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The bellwether rings true no more.
For nearly half a century, voters in Clallam County, Wash. — a lush green dot in a far-off corner of the country — have gone with the winner in 11 straight presidential elections. That's an unmatched level of precision among more than 3,000 counties nationwide.
But the streak, dating to 1980, ended on Tuesday as voters favored Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Trump, by a decisive 53% to 44%. While there are still votes to be counted, Harris' lead there appears certain to hold.
That means there are no bellwether counties left in America; heading into the 2020 election there were nearly 20. After that, Clallam County — roughly balanced politically between its three small population centers and sparsely populated rural reaches — stood alone.
(Yours truly visited the county and took the measure of voter sentiments in September, just after the Trump-Harris debate: At the time, neither candidate was running away with the contest and virtually everyone was firmly dug into their positions.)
Marc Abshire, director of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce and a Harris supporter, said he was proud the county went for the Democratic ticket, "but also disappointed we're losing our bellwether status because of it."
"Out here, we just didn't have the grievance vote that most of the rest of the country seemed to have," he said.
Setting aside any bruised pride, Abshire said there are plenty of reasons to visit the region, beyond its former political prescience.
"We're lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places in the nation, if not the world," Abshire said. "We have the sea and mile-high mountains all in our front and backyards. Our weather is always temperate."
People will just have to start looking elsewhere for a political barometer.
(COMMENT, BELOW)
Mark Z. Barabak
Los Angeles Times/(TNS)
Mark Z. Barabak is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on politics in California and the West.
Previously:
• 11/13/23 Overwhelmed? Confused? Here's what to make of all those presidential polls
• 09/18/23 How labor and a wily senator turned Nevada blue --- and redrew the nation's presidential map
• 07/13/23 Here's why California will be the 2024 presidential kingmaker. (Just kidding)
• 06/19/23 Barbara Boxer warns progressives to back off on Dianne Feinstein or they may be sorry
• 06/15/23 He's gay and Republican. And no longer makes apologies
• 05/23/23 Feinstein is not going to quit the Senate. Ever. Just ask her biographer
• 02/07/23 Here's why Joe Biden won't be dumping Kamala Harris as his running mate
• 09/29/22 Is abortion issue a lifeline that saves the Senate for Dems? This race offers a test case
• 07/25/22 Don't underestimate Kamala Harris. She's still the Dem most likely to succeed Biden
• 05/17/22 RINOS V. DINOS: Oregon race a referendum on nation's direction of Dems
• 04/14/22 What if everyone is required to vote? Would that help cure America's political ills?
• 02/18/22 Where's the love? Here's why Kamala Harris' California poll numbers stink
• 02/18/22 From uber-liberal San Fran, school board recall is a three-alarm warning for Dems nationwide
• 12/09/21 So you think Kamala Harris has it rough. Remember Dan Quayle?
• 01/17/13 A RINO in Frisco