PORT ANGELES — Clallam County, once famous for its 11-election streak of backing the winning presidential candidate, has lost its bellwether status. Often dubbed the “swingiest place in the nation,” Clallam’s recent voting patterns show it no longer aligns closely with the national political mood.

This year’s local results underscore the shift. In Clallam County, Democratic nominees Kamala Harris and Tim Walz led with 53.13% of the vote, while Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance trailed with 44.28%. Nationally, though, Trump and Vance took the lead, securing 50.9% of the popular vote to Harris and Walz’s 47.6%.

Political experts say Clallam’s track record hints that its former streak may have been more luck than a reliable gauge of the nation’s direction. Some point out that the county has shown a demographic shift mirrored in most of western Washington state, drifting away from the country’s political center with heavy influence from the increasingly progressive Puget Sound region.