ELECTORAL VOTES 13

2008 ELECTION Swing State

ABOUT
VIRGINIA

Virginia, one of the original 13 colonies and birthplace of four of the first five U.S. presidents, joined the Union in June 1788. In 1792, Virginia controlled 15.9% of all electoral votes, the largest concentration in U.S. history. But the commonwealth did not participate in the 1864 and 1868 elections due to secession. From the post-Civil War Reconstruction period through 1948, Virginians almost always sided with the Democrats in elections. Since 1952 (except for the landslide of Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater in 1964), Virginia has been reliably Republican. What changed? In the early 1950s, Virginia politics was controlled by Democratic Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr., and his political machine. For the 1952 cycle, Byrd announced he would not be endorsing a candidate, saying “Silence is golden.” People knew this meant that it would be okay to vote for the Republican Dwight Eisenhower. In 2004, Virginians voted for George W. Bush over John Kerry by a margin of 54% to 46%.