Difference between revisions of "Swing state"

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''See [[early voting]] for an analysis of voting in [[swing state]]s.''
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'''Swing states''' are [[state]]s in which neither the [[Republican]] nor [[Democratic]] candidate has a clear majority of the voters' support prior to a Presidential election, and therefore could "swing" the election results in either direction. They are also known as "battleground states" because they are where the majority of the campaigning takes place for both parties. Since states that consistently express a preference for either the Democratic of Republican candidate are usually referred to as [[blue state|blue states]] and [[red state|red states]], respectively, these states are also called "purple states" in order to highlight their mixed demographical nature.  '''It is expected that hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads by [[Super PAC]]s will be spent in these swing states in the fall of 2012'''.   
 
'''Swing states''' are [[state]]s in which neither the [[Republican]] nor [[Democratic]] candidate has a clear majority of the voters' support prior to a Presidential election, and therefore could "swing" the election results in either direction. They are also known as "battleground states" because they are where the majority of the campaigning takes place for both parties. Since states that consistently express a preference for either the Democratic of Republican candidate are usually referred to as [[blue state|blue states]] and [[red state|red states]], respectively, these states are also called "purple states" in order to highlight their mixed demographical nature.  '''It is expected that hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads by [[Super PAC]]s will be spent in these swing states in the fall of 2012'''.   
  
−
Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]]:  Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, for a total of 96 electoral votes.<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/26/national/a080145D80.DTL#ixzz1w1roz7XG</ref> A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win, and Obama won with 95 additional electoral votes in 2008.  Assuming that Republicans win Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, '''''this entire election could be decided in only Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and Ohio'''''.
+
Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], for a total of 100 electoral votes, all of which were won by Obama in 2008:<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/26/national/a080145D80.DTL#ixzz1w1roz7XG</ref>
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*Colorado
 +
*Florida
 +
*Iowa
 +
*Nevada
 +
*New Hampshire
 +
*North Carolina
 +
*Ohio
 +
*Virginia
 +
*Wisconsin
 +
A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win, and Obama won with 95 additional electoral votes in 2008.  Assuming that Republicans win Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, '''''this entire election could be decided in only Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and Ohio'''''.
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
Line 12: Line 24:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Ohio
 
|Ohio
−
|Toss up
+
|Leaning to Obama.
 
|4.6%
 
|4.6%
−
|Ohio voted Republican in the 2010 elections, but the public unions repealed the collective bargaining reforms by popular vote.  This indicates heavy union influence, a plus for Obama as unions vote heavily Democratic.
+
|Ohio voted Republican in the 2010 elections, but the public unions repealed the collective bargaining reforms by popular vote.  This indicates heavy union influence, a plus for Obama as unions vote heavily Democratic. As of September 13, 2012, Romney (46%) and Obama (47%) were virtually tied.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/ohio/election_2012_ohio_president Election 2012: Ohio President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|18
 
|18
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Iowa
 
|Iowa
−
|Toss-up
+
|Leaning to Obama.
 
|9.5%
 
|9.5%
−
|
+
|Mitt Romney leads Obama 47% to 44% as of September 2012.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/iowa/election_2012_iowa_president Election 2012: Iowa President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|6
 
|6
 
|-
 
|-
Line 26: Line 38:
 
|Toss-up
 
|Toss-up
 
|9%
 
|9%
−
|[[Pro-life]], pro-[[Christian]] [[Tim Tebow]]'s phenomenal success for the Denver Broncos helped improve the culture there.
+
|[[Pro-life]], pro-[[Christian]] [[Tim Tebow]]'s phenomenal success for the Denver Broncos helped improve the culture there. As of September 2012, Romney leads Obama, 47% to 45%.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/colorado/election_2012_colorado_president Election 2012: Colorado President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|9
 
|9
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Virginia
 
|Virginia
−
|Toss-up
+
|Leaning to Romney.
 
|6%
 
|6%
−
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2011 elections the Republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature. '''Obama will probably lose this state by 5-10 points in 2012'''.
+
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2011 elections the Republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature. A Rasmussen Reports survey of Virginia taken September 14th gave Obama a 1 point lead, 49% to 48%.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/virginia/election_2012_virginia_president Election 2012: Virginia President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|13
 
|13
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Florida
 
|Florida
−
|Romney led by 7 points as of May, current polls show a tied race or give Romney a slight lead.
+
|Likely Romney
 
|2.8%
 
|2.8%
−
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections; however, Governor [[Rick Scott]] is currently (Dec. 2011) very unpopular in the state.  Obama's approval in the state is below 50% and without Florida his reelection is unlikely.
+
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections; however, Governor [[Rick Scott]] is currently (August 2012) very unpopular in the state.  Obama's approval in the state is below 50%. Florida is a must win for Romney;<ref>http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/sept-11-florida-a-true-must-win-for-romney/</ref> however, as of September 13, 2012, Obama held a 2-point lead, 48% to 46%.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/florida/election_2012_florida_president Election 2012: Florida President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|29
 
|29
 +
|-
 +
|New Hampshire
 +
|Leaning to Obama.
 +
|9.6%
 +
|Romney has some roots here and was governor of nearby Massachusetts. He holds a 3-point lead (48% to 45%) over Obama, as of September 19, 2012<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/new_hampshire/election_2012_new_hampshire_president Election 2012: New Hampshire President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 +
|4
 
|-
 
|-
 
|North Carolina
 
|North Carolina
−
|Leaning Republican win due to [[same-sex marriage]] issue.
+
|Likely Romney, due to Obama's support of [[same-sex marriage]].
 
