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Why was California a Republican state while Texas and the Deep South voted Democratic in 1960?
Do Californians still prefer Nixon to Kennedy?
What's interesting about the map is that it's not so regional divisive as it is today. You have Southern states split among Dems, GOP and Independents and a split in the North as well.
Nixon,of course,was from California. Also the state was majority white,and many of the people,were from the midwest. It was also a mostly protestant state.
This map does not surprise me. The South was solidly Democratic as "Dixiecratic," since the Republicans were the party of Lincoln. This was done more out of tradition than ideology. So Texas, as a southern state, went Democratic in most elections before the 1960s.
California, in 1960, was not as diverse, ethnically and racially as it is now. Yes, many Mexicans always lived there, even from before white settlers moved in. Also, you had many Asians that were originally bought in to work in the gold mines and railroads. However, their percentage of the population just was nowhere near as high as it is now. Hence, the Republicans had a much better shot for winning the state than they do now.
However, Kennedy was definitely progressive for his time. By 1960, the Democratic Party was the more left progressive side of American politics. What changed was the racial dynamics and their affect on politics.
There is so little difference between republicans and democrats that this is not surprising. Given no fundamental differences such changes should not only be not surprising but expected.
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