscoggin                     Aroostook
1920       Androscoggin                     Aroostook
1916       Knox                                  Aroostook
1912       Knox                                  York (Aroostook was the strongest for Roosevelt)

[Nym90]

New Hampshire


         Most Dem                Most GOP
1956 Hillsborough            Carroll
1952 Hillsborough            Carroll
1948 Hillsborough            Carroll
1944 Hillsborough            Carroll
1940 Hillsborough            Carroll
1936 Hillsborough            Carroll
1932 Hillsborough            Carroll
1928 Hillsborough            Carroll
1924 Strafford                  Cheshire
1920 Coos                        Rockingham
1916 Coos                        Cheshire
1912 Strafford                  Cheshire (Roosevelt--Sullivan, though he didn't win any counties in NH)
1908 Strafford                  Cheshire
1904 Strafford                  Cheshire
1900 Strafford                  Cheshire

[Alcon]

Delaware
Largest - New Castle
Smallest - Kent
Most Dem - New Castle except 1976, Kent
Most Rep - Sussex
Error in the data for 1968, btw.

What is the error?

[minionofmidas]

Delaware
Largest - New Castle
Smallest - Kent
Most Dem - New Castle except 1976, Kent
Most Rep - Sussex
Error in the data for 1968, btw.

What is the error?

I sent Dave a bug report, so maybe he's corrected it. Totals for New Castle and one of the other two counties were reversed.

[minionofmidas]

Jumped the gun, done California:
Largest - Los Angeles o/c.
Most Dem - SF except 1960 Plumas (!) and 1976 Alameda (they just didn't like Carter in San Francisco...I don't know what happened.)

2008 SF

Most Rep - 1960, 1964 - Alpine
1968 - Mono (both went Dem for the first time since the New Deal in 2004!)
1972-1988 Orange
1992, 1996 - Sutter
2000, 2004 - Modoc

2008 Modoc

[tinman64]

Living in the Bay Area at the time of the 76 election, I can say that it wasn't the liberal bastion then that it is today.  Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties leaned GOP.  San Francisco itself had Republican enclaves that are now all gone.  Then-Mayor George Moscone was perhaps the first true liberal mayor of SF.  His predecessor, Alioto, was a conservative Democrat, and prior to him, Mayor George Christopher was a Republican.

Carter carried San Francisco, but did poorly there for a Democrat.  As I recall, there was some discussion of a sympathy vote materializing for Ford in SF, as an assassination attempt happened there the previous year.

In addition, there were concerns about voting machines.  News reports in San Francisco after the election called attention to this.  It was stated that perhaps thousands of Carter voters in the Bay Area pushed the wrong voting lever, voting instead for Lester Maddox.  This was due to the proximity of the Maddox lever to the Carter lever (both seemed to be in Carter's box.)