ROOSEVELT (D) STATES IN RED
WILIKIE (R) STATES IN BLUE
ROOSVELT (D) % OF THE POPULAR VOTE-- SOUTHERN STATES
Alabama 85.22%
Arkansas 78.44%
Florida 73.99%
Georgia 84.81%
Kentucky 57.45%
Louisiana 85.88%
Maryland 58.26%
Mississippi 95.70%
Missouri 52.27%
North Carolina 74.03%
South Carolina 95.63%
Tennessee 67.25%
Virginia 68.08%
West Virginia 57.10%
ROOSVELT (D) % OF POPULAR VOTE-- NORTHWESTERN STATES
Colorado 48.37%
Idaho 54.36%
Iowa 47.62%
Kansas 42.40%
Montana 58.78%
North Dakota 44.18%
South Dakota 42.59%
Nebraska 42.81
Wyoming 52.82%
In modern times, the two most "conservative" regions of the country are considered the old south and the rural northwest. If you compare the 1940 election results to the 2000 election 60 years later, you will find little change in the northwest-- several of though states gave conservative Republicans almost 60% or more-- as they do today. However, you will see that the "conservative" southern states have flipped 180o since that time. They went from solidly supporting liberal Democrats to solidly supporting conservative Republicans. The only southern states that remotingly shared their 2000 voted pattern with their 1940 pattern was the ones in the "border" areas that were NOT very supportive of local Democrats in the civil war to begin with. So why is that most southern states changed THEIR voting patterns when the other traditional "conservative" states (Idaho, Nebraska, Indiana, etc.) did not?
It's because the REGIONS of America have altered their idelogy over the past century, NOT the political party's altering theirs (IF the party's had changed ideology, the north and midwest would have switched from DemocRAT to GOP too) For at least 100 years, the socialist wing of the 'RAT party has been far more powerful than the "liberal" wing of the GOP, much to the dismay of "moderates" like Alf Smith. Every once in a while, the Democrats nominate a conservative member the GOP nominates a liberal one. But this doesn't change their behavior as a whole.