# If liberals don't like the politics in red states... **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 6, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171 "2020-06-06T22:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/61 "2020-06-10T16:38:02Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > Wisconsin? And almost New Hampshire? Was that migration into the state by conservatives? I’m doubtful – do you have a cite for that? My uncited guess is that it was migration out by young people. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/62 "2020-06-10T17:01:00Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But that statement still doesn’t make sense. > > Proportionally, someone in Cleveland is surrounded by far more liberals than conservatives. 200,000 Republicans is a large number, but 1 million Democrats is even larger yet. It therefore stands to reason that his political views are being affected much more by the liberals around him than the conservatives around him. > > And I don’t get what you are trying to insinuate either. It’s like you’re saying that the presence of liberals draws one to become liberal, but the presence of conservatives…repels one into becoming liberal. You still don’t seem to get his point, which is, if the absolute number of conservatives is large enough to be characterized as “a lot,” it will be in a region where the population is large enough to also have a LARGER absolute number of liberals. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/63 "2020-06-10T17:09:48Z")
“Why don’t you upend your entire life to move to a place you don’t want to live with policies you abhor in order to have a slightly better chance at changing those policies years in the future.” Really? ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/64 "2020-06-10T17:23:10Z")
> [@CastletonSnob](#): > > Why don’t they just move there, and turn them blue? If liberals want to make a difference, they should move to purple states, especially the rust belt. Moving to a “red” state is a fool’s errand. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/65 "2020-06-10T17:26:51Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > You still don’t seem to get his point, which is, if the absolute number of conservatives is large enough to be characterized as “a lot,” it will be in a region where the population is large enough to also have a LARGER absolute number of liberals. Of course this leans on the ambiguity of the meaning of “a lot”, which can mean either “a high percentage of the population”, or “a high absolute number”. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/66 "2020-06-10T18:00:14Z")
Personally, I don’t want to move where the majority of the voters are delusional and support outright evil policies. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/67 "2020-06-10T18:04:51Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > So your goal in this thread is to help the Ds’ electoral chances. Thank you! > > It’s an obstinate crew here, and I’m not sure they’ll listen. Better would be for you to contact your local Democratic Party, and offer to lick envelopes, walk precincts, whatever. Cash donations are also appreciated! What does the Congressional race look like in your District? Is it a close race where the Ds need your help? @ **CastletonSnob** — It looks like the other Democrats aren’t interested in your suggestion. But now that we know you have the best interest of the Ds at heart, do you have other helpful ideas? What are your other plans to help? Can you fill us in on the Ds chance in your state? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/68 "2020-06-10T22:26:32Z")
As I said, if red state America had free and fair elections, most of them would already be blue. The GOP holds on to power through voter suppression of blacks, they’re third world shitholes. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/69 "2020-06-11T04:56:50Z")
I prefer to live in a state that’s a City upon a Hill. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/70 "2020-06-11T10:23:26Z")
The one state where this has worked well is Virginia. Only 20 years ago Virginia was heavily Republican. The transformation since then has been breathtaking. In 2019 Virginia wound up as Democratic-dominated as it had been Republican-dominated 20 years previously. It’s mainly because Northern Virginia has attracted so many college-educated immigrants from other states because of federal jobs and federal contracts. This makes Virginia a special case, unlikely to be replicated elsewhere. Except that North Carolina would be next but has been held back by Republican electoral skulduggery. I brought my family’s Democratic votes from Ohio to Virginia this way. Tons of Ohioans were moving here at the same time and I had plenty of company. But when I moved here 30 years ago, Ohio was purple. Since then I’ve wondered what’s gone wrong with Ohio. Maybe _too many_ Ohio Democrats moved to Virginia… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171/71 "2020-06-11T13:28:22Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The one state where this has worked well is Virginia. Only 20 years ago Virginia was heavily Republican. The transformation since then has been breathtaking. In 2019 Virginia wound up as Democratic-dominated as it had been Republican-dominated 20 years previously. It’s mainly because Northern Virginia has attracted so many college-educated immigrants from other states because of federal jobs and federal contracts. This makes Virginia a special case, unlikely to be replicated elsewhere. Except that North Carolina would be next but has been held back by Republican electoral skulduggery. > > I brought my family’s Democratic votes from Ohio to Virginia this way. Tons of Ohioans were moving here at the same time and I had plenty of company. But when I moved here 30 years ago, Ohio was purple. Since then I’ve wondered what’s gone wrong with Ohio. Maybe _too many_ Ohio Democrats moved to Virginia… :eek: But almost nobody moved to VA just to influence the politics. There’s a huge brain drain out of the Midwest to the sunbelt. Younger and more educated people tend to vote Democratic. I do think they’ll be a realignment where PA/WI/MI become increasingly red while NC/GA/TX become more blue. NC is particularly maddening because it’s not only attracting younger and college educated people but it’s also become a retirement destination so that’s bringing in Republicans. And, yes, the NC Republican Party is determined to do everything possible to hold onto power. Once they lose it, it’s gone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-liberals-dont-like-the-politics-in-red-states/855171.md?page=3)