Why did CA, IL, NJ, CT, and VT vote Republican before 1992?

[The Govanah Jake]

California before the mass Hispanic immigration and the emergence of the Bay Area as a tech superpower was a classic western state. It had some traditional conservative/libertarian leanings in south California and also had a large suburban population. Before the Religious right these areas were prime for the Republican and made the republicans have a great shot at carrying the state. Counties like Marin back then were these types of suburban counties. Things started to change during the late 50s, 60s, and 70s as immigration started to take off, the republicans moving away from liberal republicanism, and people like Barry Goldwater changed the state from a slight pub state to a swing state which can be seen in 68. It was also during this time when San Francisco became unwinnable for a national republican. The state republicans were briefly revived under Reagan however with the republicans quickly embracing the religious right, by 1988 Bush the Senior was only able to narrowly won it and by 1992 a unpopular republican ousted the republicans from control

Illinois was only so republican because the republicans used to dominate the collar counties and get into the 40% range in cook. This combined with usually republican central IL was able to make the state winnable for republicans. Again the Republicans shift to the religious right and away from moderation shifted the state to the democrats

New Jersey like the previous was very republican prior to 1992. It used to be a lean republican state and only barely went Roosevelt over Hoover. This like the others was due to the republicans strength in the suburbs and north jersey. New Jersey is a pretty suburban state which made it so republican. And it shifted like the above

Connecticut due to the republican suburbs

Vermont used to be the most republican state having voted for a democrat only once since 1856 in 1964. It was a holdout state and voted for Landon too. It was a Yankee republican state with centrist to slight conservative views fiscally and moderate to slight liberal on social issues. This was a perfect fit for the republicans for a long time. However Reagan and the religious right and the republicans embrace of social conservatism changed this. Also influx of liberal new englanders and New Yorkers also did it.

Also not to mention the 1991-2 recession speeded up a lot of this.