[1] During the 1960s the Republican Party was turning its attention from the declining rural Yankee counties to the growing and traditionally Democratic Catholic vote,[2] along with the conservative Sun Belt whose growth was driven by lower taxes, warm weather, and air conditioning.

This growth meant that activist Republicans centered in the Sun Belt had become much more conservative than the majority of members in historic Northeastern GOP strongholds.

Goldwater was widely seen in the liberal Northeastern United States as a right-wing extremist or at least an inexperienced nominee prone to gaffes;[4] he had voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Johnson campaign portrayed him as liable to provoke a nuclear war.

[6] Pennsylvania Republicans had generally preferred moderate Governor William Scranton for the nomination, who was unsuccessfully encouraged to run by Dwight D.

[12] Six other counties including Butler, Bradford, Tioga, Potter, Cameron and McKean cast their solitary vote for a Democratic presidential candidate since at least the Civil War in this election.