The political story of Appalachia reflects the broader history of the United States—a story of shifting loyalties, cultural pride, and economic struggle. Stretching from southern New York through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Western North Carolina, and into northern Alabama and Georgia, Appalachia has traveled a long road from its Civil War loyalties to its present-day Republican strength. Since the 1990s, the region has leaned heavily toward the Republican Party, yet this outcome emerged from a much more complicated past.
Appalachia has always balanced tradition and transformation. It has never remained under the control of one political force for too long. Economic shifts, labor movements, cultural identity, and national policy changes have continuously reshaped the region’s political preferences.
A Region with a Mixed Political History
Post-Civil War Republicanism
After the Civil War, large parts of Appalachia supported the Union and aligned with the Republican Party. In an era when most of the South leaned Democratic, mountain voters took a different path. Their wartime experiences shaped their political choices for decades afterward. Counties across West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, and Western North Carolina developed deep Republican traditions.
For many, the Republican Party represented unity, patriotism, and progress. Union loyalty had cost lives and livelihoods, and maintaining that political allegiance became a point of pride. In rural mountain towns, voters saw Republican values as an extension of self-reliance and independence—qualities that defined Appalachian life.
The influence reached across the region. From Pennsylvania’s mining towns to the ridges of Western North Carolina, residents voted Republican in state and national contests. Churches, local papers, and civic groups reinforced that identity, treating political loyalty as a matter of heritage as much as policy. For nearly seventy years after the Civil War, Republicanism remained part of the cultural fabric of Appalachia.
Democratic Shift During the New Deal
Economic catastrophe in the 1930s transformed Appalachia’s political direction. The Great Depression devastated the coal fields and industrial centers scattered through the mountains. Unemployment soared, and entire communities struggled to survive. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs offered a lifeline.
Federal projects built dams, electrified rural areas, and provided jobs through initiatives such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Works Progress Administration. Families in the coal and manufacturing counties of Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Western North Carolina saw their quality of life improve through these programs. For many, the Democratic Party became synonymous with hope and recovery.
Union activity deepened that bond. The United Mine Workers of America and other labor groups expanded their influence across Appalachia, encouraging miners and factory workers to support Democratic candidates. In turn, Democratic leaders pledged loyalty to labor and economic fairness.
Through the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, Appalachia remained a dependable Democratic stronghold. Local party organizations became powerful political machines that shaped state governments. West Virginia elected Democratic governors and senators consistently. Kentucky’s coal counties turned out solid Democratic majorities. Even in Republican-leaning areas such as Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina, Democrats gained ground through local labor and education initiatives.
Late 20th-Century Realignment
By the late twentieth century, cultural and political changes began to reshape Appalachia once again. National debates over religion, civil rights, and environmental policy collided with local values.
The Democratic Party’s growing association with environmental regulation created tension in coal country. Federal laws designed to protect air and water were viewed as threats to the coal industry—the backbone of many Appalachian communities. At the same time, the Republican Party began emphasizing family, faith, and tradition, which resonated deeply in church-centered mountain culture.
From the 1970s onward, this new alignment gained strength. Voters who once identified as “FDR Democrats” began crossing over to support Republican presidential candidates. Ronald Reagan’s campaign of optimism and patriotism appealed strongly to Appalachian voters in the 1980s.
Counties that had long voted Democratic started flipping. In Western North Carolina, small towns that relied on textiles and timber shifted their allegiance as global trade eroded local industries. In eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, the decline of coal reinforced skepticism toward Democratic environmental priorities. By the 1990s, the transformation had accelerated across the entire region.
The Current Era of Republican Dominance
A Major Shift to the GOP
Appalachia’s move toward the Republican Party since the 1990s represents one of the most significant political transformations in modern American history. The region’s shift exceeded that of the Deep South or the Midwest. Counties that once delivered sweeping Democratic victories began voting Republican by wide margins in every level of government.
Republicans captured this loyalty by framing themselves as defenders of Appalachian identity. They promised to revive coal jobs, protect traditional values, and resist what they described as cultural and economic interference from Washington. In Western North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia, the message was clear: the GOP understood rural life and respected its people.
Factors Influencing the Shift
Several key factors shaped this transformation. Cultural conservatism remains at its heart. Appalachian communities place deep importance on religion, family, and patriotism. Republican messaging about social and moral issues closely aligns with these priorities.
