Following each Presidential election, the media talks about "red" and "blue" states. But in most cases, that's highly misleading.
Yes, it's true that the electoral college system generally allocates all electoral votes to the candidate who wins a state's popular vote (Maine and Nebraska also allocate electoral votes by individual Congressional districts). But it's hardly accurate to call a state "red" or "blue" when the winning candidate captures 51 percent of the electorate.
Moreover, calling a state "red" or "blue" associates that state with Republican or Democratic policies. So, what to make of Florida? About 51% of voters there chose Donald Trump for President. But 61% voted for a $15 minimum wage, a policy almost universally derided by Republican politicians.
Dwight Kealy has been thinking about this issue. Kealy is a Professor of Law in the College of Business, Department of Finance, at New Mexico State University. He is also an attorney licensed to practice law in New Mexico and California.
Kealy provided the maps on this page and talked with Fred Maritno about how more of us should see the United States with a purple hue.