Republican states?

As we head into another presidential election as a polarized nation, it's hard to remember when our country wasn't so divided. With so many states dominated by one political party or another, it's easy to equate geography with politics. Yet that language takes a toll: It makes it harder for people to remember the true nuances of presidential voting.

We call a state like Idaho a Republican state because the state legislature and governor's office are controlled by Republicans. Yet 33% of Idaho voters chose President Joe Biden in the last election. That's 287,000 people.

We call California a Democratic state even though, in the 2020 election, 34% of the state's voters went for former President Donald Trump. That's 6 million people. In fact, more people voted for Trump in California than in any other state.

Today we