Could Wyoming pull a Vermont?

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

In 1960, the only states to vote to the right of Vermont were Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. 
In 1976, Vermont was 13 points to the right of the nation, four to the right of Indiana.
In 1984, Vermont was right smack in the middle, one point to the left of the nation.
By 2008, Vermont was a +30 D state.

Of course, what drove that rapid leftward shift was the influx of migrants from the New York and Boston metro areas. A state that small can shift very rapidly.

Fort Collins, CO is not very far from Cheyenne. I could see social liberals moving up from Denver and Boulder to Wyoming to escape the rat race and enjoy the quiet life, much the same way that social liberals from Boston and Cambridge did in the 70s and 80s. It wouldn't take a whole lot of people moving in to turn Wyoming purple.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

No, but Idaho certainly could.

Boise is certainly a mini-Silicon Valley, but to use 2012 numbers (because 2016 was weird and Gary Johnson did really well), Romney won by 208k votes in Idaho and only 102k in Wyoming, despite the % margin of victory being 32% in Idaho and 41% in Wyoming. It would take a lot more migrants to flip Idaho than it would Wyoming.

Wyoming also has its major population center and college town an easy drive from the Denver/Boulder/Ft Collins complex. Laramie to Boulder is 2 1/2 hours. Cheyenne to Fort Collins is half an hour.

[Kuumo]

It is possible but unlikely. There would need to be some reason for a large number of liberals to move to Wyoming (e.g. liberals moving to NoVA to work for the government). The people from states like California that move to states like Wyoming and Idaho include a significant number of conservatives that want to move to a place that is more in tune with their politics as well as less expensive. You would need a lot more than 100k people moving to Wyoming to flip it unless almost all of them were Democrats. Wyoming has also trended slightly Republican in the last three presidential elections, so for now the rural trends seem to be counteracting the democratic trends in Jackson and Laramie.

If you are looking for a potential northwestern "Vermont", Alaska and Montana are much more likely because they have shown noticeable recent Democratic trends and start out with a much higher floor for Democrats. Idaho is also more likely since it is currently one of the fastest growing states in the country and has a major employer (Micron) that probably attracts disproportionately liberal employees from out of state.

[Hope For A New Era]

No, but Idaho certainly could.

Not a chance.

Montana and Utah absolutely could, though. In Utah it's already happening.


Edit, to say: We should find a very rich, very progressive land developer and have them build some kind of planned community (in the same vein as The Woodlands in Texas) along US-287 just north of the state line. That should get it pretty close.

[Catalyst138]

No, but Idaho certainly could.

Not a chance.

Montana and Utah absolutely could, though. In Utah it's already happening.


Edit, to say: We should find a very rich, very progressive land developer and have them build some kind of planned community (in the same vein as The Woodlands in Texas) along US-287 just north of the state line. That should get it pretty close.

Just curious, how is Utah already moving left? Is it because of SLC?

[Hope For A New Era]

No, but Idaho certainly could.

Not a chance.

Montana and Utah absolutely could, though. In Utah it's already happening.


Edit, to say: We should find a very rich, very progressive land developer and have them build some kind of planned community (in the same vein as The Woodlands in Texas) along US-287 just north of the state line. That should get it pretty close.

Just curious, how is Utah already moving left? Is it because of SLC?

Growth of SLC + suburban realignment (Davis, Utah, Weber counties are still very R - they are just beginning to shift) + Mormons hate Trump.