Exurban Changes: The Fringe Counties That Flipped Their Vote in 2008

By Tim Murphy
http://www.dailyyonder.com/exurban-changes-fringe-counties-flipped-their-vote-2008/2008/11/12/1755

These are the 49 exurban counties where voters supported one party in 2004 and a different party in 2008.

This chart lists the 49 counties where a majority of voters supported one party in the 2004 presidential election and a different party in 2008. Forty counties flipped from Republican to Democratic. Nine changed from Democratic counties to Republican ones.

The chart shows the vote for McCain and Obama. And it shows the percentage of the vote taken by President-elect Obama.

The chart also lists when the county last switched its political allegiance in a presidential race. For example, the first county on the list, Lincoln in Arkansas, had voted for the Republican nominee in every election since 1976, until switching its support to the Democrat this year.

STATE COUNTY COUNTY SEAT VOTED IN '08 HAD BEEN UNCHANGED SINCE OBAMA VOTE MCCAIN VOTE % VOTE FOR OBAMA
AR Lincoln Star City Republican 1976 1,709 2,513 35.8%
AR Poinsett Harrisburg Republican 1988 2,740 4,900 33.0%
GA Burke Waynesboro Democratic 2004 5,233 4,344 54.4%
GA Newton Covington Democratic 1996 20,827 20,337 50.2%
IA Bremer Waverly Democratic 2000 6,870 5,704 54.0%
IA Warren Indianola Democratic 2000 12,262 12,112 49.3%
IL Henry Cambridge Democratic 2004 13,177 11,247 53.7%
IL Macoupin Carlinville Democratic 2004 12,071 9,879 54.6%
IN Vermillion Newport Democratic 2004 4,002 3,004 55.8%
KY Hancock Hawesville Democratic 2000 2,135 1,928 51.6%
KY Henderson Henderson Democratic 2004 10,049 9,523 50.8%
LA Pointe Coupee New Roads Republican 1976 5,516 6,702 44.2%
MI Cass Cassopolis Democratic 2000 12,080 11,112 51.0%
MI Clinton St. Johns Democratic 1968 20,001 19,724 49.9%
MI Eaton Charlotte Democratic 1968 30,736 25,898 53.5%
MI Jackson Jackson Democratic 1968 37,480 35,692 49.4%
MI St. Clair Port Huron Democratic 2000 40,676 38,555 50.3%
MI Van Buren Paw Paw Democratic 2000 18,589 15,535 53.7%
MN Houston Caledonia Democratic 2000 5,906 4,743 54.9%
MN Polk Crookston Democratic 2000 7,849 7,148 51.8%
MO Jefferson Hillsboro Democratic 2004 53,457 50,793 43.6%
MO Washington Potosi Democratic 2004 4,712 4,703 49.2%
MS Copiah Hazlehurst Democratic 2000 7,640 6,683 53.1%
NC Franklin Louisburg Democratic 2000 13,026 12,883 49.9%
NJ Salem Salem Democratic 2004 15,909 14,763 51.4%
NY Oswego Oswego Democratic 2000 23,192 21,991 51.1%
NY Washington Hudson Falls Democratic 2000 11,867 11,717 50.1%
OH Ottawa Port Clinton Democratic 2000 11,760 10,417 52.5%
PA Carbon Jim Thorpe Democratic 2004 13,375 12,813 50.8%
PA Centre Bellefonte Democratic 2000 41,141 32,543 55.2%
PA Mercer Mercer Democratic 2004 24,955 24,792 49.9%
PA Fayette Uniontown Republican 1976 25,509 25,669 49.6%
PA Washington Washington Republican 1976 44,286 48,753 47.4%
SC Calhoun St. Matthews Democratic 2000 3,970 3,695 51.3%
TN Smith Carthage Republican 1976 2,990 4,561 39.0%
TN Stewart Dover Republican 1948 2,470 2,956 45.0%
TN Trousdale Hartsville Republican 1976 1,475 1,688 45.9%
UT Summit Coalville Democratic 2000 9,194 6,691 57.1%
VA Caroline Bowling Green Democratic 2004 7,163 5,617 55.3%
VA King and Queen King and Queen Courthouse Democratic 2000 1,918 1,763 50.8%
WA Skamania Stevenson Democratic 2000 2,797 2,513 51.0%
WI Calumet Chilton Democratic 1968 13,296 12,720 50.8%
WI Chippewa Chippewa Falls Democratic 2000 16,236 13,489 54.4%
WI Columbia Portage Democratic 2004 16,658 12,189 57.5%
WI Kewaunee Kewaunee Democratic 2000 5,902 4,711 55.4%
WI Marathon Wausau Democratic 2000 36,363 30,339 54.1%
WI Oconto Oconto Democratic 2000 9,926 8,754 52.9%
WV Jefferson Charles Town Democratic 2000 11,606 10,526 52.2%
WV Brooke Wellsburg Republican 1976 4,666 4,932 48.3%