Barack Obama and the South

Despite a tradition of racism, the South contributed to Barack Obama’s election as President. Obama won more electors than any Democratic nominee since 1976 although he did not carry the region. Obama’s mixed performance has spawned conflicting interpretations concerning the presence of racism among the region’s whites. Evidence of discrimination is at most mixed. Obama performed less well than Kerry among whites in states that have experienced less growth but elsewhere equaled or exceeded Kerry’s 2004 performance. When compared with statewide Democratic candidates, Obama attracted less of the white vote than went to winners but exceeded the performance of losers. Two other possible manifestations of a racist reaction to Obama in the South also failed to materialize. Across the region there was no Bradley effect nor was there a substantial mobilization among white voters.