This paper investigates how diverging historical trajectories and exposure to political repression in the 19th century influenced long-term electoral outcomes. Leveraging the natural experiment created by the 1815-1860 border separating France from the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice, I employ a spatial discontinuity design to estimate the political legacy of these distinct paths, characterized by different exposure to the 1851 political repression against Republicans. The results indicate that communes remaining in France during this period have a persistent preference for left-wing candidates, which is driven by limited cross-border population mixing during higher education and at work. Archival data on arrest reports reveal that the 1851 political repression increased abstention rates. Further analysis suggests the repression’s long-term effects stem from its impact on local political demand and supply, as well as a contraction in the Republican activist network.