Rank Each State on the Spectrum

[Rockefeller GOP]

How on earth is Connecticut "Populist Leaning Liberal"?

Isn't it the richest state in the Union?

The most resentful, class conscious people in America today are the well educated, urban and suburban  professionals. Between their student loans and the sky high housing costs of their popular neighborhoods, they're barely getting by on their $100k/year and many are informed enough to know that the uber-rich really are screwing everybody else sideways. The less well to do people are more frequently true believers in the American Way. It's a funny world we live in.

I hope you aren't suggesting that wealthier people vote Democrat more often (unless you're making another cutoff for $200k+, which voted for Romney comfortably).

As for the OP, states like AR, WV and KY might be culturally conservative and may be trending Republican on the national level, but all three have Democrats as governors, and none of the three are particularly fiscally conservative.