The small town of Damascus, Virginia is situated in the mountainous region of southwest Virginia. It is an area rich in history and culture, but it has recently been thrust into the spotlight due to local political issues. The most prominent issue facing the community is the recent proposed expansion of a waste management facility. Residents are concerned that this facility could have a negative environmental and economic impact on their small town. In response to these concerns, several local politicians have rallied together to oppose the proposal. One such politician is Chris Hurst, who was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017 with a platform that includes protecting Damascus from further industrial development. Another local political candidate is Woody Allen who ran for mayor in 2019 with a platform which centered around preserving the natural beauty and heritage of Damascus while balancing economic growth. Both candidates have made it clear that they are committed to preserving the small-town charm of Damascus and ensuring its sustainable future.
The political climate in Damascus, VA is strongly conservative.
Washington County, VA is very conservative. In Washington County, VA 23.1% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 75.6% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.4% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Washington county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 75.6% to 23.1%.
Washington county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Damascus, VA is strongly conservative.
Washington County, Virginia is very conservative.
Kingsport-Bristol Metro Area is very conservative.
Virginia is somewhat liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Damascus, Virginia: R R R R R R
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Damascus, VA
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 24 contributions totaling $1,950 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $81 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 6 contributions totaling $3,130 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $522 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)