Despite being located on the West Coast, four of the six states with the most similar preferences to Oregon are located in the Northeast region. In the last two decades, Oregon has voted for Democratic candidates in all presidential elections, but that hasn’t always been the case. The five states with the least similar presidential voting preferences are all located in the South.
5 States with similar presidential preferences to Oregon
- Washington is on Oregon’s northern border and the states are extremely similar, so it is no surprise that it tops this list. In fact, since 1952, Oregon and Washington have preferred the same presidential candidates in every election, with the exception of the 1968 contest. That year Washington voted for Hubert Humphrey while Oregon voted for Richard Nixon.
- Vermont is on the opposite side of the country, but it still has similar political preferences to Oregon. Interestingly enough, since 1948, Vermont and Oregon have preferred the same presidential candidates in every election, with the exception of the 1988 contest. That year Oregon voted for Michael Dukakis while Vermont voted for George H.W. Bush.
- California is on Oregon’s southern border. It is another state that has very similar politics to Oregon historically. However, just like Vermont, California preferred George H.W. Bush in 1988, but Michael Dukakis won the slightly more liberal Oregon.
- New Jersey and Oregon have only not voted for the same presidential ticket one time since 1964. New Jersey voted for Bush, but Oregon voted for Dukakis in 1988. In addition, in 1960, Nixon won Oregon, while Kennedy won New Jersey.
- Delaware is yet another state on the East Coast on this list. Delaware’s voting history in presidential elections is very similar to New Jersey’s. However, unlike New Jersey and Oregon that voted for Gerald Ford, Delaware instead voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976.
5 States with least similar presidential preferences to Oregon
Oregon Presidential Voting History
2024: Kamala Harris (D)
2020: Joe Biden (D)
2016: Hillary Clinton (D)
2012: Barack Obama (D)
2008: Barack Obama (D)
2004: John Kerry (D)
2000: Al Gore (D)
1996: Bill Clinton (D)
1992: Bill Clinton (D)
1988: Michael Dukakis (D)
1984: Ronald Reagan (R)
1980: Ronald Reagan (R)
1976: Gerald Ford (R)
1972: Richard Nixon (R)
1968: Richard Nixon (R)
1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
1960: Richard Nixon (R)