By 2044, the Democrats have made strong gains in the South while the GOP has maintained a stronger grip on the midwest, due to changing demographics and population changes. However, a few deep southern states have lost considerable population, and thus electoral votes, however Louisiana has started to favor Democrats due to their frequent climate-change related disasters. The Northeast, while still heavily Democratic, has lost some population over the last several decades, however the economic and population boom in Massachusetts has caused the state to regain a seat in Congress that it had lost in 2010. Rhode Island and Connecticut, previously Democratic strongholds, have lost significant population, especially among millenials and Generation Z-ers, and have since become competitive and tend to favor the GOP. Virginia and Maryland have each gained clout due to the growth of the federal government and the jobs that come with it, as well as the area's moderate climate and significant business growth. California has lost four electoral votes in 30 years, due to large numbers of people leaving the state due to its extremely high cost of living and natural disasters including wildfires and earthquakes. In fact, one of these electoral votes was essentially lost due to fatalities from the Great Earthquake in 2034.
