by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math

I think Neil’s correct that giving up on the South is a bad idea, primarily because the Democratic party must win a few non-urban Southern districts in order to make the House more competitive. But I don’t think the Western strategy is doomed to failure. I’ve split the Bush-voting states into four categories, based on his current job approval. Mountain West states are in italics, Southern States are in bold:

  • Unreachable: Utah, Wyoming, Alabama, Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Indiana, Alaska
  • Mostly Unreachable: Montana, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas
  • Vaguely Reachable: North Carolina, Indiana (!), Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee
  • Swing: Louisiana, Ohio, Nevada, Arkansas, Iowa, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Florida

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.