Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Trumpalachia: The Dominance of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in Modern Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This project will focus on the dramatic turn modern Appalachia has made towards the Republican Party. In 2008, President Obama won the election by a wide margin, and the Democratic Party increased their percentage of the vote in nearly every county in the nation outside of one particular region—Appalachia. Large swaths of the region from Georgia to Pennsylvania voted more heavily for John McCain in defeat than they did for George W. Bush in victory in 2000 or 2004. The 2012 Presidential election was a fairly close contest, but the contest was not close in Appalachia. The large trend towards the Republican Party continued, baffling many academics who could not understand how all of these people were voting against their own interests. Then came Donald Trump. During the 2016 Republican primaries, Appalachia proved to be one of Donald Trump’s strongest regions in the country. Despite facing a contested 4 way race, Trump won nearly every county in the region losing only 11. Some may dismiss this saying that Trump uniquely appeals to rural voters, but it was Ted Cruz who won many of the most rural states in America and numerous rural counties across the heartland by wide margins. However, Ted Cruz did not fare so well in Appalachia. For example, Cruz did very well in Western Kentucky, but he narrowly lost the state after getting trounced by Trump in Eastern Kentucky. In Virginia, Marco Rubio ran very well but narrowly lost to Trump. Rubio had broad support in the tidewater and especially in Northern Virginia, but Trump won every Appalachian county in the state winning an outright majority in most southwestern counties. Trump’s dominance was especially evident in Ohio, where despite losing the state to popular governor John Kasich, he still carried most of Ohio’s Appalachian counties. Governor Kasich won nearly every county in the state outside of the region, but he lost all but three counties in Appalachian Ohio to Donald Trump. Later in the primary season, Trump swept all of the Appalachian counties in Pennsylvania and Maryland on April 26 while sweeping a total of 5 states that day and effectively locking up the nomination. Trump also won every county in West Virginia, Eastern Tennessee, and Northern Georgia. Something unique is happening in Appalachia, and the region has clearly helped lead Donald Trump to the Republican nomination. If he ultimately wins the Presidency, it likely will be on the strength and enthusiasm of the mountaineers putting him over the top in key swing states. If he does not win, he will still likely win Appalachia by a significantly larger margin than any candidate in recent history and possibly ever. Either way, it is certainly worth investigating.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Kevin Oshnock has a Master's degree in history from Appalachian State University and is from Western Pennsylvania. He currently teaches high school history.
Trumpalachia: The Dominance of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in Modern Appalachia
This project will focus on the dramatic turn modern Appalachia has made towards the Republican Party. In 2008, President Obama won the election by a wide margin, and the Democratic Party increased their percentage of the vote in nearly every county in the nation outside of one particular region—Appalachia. Large swaths of the region from Georgia to Pennsylvania voted more heavily for John McCain in defeat than they did for George W. Bush in victory in 2000 or 2004. The 2012 Presidential election was a fairly close contest, but the contest was not close in Appalachia. The large trend towards the Republican Party continued, baffling many academics who could not understand how all of these people were voting against their own interests. Then came Donald Trump. During the 2016 Republican primaries, Appalachia proved to be one of Donald Trump’s strongest regions in the country. Despite facing a contested 4 way race, Trump won nearly every county in the region losing only 11. Some may dismiss this saying that Trump uniquely appeals to rural voters, but it was Ted Cruz who won many of the most rural states in America and numerous rural counties across the heartland by wide margins. However, Ted Cruz did not fare so well in Appalachia. For example, Cruz did very well in Western Kentucky, but he narrowly lost the state after getting trounced by Trump in Eastern Kentucky. In Virginia, Marco Rubio ran very well but narrowly lost to Trump. Rubio had broad support in the tidewater and especially in Northern Virginia, but Trump won every Appalachian county in the state winning an outright majority in most southwestern counties. Trump’s dominance was especially evident in Ohio, where despite losing the state to popular governor John Kasich, he still carried most of Ohio’s Appalachian counties. Governor Kasich won nearly every county in the state outside of the region, but he lost all but three counties in Appalachian Ohio to Donald Trump. Later in the primary season, Trump swept all of the Appalachian counties in Pennsylvania and Maryland on April 26 while sweeping a total of 5 states that day and effectively locking up the nomination. Trump also won every county in West Virginia, Eastern Tennessee, and Northern Georgia. Something unique is happening in Appalachia, and the region has clearly helped lead Donald Trump to the Republican nomination. If he ultimately wins the Presidency, it likely will be on the strength and enthusiasm of the mountaineers putting him over the top in key swing states. If he does not win, he will still likely win Appalachia by a significantly larger margin than any candidate in recent history and possibly ever. Either way, it is certainly worth investigating.
