My mother is turning 70. She is white, raised by Irish Catholics in Chicago who were die-hard Democrats. Her grandparents were immigrants. Her father was a self-made man who came from an alcoholic father and started working to support his mom and 12 siblings after he completed 8th grade. He died at 93, a millionaire. This is my mother's background.
She married my dad (another Irish Catholic, Notre Dame grad) and moved to southern California in 1960 where they promptly moved into a secular Jewish neighborhood and became Republicans. My mom has been a Republican now for her entire adult life, much to the chagrin of her parents at the time. She became an evangelical Christian about 25 years ago. As a result, she has voted Republican every election since 1960.
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