Why is Oklahoma so red?

[NYCButterfinger]

Why is Oklahoma so red, it is next to Missouri, which was once a battleground state.

[SoonerPride]

1. Racism. Rural. Older. Mostly white.

I was shocked when my district voted for Kendra Horn (D) to Congress.

She faces an uphill battle in November.

But Oklahoma has a lot of uniformed voters who are more tribal than ideological and they are on a “team” and that team is R. 😒

[Ex Lurker]

2. Missouri has a couple of major cities

Oklahoma has one medium size city. Outside of STL and KC, Missouri is as red as Oklahoma.

[Mariana]

3. The population are mostly Christian.

Christians are much more likely to vote Republican than non-Christians.

[tritsofme]

10. Strange analysis. I doubt there are more heavily Christian demographics than blacks and hispanics.

Oklahoma is red because they are older, white, and rural.

Bizarre.

[Mariana]

26. The majority of Christian voters cast their ballots for Trump in 2016.

It's not "bizarre" at all. About 80% of residents of Oklahoma are Christian, about 47% Evangelical. 81% of white Evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016, and the majority of Christians overall did so.



https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/how-the-faithful-voted-a-preliminary-2016-analysis/

[treestar]

31. The only Christians

Who vote blue as a group are Hispanic Catholics. In that chart. Black Christians probably do too.

[diva77]

4. Dominance of wingnut media, and computerized voting machines & tabulators

[edhopper]

5. Jesus

Oklahoma is a hotbed of evangelical lunacy.

[doc03]

6. That's why Merle Haggard sang Okie from

Muskogee. It's been that way for ever.

[Bradshaw3]

11. Not really

Oklahoma has elected many great Democrats over the years. Haggard chose the city because it rhymed but he in fact was a pot smoker from way back. Later in life he took on the repubs on many fronts.

[doc03]

12. Yes I like Haggard, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson

they weren't like most other country stars.

[Zorro]

27. Fred Harris was an exceptional US Senator from Oklahoma

He gave an electrifying speech at the 1972 Democratic convention.

His predecessor Bob Kerr did a lot of good for the state, too.

[Bradshaw3]

28. I had forgotten about that speech

He did fairly well in the 1976 presidential primary. He is still around after teaching at UNM and writing several books.

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. from embarrassment

[SoonerPride]

8. I always keep this handy just because of that

[hurl]

9. Have wondered the same

My first thought was that the heavily Native population would be a strong bloc against Republicans, but I suspect that many simply do not participate at all due to a long history of being screwed by the US political process. Being just to the south in Texas, I find that we aren't so much red as non-participating, which allows Republicans to achieve disproportional power.

[treestar]

32. If one feels screwed by the political

Process, not participating only assures you will be further screwed.

[Bradshaw3]

13. I too think it is the religious influence

Oklahoma elected a lot of great Democrats, including Senator Fred Harris and representatives like Mike Synar (Google him if you don't know - he was a hero especially in the early fight against big tobacco) and Dave McCurdy. Early on, the southern part of the state mainly voted Democratic because of the settlers from places like Texas and the northern part was repub because it was influenced by northern migrants, like those from Kansas. The state voted narrowly for Ford over Carter in 1976. But thereafter it swung repub because of racism, influx of money from the oil boom and in large part because evangelical Christians grew so powerful. I remember people of that ilk who couldn't get elected dog catcher in my youth started getting elected to the statehouse in recent years.

[Wellstone ruled]

14. You pretty much stated the facts.

Arkansas swung rethug at the same time. The popularity of the new wave Christian Spooks and Racism was a potent mix.

[Bradshaw3]

23. Also, I should have mentioned the state's newspapers

The Daily Oklahoman and Tulsa World were run by RW families. The Gaylords used their paper in OKC as a bludgeon against anyone who dared oppose them and their big money, repub interests. They were also openly racist, using the n-word in an editorial in the 50s and in the newsroom according to former workers. Ugh, I hated them. It was probably the same in Arkansas. When you have the media, religious powers and in-group-out-group racism it is, like you said, a potent mix. Hopefully it will change one day.

[rufus dog]

15. A lot of clay in the soil

Makes for a lot of dirty trucks,..... oh, you mean politically.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

16. I've never visited Oklahoma, but if it's like Kansas...

... then I won't bother.

I couldn't even find a non-religious radio station when I drove through the heart of Kansas several times in the past, on my way to and from Colorado.

[Awsi Dooger]

18. Religious stations, country music, and far right wing talk shows

That basically describes the radio choices in rural areas all across the country.

It's the reason I always have to laugh when posters here rip National Public Radio. That is totally oblivious to situational influence. NPR may not be perfect but it is dependably found on the same area of the dial all across the country and the only semblance of sanity when bombarded with nothing but the other three choices. I am always thrilled when I detect even a feint signal from NPR.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

19. I can't complain about NPR either.

It was years ago that I drove through Kansas several times to visit my brother, so I hope the radio choices have improved somewhat. My guess is that it's even worse with hate-radio, though. I'd even take a radio preacher over that crap.

[yonder]

17. Tornadoes. Tornadoes scramble things.

[hunter]

20. This shit started when the English sent Scots Protestants to "colonize" Ireland.

That didn't turn out well for the colonizers so many came to America.

Shake and stir with White American Baptists who thought God was okay with slavery.

When that crowd flooded into Oklahoma they truly believed rain would follow the plow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_follows_the_plow

[treestar]

33. The English

Are at the bottom of most conflicts in the world. The 17th through 20th century English. With some help from the French and Spanish.

[Iggo]

21. Church. (n/t)

[KY_EnviroGuy]

22. Oil would be my guess.

And, Texas has done rubbed off on it.......

KY........

[GulfCoast66]

24. Caucasion + evangelical + poorly educated red.

[uponit7771]

25. Hart of clan country

[BannonsLiver]

29. Take away St Louis and parts of KCMO and Missouri is Alabama.

It’s been 12 years since it was legitimately considered a swing state and will not be one again likely for many many years.

[BannonsLiver]

30. It's okay to move on from us now

Thanks.