Random question - liberal and conservative states?

[randomling]

Okay, so I'm vaguely considering something for a potential story. And I'm not looking here for "which states voted red and blue in the latest election", which I can look up - but for public perceptions within America, which is harder to track down without, you know, asking people. The question is this:

Which states are "liberal", and which are "conservative"? Not necessarily in terms of track record when it comes to representatives and presidential elections, but in terms of culture and what you would expect to find if you went there.

Here's what I have so far:

Liberal states are: California (despite the recent Prop 8 decision), Washington and Oregon (the "left coast" as I've heard it called), New England (Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire), the DC area (and possibly Maryland and Virginia by extension?), Minnesota and Wisconsin, Hawaii. "Possibles" in my head are Illinios and Michigan, New Jersey and Delaware, and maybe New York (city, if not state?).

Conservative states: the South (the Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky), and the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas?). Texas. Utah. Alaska. "Possibles": Missouri and Arkansas (never sure where "South" ends and "Midwest" begins!), maybe Oklahoma (?), possibly the north-west (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho).

Anyone tell me any different or any more? Information on the "character" of any specific state or large city would also be useful, just in terms of how Americans see each state. I'm sort of looking for story locations, here.

Thanks!

Comments

[msktrnanny.livejournal.com]

CT also has loads of not rich people :raises hand: and we are liberal, usually including the rich people. In fact we've got some really outspoken rich liberals. I think New England being liberal is probably fairly safe. Sure, there are exceptions but everyone has those and you're looking for an over all generality, yes?

Interestingly [at least to me] I talked this over with my Mom who is 27 years older than I am and initially she picked VERY different answers for many of these states. We talked about Yankee attitude and after telling me what that meant to her etc she looked at me and laughed. She now agrees that by and large the Yankee mind set is fairly liberal.