Why have democrats almost always won New York City?

[Soonerdem]

Looking back at some presidential history results it’s kind of amazing how even back in the 1840’s and 50’s and in the early days of the GOP the New York State map is almost always NYC goes dem along with maybe buffalo and a few areas around the city and Upstate with everything else going for either the Whigs or GOP. Even in Lincoln vs Douglas, Grant and the Roosevelt’s the map always looks the same. I know that their are a few exceptions and that the GOP does even worse now in the city then it did back then but given that so many people think the parties completely switched. (A point I actually somewhat disagree on) why has NYC been Dem from Van Buren to Clinton?

[AtorBoltox]

NYC has always been an immigrant city and democrats have always been the party of immigrants, from the time the Irish came to now

[SWE]

Looking back at some presidential history results it’s kind of amazing how even back in the 1840’s and 50’s and in the early days of the GOP the New York State map is almost always NYC goes dem along with maybe buffalo and a few areas around the city and Upstate with everything else going for either the Whigs or GOP. Even in Lincoln vs Douglas, Grant and the Roosevelt’s the map always looks the same. I know that their are a few exceptions and that the GOP does even worse now in the city then it did back then but given that so many people think the parties completely switched. (A point I actually somewhat disagree on) why has NYC been Dem from Van Buren to Clinton?

Pre-FDR, Erie County went Whig/Republican on all but four occasions, and three of those were when the anti-Democratic vote was split. It was more reliably GOP/Whig back then than it is reliably Democratic today.

[Soonerdem]

Looking back at some presidential history results it’s kind of amazing how even back in the 1840’s and 50’s and in the early days of the GOP the New York State map is almost always NYC goes dem along with maybe buffalo and a few areas around the city and Upstate with everything else going for either the Whigs or GOP. Even in Lincoln vs Douglas, Grant and the Roosevelt’s the map always looks the same. I know that their are a few exceptions and that the GOP does even worse now in the city then it did back then but given that so many people think the parties completely switched. (A point I actually somewhat disagree on) why has NYC been Dem from Van Buren to Clinton?

Pre-FDR, Erie County went Whig/Republican on all but four occasions, and three of those were when the anti-Democratic vote was split. It was more reliably GOP/Whig back then than it is reliably Democratic today.

Interesting. I had thought Cleveland had won it given that he was literally from their but your right. Even Cleveland had the same NYC area win Upstate lost map

[Ismail]

NYC has always been an immigrant city and democrats have always been the party of immigrants, from the time the Irish came to now

There was also this: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tammany-Hall

[darklordoftech]

I'm curious about what the pre-Patato-Famine demographics of NYC were.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I'm curious about what the pre-Patato-Famine demographics of NYC were.

Irish were already coming to New York, so there was a smaller contingent pre-famine, but I would imagine that a large population of English, Welsh and Dutch is the answer.

[darklordoftech]

I'm curious about what the pre-Patato-Famine demographics of NYC were.

Irish were already coming to New York, so there was a smaller contingent pre-famine, but I would imagine that a large population of English, Welsh and Dutch is the answer.

When did Irish immigrants start coming?

[RINO Tom]

You should not just partially disagree with an assertion as ridiculous as "the two parties basically flipped."

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I'm curious about what the pre-Patato-Famine demographics of NYC were.

Irish were already coming to New York, so there was a smaller contingent pre-famine, but I would imagine that a large population of English, Welsh and Dutch is the answer.

When did Irish immigrants start coming?

Well in very small numbers, the 1600's.

But I would say after the War of 1812, you would see bigger numbers. You still had the pull of jobs and such and hope for a better life and Ireland was hardly a paradise before the famine, not to mention the oppression by the British. The famine certainly accelerated it beyond anything comparable though.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

New York County was a swing county in the 1840s.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I know that their are a few exceptions and that the GOP does even worse now in the city then it did back then but given that so many people think the parties completely switched. (A point I actually somewhat disagree on) why has NYC been Dem from Van Buren to Clinton?

NYC has constantly replaced its immigrant population. So as middle class English people embraced the party of the commercial interests, they were being out numbered by the Irish. When the Irish took over the city, they repulsed a lot of Jewish and Italian immigrants, who embraced the Republicans and American Labor Party.

Beginning with FDR, the Democrats became more associated with the Fio Coalition of Jews, Italians and minorities, Middle class Irish, Germans and some Italians, moved in opposition towards the Republicans. You see this dynamic forming when you compare the borough maps for Mayor and President in the 1940's. Fio would win MAnhattan, Bronx and Brooklyn, while Dems won Queens and Staten Island. For President, FDR won Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn, while Wilkie or Dewey would win Queens and Staten Island.

Finally, you had substantial degree of white flight and the changing composition of employment and diversity that composed what is term silk stocking areas (Upper East Side) as Yankee establishment types (think Bruce Bartlett or Frederick Coudert who were conservatives representing the UES in Congress) were replaced with what we would basically call latte liberals (and thus the district elected more liberal representation in the form John Lindsay in 1958). As these areas became less Republican, the middle class Irish and Italian precincts began to out perform for the Republicans, except when Kennedy was running on the ballot. Some of these even trended Republican in 1964 while everywhere else Goldwater was losing ground except the deep south).

But it boils down to being the vanguard party for immigrants and minorities.

[john1565]

Looking back at some presidential history results it’s kind of amazing how even back in the 1840’s and 50’s and in the early days of the GOP the New York State map is almost always NYC goes dem along with maybe buffalo and a few areas around the city and Upstate with everything else going for either the Whigs or GOP. Even in Lincoln vs Douglas, Grant and the Roosevelt’s the map always looks the same. I know that their are a few exceptions and that the GOP does even worse now in the city then it did back then but given that so many people think the parties completely switched. (A point I actually somewhat disagree on) why has NYC been Dem from Van Buren to Clinton?

Not only NYC. There are some area in which democrats win almost always and vice-versa. For example, look at the table for Texas on Wikipedia here (oops! This forum requires more post to allow me to include a link  )