Thanks for that, I get it now. But why are they the outlier? They're surrounded by sane people?

New Hampshire's Republican political leaning is the result of a long snowball effect, with people moving there from elsewhere in New England. The lack of a progressive social safety net (compared to the rest of the region) means low taxes (compared to the rest of the region).

Thanks so much for the insight, I like to think I'm quite well informed for an outsider but every day is an education.