How the Natural State Turned Red: Political Realignment in Arkansas

For years Arkansas voted for Republicans in blue. From post-Reconstruction to industrialization and civil rights, Arkansas maintained a conservative ideology while aligning itself with the Democratic Party. In the late 20th century, the South shifted to the right, but the Natural State stayed loyal...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chakmak, Kathryn M
Format: Others
Published: Scholarship @ Claremont 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1258
http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2301&context=cmc_theses
Description
Summary:For years Arkansas voted for Republicans in blue. From post-Reconstruction to industrialization and civil rights, Arkansas maintained a conservative ideology while aligning itself with the Democratic Party. In the late 20th century, the South shifted to the right, but the Natural State stayed loyal to the left and its traditional voting tactics. It would not be until the 21st century that Arkansans would recognize that the national Democratic Party did not represent their views. By the 2014 midterm elections, Arkansas’s long time conservatism, newly developed industry and demographic changes coalesced into a partisan change. Arkansas embraced red.