Politics Have Changed in the Mountain West

The region should no longer be considered a reliably conservative and Republican area but rather a new swing region of the country.

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Idea of the Day

The United States is experiencing a period of rapid demographic change. Nowhere is the speed of change more rapid than in the Mountain West, including the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, and New Mexico. As this region has changed, its politics have changed as well. It should no longer be considered a reliably conservative and Republican area but rather a new swing region of the country. In the 2008 presidential election, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico all went for Democratic candidate, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), and these states will surely be hotly contested between the parties in upcoming 2012 election.

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Infographic: Political and Demographic Shifts in the Mountain West by Progress 2050 and the Progressive Studies Program

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