secular party than it has been historically," added Black. "Most of these white voters in the south are Christians."

Opposition to the president has undoubtedly played a role in accelerating the demise of Democrats in the South, though some dispute remains about whether that opposition is rooted in policy differences or personal animus.

"It's Obama," outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, explained the day after the election, according to the New York Times. "It wasn't just Arkansas. It was all over the country. There's only one common denominator."

Exit polls reflected a significant contingent of voters who cast their midterm ballots to express opposition to the president. In Arkansas, where Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor fell to GOP challenger Tom Cotton, that number was 40 percent. In Georgia, where Democrats failedto capture an open Senate seat, that number was 36 percent.Republicans in those races sought to nationalize the conversation, casting their contest as a race between the president's foes and his allies.

"That local vs. national dynamic helps explain part of the Republicans' long-term upward trend in Southern Senate and Congressional seats," explained CBS News Elections Director Anthony Salvanto. "Views of the Democratic party were negative, overall, among voters in Louisiana in November, and most disapproved of how the President was handling his job. In many areas, that national party image often matters more now than the local party image, as Senate and Congressional races used to see more ticket-splitting among voters than we see today."

A handful of Democrats, mindful of the South's complicated history on race and civil