Every single realignment in American history has had a segment of the former majority shift to the new majority. That’s partly why it’s called a realignment. The idea that no former Federal republicans will vote for the new realigning Democratic majority is pretty silly.
Ah, but what if it's not the WWC that's the segment that shifts? Already, we're seeing upscale suburbanites trend from Republican to Democrat. Many had been staunchly R before, so they would count as part of the "former majority." Or perhaps upscale white Republicans don't shift but upscale Hispanic and Asian Republicans do (e.g. if the Republicans go full and explicitly Bannonite), ensuring that both groups go from 70-30 D to being as D as Blacks?
These are both alternative possibilities for the realignment, don't you think?
Romney-Clinton voters were primarily Swing voters and not ardent Republicans until Trump. 9 11 Romney-Clinton counties voted Obama in 2008.
FTFY
There were 17 Romney-Clinton counties in the Country.
11 of them voted for Obama in 2008.
6 of them voted for McCain in 2008.
