Red to Blue in the West?

Americans are used to seeing a broad, red swath in the Rocky Mountain West on election night. But this year, after some significant victories in 2004, there's likely to be some blue too -- at the top of the ticket and on down the line. Some find this surprising. But the reality is, if you dig into the history of voting in the West, there's a long, proud tradition of independent-minded voters who elect both Democrats and Republicans to office. Surprised? Read on.

In fact, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana and Nevada each have a strong history of electing one Senator of each party to the Senate. Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana and Nevada have all elected more Democrats to the Governorship in their 140-year histories than Republicans. Who would have thought that in New Mexico and Montana, the long-term statewide voting history is actually more Democratic than Republican?  Read here for more about voting trends in the West.

So what’s really at play here? Are we seeing a serious red to blue shift in the West? We won't know for years. My suspicion? The region is just swinging a bit toward blue as it re-sets to its long-term tendency: purple.