The Founding Fathers were divided on how to pick a president. David Schultz, editor of Presidential Swing States: Why Only Ten Matter with Stacey Hunter Hecht, says swing states began to really emerge in the wake of the Civil War. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! In contrast, back in the 1960s, there were only a few TV channels. The 2018 edition added Pennsylvania, which went from being reliably Democratic to voting Republican in the 2016 presidential election. The high-stakes game of winning over swing states means candidates spend 75 percent or more of their campaign budget on courting them. To win the White House you must reach 270. By signing up you are agreeing to our, What to Know About America's History of Contested Elections, America Had a Reckoning on Race This Year. “Swing” voters — defined as those Democrats who voted for Obama in 2012 and for Trump in 2016 — are staying with Trump, according to Rich Thau, a focus group moderator. “No Republican has won the presidency unless they’ve won Ohio,” says Schultz. They also have big college-educated populations and renowned state and private universities, as well as urban areas that are racially diverse and Democratic-leaning. What do "swing," "battleground," and "purple" have in common?

Swing states, also known as battleground states or purple states, are highly competitive states that have historically swung between voting for different parties in presidential elections. Save on the cover price & free e-Gift card for Giftees! But the difference between now and then was about more than just vocabulary and timing.

HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. So what’s the impact of presidential elections coming down to a handful of swing states on American society? Hudak says that states including Maine and New Hampshire "have a lot of moderate, independent-minded voters...who drive that two-party competitiveness.". All Rights Reserved. It’s happened five times, most recently in the 2016 election, when Hillary Rodham Clinton received 2.8 million popular votes than Electoral College winner Donald Trump, the largest disparity in history. In total, there are 538 electoral college votes. Bill O'Reilly tells Glenn he's not a "conspiracy guy," but that there IS something fishy about the overnight counting of votes — or, more specifically, the overnight NOT-counting of votes. These are states where working-class white voters without college degrees, who in the past tended to vote for Democrats, started voting Republican when their well-paying manufacturing jobs disappeared. McLean, for one, argues that the swing state dynamic has exacerbated distrust in American government and institutions that stems back to the 1970s Watergate scandal. Schultz and his co-editor Stacey Hunter Hecht define a swing state as one that has frequently boasted a 5% or smaller difference in votes for the two major candidates, a vote … Over the last half-century, the share of Americans who vote for the same party in every election has increased; unsurprisingly, some states are consistent in just the same way. While most states consistently vote along party lines—from 2000 to 2016, 38 states voted for the same political party—the few who don’t receive an outsized amount of attention from candidates and pollsters. Election 2020 | Why swing states are so important Experts say candidates spend 75 percent or more of their budget courting voters in battleground states. Trump has won the state in 2016 and is projected to hold on to the win for this year’s election. In the 1960 presidential election between Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy, 10 states were won by less than two percent of the vote. ", 3. While the concept is nearly as old as the Electoral College, the term “swing state” is a relatively modern creation, first used by the New York Times in 1936 while Franklin D. Roosevelt was campaigning in the West. And they drive the race election after election. In recent years, the media has played a big role in popularizing the term swing states, as the increase in partisan TV channels and news websites has allowed consumers to only listen to like-minded pundits. 2. In the hotly contested 2020 presidential election, Arab Americans could play an important role in two swing states where they make up large communities.. With that said, since 2000, 38 states have voted consistently for the same party. The other 12 "swing" from election to election, meaning their electorial votes are consistently up for grabs. “. Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com. “It is no wonder, then, that when the same swing states always seem to decide national elections, it can erode the faith that elections are the voice of the people.”. Hudak credits the highly competitive 1800 presidential election between Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson as heightening political interest in winning over specific states. It’s states like Ohio that tipped the balance,” he says. However, Hispanic voters evidently leaning towards Biden may swing the state in favour of Democrat.


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