Is the Raleigh area Conservative or Liberal? (Durham, Chapel Hill: transplants, chapel) - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

stevetrice3000 · 11-08-2009, 05:43 AM

Is the Raleigh area Conservative or Liberal in their political views, family values, etc?

Green Irish Eyes · 11-08-2009, 08:15 AM

Please keep your responses civil and on-topic. Thank you.

rnc2mbfl · 11-08-2009, 08:30 AM

To answer the OP question, it's important to establish what "Raleigh area" means. For my answer, I'll just address Wake County as the geographic boundary.
Wake County has historically been very politically balanced. However, that balance is not achieved via some uniformity across the county. There are places that are much more progressive, places that are much more conservative and places that are probably more balanced and nearer the County's "median".
That all said, I don't think that one should be careful to not assume that they know what a liberal and conservative political environment is in the Raleigh area. My impression is that vast majority of liberals in the area would not look like liberals if they were juxtaposed with liberals in some other metros. I can say the same about the conservatives. IMO, Raleigh is neither on the cutting edge of progressive political thought, nor is it overwhelmed by social conservatives. While those sorts of people certainly exist in Raleigh, like they do everywhere, I don't see either as controlling the political discourse.
My impression is that Raleigh methodically moves forward in such a way as to neither be pushing the envelope nor being a laggard to national trending. Its political climate is neither tense like Miami (Where extreme political discourse is more evident to me) nor one sided in political thought.
To outsiders, the Raleigh area may appear more pragmatic than idealistic. It's a place where both liberals & conservatives would probably feel welcomed. It's a place that feels more mainstream Democrat to me. It's a place where conservative thought is more old-school (fiscal) than it is social conservatism.
In the City of Raleigh, its mayor and council leans left but not very far left. Suburban cities in the county are probably more conservative than Raleigh but none of them feel right wing to me. The county has traditionally voted more Democratic than the state as a whole but not as much so as Durham County. Raleigh and the entire Triangle area is reprsented by 3 Democrats in the US House of Representatives and the state's legislature and state house are run by Democrats.
I hope this information helps!

kll0417 · 11-08-2009, 10:57 AM

I agree...I'm very Conservative but I always feel welcomed in Raleigh. I think many of the universities in the Raleigh area are more liberal but that's probably the case with most universities now. As far as family values, Raleigh is just like many other cities, you have to be careful where you live. The city seems more appealing to young professionals now but I think there are still plenty of "family" neighborhoods. Different subdivisions like Brier Creek are very family friendly.

goodgal · 11-08-2009, 11:05 AM

NC State tends to be conservative that is comparing it to nearby universities that are liberal such as UNC or even down the road abit such as Guilford College(private very liberal). That is my take on the university scene anyway. There is a good mix of people in Raleigh and lots of NY transplants.

CHTransplant · 11-08-2009, 11:30 AM

I don't think you can capture the politics of the Triangle - or the State of North Carolina - in one label. It varies in so many ways. If you take a snapshot of our politics on the national level, you'll get one point of view - a state that is somewhat conservative and leans slighly Republican (but not consistently). If you take a snapshot of our politics on the state level, you'll get a very different view - a state that is somewhat liberal (although no consistently so), and leans heavily Democratic. Get down to the local level and it gets even more complicated and varied.

Chapel Hill, where I live, is often painted as "liberal" and without political diversity by some who don't know the area very well. Yet in the most recent (non-partisan) municipal elections here, a slate of "pro-business" (and lower tax, pro-development) candidates for mayor and town council had heavy backing and had some limited success (and the mayoral candidate lost by just 99 votes). Proof, I think, that there are a variety of political viewpoints represented everywhere.