For years, the “Cascade Curtain” has been a favored way to describe Washington state politics — Republican on the dry side of the mountains, Democratic on the wet side. Within that framework the “suburban crescent” — the area surrounding Seattle — was an exception, the place in western Washington where voters were still up for grabs. But since suburban King County started voting Democratic and counties along the Washington coast joined Lewis County and started voting for Republicans, the old models are being replaced by one better defined as an urban/rural divide.
In the most recent Crosscut/Elway Poll, we took a closer look at this perceived split, seeking out similarities and differences across the state by type of community, as well as traditional geographic regions. CONTINUED
H. Stuart Elway, Crosscut