Missouri Is A Solid Red State
When I moved to Missouri in 1990 it was a swing state, a bellwether:
The Missouri bellwether is a political phenomenon that notes that the state of Missouri voted for the winner in all but three U.S. Presidential elections from 1904 to 2016 (the exceptions are 1956, 2008 and 2012). While states like Ohio, Nevada, Florida and New Mexico have been arguably stronger indicators of political trends in recent years, Missouri was a consistent swing state throughout the 20th century. Prior to the 2008 elections, Lincoln County, Missouri was said to be the only bellwether county in a bellwether state. (Wikipedia)
Missouri would go red or blue throughout the 20th century. However, the last time Missouri went blue was in 1996. The country went blue in 2008 & 2012, but Missouri stayed red. The 2008 election was very close in Missouri, but widened in 2012 & 2016.
Twentieth century bellwether, 21st century red state. Here’s the results from the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll:
Q: Agree or disagree: The right Democratic nominee could turn Missouri from Red to Blue in the 2020 General Election
- Strongly agree: 4 [13.79%]
- Agree: 2 [6.9%]
- Somewhat agree: 2 [6.9%]
- Neither agree or disagree: 2 [6.9%]
- Somewhat disagree: 3 [10.34%]
- Disagree: 6 [20.69%]
- Strongly disagree: 9 [31.03%]
- Unsure/No Answer: 1 [3.45%]
Most agree with me — regardless of the Democratic nominee a majority of Missouri voters vote for Trump. Illinois, meanwhile, remains a safe blue state.
— Steve Patterson