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What causes and keeps states blue or red?

The Republican Party has become nationally what the Democrat Party was in the South before the civil rights legislation was signed. It has become the party of the white majority at all income groups.

It would have been nice for the Democrats if after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed racially moderate whites in the South continued to vote Democrat, and were joined by the large black populations in Southern states to retain Democratic majorities in Southern states. It seems that there were not enough racially moderate whites in the South.

In The Emerging Republican Majority, published in 1969 Kevin Phillips wrote that when the black population in a state is less than ten percent, it does not effect white voting behavior. When the black population exceeds ten percent whites get nervous. When the black population approaches fifty percent the control of those blacks becomes the single most important issue that the vast majority of whites agree on.

This is why a growing percentage of non whites in the population may not help the Democrats. It may cause more whites to vote like Southern whites.
 
SmartCat said:
The Republican Party has become nationally what the Democrat Party was in the South before the civil rights legislation was signed. It has become the party of the white majority at all income groups.

It would have been nice for the Democrats if after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed racially moderate whites in the South continued to vote Democrat, and were joined by the large black populations in Southern states to retain Democratic majorities in Southern states. It seems that there were not enough racially moderate whites in the South.

In The Emerging Republican Majority, published in 1969 Kevin Phillips wrote that when the black population in a state is less than ten percent, it does not effect white voting behavior. When the black population exceeds ten percent whites get nervous. When the black population approaches fifty percent the control of those blacks becomes the single most important issue that the vast majority of whites agree on.

This is why a growing percentage of non whites in the population may not help the Democrats. It may cause more whites to vote like Southern whites.
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Excellent assessment.

60% of whites vote Republican. This percent has increased with the rise of Black and Hispanic voters. Whites trend more liberal in voting and other issues when feeling more secure in their culture. The white voter in some 'all white' town in Vermont is more likely to vote Democrat than the white voter in a more racially even town in Alabama.
 
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Smeagol said:
Its no secret that long before November 2016 we all know California, New York and Massachusetts are going to vote for the whoever the Democrat nominee is. Likewise, we all know Texas, Alabama and Georgia are going to vote for whoever the Republican nominee is. My questions are: why and more importantly what can be done to help voters have more of an open mind to make every state a so-called "battleground" state?

I'll answer the easiest given on what contributes to seeing states consider a party other than the one they traditionally support: interstate migration. Florida, for example, was a solid red state but because so many American from the North East and more recently Puerto Rico have relocated to The Sunshine State, its an up for grabs purple state in presidential elections. Georgia and Texas could be next.
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Things are not set in concrete. And much more complicated than on the surface.

My father voted solid Democrat...for white southern segregationists. Since the late 60's solid Republican.

Blacks are way less tolerant of gay marriage, etc than liberal whites but vote Democrat.

Most college graduates vote ?Republican but more PHDs vote Democrat

Etc, etc.
 
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