The swing states during the past two decades.

A swing state (also, battleground state or purple state) in United States presidential politics is a state in which no candidate has overwhelming support, meaning that any of the major candidates have a reasonable chance of winning the state's electoral college votes. Such states are targets of both major political parties in presidential elections, since winning these states is the best opportunity for a party to gain votes. Non-swing states are sometimes called safe states, because one candidate has strong enough support that they can safely assume they will win the state's votes. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Politics of the United States takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of the United States is head of state, head of government, and of a two-party legislative and electoral system. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... The United States Electoral College is the electoral college that chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      This list of political parties in the United States contains past and present... United States presidential elections determine who serves as President and Vice President of the United States for four-year terms, starting on Inauguration Day (January 20th of the year after the election). ...

Origin of swing states

Heavy television advertising by candidates in a swing state can bring out supporters for the candidates more than in other states. These yard signs in a residential district of Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 2004 Presidential election show the difference in opinions between two neighbors.

These maps show the amount of attention given in the 2004 election by Bush and Kerry campaigns during the final five weeks of the election. At left, each waving hand represents a visit from a presidential or vice-presidential candidate during the final five weeks. At right, each dollar sign represents one million dollars spent on TV advertising by the campaigns during the same time period.

In the presidential elections of the United States, the U.S. Electoral College system allows each state to decide the method by which it awards electors. Since legislatures want to increase the voting power of the majority of their states, most states (except Maine and Nebraska, explained below) use the winner-take-all system. Since a campaign only needs to win a plurality of the popular vote in a state to give the candidate all of that state's electoral votes, no benefit is gained from receiving additional votes above the margin necessary to win. In other words, there are no incentives for campaigns to spend resources in states that are surely slanted to vote for a campaign. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the incorporated city of Grosse Pointe. ... Presidential election results map. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 249 pixelsFull resolution (1352 × 420 pixel, file size: 120 KB, MIME type: image/png) These maps show the amount of attention given to each state by the Bush and Kerry campaigns during the final five weeks of the 2004 election... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 249 pixelsFull resolution (1352 × 420 pixel, file size: 120 KB, MIME type: image/png) These maps show the amount of attention given to each state by the Bush and Kerry campaigns during the final five weeks of the 2004 election... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts, in his fourth term of office. ... The United States Electoral College is the electoral college that chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... For other uses, see Nebraska (disambiguation). ... In the theory of artificial neural networks winner-take-all networks are a case of competitive learning in recurrent neural networks. ... “Electioneering” redirects here. ...

Since a national campaign is interested in electoral votes, rather than the national popular vote, it tends to ignore states that it believes it will win easily; since it will win these without significant campaigning, any effort put into them is essentially wasted. A similar logic dictates that the campaign avoid putting any effort into states that it knows it will lose.

For instance, a Republican candidate (the more conservative of the two major parties) can easily expect to win many of the Southern states like Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina, which historically have a very conservative culture and a more recent history of voting for Republican candidates. Similarly, the same candidate can expect to lose Illinois, Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, traditionally liberal states, no matter how much campaigning is done in those states. The only states which the campaign would target to spend time, money, and energy in are those that could be won by either candidate. These are the swing states. GOP redirects here. ... Conservatism in the United States comprises a constellation of political ideologies including fiscal conservatism, free market or economic liberalism, social conservatism,[1] bioconservatism and religious conservatism,[2][3] as well as support for a strong military,[4] small government and promotion of states rights. ... The states in dark red comprise the Deep South. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude 78° 32′ W to 83... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the state. ... American liberalism—that is, liberalism in the United States of America—is a broad political and philosophical mindset, favoring individual liberty, and opposing restrictions on liberty, whether they come from established religion, from government regulation, from the existing class structure, or from multi-national corporations. ...

In Maine and Nebraska, two electoral votes go to the person who wins a plurality in the state, and a candidate gets one additional electoral vote for each Congressional District in which they receive a plurality. Both of these states have relatively few electoral votes (for the 2004 election, Maine had 4 and Nebraska had 5; the minimum is 3) and are usually not considered swing states (Maine is generally considered a Democratic-leaning state while Nebraska is typically thought to be a Republican state). Despite their different rules, neither has ever had a split electoral vote. A congressional district is an electoral constituency that elects a single member of a congress. ...