|0.3%
 
|0.3%
−
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff. Rasmussen's most recent poll of the state had Romney up, 49-44.
+
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff. Rasmussen's poll on September 14, 2012 had Romney at 51% to Obama's 45%.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/north_carolina/election_2012_north_carolina_president Election 2012: North Carolina President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|15
 
|15
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Nevada
 
|Nevada
−
|Leaning Democratic, polls show Obama with a 4-5 point lead currently.
+
|Leaning to Obama.
 
|12.5%
 
|12.5%
−
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] [[Mark Amodei]]. [[Harry Reid]] won reelection in 2010 despite [[Tea Party]] opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process.
+
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] [[Mark Amodei]]. [[Harry Reid]] won reelection in 2010 despite [[Tea Party]] opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process. As of September 20, 2012, Obama leads Romney 47% to 45%.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/nevada/election_2012_nevada_president Election 2012: Nevada President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|6
 
|6
 +
|-
 +
|Wisconsin
 +
|Toss-up
 +
|13.9%
 +
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, they failed to recall enough republican legislators for a majority, failed to defeat Justice David Prosser in the Supreme Court election.  The final blow that put Wisconsin in play for the 2012 election was when Governor Scott Walker defeated his recall election by a wider margin than he was originally elected in 2010. The selection of Wisconsin Congressman [[Paul Ryan]] as Romney's running mate may also help him in Wisconsin and vie-presidential nominees tend to boost the ticket in their home state. While Romney did receive a bump after his choice of Ryan, as of September 2012, he was slightly trailing Obama, 46% to 49%. <ref>http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/wisconsin/election_2012_wisconsin_president Election 2012: Wisconsin President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 +
|10
 
|}
 
|}
  
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|Michigan
 
|Michigan
 
|16%
 
|16%
−
|Mitt Romney, though not ideal for the average conservative, grew up in Michigan and could put it into play. His father, [[George Romney]], served as governor of the state.
+
|Mitt Romney, though not ideal for the average conservative, grew up in Michigan and could put it into play. His father, [[George Romney]], served as governor of the state. Obama is ahead of Romney 48% to 42%, as of Rasmussen's last poll, taken in July 2012.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/michigan/election_2012_michigan_president Election 2012: Michigan President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|16
 
|16
−
|-
 
−
|New Hampshire
 
−
|9.6%
 
−
|Romney has some roots here and was governor of nearby Massachusetts
 
−
|4
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|New Mexico
 
|New Mexico
 
|15%
 
|15%
−
|
+
|Obama holds a substantial lead over Romney, 52% to 38%, according to Rasmussen's last poll, taken August 21, 2012.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/new_mexico/election_2012_new_mexico_president Election 2012: New Mexico President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012.</ref>
 
|5
 
|5
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Pennsylvania
 
|Pennsylvania
 
|10%
 
|10%
−
|Obama's has had high disapproval ratings here: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
+
|Obama's has had high disapproval ratings here: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref> As of September 21, 2012, Obama leads Romney by a 51% to 39% margin.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/pennsylvania/election_2012_pennsylvania_president Election 2012: Pennsylvania President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012</ref>
 
|20
 
|20
−
|-
 
−
|Wisconsin
 
−
|13.9%
 
−
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, they failed to recall enough republican legislators for a majority, failed to defeat Justice David Prosser in the Supreme Court election.  The final blow that put Wisconsin in play for the 2012 election was when Governor Scott Walker defeated his recall election by a wider margin than he was originally elected in 2010. 
 
−
|10
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
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<references/>
 
<references/>
  
−
[[Category:politics]]
+
[[Category:Politics]]
 
[[Category:United States]]
 
[[Category:United States]]

Revision as of 17:42, June 23, 2016

See early voting for an analysis of voting in swing states.

Swing states are states in which neither the Republican nor Democratic candidate has a clear majority of the voters' support prior to a Presidential election, and therefore could "swing" the election results in either direction. They are also known as "battleground states" because they are where the majority of the campaigning takes place for both parties. Since states that consistently express a preference for either the Democratic of Republican candidate are usually referred to as blue states and red states, respectively, these states are also called "purple states" in order to highlight their mixed demographical nature. It is expected that hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads by Super PACs will be spent in these swing states in the fall of 2012.

