Introduction
Swing states, also known as battleground states, are an important component of the US electoral process. These states are considered to be electorally competitive, meaning that their political opinion is relatively evenly split between Democratic and Republican voters. Swing states often determine which party wins an election and can be identified by a combination of factors including: the history of voting patterns in the state, party registration numbers, polling data and recent election results. While some swing states are typically Democratic or Republican-leaning, they still remain competitive because their electoral votes could go either way depending on the outcome of the election. This is why campaigns pay special attention to these states when developing strategies for winning close races. Swing state voter turnout tends to be higher than in other states because citizens understand how important their vote might be in determining who will win an election. Additionally, swing state voters are often exposed to more political ads than other voters due to the number of candidates vying for their support.
State | Swing States |
---|---|
Alabama | No |
Alaska | No |
Arkansas | No |
California | No |
Colorado | No |
Connecticut | No |
Delaware | No |
District of Columbia | No |
Hawaii | No |
Idaho | No |
Illinois | No |
Indiana | No |
Iowa | No |
Kansas | No |
Kentucky | No |
Louisiana | No |
Maine | No |
Maryland | No |
Massachusetts | No |
Mississippi | No |
Missouri | No |
Montana | No |
Nebraska | No |
New Hampshire | No |
New Jersey | No |
New Mexico | No |
New York | No |
North Dakota | No |
Oklahoma | No |
Oregon | No |
Rhode Island | No |
South Carolina | No |
South Dakota | No |
Tennessee | No |
Texas | No |
Utah | No |
Vermont | No |
Virginia | No |
Washington | No |
West Virginia | No |
Wyoming | No |
Arizona | Yes |
Florida | Yes |
Georgia | Yes |
Michigan | Yes |
Minnesota | Yes |
Nevada | Yes |
North Carolina | Yes |
Ohio | Yes |
Pennsylvania | Yes |
Wisconsin | Yes |
Swing States
Alabama
Swing States
No
Alaska
Swing States
No
Arizona
Swing States
Yes
Arkansas
Swing States
No
California
Swing States
No
Colorado
Swing States
No
Connecticut
Swing States
No
Delaware
Swing States
No
District of Columbia
Swing States
No
Florida
Swing States
Yes
Georgia
Swing States
Yes
Hawaii
Swing States
No
Idaho
Swing States
No
Illinois
Swing States
No
Indiana
Swing States
No
Iowa
Swing States
No
Kansas
Swing States
No
Kentucky
Swing States
No
Louisiana
Swing States
No
Maine
Swing States
No
Maryland
Swing States
No
Massachusetts
Swing States
No
Michigan
Swing States
Yes
Minnesota
Swing States
Yes
Mississippi
Swing States
No
Missouri
Swing States
No
Montana
Swing States
No
Nebraska
Swing States
No
Nevada
Swing States
Yes
New Hampshire
Swing States
No
New Jersey
Swing States
No
New Mexico
Swing States
No
New York
Swing States
No
North Carolina
Swing States
Yes
North Dakota
Swing States
No
Ohio
Swing States
Yes
Oklahoma
Swing States
No
Oregon
Swing States
No
Pennsylvania
Swing States
Yes
Rhode Island
Swing States
No
South Carolina
Swing States
No
South Dakota
Swing States
No
Tennessee
Swing States
No
Texas
Swing States
No
Utah
Swing States
No
Vermont
Swing States
No
Virginia
Swing States
No
Washington
Swing States
No
West Virginia
Swing States
No
Wisconsin
Swing States
Yes
Wyoming
Swing States
No