In the 2004 elections Colorado voted on Amendment 36, an initiative which would have allocated the state's electoral votes in proportion to the popular vote in the state. The initiative would have taken effect immediately, applying to the selection of electors in the same election. However, the initiative failed and Colorado remains under the winner-take-all system that is present in 48 states. An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... Official language(s) English Demonym Coloradan Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th in the US  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... In the November 2004 United States election, one of the issues up for a vote in the state of Colorado was known as Amendment 36. ...

Determining swing states

The Oregon Daily Emerald cites University of Oregon political science professor "Joel Bloom" as mentioning three factors in identifying a swing state: "examining statewide opinion polls, political party registration numbers and the results of previous elections." The article also cites Leighton Woodhouse, co-director of "Driving Votes", that there is "a general consensus among most groups regarding about 75 percent of the states typically thought of as swing states." ^[1] The Oregon Daily Emerald is an independent daily newspaper published at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. ... The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political Science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. ...

Historical swing states

The swing states of Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey and New York were key to the outcome of the 1888 election.^[2] The swing states of Illinois^[3] and Texas^{[citation needed]} were key to the outcome of the 1960 election; however, today Illinois (D), Connecticut (D), New York (D), Indiana (R) and Texas (R) are not considered swing states, while New Jersey is more of a swing state than the previously mentioned states, with a nearly even split of the congressional delegation, possibly to account for the urban-suburban divide.^{[citation needed]} Ohio has often been considered a swing state ^{[4] [5] [6]}, particularly during the 2004 election, having voted with the winner in every election since 1948 except for 1960. It has often been said that "as goes Ohio, so goes the nation." ^{[7] [8]} Missouri has voted for the winner of every presidential election since 1904, save for its support of Adlai Stevenson in 1956; see Missouri bellwether. Florida was key to the outcome of the 2000 election.^[9] Official language(s) none (de facto English) Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[2] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[3] Area  Ranked 48th in the US  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the state. ... The United States Presidential Election of 1888 was held on November 6, 1888. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... The United States presidential election of 1960 marked the end of Dwight D. Eisenhowers two terms as President. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) none (de facto English) Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[2] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[3] Area  Ranked 48th in the US  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2, 2004. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... This is about the mid-20th-century politician and diplomat; for other American politicians so named, see Adlai Stevenson (disambiguation). ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Mean center of population for the United States, 1790–2000 (U.S. Census Bureau) The Missouri bellwether is a political phenomenon that notes that the state of Missouri has voted for the winner in every U.S. Presidential election since 1904 except in 1956. ... The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between the Democratic candidate Al Gore versus the Republican candidate of George W. Bush. ...

Swing States as of 2008

The following states are grouped by geographic regions: (in parenthesis are the total number of electoral votes allocated to that state, followed by the winning party in 2004)

Northeast

• New Hampshire (4-D): Once very reliably Republican, New Hampshire became a swing state in the 1990s. Republicans still have somewhat of an edge in statewide elections, however the Democrats took control of the state legislature and both Congressional seats in 2006. The New Hampshire Republican Party tends to be more socially liberal than the national party, and as a result their behavior in national elections is harder to determine.

• Pennsylvania (21-D): Pennsylvania is famously described by Democratic strategist James Carville as "you’ve got Philadelphia at one end of the state, Pittsburgh at the other end, and Alabama in the middle.”^[10] Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés stated on March 17, 2007, that "The commonwealth’s large number of electoral college votes and diverse population make Pennsylvania a key battleground state." ^[11] Pennsylvania has leaned Democratic since 1992, giving its electoral votes to Bill Clinton (1992 and 1996), Al Gore (2000) and John Kerry (2004). President George W. Bush visited the state more than 40 times during his 2004 campaign.^[12]

James Carville James Carville (born October 25, 1944) is an American political consultant, commentator, media personality and pundit. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... This article is about the former Vice President of the United States. ... John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts, in his fourth term of office. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