Here are the key swing states for the Presidential Election 2012, for a total of 100 electoral votes, all of which were won by Obama in 2008:[1]

  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Iowa
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin

A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win, and Obama won with 95 additional electoral votes in 2008. Assuming that Republicans win Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, this entire election could be decided in only Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and Ohio.

State Expected winner 2012 Margin of Obama's win in 2008 Indicators Electoral Votes in 2012
Ohio Leaning to Obama. 4.6% Ohio voted Republican in the 2010 elections, but the public unions repealed the collective bargaining reforms by popular vote. This indicates heavy union influence, a plus for Obama as unions vote heavily Democratic. As of September 13, 2012, Romney (46%) and Obama (47%) were virtually tied.[2] 18
Iowa Leaning to Obama. 9.5% Mitt Romney leads Obama 47% to 44% as of September 2012.[3] 6
Colorado Toss-up 9% Pro-life, pro-Christian Tim Tebow's phenomenal success for the Denver Broncos helped improve the culture there. As of September 2012, Romney leads Obama, 47% to 45%.[4] 9
Virginia Leaning to Romney. 6% Elected a Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, in 2009. In the 2011 elections the Republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature. A Rasmussen Reports survey of Virginia taken September 14th gave Obama a 1 point lead, 49% to 48%.[5] 13
Florida Likely Romney 2.8% Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections; however, Governor Rick Scott is currently (August 2012) very unpopular in the state. Obama's approval in the state is below 50%. Florida is a must win for Romney;[6] however, as of September 13, 2012, Obama held a 2-point lead, 48% to 46%.[7] 29
New Hampshire Leaning to Obama. 9.6% Romney has some roots here and was governor of nearby Massachusetts. He holds a 3-point lead (48% to 45%) over Obama, as of September 19, 2012[8] 4
North Carolina Likely Romney, due to Obama's support of same-sex marriage. 0.3% The current Democratic governor, Bev Perdue, is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff. Rasmussen's poll on September 14, 2012 had Romney at 51% to Obama's 45%.[9] 15
Nevada Leaning to Obama. 12.5% A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for Republican Mark Amodei. Harry Reid won reelection in 2010 despite Tea Party opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process. As of September 20, 2012, Obama leads Romney 47% to 45%.[10] 6
Wisconsin Toss-up 13.9% Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their labor union allies, they failed to recall enough republican legislators for a majority, failed to defeat Justice David Prosser in the Supreme Court election. The final blow that put Wisconsin in play for the 2012 election was when Governor Scott Walker defeated his recall election by a wider margin than he was originally elected in 2010. The selection of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as Romney's running mate may also help him in Wisconsin and vie-presidential nominees tend to boost the ticket in their home state. While Romney did receive a bump after his choice of Ryan, as of September 2012, he was slightly trailing Obama, 46% to 49%. [11] 10

Additional states that Obama carried by a wide margin in 2008 might become possibilities for a Romney victory in 2012 if he improves in the polls:

State Margin of Obama's win in 2008 Indicators Electoral Votes in 2012
Michigan 16% Mitt Romney, though not ideal for the average conservative, grew up in Michigan and could put it into play. His father, George Romney, served as governor of the state. Obama is ahead of Romney 48% to 42%, as of Rasmussen's last poll, taken in July 2012.[12] 16
New Mexico 15% Obama holds a substantial lead over Romney, 52% to 38%, according to Rasmussen's last poll, taken August 21, 2012.[13] 5
Pennsylvania 10% Obama's has had high disapproval ratings here: 54%, and Republicans swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against Hillary Clinton.[14] As of September 21, 2012, Obama leads Romney by a 51% to 39% margin.[15] 20

Effect on Policy

Swing state politics is having an enormous influence on policy: Obama's abrupt change in deportation policy was probably due to how Mitt Romney has erased Obama's lead in the key swing state of Colorado, and narrowed the lead in Nevada and Virginia, all of which have large Hispanic populations.[16]

2008 Swing States

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/26/national/a080145D80.DTL#ixzz1w1roz7XG
  2. ↑ Election 2012: Ohio President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  3. ↑ Election 2012: Iowa President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  4. ↑ Election 2012: Colorado President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  5. ↑ Election 2012: Virginia President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  6. ↑ http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/sept-11-florida-a-true-must-win-for-romney/
  7. ↑ Election 2012: Florida President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  8. ↑ Election 2012: New Hampshire President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  9. ↑ Election 2012: North Carolina President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  10. ↑ Election 2012: Nevada President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  11. ↑ http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/wisconsin/election_2012_wisconsin_president Election 2012: Wisconsin President] rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  12. ↑ Election 2012: Michigan President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  13. ↑ Election 2012: New Mexico President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012.
  14. ↑ Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011
  15. ↑ Election 2012: Pennsylvania President rasmussenreports.com, retrieved September 21, 2012
  16. ↑ http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/233037-obama-takes-action-on-deportations-as-romney-closes-gap-in-swing-states
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