Food for thought: A Northeast liberal hasn't been elected President since 1960

[Barack Oganja]

That President, of course, was JFK. Since then, Democratic Presidents have normally come from the South, as was the case with LBJ, Clinton, and Carter. Obama is the only other northern liberal in that timeframe, but he called the Midwest home, not the northeast. There have been 3 NE liberals to lose since 1960, Dukakis in 88, Kerry in 04, and Hillary in 16. Funny enough, Republicans in that timeframe have elected the same number of presidents from the northeast, one Donald J. Trump. Now we know that the Republicans will brand every Democratic nominee as out of touch, coastal elite, etc. But from a perception standpoint, sometimes it seems to help to come from the Midwest or South, even if the policies are the same. Is the northeast stigma a real thing, or is this trend mostly by chance? Is the California stigma any better or worse?

[OSR stands with Israel]

Prior to Obama , JFK was also the last Democrat outside the South to win a Presidential Election

[Crumpets]

Chicago is only not considered the northeast because of the blatant oriencentrism of American culture.

[Kingpoleon]

Chicago is only not considered the northeast because of the blatant oriencentrism of American culture.

Did you just try to invent a word?

[HillGoose]

California is the best state, Texas not far behind.

Having a President from one of those states again would be awesome

[Hammy]

California is the best state, Texas not far behind.

Having a President from one of those states again would be awesome

I'll be fine with a Dem from one of those states. Just so long as we agree never to nominate anyone from New York or Massachusetts ever again (or Florida either).

[Yank2133]

I am not sure there is really a correlation. Both Dukasis and Kerry took on incumbents and Hillary was done in by an incompetent FBI director.

[Sumner 1868]

It's been even longer since a northeast Republican won.

[OSR stands with Israel]

It's been even longer since a northeast Republican won.

Donald Trump won 2 years ago

[Sumner 1868]

It's been even longer since a northeast Republican won.

Donald Trump won 2 years ago

I was thinking more of New England when I typed that.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

It's been even longer since a northeast Republican won.

Donald Trump won 2 years ago

I was thinking more of New England when I typed that.

George H.W. Bush technically counts.

[TDAS04]

A Western liberal has never won the presidency, but that doesn't mean there aren't potentially strong Western Democrats.

[Badger]

That President, of course, was JFK. Since then, Democratic Presidents have normally come from the South, as was the case with LBJ, Clinton, and Carter. Obama is the only other northern liberal in that timeframe, but he called the Midwest home, not the northeast. There have been 3 NE liberals to lose since 1960, Dukakis in 88, Kerry in 04, and Hillary in 16. Funny enough, Republicans in that timeframe have elected the same number of presidents from the northeast, one Donald J. Trump. Now we know that the Republicans will brand every Democratic nominee as out of touch, coastal elite, etc. But from a perception standpoint, sometimes it seems to help to come from the Midwest or South, even if the policies are the same. Is the northeast stigma a real thing, or is this trend mostly by chance? Is the California stigma any better or worse?

That really proves nothing. You were talking about a field of only 14 elections of which Democrats won six . 

Taking the individual candidates into account, Obama would have won if he was a senator from New York or Connecticut or Pennsylvania. Lbj's Texas ties  at most  might have lost him  one or two additional close Southern States  if he was  from Massachusetts, but he obviously still would have won in a landslide . Hillary won but for being completely screwed in the Electoral College to an unprecedented degree. Plus Kerry came pretty damn close, and arguably probably would have won but for Osama Bin Laden making a very targeted attack on Bush the week before the election. It's also not like George McGovern or Hubert Humphrey fared materially better by being liberals from the Heartland Midwest.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Because ELITISM!

[Thank you for being a friend...]

What's really weird is that since 1960, there have been four nominees from Massachusetts (Kennedy, Dukakis, Kerry, Romney), which is a smaller state than a lot of the big ones, and NONE from Pennsylvania or Ohio.  In fact, there hasn't been a nominee from PA since the last President to come from there, James Buchanan in 1856! (DDE considered Abilene, Kansas his hometown but they had the farm in Gettysburg.)

Florida, despite becoming more important in national politics, has not had any politicians from that state chosen as nominees either.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Back before Obama got elected, you used to hear, "NO NORTHERN LIBERAL HAS GOTTEN ELECTED SINCE JFK!" I see the goalposts continue moving.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

This is a monumentally useless observation. When was the last time the nation elected a conservative from the Midwest or the Deep South? A liberal from the West Coast? Anyone at all from the Interior West?

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

This is a monumentally useless observation. When was the last time the nation elected a conservative from the Midwest or the Deep South? A liberal from the West Coast? Anyone at all from the Interior West?

1984 (Ronald Reagan).

[OSR stands with Israel]

This is a monumentally useless observation. When was the last time the nation elected a conservative from the Midwest or the Deep South? A liberal from the West Coast? Anyone at all from the Interior West?

1984 (Ronald Reagan).

Um Reagan was from California not the Midwest 

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

This is a monumentally useless observation. When was the last time the nation elected a conservative from the Midwest or the Deep South? A liberal from the West Coast? Anyone at all from the Interior West?

1984 (Ronald Reagan).

Um Reagan was from California not the Midwest 

Um, Reagan was born AND raised in Illinois not California.

[OSR stands with Israel]

This is a monumentally useless observation. When was the last time the nation elected a conservative from the Midwest or the Deep South? A liberal from the West Coast? Anyone at all from the Interior West?

1984 (Ronald Reagan).

Um Reagan was from California not the Midwest  

Um, Reagan was born AND raised in Illinois not California.

Reagan’s political career was built in California and particularly in Orange County , served as a Governor of that state and even considered him self Californian .

[Mr. Smith]

In fairness, the liberal Northeastern was the one the people voted for last time, screwed over by an arbitrary system.

And it was a very very miniscule difference in Ohio  that prevented another liberal Northeasterner from winning the Presidency despite the people still riding the Iraq high far enough to actually want Bush more.

So clearly, that's not quite the issue the pundits take it for.

Bigger question: Why so shellshocked over an election 45 years ago that was an unwinnable landslide anyway that you won't nominate a Westerner, Democrats?

[Crumpets]

Chicago is only not considered the northeast because of the blatant oriencentrism of American culture.

Did you just try to invent a word?

My thoughts are far too complex for the anglolexinormative tendencies of our language.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

This is a monumentally useless observation. When was the last time the nation elected a conservative from the Midwest or the Deep South? A liberal from the West Coast? Anyone at all from the Interior West?

1984 (Ronald Reagan).

Um Reagan was from California not the Midwest  

Um, Reagan was born AND raised in Illinois not California.

Reagan’s political career was built in California and particularly in Orange County , served as a Governor of that state and even considered him self Californian .

Yes, we all know that but he was still a Midwesterner.

He was a lifelong Cubs fan. He had announced games for them when he was younger and he threw out some first pitches for the Cubs back in the '80s.

He also visited his hometown of Dixon, IL during his Presidency. Additionally, growing up in the Midwest had a huge impact on his values and political career.

I say all of that as a person who strongly dislikes Reagan's presidency.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Bushes are from CT