Explain Rowan County

[Schiff for Senate]

What explains this county? It's in eastern Kentucky, but unlike its neighbours (including Elliott County), it didn't support Trump by much at all and didn't give him even 60%. It didn't trend that far leftward either. As far as I can see, it's not included in any metropolitan areas (though its density is 82 people a square mile), and it doesn't have any major cities (population is 23,000 and largest city has about 5,000 or so people), and the rest of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield shifted gigantically to the right. I really don't get why this county is so moderate. I mean, this county voted significantly to the left of large suburbs like Boone County, without any clear reason why. Is it just that for whatever reason the ancestral Democrats who abandoned Clinton and Biden stayed loyal here? I don't see why they'd be so unusually loyal here when they abandoned the Democrats en masse in places like Elliott County.

[Roll Roons]

There's a college there (Morehead State). Though it's not a particularly big school, it probably helps keep the Democratic floor relatively high.

[Schiff for Senate]

There's a college there (Morehead State). Though it's not a particularly big school, it probably helps keep the Democratic floor relatively high.

Aha! That explains it. Though I still feel like the GOP is underperforming in Rowan County. I mean, no matter what, it should give the GOP at least 60% - it's in East Kentucky!

[Sol]

There's a college there (Morehead State). Though it's not a particularly big school, it probably helps keep the Democratic floor relatively high.

Aha! That explains it. Though I still feel like the GOP is underperforming in Rowan County. I mean, no matter what, it should give the GOP at least 60% - it's in East Kentucky!

Over 40% of the population, guesstimating, is either a student or university employee--taking that information into account this is an extreme GOP overperformance. If it were in most other regions of the country it would be much more Dem.

[Schiff for Senate]

There's a college there (Morehead State). Though it's not a particularly big school, it probably helps keep the Democratic floor relatively high.

Aha! That explains it. Though I still feel like the GOP is underperforming in Rowan County. I mean, no matter what, it should give the GOP at least 60% - it's in East Kentucky!

Over 40% of the population, guesstimating, is either a student or university employee--taking that information into account this is an extreme GOP overperformance. If it were in most other regions of the country it would be much more Dem.

True, but honestly, colleges that small aren't necessarily liberal strongholds. Austin's and Illinois' college campuses are much more liberal because they are much better known, whereas Morehead State isn't exactly a well-known college. Yes, some from outside the area will attend it, but I get the feeling that students there are predominantly from the region, and not necessarily very liberal. My point is, not all college campuses are necessarily liberal; the vast majority of large ones are, but Morehead State isn't a large college, and I don't see why it's necessarily true that most (or possibly even a majority) of the people who study/work there are Democrats.

[Sol]

There's a college there (Morehead State). Though it's not a particularly big school, it probably helps keep the Democratic floor relatively high.

Aha! That explains it. Though I still feel like the GOP is underperforming in Rowan County. I mean, no matter what, it should give the GOP at least 60% - it's in East Kentucky!

Over 40% of the population, guesstimating, is either a student or university employee--taking that information into account this is an extreme GOP overperformance. If it were in most other regions of the country it would be much more Dem.

True, but honestly, colleges that small aren't necessarily liberal strongholds. Austin's and Illinois' college campuses are much more liberal because they are much better known, whereas Morehead State isn't exactly a well-known college. Yes, some from outside the area will attend it, but I get the feeling that students there are predominantly from the region, and not necessarily very liberal. My point is, not all college campuses are necessarily liberal; the vast majority of large ones are, but Morehead State isn't a large college, and I don't see why it's necessarily true that most (or possibly even a majority) of the people who study/work there are Democrats.

Most universities these days vote Democratic, unless they're in the Deep South, where racial polarization means that even white college students will be fairly hard R. The exceptions are usually religious institutions like Liberty or places which have intentional created conservative vibes, like Hillsdale.

[Smash255]

25.1% have a Bachelor's Degree.  Not quite high enough for a hard Dem trend, but around double and in some cases more than double the surrounding areas (9.7% in Elliot, 9.1% in Lewis).

It isn't quite as educated as the more Republican Boone (32.1%), however Boone is trending Democratic and the Cincy suburbs are traditionally ultra Republican.   Also as mentioned Rowan likely has a higher % of college aged students than the surrounding areas or Boone.

[progressive85]

Is this not that county with the clerk that didn't want to marry the gays there that lived in the town and wanted to marry each other?  or am i confusing that with another county in another state?

[Smash255]

Is this not that county with the clerk that didn't want to marry the gays there that lived in the town and wanted to marry each other?  or am i confusing that with another county in another state?

Yup