Editing Hamilton County, Illinois (section)

==Politics==
Like most of [[Southern United States|Southern]]-leaning [[Southern Illinois]], Hamilton County was heavily Democratic before [[American Civil War|the Civil War]], and unlike such counties as [[Johnson County, Illinois|Johnson]], [[Pope County, Illinois|Pope]] and [[Massac County, Illinois|Massac]], it did not turn Republican after the war. Not until 1920, when isolationist sentiments turned many voters against the party of [[Woodrow Wilson]], did Hamilton County vote Republican, and [[Herbert Hoover]] was to carry the county in 1928 due to anti-Catholic sentiment against [[Al Smith]].

From 1940 onwards, when [[Wendell Willkie]] carried the county due to opposition to involvement in [[World War II]], Hamilton has become increasingly Republican. Although [[Lyndon Johnson]], [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976 and [[Bill Clinton]] in 1992 all gained absolute majorities for the Democratic Party (with [[Michael Dukakis]] losing the county by just four votes in 1988), a rapid swing to the Republicans has taken place since 1992. This trend matches all traditionally Democratic parts of the [[Upland South]].<ref>Cohn, Nate; [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/upshot/southern-whites-loyalty-to-gop-nearing-that-of-blacks-to-democrats.html ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’], ''[[New York Times]]'', April 24, 2014</ref>

{{PresHead|place=Hamilton County, Illinois|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=November 4, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|3,385|739|70|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|3,432|824|67|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|3,206|802|148|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|2,566|1,269|106|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|2,353|1,796|135|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,653|1,814|47|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|2,519|1,943|125|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,677|2,242|590|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,521|2,582|871|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|2,622|2,618|16|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|3,074|2,251|21|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|3,254|1,990|212|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,433|3,036|29|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,282|2,006|11|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,912|1,951|650|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|2,561|3,133|0|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|3,804|2,639|11|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|3,675|2,685|4|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|4,047|2,662|8|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|2,887|2,750|32|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|3,582|2,914|55|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|4,005|3,691|52|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|3,321|4,152|62|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|2,513|4,059|45|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|3,275|3,037|100|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|2,659|3,168|214|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|3,220|2,591|75|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|3,239|3,644|118|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|1,242|1,920|802|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|1,809|2,128|150|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|1,894|2,049|206|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|1,911|2,467|71|Illinois}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|1,767|2,408|40|Illinois}}
{{PresFoot|1892|Democratic|1,505|2,061|215|Illinois}}