Elections in New England

Elections in New England have been defined by the region's political and cultural history, demographics, economy, and its loyalty to particular U.S. political parties. Within the elections in the United States, New England is sometimes viewed in terms of a single voting bloc.

Barack Obama campaigning in Portsmouth, New Hampshire during his 2012 reelection bid. He carried every New England state in 2008 and 2012.

Presidential
Parties
NonpartisanFederalistDemocratic-RepublicanNational RepublicanDemocraticAnti-MasonicWhigRepublican
  • Bold denotes election winner.
Presidential electoral votes in the New England states since 1789
YearConnecticutMaineMassachusettsNew HampshireRhode IslandVermont
1789WashingtonPrior to 1820,

modern-Maine

was a part of

Massachusetts

 WashingtonWashingtonNo electionNo election
1792WashingtonWashingtonWashingtonWashingtonWashington
1796AdamsAdamsAdamsAdamsAdams
1800AdamsAdamsAdamsAdamsAdams
1804PinckneyJeffersonJeffersonJeffersonJefferson
1808PinckneyPinckneyPinckneyPinckneyMadison
1812ClintonClintonClintonClintonMadison
1816KingKingMonroeMonroeMonroe
1820MonroeMonroeMonroeMonroeMonroeMonroe
1824AdamsAdamsAdamsAdamsAdamsAdams
1828AdamsAdamsAdamsAdamsAdamsAdams
1832ClayJacksonClayJacksonClayWirt
1836Van BurenVan BurenWebsterVan BurenVan BurenHarrison
1840HarrisonHarrisonHarrisonVan BurenHarrisonHarrison
1844ClayPolkClayPolkClayClay
1848TaylorCassTaylorCassTaylorTaylor
1852PiercePierceScottPiercePierceScott
1856FrémontFrémontFrémontFrémontFrémontFrémont
1860LincolnLincolnLincolnLincolnLincolnLincoln
1864LincolnLincolnLincolnLincolnLincolnLincoln
1868GrantGrantGrantGrantGrantGrant
1872GrantGrantGrantGrantGrantGrant
1876TildenHayesHayesHayesHayesHayes
1880GarfieldGarfieldGarfieldGarfieldGarfieldGarfield
1884ClevelandBlaineBlaineBlaineBlaineBlaine
1888ClevelandHarrisonHarrisonHarrisonHarrisonHarrison
1892ClevelandHarrisonHarrisonHarrisonHarrisonHarrison
1896McKinleyMcKinleyMcKinleyMcKinleyMcKinleyMcKinley
1900McKinleyMcKinleyMcKinleyMcKinleyMcKinleyMcKinley
1904RooseveltRooseveltRooseveltRooseveltRooseveltRoosevelt
1908TaftTaftTaftTaftTaftTaft
1912WilsonWilsonWilsonWilsonWilsonTaft
1916HughesHughesHughesWilsonHughesHughes
1920HardingHardingHardingHardingHardingHarding
1924CoolidgeCoolidgeCoolidgeCoolidgeCoolidgeCoolidge
1928HooverHooverSmithHooverSmithHoover
1932HooverHooverRooseveltHooverRooseveltHoover
1936RooseveltLandonRooseveltRooseveltRooseveltLandon
1940RooseveltWillkieRooseveltRooseveltRooseveltWillkie
1944RooseveltDeweyRooseveltRooseveltRooseveltDewey
1948DeweyDeweyTrumanDeweyTrumanDewey
1952EisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhower
1956EisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhowerEisenhower
1960KennedyNixonKennedyNixonKennedyNixon
1964JohnsonJohnsonJohnsonJohnsonJohnsonJohnson
1968HumphreyHumphreyHumphreyNixonHumphreyNixon
1972NixonNixonMcGovernNixonNixonNixon
1976FordFordCarterFordCarterFord
1980ReaganReaganReaganReaganCarterReagan
1984ReaganReaganReaganReaganReaganReagan
1988BushBushDukakisBushDukakisBush
1992ClintonClintonClintonClintonClintonClinton
1996ClintonClintonClintonClintonClintonClinton
2000GoreGoreGoreBushGoreGore
2004KerryKerryKerryKerryKerryKerry
2008ObamaObamaObamaObamaObamaObama
2012ObamaObamaObamaObamaObamaObama
2016ClintonClinton[†]ClintonClintonClintonClinton
YearConnecticutMaineMassachusettsNew HampshireRhode IslandVermont

