See also: From 04 to 08, 110 towns shift color on Maine map

Of the 91 towns that turned from red to blue this year, Rangley and Kennebunkport saw two of the largest jumps.

State representatives for these areas attribute the change to an influx of out-of-staters.

Rangeley, a small Franklin County town, saw the following changes:

• 2004: Of the town’s 753 voters, 440 went for President Bush and 295 went for Democratic nominee John Kerry
• 2008: Of the town’s 750 voters, 381 went for President-elect Barack Obama and 355 went for Republican nominee John McCain
• These numbers represent a 10.6 percent gain for Obama over Kerry

Kennebunkport, a southern Maine town which is home to former President George H.W. Bush’s estate, saw the following changes:

• 2004: Of the town’s 2,711 voters, 1,360 went for Bush and 1,308 went for Kerry
• 2008: Of the town’s 2,532 voters, 1,479 went for President-elect Barack Obama and 1,024 went for Republican nominee John McCain
• These numbers represent a 9.4 percent gain for Obama over Kerry

In Rangeley, the effect did not trickle down to the down-ballot races. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor) won the town decisively, 518 to 225. In the 2nd Congressional District, Rep. Mike Michaud (D-East Millinocket) won the town by 17 votes, a smaller margin then Obama’s. State Sen. Walter Gooley (R-Farmington) won the town by 108 votes.

In the U.S. House and state Senate races, geography likely had an impact. Michaud’s Republican opponent, John Frary, lived across the county in Farmington, as did Gooley.

In the state House race, both candidates were from the opposite end of the district. Overall, Jarrod Crockett (R-Bethel) beat incumbent Tim Carter (D-Bethel) by 329 votes. In Rangeley, Carter beat Crockett by 61 votes.

Crockett said the increase of people voting for Obama can be attributed to an influx of people who moved to town from away.

They came “because it’s beautiful,” Crockett said. He describes the town as a “quaint village on the lake” where people have their vacation homes.

He said the trend of people moving in was gradual.

“People sold their houses out of state and moved into their second homes for retirement,” he said. “The beauty of the area draws people from away.”

In Kennebunkport, which went for Obama 58 to 49 percent, the other Republicans seeking national office prevailed. Collins won the town 1,548 to 917. In the 1st Congressional District, Charlie Summers (R-Scarborough), who lost to Rep.-elect Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven), won the town by 37 votes.

Democratic state candidates, however, won easily. State Sen. Nancy Sullivan (D-Biddeford) won 13,179 to 6,585, and Rep. Alan Casavant (D-Biddeford) ran unopposed.

Casavant said while he was campaigning he saw a lot of people who were “disgusted with the Bush administration.”

He said having the Bush estate in town likely didn’t influence people’s vote this year.

State Sen. Barry Hobbins (D-Saco), who represents a neighboring district, agreed. He said the former president and his wife are good citizens and liked in York County, donating money for projects such as the Southern Maine Medical Center, but that likely doesn’t translate to his son or other Republicans.

“(The Bush estate) didn’t play as big of a role,” Hobbins said. “People separate 41 from 43… I know that I do.”

Like Rangeley, Hobbins said that Kennebunkport has seen a recent influx of out-of-staters which likely contributed to the electoral changes.

As with many other areas of the state, both Crockett and Hobbins say the increase of Democratic voters in the presidential election came from the Democrats’ monetary advantage over the Republicans. Because they had more money, they were able to make a greater effort on the ground.