Hawaii/Alaska

[moderate_devil_dog]

What do most Hawaiians and Alaskans base their votes on?  Hawaii like Alaska just seem to be in a different world compared to the other 48 states?  Any info on either would be appreciated.

[Smash255]

Alaska tends to be moderate on social issues, but fairly economially conservative & they vote on economics.  Hawaii tends to be liberal on social issues & lean liberal on economic  issues.

[King]

Hawaii tends to lean liberal on moderate issues.

Moderate issues?

[Smash255]

Hawaii tends to lean liberal on moderate issues.

Moderate issues?

oops economic issues

[Gustaf]

I've been told that Hawaii has a tradition of voting for incumbents. It didn't actually turn Democratic till the 80s. It was very close in 1960 and was won heavily by Nixon in 1972 (above national average). In 1976 it was again very close, on national average I think.

Alaska has a history of voting 3rd party quite a lot. It also was a battleground throughout the 60s but turned Republican in the 70s. Ford won it by 20% and Carter got only 25% there in 1980. No Democrat has gotten more than 40% of the vote since 1968.

[Ebowed]

Alaska has a history of voting 3rd party quite a lot. It also was a battleground throughout the 60s but turned Republican in the 70s. Ford won it by 20% and Carter got only 25% there in 1980. No Democrat has gotten more than 40% of the vote since 1968.

Good point Gustaf, Nixon's margin of victory in Alaska in 1968 was less than three points or so.  And it went pretty overwhelmingly for Johnson four years earlier.  Quite an interesting state, Alaska.

[MaC]

Hawaiins base their votes on who will please the volcano gods.

Alaskans base their vote on who will please Santa Claus.

[AkSaber]

An Alaska topic. My favorite kind. Actually, a rather large issue we Alaskans pay close attention to is who will let us develop our land. States' rights if you will. And the Republicans fit the bill. Even the Democrats up here look out for the state. Tony Knowles, a liberal Democrat, was a very strong supporter of ANWR. And Alaskan Dems usually have to be moderate in order to win anything up here. Again, Tony Knowles was against gun control.

[minionofmidas]

Alaska and Hawaii were close in the 1960s because during the long colonial territorial era, national issues and the positions of the national parties had played only a small role in state politics and in people's party choices, and it took some time for the old traditions to disappear (one thing that happened in Hawai'i in the 60s is that the state's White population went from voting Republican as a bloc to voting over-average Democratic - and as a result, Honolulu county went from being the most Democratic to being the most Republican county in the state.)

[Gustaf]

You mean from Republican to Democratic, right?

[bgwah]

You mean from Republican to Democratic, right?

Honolulu is the most Republican county in the state...even if its still democratic.

But I'm still confused as to what Lewis means.

[Akno21]

National Democrats do especially poor in Alaska because the Greens have a large base there, of people who are very pro-environment. IIRC Nader got 10% in 2000.

[Alcon]

National Democrats do especially poor in Alaska because the Greens have a large base there, of people who are very pro-environment. IIRC Nader got 10% in 2000.

Well, I don't think that's why Dems do especially bad in Alaska. I think there are a lot of independent-minded voters there, who even may have voted Nader in 2000 and Bush in 2004.

[minionofmidas]

Honolulu County is much more strongly Asian than the outer counties, where both the White and the Native Hawaiian populations are larger, percentage-wise. Thence a realignment of the Whites makes Honolulu County into a comparatively more Republican county - all the others trended more much heavily Dem.

[Akno21]

National Democrats do especially poor in Alaska because the Greens have a large base there, of people who are very pro-environment. IIRC Nader got 10% in 2000.

Well, I don't think that's why Dems do especially bad in Alaska. I think there are a lot of independent-minded voters there, who even may have voted Nader in 2000 and Bush in 2004.

In 2000, Bush got 58% there, but Gore was in the twenties. Normally, if Bush got 58, Gore would be able to pull 40. But since Nader got 10, it makes Alaska look very un-Democratic, even when it is a lot less Republican than states in the Mountain west.

