Islands in the Sea
With the help of the Dave Leip's Altas of US Presidential Elections, I was able to determine that 81 of the 569 counties (14%)that voted for Kerry are completely surrounded by counties that voted for Bush. (This includes Orange and Volusia Counties in Florida which both voted for Kerry, but touch each other at a county quadripoint and so they do not share and edge with a like minded county.) Fifteen of these counties are actually in states that voted did vote for Kerry.
Some these are major cities--Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Nashville, Austin, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Louisville, New Orleans, Orlando, Richmond, Columbus, OH, and Greensboro, NC.
The presence of a university can tip a place that seems like it "should" have voted for Bush to voting for Kerry. Of the 81, 15 contain an NCAA Division I-A football teams (the cities listed above contain 8, plus the Universities of Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Toledo, and Kansas, Indiana, and Ohio Universities.) Non I-A schools in Kerry voting counties surrounded by Bush voting counties include the Universities of Montana and South Dakota, the University of Southern Illinois, and the College of William & Mary. In addition to this, there were two places where two counties that contain I-A schools border each other, but do not border another Kerry voting county--Durham and Orange Counties in North Carolina, and El Paso County Texas, and Dona Ana County New Mexico.
Another trend can account for some of these loners is the presence of an Indian reservation in the county. Of these 81 counties, 10 of them are nearly entirely comprized of Indian reservations. In addition, there is a 4 county block in the Dakotas that went for Kerry but is surrounded by Bush country. The boundaries of these counties coincide exactly with the Cheyenne River Sioux and Standing Rock Indian Reservations.
Nine of these counties are Virginia Independent cities, and five of these--Roanoke, Danville, Martinsville, Lexington, and Covington--voted just slightly for Kerry and are completely surrounded by one county that voted overwhelmingly for Bush, and so if these are ignored, that leaves 76 of which 35 may be accounted for by being a big city, being a state capital, having a university, or having an Indian reservation.
I found only 11 counties that voted for Bush but are entirely surrounded by counties that voted for Kerry.
Some these are major cities--Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Nashville, Austin, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Louisville, New Orleans, Orlando, Richmond, Columbus, OH, and Greensboro, NC.
The presence of a university can tip a place that seems like it "should" have voted for Bush to voting for Kerry. Of the 81, 15 contain an NCAA Division I-A football teams (the cities listed above contain 8, plus the Universities of Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Toledo, and Kansas, Indiana, and Ohio Universities.) Non I-A schools in Kerry voting counties surrounded by Bush voting counties include the Universities of Montana and South Dakota, the University of Southern Illinois, and the College of William & Mary. In addition to this, there were two places where two counties that contain I-A schools border each other, but do not border another Kerry voting county--Durham and Orange Counties in North Carolina, and El Paso County Texas, and Dona Ana County New Mexico.
Another trend can account for some of these loners is the presence of an Indian reservation in the county. Of these 81 counties, 10 of them are nearly entirely comprized of Indian reservations. In addition, there is a 4 county block in the Dakotas that went for Kerry but is surrounded by Bush country. The boundaries of these counties coincide exactly with the Cheyenne River Sioux and Standing Rock Indian Reservations.
Nine of these counties are Virginia Independent cities, and five of these--Roanoke, Danville, Martinsville, Lexington, and Covington--voted just slightly for Kerry and are completely surrounded by one county that voted overwhelmingly for Bush, and so if these are ignored, that leaves 76 of which 35 may be accounted for by being a big city, being a state capital, having a university, or having an Indian reservation.
I found only 11 counties that voted for Bush but are entirely surrounded by counties that voted for Kerry.
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