… While much time and attention is devoted to tracking the president’s approval rating nationwide, and his supporters can be found in any part of the country, all that matters in the end is the president’s standing state by state. Examining trends in individual states offers a clearer picture of Trump’s reelection prospects a little more than a year from now — and a rationale for his strategy. It also highlights the degree to which the country’s issue conflicts and partisan rivalries are defined by differences in population density.
Where the urban- and inner-suburban metro areas are politically dominant, Democrats prevail; otherwise, the president and the Republican Party hold sway. And where the city-country balance is closer to even, we have a swing state.
That sets the landscape for 2020 — with President Trump hoping to again win the 30 states he won in 2016 with 306 votes in the Electoral College. That gives him a margin of 36 Electoral College votes, because it takes 270 to win for a majority 538 electors who make up the Electoral College.
So how’s he faring in the effort to do it again? CONT.
Ron Elving, NPR News