A few new maps

Some new maps:


2004 Presidential Election -- by town




2002 Governor's Race -- by town



What is, of course, interesting about these maps is the complexity and volatility of Connecticut politics, especially when it comes to the politician atop the ticket. There are several reliable partisan bastions: for the Democrats, large cities like Hartford, New Britain, New Haven and Bridgeport always support them in a big way. Mansfield, home of UCONN, is also usually very supportive of Democratic candidates. Republicans find their best support in the western half of the state. Greenwich and Oxford always come through, as do New Canaan and Darien. Democrats can usually count on the support of the Hartford Ring Suburbs, while the Farmington Valley is usually Republican.

However, the urban/rural divide that is so evident in the rest of the nation doesn't seem to hold water here. Cornwall, a rural town in Litchfield County, has a member of the Green Party on its board of selectmen, and was the only town in the county to vote for Bill Curry. Waterbury, on the other hand, is a large city of 100,000 people with demographics usually favorable to Democrats, but the city only offered lukewarm support to John Kerry, and voted overwhelmingly for hometown boy John Rowland in 2002. There are many small rural towns in eastern Connecticut that vote Democratic, as well, while similar towns on the other side of the state vote GOP.

It is very easy to dismiss Connecticut as just another Blue State, but the reality is much more complex. This is undoubtedly the case all over the country. Every Red State (well, maybe not Utah) has a dash or more of blue in it, and vice-versa.

This is why Connecticut can have an overwhelmingly Democratic General Assembly, and still elect a Republican governor three times in a row and three Republican U.S. Representatives. We'll just have to see if things get more mixed up in the future.

Map based on data from the office of the Secretary of the State of Connecticut: http://www.sots.state.ct.us/