[Redefeatbush04]

An Alaska topic. My favorite kind. Actually, a rather large issue we Alaskans pay close attention to is who will let us develop our land. States' rights if you will. And the Republicans fit the bill. Even the Democrats up here look out for the state. Tony Knowles, a liberal Democrat, was a very strong supporter of ANWR. And Alaskan Dems usually have to be moderate in order to win anything up here. Again, Tony Knowles was against gun control.

Right. A true Alaskan knows Alaska. The only cities in Alaska that even came close to going democratic were Juneau (which did) + Bethel. Bethel most likely because of its large native population and Juneau because it is the capital city and where all the environmentalist "wackos" from the lower 48 flock to when they want to enjoy Alaska's natural beauty but don't want to be surrounded by those who hate them.

Ketchikan is one of Alaska's most republican cities. This is because it has NOWHERE to expand - a typical problem in Alaska. All of the land surrounding it is protected. I remember reading the Juneau empire last summer while on vacation and reading a surprisingly unbiased article about Bush signing or supporting something (don't remember details) favoring allowing the state to decide whether or not to build roads in the Tongass. For those who don't know - although it isn't an island you can't drive to Juneau, nor any of the other areas in the bush. Correct me if I am wrong on any of that AKsaber.

Alaska is a libertarian state with some of the lowest taxes in the nation. They also seem to almost separate themselves from the other 49 states in a way that no other states seems to do (ok except Texas). States rights is a huge issue. All that rural land and EXCELLENT hunting makes it one of the most anti-gun contoll states in the nation. I have mentioned it too many times. Rural areas SHOULD have looser gun regulation. Living where I do now I would be inclined to vote for most gun controll measures. If I lived in Alaska I would probablly be against those EXACT SAME measures. In NJ the only animal that is around to be hunted is usually people (and that isn't a good thing). Self-defense is much more necessary when your nearest neighbor that can help you is a mile away and no one can hear your screams (I am a sick little SOB). Lets see here - the environment. They hate it and they hate environmentalists. If you live in NYC all you see is people, pollution, and metropolis. It looks like people are destroying the planet. If you live in Alaska you see pristine wilderness and undeveloped land. This is why rural states are against environmental regulation.

[AkSaber]

Right. A true Alaskan knows Alaska. The only cities in Alaska that even came close to going democratic were Juneau (which did) + Bethel. Bethel most likely because of its large native population and Juneau because it is the capital city and where all the environmentalist "wackos" from the lower 48 flock to when they want to enjoy Alaska's natural beauty but don't want to be surrounded by those who hate them.

Ketchikan is one of Alaska's most republican cities. This is because it has NOWHERE to expand - a typical problem in Alaska. All of the land surrounding it is protected. I remember reading the Juneau empire last summer while on vacation and reading a surprisingly unbiased article about Bush signing or supporting something (don't remember details) favoring allowing the state to decide whether or not to build roads in the Tongass. For those who don't know - although it isn't an island you can't drive to Juneau, nor any of the other areas in the bush. Correct me if I am wrong on any of that AKsaber.

Alaska is a libertarian state with some of the lowest taxes in the nation. They also seem to almost separate themselves from the other 49 states in a way that no other states seems to do (ok except Texas). States rights is a huge issue. All that rural land and EXCELLENT hunting makes it one of the most anti-gun contoll states in the nation. I have mentioned it too many times. Rural areas SHOULD have looser gun regulation. Living where I do now I would be inclined to vote for most gun controll measures. If I lived in Alaska I would probablly be against those EXACT SAME measures. In NJ the only animal that is around to be hunted is usually people (and that isn't a good thing). Self-defense is much more necessary when your nearest neighbor that can help you is a mile away and no one can hear your screams (I am a sick little SOB). Lets see here - the environment. They hate it and they hate environmentalists. If you live in NYC all you see is people, pollution, and metropolis. It looks like people are destroying the planet. If you live in Alaska you see pristine wilderness and undeveloped land. This is why rural states are against environmental regulation.