South

• Arkansas (6-R): Although a conservative state in the heart of the Bible Belt, the state Democratic Party is a powerful force in Arkansas and Democrats tend to have a comfortable advantage in statewide races. Presently, the Governor, both U.S. Senators, and 3 out of 4 of Arkansas' House members are Democrats, and Democrats control the state legislature by a large margin. The Arkansas Democratic Party tends to be more conservative than the national party, however, and as a result voters there tend to be open to Republican Presidential candidates. Though favorite son Bill Clinton won Arkansas easily both times he ran, Arkansas gave their electoral votes to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 by a fairly large margin.

• Florida (27-R): The outcome of the 2000 Presidential Election hung on a margin of roughly 500 votes in this state, and the fierce legal battles that ensued. Florida's electorate is balanced by heavily Democratic large cities like Miami and sparser, more Republican areas (the Florida Panhandle in this case). Republicans have been winning handily in statewide elections lately; however, the large Hispanic vote near Tampa and Orlando (particularly Puerto Ricans who tend to be the Democrats and have a significant presence in the Orlando area) provide Democrats an edge, but the Cuban-American vote is crucial near Miami; their votes gave an edge to George W. Bush over Al Gore in 2000.

• West Virginia (5-R) Although registered Democrats in the state outnumber registered Republicans, Bush narrowly won the state in both the 2000 and 2004 elections with 52% and 56% of the vote respectively. President Clinton won the state in both 1992 and 1996, and the state was one of only a handful to vote for Jimmy Carter in 1980 and Michael Dukakis in 1988.

The approximate extent of the Bible Belt, indicated in red The Bible Belt is an informal term for an area of the United States of America in which socially conservative Christian Evangelical Protestantism is a dominant part of the culture. ... For other uses, see Favorite Son. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... The outcome of the United States presidential election, 2000 was not known for more than a month after the balloting, because of the extended process of counting and then recounting of Florida presidential ballots. ... Miami redirects here. ... The Florida Panhandle is the region of the state of Florida which includes the westernmost 16 counties in the state. ... Hispanic (Spanish: ; Portuguese: ; Latin: , adjective from Hispānia, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania and its peoples. ... Tampas skyline For alternate meanings, see Tampa (disambiguation) Tampa is a city located in Hillsborough County on the west coast of Florida. ... Orlando redirects here. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Puerto Rican. ... A Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her ancestry to Cuba. ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... This article is about the former Vice President of the United States. ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... Michael Stanley Dukakis (born November 3, 1933) is an American Democratic politician, former Governor of Massachusetts, and the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. ... The United States presidential election of 1988 featured an open primary for both major parties. ...

Midwest

• Iowa (7-R): Al Gore won Iowa in 2000 by a razor-thin margin, and George W. Bush did the same four years later. The state's highly influential caucus makes Iowa the political holy grail of Republicans and Democrats alike.

• Michigan (17-D): Michigan has generally tended to lean Democratic. One of the country's biggest centers of manufacturing, labor unions inevitably come into play, and the economic hard times the state has fallen on recently will no doubt be a major issue for the Great Lakes State in 2008. Republican strength tends to be primarily in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the state, particularly in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan area, which is also one of the fastest growing regions in the Midwest. The Democrats are strong in the Southeastern region of the state around the Metro Detroit area in particular and also around the Ann Arbor, Flint, and Saginaw areas as well.

• Missouri (11-R): Missouri is geographically situated where the South, the Midwest, and the Great Plains meet, and is in many ways a microcosm of the entire country. Missouri has voted for the winner of every Presidential election since 1904 except in the year 1956, and voters there have proven themselves to be an effective gauge of the national mood. The "coastal" urban areas of St Louis and Kansas City, like urban areas elsewhere in the U.S., tend to lean strongly to the Democrats while the rural and suburban/exurban areas tend to lean to the Republicans.

