Giles County voters have gone from favoring Democrats to voting more for Republicans, but a long time Democrat says there’s no reason the trend can’t switch again.
Pulaski Attorney Andy Hoover at their September meeting commended Giles County Democrats for supporting the party.
“The Democratic Party’s been struggling for sure. I should be here more often,” he said.
Hoover, Pulaski city attorney, lost to former United States Congressman Jim Cooper, in the 4th District primary. Cooper recently completed 32 years in Congress.
“But that’s not bad. I lost to a Democrat,” Hoover said.
In the the 1960 presidential election, President John F. Kennedy carried Giles County with 4,879 votes or 75 percent to 1,589 votes for Republican Richard Nixon’s 24.54 percent.
In 1968, Nixon came in third with 1,264 votes or 17 percent in Giles County to 3,966 votes or 53.36 percent for George Wallace and 2,203 or almost 30 percent for Democrat Hubert Humphrey,
Democrat dominance continued in Giles County in 1976 with Jimmy Carter getting 5,225 votes or 73 percent to 1,952 or almost 27 percent for Gerald Ford.
Though he lost his re-election bid, Democrat Carter had 4,653 votes or 62 percent to Ronald Reagan’s 2,657 votes or almost 37 percent in Giles County.
In 1988, Republicans closed in on Democrats in Giles County. Republican President George H. W. Bush was elected, though he lost Giles County with 3,518 votes or 47 percent to 3,918 or 52 percent for Michael Dukakis.
In 1992, Democratic President Bill Clinton outpolled George H.W. Bush 5,601-2,827 votes for incumbent George H. W. Bush, who was not re-elected.
Clinton had 67 percent of the votes to 29 percent for Bush to 13 percent for H. Ross Perot who had 1,309 votes in Giles County.
In 2000, Al Gore had 55 percent of the vote in Giles County in a losing bid for the presidency. He had 5,527 votes to 4,377 or 44 percent for Republican George W. Bush.
The margin again narrowed in the 2006 U. S. Senate race when Republican Bob Coker lost 4,336 to 4,017 to Democrat Harold Ford, Jr., who had 52 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Corker, who won the election.
By 2020, the Republican trend was most pronounced.in Giles County,
Republican President Donald Trump had 9,874 votes or 74 percent to 3,298 or 25 percent for Democrat President Joe Biden.
Based on history, Hoover said Democrats can rebound.
“Hope is not lost for Democrats. We can do it,” he said.