A Look Back at 2016
In a state known for its conservative leanings, Trump secured a decisive victory, garnering 63.0% of the vote. This made North Dakota his fourth-strongest state, trailing only West Virginia, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. Clinton, on the other hand, received only 27.2% of the vote, marking the largest loss for a Democratic candidate in the state since Jimmy Carter's defeat in 1980. Interestingly, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who was born in North Dakota, achieved his second-best result nationwide here with 6.2% of the vote.
The election highlighted North Dakota's strong Republican preference, a trend that continued into subsequent elections.
The 2020 Presidential Election
Trump maintained his stronghold in North Dakota, winning 65.1% of the vote, although his margin of victory decreased slightly compared to 2016. Biden secured 31.8% of the vote, showing a modest improvement over Clinton's performance four years earlier. Biden managed to win the majority-Native American counties of Rolette and Sioux, both Democratic strongholds, and came close to winning Cass County, home to Fargo, the state's largest city.
Biden's performance marked historical shifts, as he became the first Democrat to win the presidency without carrying certain counties that had traditionally been Democratic strongholds in previous elections.
Looking Ahead to 2024
The state's three electoral votes remain unchanged following the 2020 census. North Dakota, a sparsely populated Great Plains state with an almost exclusively White population, has a deep-rooted Republican inclination. The last time North Dakota voted Democratic was in 1964, during a national landslide. Only three presidential elections since 1964 have seen the state decided by single-digit margins: 1976, 1996, and 2008. The state's economy, heavily influenced by agribusiness and an oil boom, has solidified its GOP loyalty.
With these factors in mind, North Dakota is expected to remain a strong Republican state in the 2024 presidential election. The political landscape suggests that the Republican candidate will likely secure a comfortable victory, continuing the state's long-standing trend.
0 Comments