August 3, 2009
Political Party Affiliation: 30 States Blue, 4 Red in '09 So Far
Utah and Wyoming are most Republican
by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- An analysis of Gallup Poll Daily tracking data from the
first six months of 2009 finds Massachusetts to be the most Democratic
state in the nation, along with the District of Columbia. Utah and
Wyoming are the most Republican states, as they were in 2008. Only four
states show a sizable Republican advantage in party identification, the
same number as in 2008. That compares to 29 states plus the District of
Columbia with sizable Democratic advantages, also unchanged from last year.


These results are based on interviews with over 160,000 U.S. adults
conducted between January and June 2009, including a minimum of 400
interviews for each state (305 in the District of Columbia). Each
state's data is weighted to demographic characteristics for that state
to ensure it is representative of the state's adult population.

Because the proportion of independents in each state varies considerably
(from a low of 25% in Pennsylvania to a high of 50% in Rhode Island and
New Hampshire), it is easiest to compare relative party strength using
"leaned" party identification. Thus, the Democratic total represents the
percentage of state residents who identify as Democratic, or who
identify as independent but when asked a follow-up question say they
lean to the Democratic Party. Likewise, the Republican total is the
percentage of Republican identifiers and Republican-leaning independents
in a state.