• Ohio (20-R): "I think 2008 is very likely to be a hotly contested race in Ohio," stated Eric Rademacher, director of the University of Cincinnati's Ohio Poll, for the Cincinnati Enquirer. ^[13] Its 20 electoral votes were critical to President Bush's reelection in 2004. In 2006, however, Ohio voters elected Democrats Ted Strickland and Sherrod Brown for Governor and U.S. Senator. The industrial urban areas of Cleveland, Dayton, Akron, and Youngstown tend to lean to the Democrats while the rural areas and the suburbs and exurbs (in particular around the ever growing Greater Cincinnati and Columbus areas) lean to the Republicans.

• Wisconsin (10-D): Wisconsin went to John Kerry in 2004 by only .4% of the popular vote, the closest margin in any state.

Grand Rapids is the name of several places in the United States of America: Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids, Minnesota Grand Rapids, Ohio Grand Rapids, Wisconsin is the former name of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Grand Rapids is also the name of a town in Canada: Grand Rapids, Manitoba. ... Metro Detroit is the American metropolitan area consisting of nine counties including the cities of Detroit, Flint, Ann Arbor, Pontiac, and other outlying cities, villages, and townships in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Nickname: Location of Flint within Genesee County, Michigan. ... Location of Saginaw within Saginaw County, Michigan Coordinates: , Country State County Saginaw Settled 1819 Incorporated 1857 Government  - Type  - Mayor Carol B. Cottrell  - City Manager Darnell Earley Area  - City  18. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... The Gateway Arch, shown here behind the Old Courthouse, is the most recognizable part of the St. ... Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... Illustration of the backyards of a surburban neighbourhood Suburbs are inhabited districts located either on the outer rim of a city or outside the official limits of a city (the term varies from country to country), or the outer elements of a conurbation. ... The expression exurb (for extra-urban) was coined in the 1950s, by Auguste Comte Spectorsky in his book The Exurbanites, to describe the ring of prosperous rural communities beyond the suburbs that, due to availability via the new high-speed limited-access highways, were becoming dormitory communities for an urban... The University of Cincinnati is a coeducational public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. ... The Cincinnati Enquirer is a daily morning newspaper published at Cincinnati, Ohio. ... Ted Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and the current Governor of the state of Ohio. ... Sherrod Campbell Brown (born November 9, 1952) is the Democratic Junior United States Senator from the state of Ohio. ... Cleveland redirects here. ... : Gem City : Birthplace of Aviation United States Ohio Montgomery 56. ... Akron is the name of several places in the United States of America and Canada: Akron, Alabama Akron, Colorado Akron, Indiana Akron, Iowa Akron, Michigan Akron, New York Akron, Ohio Akron, Ontario Akron, Pennsylvania Akron Township, Illinois Akron Township, Michigan Akron Township, Big Stone County, Minnesota Akron Township, Wilkin County... Location within the state of Ohio Coordinates: , Country State Counties Mahoning, Trumbull Founded 1796 Incorporated 1848 (village) - 1867 (city) Government  - Mayor Jay Williams (I) Area  - City  34. ... Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan area is a metropolitan area that includes 12 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: , Country State Counties Franklin, Fairfield, Delaware Government  - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area  - City 212. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

West/Pacific

• Colorado (9-R): Once a reliable GOP stronghold, Colorado has moved towards the center during the last decade. With the victories of Ken Salazar to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Bill Ritter to the Governor's Mansion in 2006, and an additional U.S. House seat pick-up that same year, Democrats are finding themselves in a better position than before. Large Hispanic populations with strong penchant for populist themes makes this a true battleground state; nevertheless, Republicans still have a 100,000 registration edge against the Democrats. Democrats selected Denver as the site for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

• Nevada (5-R): Long considered a "fly-over" state due to its proximity to the populous state of California, the Silver State is once again looking like a strong swing state. The presence of strong labor unions and Hispanic voters in Las Vegas and Reno sway those districts toward Democratic candidates, while the balance of the state is mostly rural and Republican. Populism plays well in this long-standing bastion of the GOP.

• New Mexico (5-R): Personalities trump party affiliation in this classic swing state. New Mexico is truly politically divided, with registration amongst Democrats and Republicans nearly equal and the existence of a strong independent voting bloc. The state went to Al Gore in 2000 by a mere 400 votes while George W. Bush carried it by a margin of 6000 votes in 2004.

Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American politician, rancher, and environmentalist from the U.S. state of Colorado. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... August William Ritter, Jr. ... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... Hispanic (Spanish: ; Portuguese: ; Latin: , adjective from Hispānia, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania and its peoples. ... The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be held from August 25 to August 28 in Denver, Colorado. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Hispanic (Spanish: ; Portuguese: ; Latin: , adjective from Hispānia, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania and its peoples. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... Places Reno, Nevada Reno, Pennsylvania Reno, Lamar County, Texas Reno, Parker County, Texas A valley in Italy Other Uses Reno, a Turk from the popular videogame and CG movie by Square-Enix, Final Fantasy VII. Reno a 1939 film A band named Reno Reno is a drug Reno 911! - A... This article is about the former Vice President of the United States. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Summary

Overall, the candidates spend a significant amount of time in the Midwest, as this region has 75 electoral votes. Most of the Midwestern states have been inclined to vote for the Democrats, albeit by a small margins, making them just volatile enough to switch parties.

As for the "Big Three", Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio, all of the candidates invest much of their time there partially in order to offset any surprises election day, but also because the trio provides a total of 68 electoral votes, making them a strategic necessity in their own right. No candidate since John F. Kennedy has won the White House without winning at least two of these three states.

Historically, no Republican candidate has won the White House without winning Ohio; indeed, the winner of Ohio has been the winner of every general election since 1960. And with the exception of 1956, no candidate since 1904 ever has won without also winning the state of Missouri, making it the longest running bellwether state. For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... Mean center of population for the United States, 1790–2000 (U.S. Census Bureau) The Missouri bellwether is a political phenomenon that notes that the state of Missouri has voted for the winner in every U.S. Presidential election since 1904 except in 1956. ...

Other terms for swing state

• Battleground state
• Purple state, so named because purple is the combination of the colors red and blue, which (since the 2000 election) are used to represent Republican- and Democratic-majority states, respectively. See Red states and blue states.

This article is about the color. ... For other uses, see Red (disambiguation). ... This article is about the colour. ... GOP redirects here. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Map of results by state of the 2004 U.S. presidential election, representing states won by the Democrats as blue and those won by the Republican Party as red. ...

See also

• Red state vs. blue state divide
• Marginal seat in other countries' elections
• List of U.S. swing states
• Missouri bellwether

Map of results by state of the 2004 U.S. presidential election, representing states won by the Democrats as blue and those won by the GOP as red. ... A marginal seat is a district or constituency held with a particularly small majority in a Parliamentary election conducted under a non-proportional electoral system. ... list of 1960 swing states list of 1988 swing states list of 1992 swing states list of 1996 swing states list of 2000 swing states list of 2004 swing states See also: swing state Category: ... Mean center of population for the United States, 1790–2000 (U.S. Census Bureau) The Missouri bellwether is a political phenomenon that notes that the state of Missouri has voted for the winner in every U.S. Presidential election since 1904 except in 1956. ...

References

The Oregon Daily Emerald is an independent daily newspaper published at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Teresa Bagioli Sickles confession, 1859 Harpers Weekly (A Journal of Civilization) was an American political magazine based in New York City. ... David Rosenbaum (March 1, 1942 – January 7, 2006) was an American journalist. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Magazines stubs | Microsoft subsidiaries | Websites | The Washington Post ... is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cincinnati Enquirer is a daily morning newspaper published at Cincinnati, Ohio. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World News with Charles Gibson (previously known as World News Tonight and often abbreviated as WNT) is the ABC television networks flagship news program. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Swing State Ohio Documentary
• Swing State feature documentary project
• Coverage of battleground states in 2000 election from CNN
• Guide to the 2004 swing states from Slate
• Battleground states from Democracy in Action site hosted by George Washington University
• The Swing States from Intervention Magazine
• Swing State Project, a law student's weblog
• The Bush campaign memo detailing its look at the swing states (PDF file)
• How close were Presidential Elections? Influential States - Michael Sheppard, Michigan State University