Highlands, NC is a small mountain town located in Macon County, North Carolina. It is known for its stunning views and rustic charm, attracting a variety of visitors throughout the year. The town boasts a range of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, fishing, camping and more, which makes it an ideal destination for those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. When it comes to politics in Highlands, NC residents are represented by elected officials at both the state and local level. On the local level these officials are responsible for governing matters related to education, infrastructure and other services that affect their community directly. They also work with state legislators to ensure their constituents' needs are met on the larger scale. Local elections take place every two years to determine who will serve as mayor and council members on the town council. With this system in place, Highlands citizens have a say in how their community is run while being part of a larger democratic process where their voices can be heard.
The political climate in Highlands, NC is strongly conservative.
Macon County, NC is very conservative. In Macon County, NC 30.0% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 68.5% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.5% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Macon county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 68.5% to 30.0%.
Macon county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Highlands, NC is strongly conservative.
Macon County, North Carolina is very conservative.
Cullowhee Metro Area is somewhat conservative.
North Carolina is leaning conservative.
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.
Highlands, North Carolina: 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 Highlands, NC
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,462 contributions totaling $129,804 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $89 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 554 contributions totaling $191,530 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $346 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)