Tale of two Oklahomas: How, when, and why eastern Oklahoma went red

Abstract

While Oklahoma has safely rested in the Republican camp in presidential elections since 1968, Eastern Oklahoma has often been an area of Democratic strength. However, recent Democratic contenders have often found this part of the state to be less supportive than in the past. What factors in Eastern Oklahoma led to this delayed realignment? Does it continue to differ from the rest of the state? To answer these questions, we collected presidential election data on all Oklahoma counties from 2000, 2008, and 2012, as well as demographic information for each county (including the percentage of African Americans and Native Americans, population density, percentage of Evangelicals, and income). There is a significant decline in Democratic support leading up to the 2008 election. This decay is independent of the demographic controls and leads us to question whether Eastern Oklahoma is still a distinct region in terms of partisanship.