Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois was historically a conservative and Democratic region. Though the political parties have changed, Southern Illinois has almost always voted for Democratic candidates more times than not since 1818. Democratic roots in Southern Illinois relate to the area's shared cultures with the South. The latter United States area was where the Democratic Party, before the American Civil War and after Reconstruction, was the ruling party before the 1960s. Democratic affiliations were tightened in the Great Depression and Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. There are, however, some long-time Republican counties in the region. The most well-known is Edwards County.