Spokane: liberal oasis?

Could it be that Spokane, the city we have all come to know and love for its seemingly ass-backward, conservative ways is actually more liberal than we give it credit for? Let's look at some of the current results** from last week's election.

In the presidential race, John McCain holds a slight lead in Spokane County:

John McCain.........107,124 (49.4%)
Barack Obama........104,358 (48.1%)

But in the city, it was a whole different story:

Barack Obama.........51,420 (56.2%)
John McCain..........37,814 (41.3%)

Yes, you read that right ... Spokane is totally blue!

Spokane's blue streak didn't just stop at the big Presidential race. It also extended to the local contests. Kevin Parker defeated Don Barlow in their 6th district race:

Kevin Parker.........36,746 (52.9%)
Don Barlow...........32,767 (47.1%)

But, in the parts of the 6th district that fall within the City of Spokane...

Don Barlow...........21,848 (50.2%)
Kevin Parker.........21,696 (49.8%)

For the race between John Driscoll and John Ahern (which is too close to call right now and is headed for a recount) here are the county numbers:

John Driscoll........34,805 (50.05%)
John Ahern...........34,742 (49.95%)

And the city numbers:

John Driscoll........23,173 (53.1%)
John Ahern...........20,449 (46.9%)

Of course, this list would in now way be complete without my favorite of these results. Here are the numbers for the Governor's race in Spokane County:

Dino Rossi...........111,258 (51.9%)
Christine Gregoire...103,135 (48.1%)

And you remember all those signs throughout the city, pleading with us to not let Seattle "steal" this election? Well, the good news is that we didn't. We joined Seattle in telling Dino Rossi to hit the road:

Christine Gregoire....50,585 (55.9%)
Dino Rossi............39,828 (44.1%)

Now, that is a drubbing. Way to go Spokane!

So, the next time that you feel all alone as a progressive in Spokane, think of these results and remember just how blue the Lilac City really is.

If you want a visual reminder of this, go check out some of the maps Jim Camden has at his Spin Control 2.0 blog. They really show Spokane as the true blue oasis in the middle of a deep red desert.



** ~ Remember that these results are not final and not certified. According to the Spokane County Auditor's site, there are an estimated 3,500 ballots left to count, so these results could change to some degree by time the dust settles.