It’s a state that politicians actually care about because it could go either way. For example, no Democrat will waste time in Florida. No Republican will waste time in California. But Georgia or Pennsylvania could go either way.
American presidential elections are carried out at the state level, and in almost all the states the winner in that state takes all of the state’s electors (which are people, but you can think of them as points needed to win the overall election).
What the media and political junkies call a “battleground” or “swing” state are the states which are traditionally very close races or otherwise polling closely going into the election, making them hard to predict the outcome based on statistics.
It’s entirely possible for Trump to win in Oregon or for Biden to win in Kentucky, but when you look at past and present statistics it’s not very likely to happen either way.
Since America doesn’t use the popular vote in presidential elections, only states that are nearly evenly divided matter. All other states votes are taken for granted.
The fuck is a battleground state and why is politics using these terms…
It’s a state that politicians actually care about because it could go either way. For example, no Democrat will waste time in Florida. No Republican will waste time in California. But Georgia or Pennsylvania could go either way.
It’s funny how Florida was a 50/50 state not very long ago and now it’s the Republican equivalent of California (even moreso actually).
In November 2019, a year before the election, the NYT published a battleground poll showing Biden ahead of Trump in Florida…
all the boomers got old and retired there. no income tax + cheap land + no snow makes the state a compelling option
American presidential elections are carried out at the state level, and in almost all the states the winner in that state takes all of the state’s electors (which are people, but you can think of them as points needed to win the overall election).
What the media and political junkies call a “battleground” or “swing” state are the states which are traditionally very close races or otherwise polling closely going into the election, making them hard to predict the outcome based on statistics.
It’s entirely possible for Trump to win in Oregon or for Biden to win in Kentucky, but when you look at past and present statistics it’s not very likely to happen either way.
Since America doesn’t use the popular vote in presidential elections, only states that are nearly evenly divided matter. All other states votes are taken for granted.