Exactly! From the 2000 borough map of Alaska, way out in the western part of the state, Bush won all the boroughs out there, and they have high native populations. The only reason he won those was because of Ralph Nader. And I take it you know what we Alaskans think of lower 48 environmentalists who want to run our state..

Yeah, Dubya and the Republican party fit the bill for us Alaskans. I remember like in the late 90s, Tony Knowles actually sued the Clinton Administration because Clinton wouldn't let us build a highway in the Tongass forest. But, you are correct. The only way to get to Juneau is by ferry or airplane.

Correction: we have the lowest taxes in the nation! We're number 51 of 51. Gun control is a losing issue up here. Being allies with environmentalists would be suicide. And our beautiful state is mostly untouched and we have a lot to look at. You know RED NJ, you'd make a great Alaskan.

[angus]

What do most Hawaiians and Alaskans base their votes on?  Hawaii like Alaska just seem to be in a different world compared to the other 48 states?  Any info on either would be appreciated.

same thing everyone else in the universe does.  look, hawaii, like New York, is a fairly densely populated place.  Alaska, on the other hand, is sparsely populated, like Wyoming.  If your neighbors are close, you worry about guns and gangs, and you can't burn your trash, so you're willing to pay more for someone to get rid of it.  And you're into public transit and other services.  If your neighbors are far, and the nearest police are hours away, you want your guns, and you don't want people telling you how loud you can have your music, or what you can smoke in your own back yard. 

[Colin]

Where do you live in Alaska AKSaber?

[AkSaber]

I'll give you a hint. Where I live, this place contains 42% of Alaska's population.

[minionofmidas]

Exactly! From the 2000 borough map of Alaska, way out in the western part of the state, Bush won all the boroughs out there, and they have high native populations. The only reason he won those was because of Ralph Nader.

Minor correction: That's a State House District map. There are no exact figures for boroughs (and now there aren't for State House Districts either). I did some sums etc a while back actually and concluded that Gore did win Bethel Census Area and that it was impossible to ascertain who won Wade Hampton Census Area (since postal votes were only allocated by House District.) It  was also impossible to be make 100% sure that Bush won the gigantic, near-unpopulated Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, although I'm personally sure he did.
Oh, and their Native populations are high indeed:
North Slope Borough 68%
Dillingham CA 70%
Yukon-Koyukuk CA 71%
Nome CA 75%
Bethel CA 82%
Northwest Arctic Borough 83%
Wade Hampton CA 93%

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What were the results last year?

[minionofmidas]

Nobody quite knows.

[Colin]

I'll give you a hint. Where I live, this place contains 42% of Alaska's population.

Gotta love Anchorage. How is it? What is it like in Anchorage? I am thinking about moving there later in life so if you could give me some info and some stuff about your city that would be nice.

[AkSaber]

Gotta love Anchorage. How is it? What is it like in Anchorage? I am thinking about moving there later in life so if you could give me some info and some stuff about your city that would be nice.

Anchorage is a very nice place. Summers here are beautiful. Clear blue sky, nice sun. But for summers, get t-shirts! No sweaters. Last August, for something like 20 days, it got over 80 degrees. The winters are also nice. Heavy snowfall, with a white Christmas. Although, the winters for 2000-2003 were mild for us. It would snow one day, and the next day, it would rain. But the winters for 2004-2005 were more of what we want. Moreso in 2004. This is a Republican place. The gun laws here are nice. There is something else. By like 2015 or 2020, the city of Anchorage will run out of land to build on. But not to worry. You see, there's this place called the Mat-Su borough, which is just to the north of the Anchorage one. And that place is experiencing a population explosion because Anchorage is getting too big. Now, by driving to there from Anchorage takes like 45 minutes. You have to drive around the Knik Arm. But, what some politicians want to do is build a bridge across it. With the bridge in place, it would take maybe 20 minutes to drive to the Mat-Su valley. Then the population will really take off! So you might want to consider moving there.