[kalt]

Actually, Hubert Humphrey (from Minnesota) carried Texas in 1968. But JFK was the last non-Southerner to get as much as 45% in any Southern state (including Kentucky and Oklahoma).

Sort of misleading, though, since the Democrats have only run four non-Southerners since then, and two were against popular incumbents, and a third was in a race with George Wallace in it.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Sort of misleading, though, since the Democrats have only run four non-Southerners since then, and two were against popular incumbents, and a third was in a race with George Wallace in it."

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True, it is a bit misleading, but the fact remains that even when a Tennessean who served as VP to an Arkansan President at a time of apparent peace and prosperity ran for the Democrats in 2000, he managed to break 45% in just 3 Southern states (Gore got just under 49% in not-so-"Southern" Florida, a bit over 47% in his home state of Tennessee and a bit under 46% in Clinton's home state (and his neighboring state) of Arkansas). A Massachusetts liberal will have a very hard time doing as well in the South in 2004 as Dukakis did in 1988 (and Dukakis's best Southern state was Louisiana at 44.06%).