Election Mysteries: The Big Blue Driftless Area

What Mitt Romney and a glacier have in common.

Scott Sumner spots something fascinating in the election results.

Comments

[The Late P Brooks]

I grew up in Madison, but I don't have a clue as to why those counties further west are blue.

Agrarian populist socialism?

[Jerry on the road]

Clearly the water in the Mississippi is tainted.

[Almanian_]

Did you read the comments? That was indeed one of the theories - as were immigration patterns, religion, locations of small colleges...I think they missed moon phases, but maybe that was in the later comments I didn't read.

[robc]

I would go with the higher Norwegian ancestry argument.

[sarcasmic]

Damn square-heads gave the election to Obama.

[Almanian_]

"Husband - what is the matter?"

/Boarwalk Empire

[Almanian_]

take a peak at this picture

The cement dragon is kind of cool, but I'll just take a "peek", thanks.

/pedant

PS On the whole "why is this little area weird"? I just don't care. But thanks

[Warty]

There's a ton of good hiking in the Driftless Area. Some amazing sandstone cliffs, stuff like that. Cool place.

[Invisible Finger]

If he knew American migration history, he'd know that the "Driftless Area" was mostly settled by Northeastern puritans.

[Lisa]

It's not called the Democratic-FARMER-labor party for nothing

[HazelMeade]

I'm thinking that the geographic nature of the area - lots of deep ravines - means that it's out of the way of major highways and not very well suited to commercial agriculture, which makes it a relatively poor area with a lot of small farmers. Many of whom probably specialize in organic food production to find a niche market they cna compete in.

[Corning]

I blame the Cornish immigrants who settled there mine the area at the turn of the century.

Seriously...fuck the Cornish.