Despite being located on the West Coast, three of the five states with the most similar preferences to Washington are located in the Northeast region. In the last two decades, Washington 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 Washington
- Oregon is on Washington’s southern 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.
- Maine is on the opposite side of the country, but it still has extremely similar political preferences to Washington. Interestingly enough, since 1952, Maine and Washington have preferred the same presidential candidates in every election, with the exception of the 1988 contest. That year Washington voted for Michael Dukakis while Maine voted for George H.W. Bush.
- California is another state on the Pacific Coast. However, Washington has voted for the Democratic Party’s candidate more often since 1960. In 1968, Washington preferred Hubert Humphrey, while in 1988 George H.W. Bush won California, but Michael Dukakis won the more liberal Washington state.
- Vermont is another rural state in New England on this list. Like California, Vermont voted for Richard Nixon in 1968 and George H.W. Bush in 1988, while Washington voted for presidential candidates from the Democratic Party instead.
- New York is also in the Northeast region, but the state has voted for Democratic candidates for presidential elections more often than Vermont and Washington since 1960. Unlike Washington, New York voted for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Jimmy Carter in 1976.
5 States with least similar presidential preferences to Washington
Washington 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: Hubert Humphrey (D)
1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
1960: Richard Nixon (R)