(RoyalPatriot.com )- Predicting the outcome of elections has become much more difficult in recent years for political pundits, as the traditional swing states have shifted.
In addition, states that have historically voted for one political party are swinging more the other way — making what was once known uncertain.
There are many races in the upcoming midterm elections in once heavy-liberal states such as Oregon and New York that are being called toss-ups at this point. Republicans are now threatening to win races in these two states where they historically have gotten trampled.
Other states that have long been ignored from a national political perspective are getting a lot of attention. States such as North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada have become political battlegrounds in the last decade-plus, with presidential races coming down to single digits and other elections ending with tight results, too.
It wasn’t that long ago that the GOP could simply count on certain states to be outright losers for them. In addition to Oregon and New York, Colorado became much more Democratic in recent years that it could be considered only a longshot that a Republican candidate could win a national race there.
But, times have changed in recent years, and Republicans are making significant headway in these states for both House and Senate elections.
Concerns about crime in Oregon have compounded economic challenges residents there are facing to convince many voters to side with Republicans for the first time ever.
In Colorado, it’s possible that Republican candidate Joe O’Dea could flip a Senate seat to the GOP, thanks to the fact that he broke ranks with former President Donald Trump and is a more moderate candidate. President Joe Biden carried Colorado in the 2020 presidential election by double digits.
In other parts of the country, heavy blue states are becoming much less so, as the Biden administration is getting very low marks for its performance thus far.
All of this is leading to more and more support for the Republican Party, which has a solid chance at retaking the majority in both chambers of Congress following the midterm elections next month.
One of the biggest changes that’s causing this shift is the increase in voters who are unaffiliated with a specific political party. While diehard registered Democrats and registered Republicans are always likely to stick with their party, these unregistered voters swing back and forth between the parties based on the current state of issues that are important to them.
In one election, they may vote Democrat because they don’t like the state of national affairs with the Trump administration, for instance. Then, two years later, they may vote Republican because they’re concerned about the economy and the Biden administration’s policies on a number of issues.
This is a big change from the past, where even unaffiliated voters would tend to vote with one party over the other, based on where they lived.
It’s what Republican officials in Colorado are seeing first-hand this year. The executive director of the Colorado Republican Party, Joe Jackson, commented to Newsweek recently:
“When we’re doing surveys and talking with voters, they are focused on inflation, they’re focused on cost of living, they’re focused on crime. And, you know, there’s no doubt who’s been in charge here the last few years in Colorado, so it’s been an easier pitch. Everyone knows that Democrats have been in charge.”
