In a remote corner of the continental United States, between the salt air and green mountains of the Pacific Northwest, lies a unique place with an unparalleled record of political correctness.
Clallam County, Washington, named for its native population, has voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1980. Going back more than 100 years, to 1920, the losing candidate has won this county only twice; the last time was nearly a half-century ago.
It’s a streak unmatched in more than 3,000 other U.S. counties and lends weight to the opinions expressed in the political rally, which, despite the physical absence, reflects the passions and polarization that make this presidential race one of the most contentious in the nation’s history. modern history.
Good luck deciding who wins the White House in November.
Neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris, it seems, will escape competition here. In dozens of interviews on this green strip of the Olympic Peninsula, support for both was roughly evenly split. Events that once gave pause or lost one or two shaky supporters — Trump’s assassination attempt, Harris’s powerful debate performance — certainly took a turn.
Voters did not just defend their positions. Many could not understand how anyone could think otherwise.
William Lewis did not witness much of the confrontation between Trump and Harris. There was no conversation.
“I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know,” he said of the few minutes he tuned in. “It was like the two of us were in the same room instead of in different places.”
Lewis already knows who he’s voting for. He’s a staunch Trump supporter.
Inflation is eating away at his wallet, and there’s no doubt in Lewis’ mind that it’s become much harder to make ends meet in recent years — something he felt keenly as he walked into the supermarket in Forks, the quiet atmosphere of the “Twilight” books and movies.
“If you don’t see this, I don’t know what you’re looking at,” said the 73-year-old retiree, a former heavy equipment mechanic, under a bright sky.
Jeanne Viramonte, an independent researcher, agreed with Lewis on one point: she thought the debate was too much of a waste of time. But only because she can’t stand to watch the PPD candidate.
“I’ve been following him since he came on TV,” she said, mocking the star’s turn on “The Apprentice.”
“Her view of women is appalling,” said Viramonte, 74, a Harris supporter who runs an espresso shop on the Quiluth Indian Reservation in La Push. “So, no, I’m not going to go.” look at it she I’m not going to vote for him.
“Anyone who votes for Trump,” Viramonte added, “must be an idiot.”
::
Like many parts of the Pacific Northwest, Clallam County has experienced dramatic economic changes.
It was once a primary industry alongside fishing and agriculture. But stricter environmental laws and declining demand have caused these mining industries to decline in recent decades, costing many working-class jobs.
Today, the county, which has around 80,000 inhabitants, depends mainly on the service trade and tourism.
Ferries run between the arts hub of Port Angeles and Victoria, British Columbia, about 90 minutes away across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Olympic National Park draws some 3 million tourists to its emerald trails each year. In Forks, a thriving business has grown up around the Twilight saga, drawing a steady stream of visitors to see where its legendary werewolves and vampires roam.
Demographically, this county is not a mirror of the United States or, for that matter, of the rest of Washington state. It is overwhelmingly white, although the Latino population has grown slightly in recent years and the Native American population is 6% higher than the national average. The city’s residents tend to be older and less wealthy than the state and the nation as a whole.
The secret to Clallam County’s bellwether status apparently lies in the uneven political balance between its three small population centers.
Democrats tend to fare better in Port Angeles and nearby Sequim, in the less rainy eastern half of the county. Gaps and a series of small coastal communities, in turn off a long, winding two-lane highway, lean right. (Bongo remains a Democratic stronghold outside Forks. President Obama’s landslide support there was key to his narrow 2012 victory in the county, keeping the presidential streak alive.)
Washington state does not register voters by party, so Clallam County’s exact partisan makeup is unclear. But the voting pattern — in the past 11 elections it has been Republican six times and Democrat five times — suggests a willingness to look beyond partisan labels.
“There’s a lot of distrust in both political parties and the kind of nonsense they’re selling us,” said Sam Grello, 37, director of the Port Angeles District, a business improvement group. (Local residents are especially proud of the numerous murals depicting natural and historical scenes that mark the area.)
“At the end of the day, it’s about who helps our community the most,” Grello said. “Are you willing to look at the problems and address them? Or are you an ideologue? Do ideas or people come first?”
He cited a $35 million economic development grant the Olympic Peninsula received this summer under the CHIPS and Science Act, a Biden administration initiative to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign manufacturing. This is the kind of financial windfall Grello is referring to.
As an independent, he planned to vote less enthusiastically for Joe Biden. Now that the president is out of the race, Grello is excited to support Harris, especially after watching her debate Trump.
“I’m not ashamed of being him as president,” Grello said. “I shouldn’t think about her so much. I want to concentrate on my job and not worry about doing my job.”
::
For the past several decades, a rotating local panel has met once a week at the Port Angeles Community and Senior Center to discuss issues and review current events. Eighteen of them recently met in a spacious second-floor conference room to discuss Trump vs. Harris.
Their ages ranged from 16 to nearly 90, and most of them were retirees. (The youngest attendee, Aiden Jugueta, a high school sophomore, was unable to vote but said he was urging his parents to support Robert F. Kennedy Jr. because Trump is unlikely to win Washington state.)
The contrasts were stark and, except for the occasional groan, eye roll or sneer, were politely received.
Democrats were excited about the move to the top of the presidential ticket.
“We were just devastated,” said Donna Peterson, 65, after Biden’s keynote performance at the debate. “After that, this (debate) was so refreshing, so encouraging. I mean (Harris) wiped his clock.”
“He’s smart,” said Judy Wagner, 78, “and you can see the difference with Trump.”
In turn, Republicans have inflicted a long list of ills on Biden and his vice president: crime, uncontrolled immigration and declining educational levels.
“I don’t go to restaurants like I used to. It’s too expensive,” said Pam Blakeman, 72, who chairs the Clallam County Republican Party. “I used to walk everywhere, but I don’t anymore.”
“I think they’re spending money on programs that will just bankrupt our country, like student loans,” Kim Butler, 66, said of the Biden administration. “They have no authority. … They’re just trying to buy votes.”
Some say the nation has veered terribly off course as national debt and inflation have exhausted Americans. No, others insisted, for the first time there was someone in the Oval Office who was serious about fighting climate change and working to rebuild the country’s crumbling infrastructure.
Undocumented immigrants are taking over the country, some claiming they are ripping off taxpayers. No, they are hard-working people, others say, who have come to do things no other Americans can do.
Trump is skinny. Harris is slippery.
And it continues.
There were no unknown voters sitting around the large wooden cereal table, and only one person who had decided to switch after voting for another party’s candidate four years ago.
Ed McGuire, 72, has twice supported Trump in the presidential election, but plans to vote for Harris in November.
“I was a first-grade idiot, brainwashed by Rush Limbaugh,” the independent politician said. Trump, McGuire continued, is a villain, a crook, a liar, a whiner and a criminal who could end up in jail. “She’s not a good person,” McGuire concluded. “I’m glad she’s not my neighbor, or I would really reject her.”
This provoked laughter.
About an hour later, when the discussion was over, David Fox, 65, forwarded a voicemail he had received from two regulars, Ileanna and Mike. The couple had to miss the meeting because of a meeting, but happily reported seeing plenty of signs of Harris on the 80-mile drive to Seattle.
I expect Fox to say it was a good thing for the vice president in November. And, he noted, if Harris wins the White House and wins here, she will extend Clallam County’s status as political leader for another election term.
That prompted smiles from Democrats around the table.
