Democrats won't like this

There was no "racist party switch"

MYTH (1): In order to be competitive in the South Republicans started to pander to white racists in the 1960's.


THE FACTS

  • Republicans actually became competitive in the South as early as 1928 when Republican Herbert Hoover won over 47% of the South's popular vote against DEMOCRAT Al Smith.
  • Then, in 1952, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower won the Southern States of Texas, Florida. and Virginia. In 1956, he picked up Louisiana; Kentucky and West Virginia, too. And this was after he supported the Supreme Court decision in "BROWN vs BOARD of EDUCATION" that desegregated public schools. It was also after he sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock Central High School to enforce racial segregation.


MYTH (2): Racist Southern DEMOCRATS angry with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 switched parties.


THE FACTS

  • Of the 21 DEMOCRATS who opposed the Civil Rights Act, just ONE became a Republican.
  • The other 20 continued to be elected as DEMOCRATS or were replaced by other DEMOCRATS.
  • On average, these 20 seats didn't go Republican for another 25 years.


MYTH (3): Since the implementation of the "Southern Strategy", Republicans have dominated the South.


THE FACTS

  • Richard Nixon, the man who is typically credited with creating "The Southern Strategy", lost the deep South in 1968.
  • In contrast, DEMOCRAT Jimmy Carter nearly swept the region in 1976, nearly 12 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • Then in 1992, over 28 years later, DEMOCRAT Bill Clinton, won Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
  • The truth is Republicans didn't hold a majority of Southern Congressional seats until 1994, 30 years after the Civil Rights Act.
 
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