Affluent suburbs outside the South trended heavily toward Democrats from 1992 to 2008. Now they seem to be trending Republican.

And, as it happens, Republicans have a nominee who demonstrated affirmative appeal in affluent suburbs in primary after primary. They were the base on which he won the nomination.

Romney’s background as the son of an auto-company president has been treated as a liability. But his record as a market innovator and private-equity investor (without inherited money, by the way) may be a plus.

“This is what the campaign is about,” Obama said of the Bain ads. That might not go over well in affluent suburbs.