Counties To Watch: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada and Colorado

There are dozens of way to skin a state on election night, but only some of the data is relevant.  What's the largest county in a state by population? What was the Democratic margin there? (These large counties are almost always won by the Democrats).  Who won the country in the 2008 Democratic primary?  What party represents them in Congress?  What happened in 2004?  By what margin?  And what's the voting history (the past four presidential elections)?

Here's a cheat sheet for Florida, Virginia and Ohio.

Today: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada and Colorado.

 

P E N N S Y L V A N I A

Largest city/county: Philadelphia: Obama + 35 in the primary, Kerry +561 in the '04 general

Bucks County--Philadelphia Suburbs (1D)

General '04 -- Kerry/Edwards + 3
General '00 -- Gore/Lieberman
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92-- Clinton/Gore

 
Lehigh County--Philadelphia Suburbs  (1R)

 
General '04 -- Kerry/Edwards + 2
General '00 -- Gore/Lieberman
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore

Washington County--Pittsburgh Suburbs  (1D, 1R)

General '04 --Kerry/Edwards  + 1
General '00 -- Gore/Lieberman
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore

 
Northampton County--Philadelphia Suburbs  (1R,  1D)

General '04 --Kerry/Edwards  + 1
General '00 -- Gore/Lieberman
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore

Beaver County--Pittsburgh Suburbs  (1D, 1R)

General '04 --Kerry/Edwards + 3
General '00 -- Gore/Lieberman
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore

N O R T H   C A R O L I N A

Largest County: Mecklenburg (Charlotte): Obama + 61 in the primary... 

Mecklenburg County--Charlotte   (2 GOP)

General '04 --Kerry/Edwards 51.6% - 48%  + 3.6
General '00 -- Bush/Cheney
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Bush/Quayle  

Wake County--Raleigh  (3 Dem) 

General '04 -- Bush/Cheney  + 2.5
General '00 -- Bush/Cheney
General '96 -- Dole/Kemp 
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore 

Cumberland County--Fayetteville  (1D,  1R)

General '04 -- Bush/Cheney + 3
General '00 -- Gore/Lieberman
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore 

Buncombe County--Ashville  (1D, 1R)

General '04 -- Bush/Cheney  + 1
General '00 -- Bush/Cheney
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore 

 N E V A D A

Clark Co.: Clinton + 11 in the primary, Kerry + 5 in '04. (about 50% of the state's Democratic votes are in Clark.)

So look to...

Washoe County  (1 GOP)

General '04 -- Bush/Cheney  + 4

General '00 -- Bush/Cheney
General '96 -- Dole/Kemp
General '92 -- Bush/Quayle 

C O L O R A DO

Denver:  Obama + 21 in the Dem primary, Kerry + 51 in 2004 

Arapahoe County  (2D, 1 R)

General '04 -- Bush/Cheney + 4

General '00 -- Bush/Cheney
General '96 -- Dole/Kemp
General '92 -- Bush/Quayle 

Adams County (3 D)

General '04 -- Kerry/Edwards  + 3
General '00 -- Gore/Lieberman
General '96 -- Clinton/Gore
General '92 -- Clinton/Gore 

Jefferson County  (3 D, 1 R)

General '04 -- Bush/Cheney + 5
General '00 -- Bush/Cheney
General '96 -- Dole/Kemp
General '92 -- Bush/Quayle