County ranked 32nd most liberal in country
Status attributed in part to large Obama support in 2008
A new conservative Web site has ranked Prince George's County as the 32nd most liberal county in America, citing its overwhelming Democratic voting block.
More than 85 percent of voters in Prince George's County supported the president in the 2008 election, enough to earn it a place in the Daily Caller's list of "America's 100 most liberal-friendly counties" published April 8. The partisan news site was launched in January by conservative pundit Tucker Carlson.
Neighboring Montgomery County ranked second in the list behind San Francisco, Calif., and was described as "one of the richest and best-educated corners of America." Washington, D.C., ranked 10th on the list, and Howard and Charles counties were listed at 47 and 93, respectively.
The site ranked counties in the U.S. based on more than a dozen factors, including past voting records, tolerance of homosexuality and abortion, church attendance, the percentage of wealthy residents and the number of Whole Foods grocery stores.
Daily Caller reporter Chris Palko declined to explain how each of the categories factored into the rankings.
Prince George's earned a lower spot than Montgomery in part because it is not as affluent, Palko said. Montgomery County has a median household income of $91,000 per year and Prince George's County's is $55,000, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, the most recent data available.
A significant reason Prince George's which the report noted is where "America's largest black middle-class lives" made the list is because it voted overwhelmingly for President Obama in 2008, Palko said. The president's 85 percent victory in Prince George's was the best in the United States, Palko said.
"It's clearly eye-popping, the percentage you've got," he said April 8.
"Most likely, the bureaucrats conservatives despise live in Montgomery County," the report also stated.
For Prince George's, the description included: "Not all of the county is prosperous: The areas inside the Beltway are essentially extensions of dangerous Southeast D.C."
A spokesman for County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) declined to comment on the label of the county as liberal-leaning, but disputed the site's characterization of crime.
"It's out of date and not reflective of the progress we've made," said spokesman John Erzen. "Prince George's has become a leader in education and crime reduction."
Several county delegates and senators declined to comment on the county's rank, but said it is unlikely to affect the county's businesses, residents or local opinion.
"People can vote however they want to," Erzen said.
The list follows up on the site's list of conservative-friendly jurisdictions published in mid-March. Carroll County placed 56th on that list and was the only Maryland county listed.
The full lists are available at the Web site, www.dailycaller.com.