# Why Is DC So Overwhelmingly Democrat-Leaning **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425 "2012-11-09T00:10:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/21 "2012-11-09T02:27:32Z")
> [@Dana\_Scully](#): > > You are laughably uninformed. Well, that was ironic. > [@](#): > > Very likely the reason for so many Democrats in that area is that the President of the United States is a Democrat, so many government employees are members of that party. If S/he were Republican…well, figure it out. IF you can. As noted already, the votes in the city do not swing with the party in the White House. [In fact](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Federal_employees_are_there_in_the_Washington_DC_area), a fairly small proportion of DC residents are federal employees. > [@](#): > > According to the Census bureau 2003-2006 Economic Trends report: > > There are 297,305 civilians 16 and over who live in Washington DC and are in the work force. Of these 47,056 are in Public Administration. And those might not necessarily even all be federal jobs. That is the snarkiest post I have ever seen from someone who didn’t know what they were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/22 "2012-11-09T02:29:32Z")
Please note that D.C. is not majority black, as several people claimed earlier in this thread. DSYoungEsq has already mentioned this, but you might have missed it. D.C. is just a little less than 50% black now. The proportion of blacks in D.C. has gone down steadily since sometime in the 1970’s and just recently went below 50%. Also, the number of government employees appointed by the President is actually quite small compared to the population of the city. The change of administration between Democratic and Republican Presidents every few years actually makes very little difference to the proportion of the city who votes Democratic or Republican. Among other things, I suspect that most of the Presidential appointees live in the suburbs. Furthermore, while there are a significant number of government workers in D.C. and the suburbs, it isn’t remotely close to being a majority of the area. Perhaps someone else can tell us what proportion it is. While D.C. has a significant proportion of poor people, it also has quite a lot of upper-middle-class people as well (and some who are just plain rich). The D.C. metropolitan area (D.C. and the nearer parts of Maryland and Virginia) is in fact one of the richest and most educated parts of the U.S. While there is a significant section of the metropolitan area (some of the east side of the city and some of nearby Prince George’s County in Maryland) that’s relatively poor, the area is actually mostly quite well off by the standards of the rest of the U.S. And the entire area, both D.C. and the suburbs, votes Democratic in most elections. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/23 "2012-11-09T02:30:51Z")
CookingWithGas has just answered the question in my post. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/24 "2012-11-09T02:31:53Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > DC isn’t that more liberal than many other cities. The political parties in the US have taken a pretty strong urban/rural split. And DC is very urban. It doesn’t even have any outlying suburbs in the county. 84% of Manhattan voted for Obama, 91% of Queens, 74% of Cook County (which contains more than the urban core of Chicago), 83% of San Francisco, 87.4% of Baltimore How did you find those stats about how the cities voted? I can only find info about the states, I’d like to see how the 50 or 100 largest cities voted for president. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/25 "2012-11-09T02:34:06Z")
Dana Scully, please come visit the D.C. area sometime. We can hold a Dopefest for you. You’ll find that it’s a lot different from what you think it’s like. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/26 "2012-11-09T02:51:31Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > …The political parties in the US have taken a pretty strong urban/rural split. And DC is very urban. It doesn’t even have any outlying suburbs in the county. 84% of Manhattan voted for Obama, 91% of Queens, 74% of Cook County (which contains more than the urban core of Chicago), 83% of San Francisco, 87.4% of Baltimore Take a look at some voting results for Virginia by jurisdiction. Cities like Richmond and Roanoke tend to be islands of blue in a sea of red. Much of that red is rural, some of it is downright hillbilly territory. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/27 "2012-11-09T02:59:15Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Take a look at some voting results for Virginia by jurisdiction. Cities like Richmond and Roanoke tend to be islands of blue in a sea of red. Much of that red is rural, some of it is downright hillbilly territory. That is true of a lot of states, tons of low populated red areas and a handful of densely populated blue cities. Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, Ohio, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/28 "2012-11-09T03:08:41Z")
While the federal employees themselves might not be a major voting bloc, they’re still numerous enough that a lot of folks who live there are going to have close friends or family members who are employed by the federal government. And that’s going to cut against the political party that’s always talking about trying to shrink the federal government. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/29 "2012-11-09T03:18:51Z")
I wouldn’t think of that as all personal greed, though. Many federal jobs, especially the sorts of highly skilled management jobs you are likely to find in DC agency offices, are nowhere near as well paid as their private sector counterparts. Many federal employees really do see themselves as public servants, and believe that the government plays an important role in the prosperity and quality of life in our nation. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/30 "2012-11-09T03:23:32Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Slight hijack-- Washington Territory (then State) was originally going to be named “Columbia” after the river, but a congressman thought that people would confuse it with the District of Columbia and so proposed “Washington” instead. Since then, nobody has ever confused the two. That’s fucking hilarious. Is it true? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/31 "2012-11-09T03:30:47Z")
