Why are the Rockies swinging Dem?

[LastVoter]

Some liberal ski towns, as well as a growing Latino population in some areas. Nader also took votes from Gore in the West more than anywhere else.

And Montana obviously.

[LastVoter]

Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona are still very Republican states, it is similar in the way your map shows parts of Massachusetts trending Republican, it is just because those places are so Democratic to begin with.

Colorado and New Mexico are different stories.

Obama lost MT by 3% in 2008. Western Montana has quite a few liberal ski/college towns + unionized mining towns.

[LastVoter]

Oldies' post and Antonio's are both very true.

Let's not forget that 2000 was a horrible year for Democrats in the Mountain West. Look, just look at the 1996-2000 trend map:



As much as Democrats might have gained from 2004 on, they aren't even close to their pre-2000 levels there.

I checked Clinton's raw 1996 numbers to see if the issue was Perot and it doesn't appear to be (mainly) that:

Trend in Dem%:

CO   5.26%
MT   -1.33%
ID   -3.05%
AZ   -3.87%
NM   -8.14%
UT   -10.41%
WY   -10.82%

One is not like the other