Difference between revisions of "Purple state"
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As many states are dominated by one party or the other (examples are California and New York for the Democrats and Texas for the Republicans), purple states are the ones in which candidates expend disproportionate resources as they are the only ones where a party is not guaranteed virtual success. | As many states are dominated by one party or the other (examples are California and New York for the Democrats and Texas for the Republicans), purple states are the ones in which candidates expend disproportionate resources as they are the only ones where a party is not guaranteed virtual success. | ||
| − | Examples of "purple" states include [[Florida]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Ohio]].<ref>http://www.wordspy.com/words/purplestate.asp</ref> Florida is usually the most | + | Examples of "purple" states include [[Florida]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Ohio]].<ref>http://www.wordspy.com/words/purplestate.asp</ref> Florida is usually the most important of the battleground states because it has the largest number of electoral votes, due to the fact George W. Bush won there in the [[2000 Presidential Election]] by a mere 537 votes, and due to the fact Presidential candidates can campaign in the state's mild weather during the otherwise frigid fall season. Ohio is seen as the bellweather state<ref>[https://www.270towin.com/states/Ohio 270toWin Ohio election history]</ref> because winning the state is crucial to winning 270 electoral votes. |
"Purple" refers to the tradition of classifying states as "[[Red state|Red]]" or "[[Blue state|Blue]]", responding to an [[Electoral College]] vote of [[Republican Party|Republican]] and [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] presidential candidate, respectively.<ref>It should be noted that the use of "red" to denote a relatively conservative party, and blue a relatively liberal one, is the exact opposite of the color scheme used in European countries, where red denotes a left-leaning party and blue a right-leaning one.</ref> In this scheme, very close states are colored purple until the final vote tally is finished. In reality, most states are "purple" if viewed on a per-county basis.<ref>[http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/ Purple states of America] - a county by county breakdown of presidential elections since 1960.</ref> | "Purple" refers to the tradition of classifying states as "[[Red state|Red]]" or "[[Blue state|Blue]]", responding to an [[Electoral College]] vote of [[Republican Party|Republican]] and [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] presidential candidate, respectively.<ref>It should be noted that the use of "red" to denote a relatively conservative party, and blue a relatively liberal one, is the exact opposite of the color scheme used in European countries, where red denotes a left-leaning party and blue a right-leaning one.</ref> In this scheme, very close states are colored purple until the final vote tally is finished. In reality, most states are "purple" if viewed on a per-county basis.<ref>[http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/ Purple states of America] - a county by county breakdown of presidential elections since 1960.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 12:54, August 28, 2020
Purple state is a term which refers to "battleground" or "swing" states in United States Presidential elections.
As many states are dominated by one party or the other (examples are California and New York for the Democrats and Texas for the Republicans), purple states are the ones in which candidates expend disproportionate resources as they are the only ones where a party is not guaranteed virtual success.
Examples of "purple" states include Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.[1] Florida is usually the most important of the battleground states because it has the largest number of electoral votes, due to the fact George W. Bush won there in the 2000 Presidential Election by a mere 537 votes, and due to the fact Presidential candidates can campaign in the state's mild weather during the otherwise frigid fall season. Ohio is seen as the bellweather state[2] because winning the state is crucial to winning 270 electoral votes.
"Purple" refers to the tradition of classifying states as "Red" or "Blue", responding to an Electoral College vote of Republican and Democratic presidential candidate, respectively.[3] In this scheme, very close states are colored purple until the final vote tally is finished. In reality, most states are "purple" if viewed on a per-county basis.[4]
Composition
Blue in local elections, Red in presidential elections:
Red in local elections, blue in presidential elections:
Others:
See also
- Blue Dog Democrat
- Gun control of the Purple States
- Blue states or Unfree states of Big Government-Welfare state-Nanny state-Statist-Police state
- Purple states - swing states that can vote either Republican or Democrat
- Free States Movement
- Strategic relocation: Vote with your feet
- American Redoubt - Free State Wyoming - Free State Project
References
- ↑ http://www.wordspy.com/words/purplestate.asp
- ↑ 270toWin Ohio election history
- ↑ It should be noted that the use of "red" to denote a relatively conservative party, and blue a relatively liberal one, is the exact opposite of the color scheme used in European countries, where red denotes a left-leaning party and blue a right-leaning one.
- ↑ Purple states of America - a county by county breakdown of presidential elections since 1960.