A political realignment that has been taking place for decades hit overdrive in last week’s elections, leaving Republicans at a stronger position in the South than at any time since Reconstruction. And with Republican control of so many legislatures on the eve of redistricting, white Democrats, who once occupied every available political office in the region, are facing near extinction in some states.

The degree of one-party control Republicans have just achieved in much of the South has broad implications for future campaign strategies. But it also provides a laboratory to study the internal debates of the Republican Party, the effects of undiluted conservative policy and a nearly one-to-one relationship between party preference and race, at least in national contests in the Deep South.

Of the nine Democratic representatives that remain from the states of the Deep South, only one, John Barrow of Georgia, is white. Of the 28 Republicans, only one, the newly elected Tim Scott of South Carolina, is black.

Blue side to the South

Republicans now hold at least 93 of the 131 House seats from the states of the old Confederacy. Less than 20 years ago, they did not even hold half.

Republicans, however, say their job is not finished. The South is often thought of as red to its core, but it is not as simple as that. The preference for Republicans has trickled down over the decades, with voters first supporting Republican presidential candidates, then Republican congressmen — who often simply switched parties — and more recently Republican state legislators.

Traditional Southern Republicanism is socially conservative and assertively pro-business, characterized by an aversion to taxes, regulation, abortion, same-sex marriage and gun control.

But while its politicians have long held forth against the federal government, the South remains heavily dependent on federal largesse in the form of farm subsidies, defense contracts and aid for its large concentrations of poor people.

The tea party brand of conservatism is less tolerant of this wink-and-nod approach to government spending and places a lower priority on social issues.

How the small-government fundamentalists fit into the mainstream Southern Republican Party remains to be seen.

There are other signs that the realignment might not be permanent. Growing Latino populations in Florida and Texas, and in Georgia and South Carolina, could rearrange the political map again before too long.

Obama

”

s 2012 odds may depend on security

President Barack Obama stands a good chance of being re-elected in 2012 if he makes progress in Afghanistan and adopts a tougher line against Iran, the economy improves and there are no major terrorist attacks in the United States. That’s what a senior Republican said Saturday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has become a leading GOP national security spokesman, said that if Obama is looking for cooperation with Republicans, a continued U.S. military effort in Afghanistan is “one area where Republicans feel comfortable standing by the president.” Although Graham predicted Republican support for more aggressive U.S. involvement in the world, he acknowledged that some new members of Congress, particularly those elected under the tea party banner, are likely to have different foreign policy views.

Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who appeared Saturday with Graham at a high-level security conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, agreed with his Republican counterpart that foreign policy was a nonissue in last week’s election. “The message was: Get to work on the economy,” he said.

Graham called the lack of candidate debate on national security “stunning.” The electorate should “challenge” new lawmakers “early on,” he said, asking “what is your view of the world?”

— The Washington Post