Purple America

Last updated
2016 United States presidential election results by county, on a color spectrum from Democratic blue to Republican red: Donald Trump (R) was elected. 2016 Presidential Election by County (Red-Blue-Purple View).svg
2016 United States presidential election results by county, on a color spectrum from Democratic blue to Republican red: Donald Trump (R) was elected.
2008 United States presidential election results on the same color spectrum: Barack Obama (D) was elected. ElectionMapPurpleCounty.png
2008 United States presidential election results on the same color spectrum: Barack Obama (D) was elected.

Purple America is the belief that a more detailed analysis of the voting results of recent United States national elections reveals that the U.S. electorate is not as polarized between "Red" America (Republican) and "Blue" America (Democratic) as is often depicted in news analysis. [1] [2] The term reflects the fact that news organizations generally use the colors red and blue on maps to indicate when a state or congressional district has been won by a Republican or Democratic candidate, respectively. Because the American political system often awards a state or congressional district entirely to one candidate ("winner take all") without regard to the margin of victory, it results in a map that tends not to reflect the true distribution of "red" or "blue" votes across the nation. The distortions contained in these maps, the argument goes, contribute to the misperception that the electorate is highly polarized by geography.

Contents

Robert Vanderbei at Princeton University made the first Purple America map after the 2000 presidential election. It attempts to reflect the margin of victory in each county by coloring each with a shade between true blue and true red. In light of the general absence of overwhelming victories, this technique results in mostly shades. This map was reprinted in US News & World Report a few months prior to the 2004 election. After the 2004 election, Vanderbei and then others made similar maps summarizing the results. Quickly thereafter, the term Purple America permeated the political blogosphere and entered the public lexicon as a way of stating that the United States is not as divided as the political pundits would have the people believe. [3]

Cartograms developed by Gastner, Shalizi, and Newman [4] at the University of Michigan provide another way to depict election results.

See also

Related Research Articles

Swing state U.S. state where neither major party or candidate has overwhelming support, making it key to control of the Presidency or U.S. Senate

In American politics, the term swing state refers to any state that could reasonably be won by either the Democratic or Republican presidential candidate by a swing in votes. These states are usually targeted by both major-party campaigns, especially in competitive elections. Meanwhile, the states that regularly lean to a single party are known as safe states, as it is generally assumed that one candidate has a base of support from which they can draw a sufficient share of the electorate.

Red states and blue states U.S. states that vote predominantly for Democrats (blue) and Republicans (red)

Since the 2000 United States presidential election, red states and blue states have referred to states of the United States whose voters predominantly choose either the Republican Party (red) or Democratic Party (blue) presidential candidates. Since then, the use of the term has been expanded to differentiate between states being perceived as liberal and those perceived as conservative. Examining patterns within states reveals that the reversal of the two parties' geographic bases has happened at the state level, but it is more complicated locally, with urban/rural divides associated with many of the largest changes.

Politics of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has swung from being a Republican-leaning state during much of the 20th century to being a notable battleground state in presidential elections. Pennsylvania backed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992 up until 2016, when it was won by Republican candidate Donald Trump. Pennsylvania currently has a split government, with the governor's office being held by a Democrat Tom Wolf and both houses of the state legislature being controlled by the Republican Party. In the United States Senate, Pennsylvania is represented by Democrat Bob Casey Jr. and Republican Pat Toomey. In the United States House of Representatives, Pennsylvania is represented by nine Democrats and nine Republicans.

2004 United States presidential election in Louisiana

The 2004 United States presidential election in Louisiana took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 9 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2004 United States presidential election in Mississippi

The 2004 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 6 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. It was the first presidential election since the 2000 United States census led to Mississippi losing an electoral vote, bringing its number of electoral votes from seven to six. This was the fewest electoral votes Mississippi had had in a presidential election since 1848.

2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts presidental election

The 2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place, as in all 50 states and D.C., as part of the 2008 United States presidential election of November 4, 2008. Voters chose 12 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who, in turn, voted for the office of president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

The 2008 United States presidential election in Wisconsin took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 10 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Oregon

The 2008 United States presidential election in Oregon took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 7 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Nevada

The 2008 United States presidential election in Nevada was part of the 2008 United States presidential election, which took place on November 4, 2008, throughout all 50 states and D.C.. Voters chose five representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Virginia presidental election

The 2008 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 4, 2008, which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Texas election in Texas

The 2008 United States presidential election in Texas took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 34 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Minnesota

The 2008 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 10 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Georgia presidental election

The 2008 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 4, 2008. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in South Dakota presidental election

The 2008 United States presidential election in South Dakota took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 3 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Maryland

The 2008 United States presidential election in Maryland took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 10 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Michigan

The 2008 United States presidential election in Michigan took place on November 4, 2008. It was part of the 2008 United States presidential election which happened throughout all 50 states and D.C.. Voters chose 17 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2008 United States presidential election in Mississippi

The 2008 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 6 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2000 United States presidential election in Virginia

The 2000 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 7, 2000, and was part of the 2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1996 United States presidential election in Maine

The 1996 United States presidential election in Maine took place on November 5, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Maine is one of two states in the U.S. that chooses two of its four representatives in the Electoral College based on the plurality vote in both its congressional districts instead of all four electors being chosen based on the statewide plurality vote.

1988 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

The 1988 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Washington voters chose ten electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

References

  1. ↑ Sides, John (2013-11-12). "Most Americans live in Purple America, not Red or Blue America". The Washington Post . Retrieved 2016-09-05.
  2. ↑ "America really looks like this | Chris Howard's Writing & Art". Saltwaterwitch.com. 2012-11-10. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
  3. ↑ "U. S. Electoral College". National Archives and Records Administration . 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
  4. ↑ "Election maps". Personal.umich.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.