By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – National news outlets made a pretty big deal in 2020 out of the fact that we live in the only county in America that has voted for the winner of every presidential race of the last 40 years.

Last week, the New York Times sent the host of their podcast The Run-up to Clallam County to talk to voters and see what the nation’s most accurate political bellwether is thinking about next year’s presidential election.

Here’s podcast host Astead Herndon.

“That’s right. Of the more than 3,000 counties in America, only one has gotten every presidential race correct since Ronald Reagan. That means Clallam voted for Reagan twice, for George H. W. Bush, then for Bill Clinton twice, then for George W. Bush twice, then Barack Obama twice, and then Donald Trump. Plenty of other counties had that streak too, but the year that did everyone else in was 2020, the vote for President Biden over Trump. Clallam was the only one to get that election right and continue its streak. So a year out from election day 2024, which could very well be a rematch of the same candidates from 2020, I found myself wanting to begin this show and political season in search of a prediction, of sorts.”

Herndon traveled to Port Angeles with his producer Caitlin O’Keefe, and settled into a booth at the Fairmount Diner. They spent more than 11 hours talking with customers, and even the restaurant staff, about their personal politics, the state of the nation, and where they’d like to see it go, moving forward.

In the end, after talking with 18 voters, what was Herndon’s takeaway?

“Jim was confident that Clallam would stay blue in 2024. And so was everyone else we asked, including some Republicans. They also thought their bellwether streak will continue, and nationally, Biden will win again.”

Listen to the podcast: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/podcasts/run-up-trump-biden-election.html.

Text and photos from the podcast:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/podcasts/run-up-trump-biden-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7Uw.rtEf.YOBxJVL772QI&smid=url-share

(Photo: “The Run-Up” host Astead W. Herndon (left) and producer Caitlin O’Keefe, courtesy of the New York Times)