Continuing with recent historical themes on the site, we have decided to rank each former Confederate state in terms of Democratic performance for every Presidential election from 1952 to 2012. Prior to 1952, the GOP had not carried a single southern state since 1928 when Florida was one of three states in the south to breakup the “solid south” and support Herbert Hoover. FDR carried every southern state in all four of his elections. But beginning in 1948 with Harry Tuman’s perceived liberalism on race as the issue, the south began to peel off. Strom Thurmond’s “State Right Democratic Party” or “Dixiecrats” won four deep south states and in 1952 the GOP with Dwight Eisenhower began to take advantage of those divisions.
states are ranked from most Democratic to least Democratic by election. Bolded states were carried by the Democrats in the respective election. The rankings are based on margin of victory/defeat for Democratic candidates. 1968, where George Wallace carried five southern states as a third-party candidate is ranked by overall Democratic percentage of the vote.
As we see from this study, Florida was from 1952 to 1992 one of the most Republican states in the south in Presidential elections. However, since 1996, Florida has been near the top if not at the very top of southern states in support of Democratic nominees. Interestingly, the only state comparable to Florida in its support for Republicans from 1952 to 1996 was Virginia which in both Obama elections was his best state in the South. States where Democrats historically did better than the rest of the south like Texas and Georgia have gone the other direction in recent years, though at least in Georgia their is a glimmer of hope it trending towards the Democrats.
As previously noted on this site, in the 1980s, all three elections saw Florida with the worst Democratic performance but by 2000 Florida was the most Democratic southern state and it has been first or second ever since.
1952
Georgia
Alabama
Mississippi
Arkansas
North Carolina
Louisiana
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Florida
Virginia
1956
Georgia
Mississippi
Alabama
Arkansas
South Carolina
North Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Florida
Louisiana
Virginia
1960
Georgia
Louisiana
Alabama
Arkansas
South Carolina
North Carolina
Texas
Mississippi (carried by unpledged electors)
Florida
Virginia
Tennessee
1964
Texas
Arkansas
North Carolina
Tennesssee
Virginia
Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
Louisiana
Alabama
Mississippi
1968
Texas
Virginia
Florida
North Carolina
Tennesssee
Arkansas
Georgia
South Carolina
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
1972
Texas
Louisiana
Virginia
Tennesssee
Arkansas
North Carolina
South Carolina
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
Mississippi
1976
Georgia
Arkansas
Alabama
South Carolina
Tennessee
North Carolina
Louisiana
Florida
Texas
Mississippi
Virginia
1980
Georgia
Arkansas
Alabama
South Carolina
Tennessee
North Carolina
Mississippi
Louisiana
Virginia
Texas
Florida
1984
Tennessee
Alabama
Arkansas
North Carolina
Georgia
Mississippi
Louisiana
Virginia
Texas
South Carolina
Florida
1988
Louisiana
Texas
Arkansas
North Carolina
Tennessee
Alabama
Georgia
Mississippi
Virginia
South Carolina
Florida
1992
Arkansas
Tennessee
Louisiana
Georgia
North Carolina
Florida
Texas
Virginia
Alabama
Mississippi
1996
Arkansas
Louisiana
Florida
Tennessee
Georgia
Virginia
Texas
North Carolina
Alabama
Mississippi
2000
Florida * (Bush officially carried Florida, but a media consortium found Gore received more votes after including disputed ballots)
Arkansas
Tennessee
Loiusiana
Virginia
Georgia
North Carolina
Alabama
South Carolina
Mississippi
Texas
2004
Florida
Virginia
Arkansas
North Carolina
Tennessee
Louisiana
Georgia
South Carolina
Mississippi
Texas
Alabama
2008
Virginia
Florida
North Carolina
Georgia
South Carolina
Texas
Mississippi
Tennessee
Louisiana
Arkansas
Alabama
2012
Virginia
Florida
North Carolina
Georgia
South Carolina
Mississippi
Texas
Louisiana
Tennessee
Alabama
Arkansas
The Florida Squeeze 
Those who see this blog as some sort of great progressive site ought to know the RPOF is reading it and blasting out emails based on the nasty and unsubstantiated things Kartik Krishnaiyer is saying about DEMOCRAT Charlie Crist, our presumptive nominee for Governor.
LIBERAL BLOGGER WARNS DEMS ABOUT “DISLOYAL” CRIST, POSITIONS ON ABORTION, EDUCATION
“[H]Is Record On Reproductive Rights, Education … Are All Very Worrying For Progressives.” (Kartik Krishnaiyer, “If Elected Governor Again, Would Charlie Crist Actually Govern From The Left?,” The Florida Squeeze, 7/29/13)
“Of Greater Concern To Progressives May Be Whether Crist Will Actually Govern Effectively If Elected. Given His Recent Propensity For Disloyalty, It Is A Question Certainly Worth Pondering.” (Kartik Krishnaiyer, “If Elected Governor Again, Would Charlie Crist Actually Govern From The Left?,” The Florida Squeeze, 7/29/13)
Liberal Florida Blogger: “To Doubt Charlie Crist Was Once A Partisan Republican Is Foolhardy, And Would Involve A Significant Re-Writing Of History.” (Kartik Krishnaiyer, “If Elected Governor Again, Would Charlie Crist Actually Govern From The Left?,” The Florida Squeeze, 7/29/13)
All of this begs the question as to whether Kartik and his lefty pals are really working for the Republicans. The article about the NSA/FISA program and how liberals should work with the right wingers should answer that question. It’s not just Kartik but a host of other lefties who have decided they would rather force ideogical purity and see our chances for victory go down the drain than win anything.
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Honestly, when I see you Florida Democrats nowadays, this is what I think:
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Also, the Republicans don’t need any “plants”. Florida Democrats are already so good at being lazy and ignorant, they make the GOP’s job of winning easy.
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