> [@Dana\_Scully](#): > > You are laughably uninformed. **Moderator Note** **Dana Scully** , if you’re going to be snarky, it’s best not do so when providing erroneous information yourself. No warning issued, try to provide some actual information next time. Colibri General Questions Moderator > [@](#): > > Very likely the reason for so many Democrats in that area is that the President of the United States is a Democrat, so many government employees are members of that party. If S/he were Republican…well, figure it out. IF you can. Others have pointed out that this is plain wrong. I lived in DC during the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations, and DC voted Democratic then too. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/32 "2012-11-09T03:49:56Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > That’s fucking hilarious. Is it true? Indeed it is: [How did Washington state and Washington, D.C., get the same name?](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/02/how_did_washington_state_and_washington_d_c_get_the_same_name_.html) Part of the issue was that like **Ruken** said, back then the city of Washington didn’t encompass the entire District of Columbia (which was then sometimes called the Territory of Columbia), and so they thought that having two Territories of Columbias would have been confusing but not a Territory of Washington and city of Washington. Washington was the easiest name to push through congress instead, since who’s going to vote against George Washington? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/33 "2012-11-09T04:31:29Z")
To hijack, can anyone tell me how come Thurston County, Nebraska is the only blue county in Nebraska? It’s all red [except that one part](http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/results/nebraska). ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/34 "2012-11-09T04:36:26Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > To hijack, can anyone tell me how come Thurston County, Nebraska is the only blue county in Nebraska? It’s all red [except that one part](http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/results/nebraska). Injuns, the county is 52% native american (aka minority-majority). > **[Thurston County, Nebraska | Politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurston_County,_Nebraska#Politics)** > > In recent decades, Native Americans in the United States have become more active politically, voting in increasing numbers in local, state, and national elections. In 2004, Thurston, a majority-Native American county, was the only one in Nebraska with a majority voting for the Democratic Party presidential candidate, John Kerry. > Voter interest was high, and the 2008 presidential election was preceded by a major voter registration drive.\[citation needed\] The majority of voters in Thurston County ... > [@](#): > > In recent decades, Native Americans in the United States have become more active politically, voting in increasing numbers in local, state and national elections. In 2004, Thurston, a majority-Native American county, was the only one in Nebraska with a majority voting for the Democratic Party presidential candidate John Kerry. The 2008 presidential election was preceded by a major voter registration drive; the majority of voters in Thurston County again voted for the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, making the county one of four in the state in which Obama won a majority. In the 2012 presidential election, Thurston County was again the only Nebraska county that voted for the Democratic candidate.[citation needed] ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/35 "2012-11-09T06:28:00Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > 84% of Manhattan voted for Obama, 91% of Queens That surprises me, suburban as Queens is. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/36 "2012-11-09T09:16:01Z")
The District of Columbia [has voted](http://www.270towin.com/states/District_of_Columbia) Democratic in _every_ presidential election; it was enfranchised for presidential elections starting in 1964. So it’s not just _most_ of the time; it’s 13 times out of 13. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/37 "2012-11-09T09:53:37Z")
Further information about how well off the Washington area is: > **[List of highest-income counties in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-income_counties_in_the_United_States)** > > There are 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in the United States. The source of the data is the U.S. Census Bureau and the data is current as of the indicated year. Independent cities are considered county-equivalent by the Census Bureau. > Before the American Civil War, the wealthiest counties were primarily located in Louisiana and Mississippi, because of the high number of enslaved people, who were not included in the population. > Loudoun County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., i... Seven of the ten richest counties in the U.S. are in the D.C. metropolitan area. Twenty-three of the one hundred richest counties in the U.S. are in Maryland and Virginia. (This is in terms of median household income.) This makes the easternmost section of D.C. and some of adjacent Prince George’s County look poor in comparison, but that’s only by the standard of the area. Let’s be honest about what’s going on here. The eastern half of D.C. and the nearby section of Prince George’s County are overwhelming black, and there are people convinced that any overwhelmingly black area must be deeply inpoverished. It’s not. By the standards of most of the U.S. even that part of the metropolitan area is about average or a little above for wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/38 "2012-11-09T10:08:06Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > ETA: I’m still trying to figure out what makes DC such a “smart” area… 😃 Universities/sq.mi.? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/39 "2012-11-09T16:30:34Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Universities/sq.mi.? I was joking. I assume the poster meant “small”, not “smart”. Not an obvious typo, but the only one that makes sense in context. ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425/40 "2012-11-09T17:02:58Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > That surprises me, suburban as Queens is. I’m pretty sure he’s thinking of the Bronx, not Queens. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dc-so-overwhelmingly-democrat-leaning/640425.md?page=3)