Blue States Dominate, and Purple Gains Ground

Blue states are far bluer than red states are red, says a new Gallup poll. Party registrations favor Democrats—they lead by 10 or more percentage points in 29 states and the DC, compared to four states where Republicans dominate—suggesting that Dems can expand on ther gains they made in last year's elections, the Hill reports.

Utah ranked as the reddest state, Rhode Island as the bluest. But party registration figures can mislead. Utah has a Democratic rep, Rhode Island a Republican governor, and a number of states that might have been expected to back Barack Obama or John McCain swung the other way.. Still, the bluing of the nation signals a dramatic shift: In 2002, a majority of states filed in the Republican column.
(More party politics stories.)