Income distribution of the white vote

[minionofmidas]

The (comparatively) lilywhite states would be a good starting point. If the factor disappears there, then... but IIRC it doesn't.

But bear in mind that income and class are not identical. College students, unless their parents are really super duper hyper rich, tend to live in relative penury (and collect a lot of nontangible benefits from school and from home that aren't going to show up in an income question, making them appear poorer than they are.) And we know how they vote.

[minionofmidas]

Whites Under $50,000 (25%): McCain 51% / Obama 47%
Whites Over $50,000 (49%): McCain 56% / Obama 43%

How can McCain win whites over 50k by 13 points if he won whites overall by 12? A

Presumably because in this poll he didn't. That'd be the logical explanation. That set of figures points to a win by 10, the other one (college) to a win by 11. Either way it's just statistical noise.

It's stunning how there's a clear-cut class angle to Non-White Republicanism but the White picture is so much more complicated. One really wonders whether there can be any No College but Over 50k White Democrats left... or any College but Under 50k White Republicans, either.