Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:47 pm
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton swept through the South with wins in Alabama and Tennessee, building on her earlier wins in Georgia and Virginia this evening as well as her earlier South Carolina win.
Clinton’s Tennessee win was expected, as an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll showed her winning by 60% to Senator Bernie Sanders’ 34% margin. The same poll showed Trump the top choice of 40% of likely Tennessee Republican primary voters.
The former Democratic Senator was also polling well in Alabama, with a Monmouth University Poll finding Hillary Clinton having a “comfortable lead” in Alabama, with Bernie Sanders having a “slight edge” in Oklahoma. The same poll showed Trump leading in both Alabama and Oklahoma.
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In anticipating a big win for Clinton in Alabama, Five-Thirty-Eight explained that “the majority of the electorate in Alabama will probably be African-American. Also, more of the state’s Democratic voters identified as ‘conservative’ than ‘very liberal’ in the 2008 primary, which is bad news for Sanders.”
Hillary Clinton’s domination in the south is about several factors, not just her majority support from African-American voters. Clinton is also a familiar face to southern voters, as the wife of a former Governor of Arkansas who also just happened to be president. Yes, Hillary Clinton was the First Lady of Arkansas.
Being married to a legitimate southerner like Bill Clinton is a big deal in the south, where outsiders are viewed with suspicion. Clinton’s domination in the South could prove very interesting if she wins the Democratic nomination and Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination.
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