cancel2 2022
Canceled
Situated comfortably in southwest Indiana, a region accurately characterized as the “Heart of America”, lies Vigo County – a bucolic paradise where the population extends beyond 100,000 and is home to a durable mix of both white and blue-collar families.
Although commonplace by ideals of the region, Vigo County clutches “bellwether” ranking among political insiders. The county holds the distinction of voting for the winning candidate in every general election since 1880, excepting the presidential elections of 1908 and 1952, when the area opted for William Jennings Bryan over William Howard Taft and Adlai Stevenson over Dwight Eisenhower.
Heading into 2016, citizens lean heavily toward Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” campaign.
Permeated with swing voters and known for its congressional seat, Indiana’s 8[SUP]th[/SUP] District, which has frequently changed hands between parties, the district’s Democrats tend to favor Hillary Clinton; however, an astounding 40,570 of the 76,000 registered voters declare themselves as not officially affiliated with either party.
That Vigo’s tastes differ so widely is unsurprising:
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Mirroring the tentativeness of Vigo’s population to forevermore commit to one political monolith, Gallup recently announced it would not engage in polling for the 2016 presidential election. Whether it was an inability to accurately gauge public opinion, flawed data, flawed methods or embarrassment over choosing Mitt Romney over Mr. Obama, Gallup has pulled from the polling horse race.
Still, though, bellwether status does have its champions: Dave Liep of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections states there is credibility to Vigo’s position in national elections. Leip specifically cites the four-percent performance margin in Vigo compared to the rest of the country.
Wisdom can be found in the most unlikely places. While bellwether status does not strain credulity, Vigo, an area which represents the good side of life, has appeared to endorse Mr. Trump. Whether Trump’s popularity in Vigo emanates from a strange, hypnotic influence or Trump’s “man-on-the-street” style, his message is resonating in this corner of Indiana.
Sobering news to some and infuriating to others, causing raised expectations for some and paranoia in others, Vigo has been onto something in the political arena for decades.
While no inhabitant of Vigo is bold or arrogant enough to claim sole ownership of the truth, if nothing else, this will make political conversation more colorful.
http://thehilltalk.com/2015/12/06/indianas-vigo-county-favors-donald-trump/
Although commonplace by ideals of the region, Vigo County clutches “bellwether” ranking among political insiders. The county holds the distinction of voting for the winning candidate in every general election since 1880, excepting the presidential elections of 1908 and 1952, when the area opted for William Jennings Bryan over William Howard Taft and Adlai Stevenson over Dwight Eisenhower.
Heading into 2016, citizens lean heavily toward Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” campaign.
Permeated with swing voters and known for its congressional seat, Indiana’s 8[SUP]th[/SUP] District, which has frequently changed hands between parties, the district’s Democrats tend to favor Hillary Clinton; however, an astounding 40,570 of the 76,000 registered voters declare themselves as not officially affiliated with either party.
That Vigo’s tastes differ so widely is unsurprising:
.
“It’s obviously because of our extraordinary intelligence and good sense. It’s classic middle America. Small businesses. Family farms. Community schools. We care more about common sense results than we do about party labels and ideology . . . You don’t get the excesses of New York or California. We keep it between the 40-yard-lines,” said Evan Bayh, former governor and U.S. senator from Indiana.
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“There’s only one: Trump,” said 81-year-old resident, Parker Eaton, an enduring Republican when delivering a ringing endorsement of New York’s real estate magnate.
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“There’s only one: Trump,” said 81-year-old resident, Parker Eaton, an enduring Republican when delivering a ringing endorsement of New York’s real estate magnate.
.
“The reason why, in my opinion: He spends his own money. He’s not going to have any lobbyist or any high zillionaires that he has to do favors for, and I understand Clinton has already got millions of dollars from China and Japan and all them. So who in the hell does she owe favors to? If Trump got in, he doesn’t owe anybody. I haven’t heard him say one word that I don’t agree with. I don’t think he can do a lot of the things he said, but by God, he’s saying it.”
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Although voters in Vigo have demonstrated the unique ability to accurately select the next president, the bellwether position is not without critics: Analysis of nationwide electoral returns by counties revealed bellwethers simply did not exist, according to Edward Tufte, who wrote Are There Bellwether Electoral Districts? in 1975 with a student.
.
Although voters in Vigo have demonstrated the unique ability to accurately select the next president, the bellwether position is not without critics: Analysis of nationwide electoral returns by counties revealed bellwethers simply did not exist, according to Edward Tufte, who wrote Are There Bellwether Electoral Districts? in 1975 with a student.
Mirroring the tentativeness of Vigo’s population to forevermore commit to one political monolith, Gallup recently announced it would not engage in polling for the 2016 presidential election. Whether it was an inability to accurately gauge public opinion, flawed data, flawed methods or embarrassment over choosing Mitt Romney over Mr. Obama, Gallup has pulled from the polling horse race.
Still, though, bellwether status does have its champions: Dave Liep of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections states there is credibility to Vigo’s position in national elections. Leip specifically cites the four-percent performance margin in Vigo compared to the rest of the country.
Wisdom can be found in the most unlikely places. While bellwether status does not strain credulity, Vigo, an area which represents the good side of life, has appeared to endorse Mr. Trump. Whether Trump’s popularity in Vigo emanates from a strange, hypnotic influence or Trump’s “man-on-the-street” style, his message is resonating in this corner of Indiana.
Sobering news to some and infuriating to others, causing raised expectations for some and paranoia in others, Vigo has been onto something in the political arena for decades.
While no inhabitant of Vigo is bold or arrogant enough to claim sole ownership of the truth, if nothing else, this will make political conversation more colorful.
http://thehilltalk.com/2015/12/06/indianas-vigo-county-favors-donald-trump/
