Leaning Left: Top DC-Area Zip Codes Supporting Barack Obama

• October 29, 2008
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by Mark Wellborn

Earlier this week, UrbanTurf examined the DC-area zip codes that look to be supporting John McCain for president. Today, in our second installment, we look at the areas in DC, Maryland and Virginia that seem to be favoring Barack Obama.

Following the same methodology that we used for Monday’s piece, the top zip codes were those that gave the largest percentage of their overall political contributions in the last two years to Senator Obama relative to other candidates and groups. So, the ranking is based on percentage as opposed to the actual dollar amount given to a particular candidate.

For example, the first zip code on our list, 20010, saw about $560,000 given in total to all candidates and groups, Republican or Democrat. Of that amount, approximately 50 percent went to Barack Obama’s campaign specifically. 50 percent is a very high percentage for a presidential candidate, making this zip code #1 in DC proper.

Careful readers will note that the double-digit percentages cited in today’s list are in general much higher than those for McCain. The highest percentage cited for the Republican candidate was 11 percent, and many were in the single digits. This disparity shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, DC is a Democratic stronghold, Maryland leans reliably to the left, and the groundswell of support for Obama in Northern Virginia may well turn the state blue for the first time in decades.

Note: The contribution data for this article was based on information recorded by OpenSecrets.org as of October 26, 2008. The website is constantly updated with new contribution amounts, so the numbers and rankings in this piece are subject to change.

Leading off the DC list of zip codes (by a very wide margin) is 20010. Home to the neighborhoods of Mount Pleasant, Columbia Heights and some of Petworth, this area did not make the top ten in political contributions in DC with $561,441, but it is #1 in terms of percentage given to Obama. A whopping 50 percent of the political contributions from this area went to his campaign in 2007 and 2008.

Following 20010 in backing Obama is 20015, an area that includes the neighborhoods of Tenleytown, Chevy Chase DC and Barnaby Woods. Of the $2.7 million that residents contributed during 2007 and 2008, 32 percent went to Senator Obama from this section of DC where Obama yard signs outnumber McCain signs by a factor of approximately 5 to 1.

Coming in a close third, this zip code is home to trendy neighborhoods like Adams Morgan and the U Street Corridor as well as liberal organizations like 21st Century Democrats and traditionally Democratic bars like Stetson’s. Over the last two years, 26 percent of the total contributions from this area went to Obama’s campaign.

The zip code that encompasses most of Silver Spring is brimming with Obama supporters. Of the $801,000 given to political candidates and groups over the last two years, 36 percent went to the Illinois senator’s presidential campaign. 20910 is also home to one of the three Obama headquarters in Montgomery County (the other two are in Bethesda and Gaithersburg).

Even though the residential section of Bethesda made it on the McCain list on Monday, the zip code for downtown Bethesda looks to be favoring Obama. In an area dominated by high-rise condos and great restaurants, 19 percent of the $2.6 million given in political contributions in 2007 and 2008 from this area went to the Democratic candidate.

Chevy Chase is home to manicured lawns, exclusive country clubs and a very politically active community. The 20815 zip code gave almost $6.5 million to various political candidates and groups over the past two years, making it the second highest in Maryland after the 20854 zip code that includes Potomac. Just over 20 percent of that amount went to Senator Barack Obama’s presidential run.

This zip code just across the Potomac from Georgetown sits atop our Virginia list. Beginning in the early 1980s, the Democratic party started to hold the majority of the elected government seats in Arlington, and in 2008 all of the elected officials were either nominated or endorsed by the Democratic party. Including neighborhoods like Clarendon and Rosslyn, 22201 gave 15 percent of its total contributions from 2007 and 2008 to the Obama campaign.

North of Route 66 and home to the Washington Golf and Country Club, this area contributed almost $440,000 to Obama, making up 11 percent of the total contributions from 2007 and 2008. It is not all that surprising that this is the second Arlington zip code listed considering that John Kerry had more than double the votes of George W. Bush from Arlington county in the 2004 election.

One of the best places to invest in property in Virginia is also a top Obama supporter. The 22304 zip code, that consists largely of Shirlington, gave just under 10 percent of its $1.3 million in political contributions in 2007 and 2008 to the Democratic presidential candidate.

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