The county is changing. Prince William County’s proximity to jobs and relatively low cost of living has drawn minority residents in particular. Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans now outnumber whites.
And those groups don’t lean Republican.
“As the county has changed, has become more diverse, you’re also looking at a county that has become increasingly Democratic in their political loyalties,” said University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth.
“One of the things that occurs as an area becomes more diverse sometimes is that the politicians who are more divisive can really do well in that environment,” he noted. As minority populations grow, “there becomes a really powerful opportunity for white voters to talk about a more pro-white agenda. And that politics can be very, very destructive to immigrants.”
