Here's what a group of personal injury attorneys has to say: please see link below farther on in this post
In New York City we called these guys "ambulance chasers", but here goes direct words from what they published:
"It holds true across the nation that when it comes to elections, research shows that the voters who go blue tend to live in more densely populated areas while the vast majority of the countryside votes red. While several attempts at an explanation as to why this is the case have been made, it’s a phenomenon that refuses to be pinned down to one particular factor. . . In a recent study conducted by researchers at MIT and UCLA, the trend is pretty much across the board, unless you include Mesa, Arizona in the picture. . . "
. . . The religious beginnings of the city most likely play a major role . . .
. . . Mesa began as a Mormon settlement in the late 19th century, and although Mormons only constitute 13 percent of the population today, . . . [read the article]
A MINORITY MAJORITY FOR SURE
How can such a skewered representation leaving out 87% of the population go on year after year after year after year after year?
Who votes in elections?
What's the turn-out?
Are voters and the public engaged or have they given up?
LDS is a religion with an inordinate influence:
Is it also power and money that controls Mesa?
" . . . Mesa is also a sprawling city, covering nearly 140 square miles, with twice the area of Washington, D.C. . . While the exact reason may be difficult to pinpoint, and there are most likely several factors involved, an argument could be made that the effects of living in such an environment promote conservative values.. . "
While the demographics and the political landscape continues to change in Arizona, especially in the Valley of the Sun, Mesa’s heritage will most likely continue to inform the values of its citizens.
[Editorial note: Mesa mayor John Giles is a personal injury attorney]
Read the whole article here [no charge and no paywall]
http://www.myarizonainjurylawyers.com/mesa-the-most-conservative-city-in-america/
the land of Goldwater, Arpaio and a new kind of urbanism.
By Ethan Epstein
Mesa’s religious roots continue to influence the city heavily today. Mormons, though they now constitute only 13 percent * of its population (the Catholic population is twice as large, owing to the sizable Hispanic population, with the remaining balance mostly Evangelical Christian), hold FIVE of six City Council seats
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/09/mesa-arizona-are-conservative-cities-better-111069#ixzz3tf276fSx
While Mesa has long pursued the lightly regulated development patterns that one would expect from the wellspring of Goldwater Republicanism, change is afoot.
Over the past several years, the city has begun embracing development that’s downright trendy . . . Read more in Politico link
* Checking on that statistic. It may be even smaller at 6%
