Rep. Peter King got re-elected. The guy can always be relied on to say something daft, though, and I just heard him on the wireless living down to my expectations. Quote (from memory): “The Republicans need to stop being a regional party, a party of the South and West. We need to reach out more to people in the cities and suburbs.”

Rep. King might want to glance at the maps in the last chapter of Albion’s Seed (pp.834-898), showing state-by-state electoral votes for president, 1796-1988. Then he might try telling us when regional identity was not a major factor in party allegiance.