Dallas More Liberal Than Austin
Study: Dallas more liberal than Austin
10:50 AM CDT on Friday, August 12, 2005
AUSTIN - The "Live Music Capitol of the World" where trendy residents like to "Keep Austin Weird" just got a shock.
Dallas has dented Austin's reputation as the most liberal city in Texas.
According to the Bay Area Center for Voting Research, a nonprofit think tank based in Berkeley, Calif., "Big D" is a more liberal city than Austin based on results from the 2004 presidential election.
The group ranked 237 cities, placing Dallas at No. 32. Austin? Way back at No. 93, just ahead of Virginia Beach and Salt Lake City. Now that's weird.
The study found that cities with large black populations tend to turn out for liberal candidates.
Yet in 2004, Republican President George W. Bush carried Dallas County with just over 50 percent of the vote compared to Democrat John Kerry's 49 percent. In Travis County, Kerry easily trumped Bush with 56 percent.
"I would find it hard to believe that Austin is not in the top 25 or 30 liberal cities," said Travis County Republican Chairman Alan Sager.
Mark Nathan, a Democratic political consultant concurred: "I think someone in Berkeley may be one toke over the line."
The study also ranked several other Texas cities. Plano stands as the fifth-most-conservative. Abilene was No. 3 and Lubbock was No. 2, trailing only Provo, Utah.
10:50 AM CDT on Friday, August 12, 2005
AUSTIN - The "Live Music Capitol of the World" where trendy residents like to "Keep Austin Weird" just got a shock.
Dallas has dented Austin's reputation as the most liberal city in Texas.
According to the Bay Area Center for Voting Research, a nonprofit think tank based in Berkeley, Calif., "Big D" is a more liberal city than Austin based on results from the 2004 presidential election.
The group ranked 237 cities, placing Dallas at No. 32. Austin? Way back at No. 93, just ahead of Virginia Beach and Salt Lake City. Now that's weird.
The study found that cities with large black populations tend to turn out for liberal candidates.
Yet in 2004, Republican President George W. Bush carried Dallas County with just over 50 percent of the vote compared to Democrat John Kerry's 49 percent. In Travis County, Kerry easily trumped Bush with 56 percent.
"I would find it hard to believe that Austin is not in the top 25 or 30 liberal cities," said Travis County Republican Chairman Alan Sager.
Mark Nathan, a Democratic political consultant concurred: "I think someone in Berkeley may be one toke over the line."
The study also ranked several other Texas cities. Plano stands as the fifth-most-conservative. Abilene was No. 3 and Lubbock was No. 2, trailing only Provo, Utah.