Why did MO swing so heavily for Trump

[OneJ]

Missouri, a Midwestern state that's whiter than the nation and was extremely close in 2008 now looks as if this state hasn't been competitive in ages.

Indiana, a similar state, also went through a similar transformation (despite not exactly loving Pence).

Discuss.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Because the people there were tired of their state being looked at as a competitive state for the "right democrat" when it was actually solidly republican, and they knew that the only way they could dispel that notion was to not only vote straight republican for governor, senator, and all the row offices, but also to vote as heavily as possible for Donald J. Trump.

[bagelman]

For this election in particular, why did Ohio vote like Texas?

[jamestroll]

Because the people there were tired of their state being looked at as a competitive state for the "right democrat" when it was actually solidly republican, and they knew that the only way they could dispel that notion was to not only vote straight republican for governor, senator, and all the row offices, but also to vote as heavily as possible for Donald J. Trump.

People were not thinking that as they voted.... 

2008 and 2016 were both perfect storms.

In 2008, the yellow dog democratic force was still enough, combined with the very anti Republican mood that year from Governor Matt Blunt and the Bush Administration, and the fact that Obama was a good fit for the Midwest that the Obama was almost able to carry the state.

In 2016, the Republican nominee had a campaign that was literally tailor made for the state, and the Democratic nominee essentially called  most of the state deplorable. Combine that with Ferguson, and a very anti-incumbent mood, gave Trump the state by 20 points and gave the GOP the governorship.

I think the 2012 numbers much more accurately reflect the state. We will know for sure in 2018. Can McCaskill win? Can Democrats hold the Auditors office in 2018? I think the answer to both is yes, but will heavily depend on the campaigns, the national climate and the state climate in 2018. My early guess is that the offices split in victories. But we will have to see.

[RINO Tom]

A state like that probably needs heavy African American turnout to be even close to competitive for Democrats.  African American turnout down, whites without a college degree up.  Rustbelt state, etc. etc. That should explain it.

Since everything is SO simple, I guess MO just needed more Black women and poor White millennials!

[blacknwhiterose]

MO actually trended Republican in the 2008 presidential election, despite being very close, it trended +7 points more GOP than the national popular vote compared to +4 for Bush in 2004 and 2000.  That trend has REALLY accelerated since then, local, state level, and in the last 2 Presidential elections.  A lot of the Missouri Democratic Party's support traditionally came from New Deal/Democrat type working-class people who were never card-carrying liberals, many have either switched their support to Republican or have literally passed away. 

The same thing has happened next door in Illinois.  As recently as 2000, Al Gore carried like a dozen more counties in downstate Illinois, now almost all those counties are deep Republican.  Meanwhile, Chicago Cook County and collar counties have trended more Democratic, where there is an increasingly-diverse composition of upscale suburban and city voters who Illinois Democrats have enjoyed increasing success with as the cultural chasm between town and country widens.  Saint Louie and KC combined are still a lot smaller than Chicagoland, hence Missouri's big red shift.