The Volatile South: A Historical Geography of Presidential Elections in the South, 1872-1992

This paper investigates the historical geography of presidential elections in the South between 1872 and 1992. T-mode factor analysis of presidential election returns from the approximately 1,300 counties and county equivalents of 13 southern states is undertaken in order to identify geographical normal votes, or time periods characterized by substantial similarities in levels of support for Democratic Party presidential candidates across the region. The results are compared with previously published analyses which examine changes over time across the entire United States. The results identify the period following World War II as that in which the South emerged from its traditional Democratic Party dominance and became the vital and volatile electoral region that it is today. A region once virtually ignored in national presidential politics has emerged at the center of America's political landscape, and in recent years no presidential candidate has moved into the White House without attaining significant Electoral College support in the South.