Meet the most partisan localities in Virginia — the thoroughly red Tazewell County and unbendingly blue city of Petersburg.
Tazewell County voters cast their ballots for Republican George Allen over Democrat Tim Kaine 75.9 percent to 24 percent on Tuesday, according to final results. On the flip side, Petersburg voters chose Tim Kaine over George Allen by a whopping 89.8 percent to 9.9 percent. Median income, age and education levels are roughly the same. So what’s the big difference between the two? It could simply be a matter of race, if Census data is an indication.
Resting on the Virginia border, Tazewell County is home to under 45,000, 95 percent of whom are white, according to 2011 U.S. Census data. In Virginia as a whole, for comparison, just 71 percent of the population is white. Those over 65 make up nearly 17.7 percent of the population, compared with 12.5 percent statewide. And medium income is $35,000, barely half of what median income is across the state. High school graduation rates, at 75.6 percent, are slightly below the 86 percent rate nationally.
In Petersburg, however, white residents make up only 16 percent of the 32,000-person population; black residents make up 79 percent, according to 2011 Census data. Roughly 15 percent of Petersburg residents are over 65, compared with 12.5 percent statewide. Median income is roughly the same as in Tazewell County at about $36,500. And high school graduation is only a few percentage points below Tazewell County’s at 75.6 percent.
For a county-by-county look at party preference, go to vpap.org.
— Kathryn Watson