ABSTRACT
The political transition in the South is perhaps the most frequently cited evidence of the problems faced by Democrats. Within the South Republicans have steadily improved their political fortunes at all levels of government. The erosion of support for Democrats in the South since 1946 in congressional and state legislative seats. Although Democrats are allegedly experiencing long-term, relentless slippage, it is only in the South that this has occurred. The percentage of seats held by Democrats has steadily declined since 1946. Blacks have also migrated outside the South and now provide a substantial electoral base outside the South for Democrats. The party's percentage of House and Senate seats as of 1998 is only slightly below the level of Democrats in the rest of the nation. Demographic and economic change has played a significant role in prompting new political concerns. More blacks have registered in the South, and created more of a liberal base for Democrats in that region.
