counties where perot did better in 96 than he did in 92.

[WalterMitty]

buchanan county va is one.  he improved by a percentage point.

[WalterMitty]

I checked WV accidentally...then VA:

Bland, VA
Buchanan, VA
Dickenson, VA
Russell, VA

...and then I got tired and stopped

Any idea why this was, out of idle curiosity?

my only theory is that some of the folks in the coalfields were sickened by clinton's support of pro business policies like nafta, welfare reform etc...that they voted for perot as a protest.  just a guess.

bland county wouldnt be included in that...since there is no mining there and the county is staunchly republican.  by the way, ive seen a lot of roadkill in my day.  but the only time ive seen a dead bear that had been hit by a car/truck was in bland county va.

[WalterMitty]

i cant even think of a possible theory for bland county.

im very curious now.  i cant think of any possible reason the perot vote would increase in bland.

i will make a prediction for bland county.  slowly but surely it will turn in to a little vermont....much like floyd county virginia.   low real estate rates and breath taking scenery...watch out for the pinkos.

[WalterMitty]

montgomery county is the home of virginia tech university.

[WalterMitty]

the strange thing about montgomery county is that even though it is home to virginia tech, it voted republican in 1964, 1976 and 1980..even while some bordering counties didnt.

[WalterMitty]

montgomery county is the home of virginia tech university.

Ohh, OK.  That does explain it.

But what about Floyd?  Latte liberals or spillover?

little of both.  im not really sure when it started.  i just recall once several years ago driving through the town of floyd and realizing it was similar in many ways to montpelier vt.  but obviously the migration of pinkos started earler (check the nader vote in floyd)

there has been some spillover from tech into floyd.  lots of open land in floyd.

giles county is also starting to see a spillover from tech.  it is just a short drive up highway 460 from the tech campus.

[WalterMitty]

montgomery county is the home of virginia tech university.

Ohh, OK.  That does explain it.

But what about Floyd?  Latte liberals or spillover?

I note that Floyd, with Carroll and Grayson on the same mountain, was a hotbed of violent unconditional unionism during the civil war - we're talking "not safe to wear gray in after dark" - , and has been Republican almost ever since.
And checking the election history since 1960, Floyd seems to be where that tradition is strongest.
It was Nixon's second best county in the state that year, btw, just barely pipped by Rockingham.

that is true.

but it should be noted that all three of those counties voted for secession.

http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/vasecesh.htm

[WalterMitty]

add mingo county wv to the list.

[WalterMitty]

In '32, Floyd was the only county in Virginia not to vote for FDR.

obviously they love freedom.

[WalterMitty]

In '32, Floyd was the only county in Virginia not to vote for FDR.

obviously they love freedom.

Shame it's just the introduction - the whole thing might well answer the questions...

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-4019122049721391/unrestricted/ETD.PDF

Oh and btw: Checking the county website, wiki page etc, yeah it's pretty obvious that the place has a hippie infestation even though the old Republicans continue to predominate... but probably not in the Dem primary.

interesting article.

yes, the peckerwoods continue to dominate floyd county, and i suspect they will for the immediate future.

personally, from what ive seen traveling through there, the pinko influence is centered around the town of floyd (the county seat)