Ashe County is a small county located in the northwestern corner of North Carolina. The county seat is Jefferson.
From Wikipedia: “Ashe County generally is known for its mountain scenery, and the tourism industry is an important mainstay of the county’s economy. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs along the county’s southeastern border. Ashe County has historically consisted of rural farmland, with numerous cattle and poultry farms. However, cattle farming in recent decades has given way to the industry of raising Christmas trees. Many cattle farmers have switched to growing Christmas trees, and in 1997, 2007, 2008, and 2012, an Ashe County Christmas tree was selected as the official White House Christmas Tree by the National Christmas Tree Association.[2] The tree was put on display in the Blue Room (White House).”
Presidential PVIs
1988: R+13 (Strong Republican)
1992: R+11 (Strong Republican)
1996: R+21 (Solid Republican)
2000: R+21 (Solid Republican)
2004: R+21 (Solid Republican)
2008: R+31 (Solid Republican)
2012: R+36 (Solid Republican)
Though strongly Republican at the federal level, state Democrats continued to be competitive in Ashe County until well into the 2000s. After souring on the Clinton administration in 1996, Ashe became solid Republican at the presidential level. Obama is extremely unpopular in Appalachia and Ashe County is no exception. Since 2004 and thanks to Obama, the county has moved about 15 points to the right. Should Hillary Clinton or a less culturally repulsive Democrat candidate run in 2016 then Ashe will probably shift back to the left, but it will still be out of reach for pretty much any Democratic candidate.
Presidential election results in Ashe County, 2012 (blue = Obama, red = Romney)
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
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