Stark County, Ohio Bellwether, consistently underrepresents national Dems.
Stark County is known as a bellwether- it consistently picks the overall winner, and closely reflects the national vote percentages. Sometimes it is wrong- the one notable exception being 1976, when it spotted Gerald Ford one extra percent, and shorted Carter 2.
But that points out an even more consistent trait of Stark, and that is its reflection of the national Democratic percentage. Since 1968, it has always recorded 1 to 2 points less than the total national percentage of Democrats.
Year
2004 .. Stark Co. ....... National %
Kerry 50.6% 95,338 .. ???
Bush 48.9% 92,211 .. ???
Other 0.5% 907
2000 ..................... National
Gore 47.1% 75,308 - 48.38%
Bush 48.9% 78,153 - 47.87%
Nader 2.5% 4,032
Other 1.5% 2,351
1996 ..................... National
Clinton 46.4% 73,437 - 49.23%
Dole . 38.0% 60,212 - 40.72%
Perot 14.5% 23,004 - 8.40%
Other 1.1% 1,693
1992 ..................... National
Clinton 40.0% 70,064- 43.0%
Bush . 35.3% 61,863 - 37.4%
Perot 24.2% 42,413 - 18.91%
Other 0.4% 752
1988 ......................... National
Bush .. 55.1% 87,087 - 53.4%
Dukakis 44.0% 69,639- 45.6%
Other 0.9% 1,370
1984 ........................ National
Reagan 59.7% 98,434 - 58.77%
Mondale 39.5% 65,157 - 40.56%
Other 0.8% 1,325
1980 ..................... National
Reagan 55.9% 87,769- 50.75%
Carter . 37.6% 59,005- 41.01%
Anderson 5.1% 8,030
Other 1.5% 2,302
1976 ..................... National
Carter 48.0% 70,012- 50.08%
Ford . 49.8% 72,607- 48.02%
Other 2.1% 3,090
1972 ..................... National
Nixon ..... 62.7% 92,110- 60.67%
McGovern 35.1% 51,565- 37.52%
Other 2.1% 3,135
1968 ..................... National
Nixon ..... 47.9% 68,414- 43.42%
Humphrey 40.4% 57,675- 42.72%
Wallace .. 11.7% 16,775- 13.53%
Other 0.0% 24
After 1964 Stark gets even more off this track- in 1960 it gave Nixon 55%!!!
1964 ..................... National
Johnson . 62.3% 88,704- 61.05%
Goldwater 37.7% 53,632 38.47%