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UnkleRinkus t1_ivtlgql wrote

It's pretty similar. You have small towns with historic economic bases of logging and fishing - extractive industries that have been hit hard by automation and regulation, resulting in job loss and young people moving out of the area. The people moving into the area are retirees, and the lower end of the economic strata. Hence the area is pretty right leaning.

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gothling13 t1_ivto2pi wrote

There’s also a lot of resentment towards the government due to how the impact of spotted owl protection affected the logging industry there. Those sentiments tend to push people to the right.

Source: My wife is from Grays Harbor and I have to hear about it every time we visit.

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Specialist_Ad7724 t1_ivvki29 wrote

I agree with you on everything other than the retirees being conservative. Granted some of them are, but my personal experience with retirees moving to the coast is a lot of educators, lawyers, doctors- people who can afford to retire properly at the beach, left leaning. The conservative comes from the local population.

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