atlgamecockman

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Eh, I will be long gone...no care

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The short answer is: both happened, but over time many white Southern voters (including those with segregationist views) shifted toward the Republican Party—while many individual politicians initially stayed Democrats before gradually realigning.

Here’s the clearer breakdown:

1. Before the shift: the “Solid South” was Democratic

For decades after the Civil War, the South was dominated by the Democratic Party. Many white Southern Democrats supported segregation and Jim Crow laws. This was the political landscape leading into the Civil Rights Movement.

2. The turning point: civil rights legislation (1960s)

Major laws like the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) were passed under Democratic leadership, including Lyndon B. Johnson. These laws pushed the national Democratic Party firmly toward civil rights.

This created a political break:

Many white Southern voters felt alienated from the Democratic Party
Black voters in the South began overwhelmingly supporting Democrats

3. What happened to Southern Democrats?

Voters:
A large share of white Southern voters gradually moved to the Republican Party over several decades (not overnight). This shift accelerated from the late 1960s through the 1990s and beyond.

Politicians:
It was more mixed:

Some switched parties, like Strom Thurmond, who left the Democrats for Republicans in 1964
Others stayed Democrats for years or decades, even while holding conservative or segregationist views
Over time, newer generations of Southern politicians increasingly ran as Republicans

4. The role of the Southern Strategy

Republican campaigns, especially under Richard Nixon, used messaging that appealed to disaffected white Southern voters (e.g., “law and order,” “states’ rights”). This helped accelerate voter realignment, even if not all politicians switched immediately.

5. The end result (long-term)

By the late 20th and early 21st century:

The South became solidly Republican at the federal level
The Democratic Party became more associated with civil rights and a multiracial coalition
The Republican Party became dominant among white Southern voters

Bottom line
Many white Southern voters moved to the Republican Party over time
Some politicians switched parties, but many stayed Democrats for a while before the region fully realigned

It wasn’t a single moment or mass switch—it was a gradual political realignment over several decades.

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