South Carolina
8 votes
Bush - 17 points
The last time this state voted Democratic...
... Patty Hearst was put on trial for bank robbery.
Race
- Heavily white
- Large African-American population
About two-thirds of the population is white. Almost four-fifths of them
voted for Bush. Even massive support from the 30% of the electorate
that is African-American couldn't counteract this advantage. A typical
pattern in the south.
Age
All groups - Bush
All groups like Bush but the youngest voters liked him less.
Economics
Under $30,000 - Kerry
Above $30,000 - Bush
A fairly standard pattern - the poorer voters liked Kerry, but by the
lower middle class, the tilt moves to Bush and very quickly becomes a
washout.
Politics
- Above average partisanship
- Significant Republican tilt
- Average Democratic loyalty
- Excellent Republican loyalty
- Independents tilt significantly Republican
At 92%, Democratic loyalty isn't as humiliating here as in some areas.
An 11-point advantage is plenty for the Republicans however and their
loyalty is better to boot at 96%. Meanwhile the independent vote tilts
Republican as well.
Ideology
- Huge conservative tilt
A 24-point tilt puts conservatives in the drivers' seat here. Meanwhile,
the few liberals there are actually have a worse loyalty rate to their
party. The moderates are almost an even split.
Religion
- Heavily Protestant
- Significant Catholic population
Protestants hold the cards here with three-quarters of the population.
They voted for Bush by almost 2-1. The Catholic population basically
mirrored this.
Demographics
- Predominately rural
- Large suburban population
- Significant urban population
Kerry did relatively well in the 15% of the state classified as urban.
But was crushed by 2-1 in the suburbs. Surprisingly, he lost the rural
areas by less but was easily beaten there as well. It's also worth
noting that Bush's rural strength came from small towns more than
outlying areas, where he ran much weaker, contrary to the national
trend.
Other factors
Bush polls higher than the war but both are in the upper fifties.


The Land of the Blue
Where centrism and progressivism meet