Edgefield County, 1984-1988

[Schiff for Senate]

Why did Edgefield County, SC, swing/trend so hard to the right between 1984 and 1988?

Even as the country swung leftward from 1984-1988, Edgefield went from a (very narrow) Mondale win to a 12-point Bush win.

How come? (I do know this happened in other parts of the south - TN was the only state to swing to the right from 1984 to 1988 and it had a Mondale/Bush county as well)

[TransfemmeGoreVidal]

I think that 88 may have been the turning point for a lot of Dixiecrats. Mondale had been the Vice-President of a native son so he still had some good Will. In 88 though Dukakis was seen as a stereotypical Yankee elitist liberal which combined with Bush’s explicit race baiting accelerated the trend of the white south away from Democrats.