Once again, the New York Times has some of the best electoral map features. Click here to play with the map and zoom in on states.
Using their map technology, we can see an astonishing blue-ing of the map from 2004 to 2008. You can also dig back a couple of cycles to see which directions different parts of the country are trending.
Shift from 2004 to 2008
Shift from 2000 to 2008
Shift from 1996 to 2008
Shift from 1992 to 2008
Howard Mortman
6 November 2008 at 4:25 pm
One stark reality about these maps is New England. Only time a New England state has gone GOP is New Hampshire 2000. Otherwise, it’s all blue up there.
Citizen Grim
6 November 2008 at 5:16 pm
So if I’m interpreting that correctly, as widespread as Obama’s win was this year, Clintons in the 90s were bigger wins? This kinda surprises me, and Obama cleared 50% of the popular vote, and Clinton never did.
Although I guess that could be explained by Clinton having the support of more rural Dems, and Obama having the support of more urban Dems?
Patrick Ottenhoff
6 November 2008 at 5:38 pm
Grim — I’d say Obama’s gains over Cllinton ‘96 in urban areas were significant. But also were his gain in 1. the suburbs and 2. in Hispanic areas.
Patrick Ottenhoff
6 November 2008 at 5:40 pm
Howard – I’d say it used to be pretty Republican up there. I’d say parts of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and Connecticut’s Gold Coast were voting Republican until recently.
Avinash_Tyagi
9 November 2008 at 8:06 pm
Clinton had the advantage of Ross Perot bleeding off a good chunk of the GOP base in 1992, and while Perot’s impact was diminished in 1996, Clinton also had the advantage of a very strong economy, and a weak opponenet in Dole
Jason
10 November 2008 at 9:21 pm
@Citizen Grim:
The map assigns an area to each county based on acreage, not population, so it appears that the country has become redder from, say, 1992 to 2008. If you look closely at where the red and the blue are apportioned, however, you’ll see Democrats making big gains in high-population areas like Denver, coastal California, South Florida, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Northern Virginia, etc. The massive red rectangle of Wyoming probably represents a swing about as large as the blue speck that is the city of Detroit.
Matt Gagnon
13 November 2008 at 2:21 pm
Regarding New England… Maine may keep voting for Democrats, for president since 1992, but contrary to popular belief (even within the state) its not nearly as blue as it may look. As recently as I think 4 years ago or so, the State House was basically split 50/50, and really the only reason they haven’t elected a Republican Governor since McKernan is because the republican candidates have been so atrocious (honorable mention to Peter Ciancette, who was a good candidate, but just ran up against the Baldacci buzzsaw).
If the RNC invested any infrastructure in developing Maine’g GOP (as a former candidate there, I can tell you its pathetic) I would bet my life savings it would be reliably red every year.
I know the northeast has shifted, but outside this “run” the democrats on up there, Maine has been blood red… voted for republican presidents 1916-1960 (and was the only state to never vote for Roosevelt), 1968-1988… re-elected a republican governor in 1990… have had two republican Senators (both enormously popular) since 1996 I believe…
Nothing drives me more insane than the idea that somehow the northeast is an impenetrable democratic fortress – the losses in the Northeast, particularly in Maine, have been due to political infrastructure abandonment and national candidates who have a decidedly non-regional identity that just doesn’t play well up there.
Watch the Governor’s race in 2010 my friends – Rick Bennett or Peter Mills will be in the Blaine House, I guarantee it (unless Michaud runs, then I take it back, lol).
Pollynkorect
13 November 2008 at 4:19 pm
This dramatically illustrates why Democrats want immigration & amnesty. This will give them a death grip on American politics forever.