In the 2000 presidential election, Democratic candidate Al Gore carried all of the New England states except for New Hampshire, and in 2004, John Kerry, a New Englander himself, won all six New England states.[1] In both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, every congressional district with the exception of New Hampshire's 1st district were won by Gore and Kerry respectively. During the 2008 Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton won the three New England states containing Greater Boston (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire), while Barack Obama won the three that did not (Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont). In the 2008 presidential election, Obama carried all six states by 9 percentage points or more.[2] He carried every county in New England except for Piscataquis County, Maine, which he lost by 4% to Senator John McCain (R-AZ). As of the 2010 census, New England collectively has 33 electoral votes.

The six states of New England voted for the Democratic Presidential nominee in the 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012 elections, and every state but New Hampshire voted for Al Gore in the presidential election of 2000. In the 113th Congress the House delegations from all six states of New England are all Democratic. New England is home to the only two independent politicians currently serving in the U.S. Senate: Angus King, who represents Maine and Bernie Sanders, who represents Vermont.

New Hampshire primary
Alumni Hall at Saint Anselm College has served as a backdrop for the media reports during the New Hampshire primary.

Historically, the New Hampshire primary has been the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years. Held in the state of New Hampshire, it usually marks the beginning of the U.S. presidential election process. Even though few delegates are chosen from New Hampshire, the primary has always been pivotal to both New England and American politics. One college in particular, Saint Anselm College, has been home to numerous national presidential debates and visits by candidates to its campus.[3]

Local factories and diners are valuable photo opportunities for candidates, who hope to use this quintessential New England image to their advantage by portraying themselves as sympathetic to blue collar workers. Media coverage of the primary enables candidates low on funds to "rally back"; an example of this was President Bill Clinton who referred to himself as "The Comeback Kid" following the 1992 primary. National media outlets have converged on small New Hampshire towns, such as during the 2007 and 2008 national presidential debates held at Saint Anselm College in the town of Goffstown.[4][5] Goffstown and other towns in New Hampshire have been experiencing this influx of national media since the 1950s.

Political party strength

Judging purely by party registration rather than voting patterns, New England today is one of the most Democratic regions in the U.S.,[6][7][8] with four of the six states considered among the most solidly Democratic in the country. New Hampshire and Maine are generally swing states in federal elections.[9] Republicans in New England are considered by both liberals and conservatives to be more moderate (even socially liberal) compared to Republicans in other parts of the U.S.[10]

StateGovernorSenior U.S. SenatorJunior U.S. SenatorU.S. House DelegationUpper House MajorityLower House Majority
CTN. LamontR. BlumenthalC. MurphyDemocratic 5–0Democratic 23–13Democratic 91–59
MEJ. MillsS. CollinsA. King[‡]Democratic 2–0Democratic 21-14Democratic 88–57–5-1-3
MAC. BakerE. WarrenE. MarkeyDemocratic 9–0Democratic 34–6Democratic 127–32
NHC. SununuJ. ShaheenM. HassanDemocratic 2–0Democratic 14–10Democratic 233–167
RIG. RaimondoJ. ReedS. WhitehouseDemocratic 2–0Democratic 33–5Democratic 66–9
VTP. ScottP. LeahyB. Sanders[‡]Democratic 1–0Democratic 22–6–2Democratic 95–43–7–5
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See also

Notes
† Clinton won the overall state, but Donald Trump won Maine's 2nd congressional district in the 2016 election.
‡ Elected as an independent, but caucuses with the Democratic Party.

References
  1. "2006 Political Party Breakdown by State". The Green Papers. Retrieved July 19, 2006.
  2. "Election Center 2008". CNN. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  3. "Mike Huckabee: Mike Huckabee's Weekly Schedule for Sept. 24". All American Patriots website. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  4. "Candidates Face Off At St. Anselm's College". CBS News. January 7, 2008.
  5. "Election Center 2008 - Election & Politics News from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  6. Salzman, Avi (December 18, 2005). "A Laboratory For Liberals?". New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  7. "New England grapples with first execution". Concord Monitor. May 13, 2005. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  8. Grynbaum, Michael M. (June 8, 2006). "Gregg cites states' rights in voting against amendment". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  9. "Number of Solidly Democratic States Cut in Half From '08 to '10". Gallup. February 21, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  10. Purple, Matt (April 10, 2010). "No More 'New England Republicans'". The American Spectator. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
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