Most conservative and liberal states for 2019
Bottom Line: As a follow-up to my story from 2018, which proved to be one of the most popular I produced during the year, here’s where we stand in early 2019...
There are several different ways to measure the overall political disposition of a state. Mostly commonly people view Presidential election cycles as the overall barometer. Through that prism Minnesota would actually be the most liberal. Why? How? Every state except Minnesota has voted for a Republican candidate for President as recently as 1984 except for Minnesota. The last time they voted for a Republican was 1972. Another way is through social policies like the legalization of marijuana. If that were the barometer Colorado and California would be the most liberal. Here's a hint though. None of those are the most liberal. Gallup has research on the politicization of partisans updated overtime. In other words, which states have the highest percentage of conservatives and liberals, those with the strongest political views, as a percentage of the population. When you look at states through that prism here are the results for 2019.
Most conservative:
- Mississippi – 38%
- Alabama – 32%
- South Dakota – 31%
Most liberal:
- Massachusetts: -14%
- Hawaii –6%
- Vermont: -4%
Ready for this...California is now a net neutral state from a hyper-partisan perspective. As for Florida...we remain right in the middle, ranked 26th in overall partisanship with 14% more conservatives than liberals. What’s clear is that without a doubt this country remains center-right generally, despite what’s often portrayed throughout news media and entertainment. It also puts into perspective the contrast of someone like AOC, perhaps representative of the Brox but not even New York, against the backdrop of the average American.