Red State Travel in America does not designate political colors in the same manner as the media or political analysts — based solely on four-year presidential election cycles. Instead, a more broad-based approach is used that focuses on two-year election cycles, and sometimes less, if special elections are conducted. The political affiliation within any state that has a majority in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, and which occupies the governor’s office, determines the color of that state’s political landscape. All three constituencies are weighted equally, so “the best two out of three” (or all three in some cases), establishes the political color of Republican red or Democrat blue.
Occasionally, tiebreakers are necessary to determine political majorities in a state. When that scenario occurs, results from the most recent state or federal elections and/or state gubernatorial elections are analyzed for any trending toward one party affiliation or the other.
Please remember one important thing, though, when considering your tourism options across the United States — the political landscape of any state should never be a factor, and as such, always pales in comparison to the natural wonders bestowed upon us by God and Mother Nature and by mankind’s own creations.
Our current perception of red states is as follows: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.