What does Clallam County know? Voters just chose a winner for the tenth straight election – Kitsap Sun

PORT ANGELES Clallam County, theupper-left corner stripof the Pacific Northwest in the shadowof the Olympic Mountains, sure knows how to pick a winner.

A majority of itsvoters has picked the victorious ticket for president since 1980, swinging across the chasmof partisan politics five times most recentlyfor President-electJoe Biden, following the county'ssupport of President Donald Trump four years ago.

Even more astonishing: in a century, Clallam's majority has gone for the losing candidate just twice: in 1968 and 1976.

Philip Capogna harvests lavender at Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm in Sequim in this June 8, 2016 file photo.(Photo: KITSAP SUN FILE PHOTO)

It's a feat that may be unrivaled across the country. Yetthose in the largely forestedcounty of 77,000 can only guess at why it just keeps getting it right.

"We're a rural county, sort of out here at the end of the country, which has fostered a sense of independence," said Mark Ozias, one of the county's threecommissioners. "Many people here are willing to crossover and vote for the individual, rather than the party."

An electorate more politically balanced and nimble is showcased in the local sphere: Ozias, a Democrat andresident near the retirement community of Sequim,shares the county commission's seats with a Republican and an Independent.

"People try to evaluate things as they are," said Randy Johnson, who serves as the Independent on the Commission.

A number of articles, including in the Wall Street Journal,have appeared in the media in the past year showcasing places like Clallam, and bringing to the surface this insignificant if fascinatingtrend. Yet almost every county featured voted for the Trump/Pence ticket this year, thrusting Clallam into more exclusive territory.

From atop the lookout tower at the end of the city pier, visitors take photos of the MV Coho as it heads for Victoria, BC. in this June 7, 2015 file photo.(Photo: KITSAP SUN FILE PHOTO)

A trio of bellwether counties outside Toledo, Ohio including Ottawa County, perfect since 1964 all went for Trump by sizeable margins. Vigo County, Indiana, on the Illinois borderwith a winning stretch to 1956, also went red this year, breaking its streak. And the longest accurate predictor of all Valencia County, south of Albuquerque, New Mexico broke its streak this year of having voted by a majority for every presidential winner since Dwight D. Eisenhower won in 1952.

Others come close, but haven't been perfect since 1980:Northampton County, Pennsylvania,outside Philadelphia, has gotten it right all but three times in the last century, and likely will again this year. But Clallam has only gotten it wrongtwice over the past 100 years.

The first episode of Star Wars was not even in theaters yet when a small margin of Clallam County residents went for the ticket of President Gerald Ford and Bob Dole. That was the last time the county's majority was wrong, as the Democratic ticket of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale was victoriousin 1976.

From there, Clallam has gotten it right: twice for Ronald Reagan, once for George H.W. Bush and then twice for Bill Clinton. The county flipped to George W. Bush twice in the 2000s, and then to Barack Obama for two terms. In 2016, it flipped again to Trump, and now has made the shift back to Biden, by a 21,964 to 19,387 votemargin as of returns on Friday.

A couple takes in the view from a log on the shore of Ediz Hook in Port Angeles in this June 7, 2015 file photo.(Photo: KITSAP SUN FILE PHOTO)

Kate Dexter, the council-appointed mayor of Port Angeles, said the county's demographics play a role in picking the winners the country at-large does.

We are similar to the national average which makes us a microcosm of the U.S., she said.

Clallam is less affluent than the country at large, at $46,120 per capita compared to $54,446 in the nation. Almost 30 percent of the population is over 65, compared with about 17 percent nationally, according to census statistics. And it is less diverse than the country, though it is home to the Hoh, Quileute,Makah, Lower Elwha Klallam, and Jamestown SKlallam Tribes that make up more than five percent of the county's population.

In recent years, a resource economy of forestry and fisheries has been reduced, in its place a robust tourism that includes hikers to Olympic National Park, ferry-goers to Victoria, British Columbia, and yes, even fans of the Twilight book series that journey to its fictional setting in far-west Forks.

Visitors take in the view from atop the lookout tower at the end of the Port Angeles City Pier in this Sunday, June 7, 2015 file photo.(Photo: KITSAP SUN FILE PHOTO)

Stuart Elway, a longtime pollster based in Washington state who grew up in Grays Harbor County, noted many of Washington's coastal counties have gone from blue to red in recent years. His home countyhadn't voted for a Republican since Herbert Hoover,before supporting Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Even he was unaware of Clallam County's accuracy at going with the winds of the national electorate.

"I could save a lot of money just by following Clallam County," he joked.

Josh Farley is a reporter coveringthe militaryfor the Kitsap Sun. He can be reached at 360-792-9227, josh.farley@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter at@joshfarley.

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What does Clallam County know? Voters just chose a winner for the tenth straight election - Kitsap Sun