Economic change has reinforced that connection. As coal production declined and industries disappeared, Republican leaders promised to fight for the survival of traditional jobs and challenge environmental restrictions seen as harmful to local economies. Democratic leaders, focusing on climate and renewable energy, often failed to convince Appalachian voters that their policies would bring immediate economic relief.
Regional pride also plays a central role. Appalachians often see themselves as misunderstood or ignored by national elites. Republican candidates have built campaigns around affirming that identity, presenting themselves as champions of small towns, faith communities, and working families. From Pennsylvania’s steel belt to the mountain towns of Western North Carolina, that message continues to resonate.
Fear and Political Control
A defining element of Republican strength in Appalachia lies in the use of fear-based politics. Campaigns often highlight cultural and economic threats, portraying Democrats as dangers to local life and tradition.
Through rhetoric focused on coal, religion, guns, and social change, Republican leaders have created a sense of constant risk—convincing voters that only GOP victories can safeguard their communities. Fear of losing livelihoods or values becomes a motivating force. This emotional appeal often outweighs policy details or measurable results.
Republicans for nearly forty years have made promises they claim to keep. They have been in total control, and when things go wrong, they blame Democrats and use scare tactics to stay in power. By turning fear into loyalty, they maintain a stronghold built on emotion, memory, and distrust of outside influence.
Recent Voting Trends
The numbers tell a striking story. In 1980, West Virginia supported Democrat Jimmy Carter. By 2020, it became the second strongest state for Republican Donald Trump. Every county voted Republican. In Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Basin, the Republican margin of victory in presidential contests expanded dramatically between 2008 and 2016.
Similar patterns stretch across the region. In Tennessee, nearly every Appalachian county votes Republican by double digits. Eastern Kentucky follows the same trend, while in Western North Carolina, counties once competitive have turned overwhelmingly red.
For nearly forty years, Republicans have maintained control across much of Appalachia. They continue to win by appealing to economic frustration, regional pride, and cultural values. Many voters believe that Republican leaders have fulfilled promises to defend their livelihoods and way of life. When difficulties arise, those same leaders frequently point to Democrats as blameworthy, reinforcing division through fear and identity.
The Continuing Evolution of Appalachian Politics
While Republican dominance across Appalachia appears secure, the region’s political future remains dynamic. Economic diversification, demographic shifts, and generational change could again transform local loyalties.
New industries are slowly emerging across the mountains. Tourism, renewable energy, and small-scale manufacturing offer opportunities that differ from the extractive industries of the past. Western North Carolina, for example, has developed a thriving outdoor recreation and craft economy. Similar efforts are underway in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southwestern Pennsylvania. As economic identities evolve, political perspectives may broaden as well.
Younger voters across Appalachia express growing concern about education, healthcare, and the environment. While they share many of the region’s traditional values, they seek pragmatic solutions rather than party loyalty. Their participation in future elections may shape a new balance between cultural conservatism and economic innovation.
Still, deep attachments to the Republican Party remain powerful among older generations. Churches, veterans’ groups, and local organizations continue to anchor conservative culture. The memory of perceived abandonment by national Democrats reinforces that attachment. For now, Republican control reflects both historical continuity and cultural alignment.
Appalachia’s political history shows that loyalty follows survival. In each major shift—from Republican Unionism to Democratic New Deal liberalism, and from New Deal loyalty back to Republican dominance—voters chose the party that seemed to protect their way of life. The current Republican era follows the same pattern, built upon identity and endurance.
Conclusion
Appalachia’s political landscape has never been simple. The region’s journey from post-Civil War Republicanism through New Deal Democratic strength and into modern GOP control reveals a people driven by experience rather than ideology. The mountains of West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Western North Carolina share a history defined by hardship, faith, and perseverance.
Today, Republicans hold an overwhelming advantage, yet history shows that such dominance rarely lasts forever. As the economy diversifies and new generations rise, the region may again redefine its loyalties. Politics in Appalachia has always revolved around survival and identity, not party labels.
The Appalachian story remains one of resilience—a region that adapts, resists, and reinvents itself while holding fast to its sense of community. From the coal towns of West Virginia to the high ridges of Western North Carolina, Appalachia continues to shape the political soul of America.
-Tim Carmichael
Echoes of Appalachia 
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