I have trouble calling New England states "democratic" because they were traditionally very Republican up until recently. I think Maine is a good example of staying put while the rest of the nation moved to the right.
Maine - Democratic
Vermont - Liberal
Connecticut - Democratic
Rhode Island - Liberal
Massachusets - Liberal
New York - Democratic
New Jersey - Democratic
Pennsylvania - Democratic
Washington D.C. -Democratic
Maryland - Liberal
Delaware - Liberal
Michigan - Democratic
Minnesota - Both
Wisconsin - Both
Illinois - Democratic
California - Liberal
Oregon - Liberal
Washington - Liberal
Hawaii - Liberal
Minnesota has the longest record of voting Democratic for president of any state, and that is due, in large part, to a marriage between the liberal voters of the Twin Cities and the democratic voters of the north.
Now, of course when I say liberal, I'm talking about social issues. Traditionally Democratic are more economic policies that have been in the party platform for a very long time.
The nation will ultimately swing back to the left though, as it always goes in waves, and the old miners "up on da range" will still be voting democrat come hell or high water... much to the dismay of Republicans.
Hey, welcome! Nice to see another Minnesotan. What part of the state are you from?
I've analyzed our state's voting patterns a LOT and what I've noticed is this: The key to the state is in the middle ring suburbs (places like Minnetonka, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, etc.) The Iron Range as well as the Democratic pockets in the west and south (where I live) keep outstate in check so the Republicans can win victory margins there, and the Twin Cities keep the conservative exurbs in check. The only way the Republicans can win typically is by making serious inroads into the middle-ring suburbs. These are the places that voted for both Coleman and Kerry/Gore. It'll be interesting to see the gubernatorial race results, especially if it's almost dead even, which looks likely.
