A series on political shifts in the West
For much of its history, the West was Republican territory. Today, it’s a bastion of Democratic support, a shift that has transformed presidential politics nationwide. Mark Z. Barabak explores the forces that remade the political map in this series of columns called “The New West.”
Arizona, once red as a desert sunset, is now a key presidential battleground. Was Biden’s win in the Grand Canyon State a fluke, or a sign of lasting change?
The late Sen. Harry Reid’s clout and fundraising muscle made Nevada’s Democratic Party a juggernaut. In transforming the state, with crucial help from the local Culinary Union, he recast the race for the White House.
New Mexico had been a prime presidential battleground. But the growth of its cities, a Republican shift and heightened Latino influence have made the state deep blue.
Through money and lavish attention, Bill Clinton colored California a lasting shade of blue, dramatically reshaping the nation’s presidential map in the process.
Democrats drawn by Oregon’s tech jobs and nature have made the state solidly blue. It’s part of a transformation that remade the West and recast the fight for the White House.
Once solidly Republican, the West has become political bedrock for Democrats. No state has changed as emphatically in the last two decades as Colorado.
Other columns by Mark Z. Barabak
