Census numbers could tighten playing field for Obama
(CNN) - The Census numbers released Tuesday will reshape the presidential playing field in 2012. States that will gain or lose seats based on the new population numbers will also gain or lose electoral votes.
These are the states gaining electoral votes, based on the new population counts: Arizona (+1), Florida (+2), Georgia (+1), Nevada (+1), South Carolina (+1), Texas (+4), Utah (+1) and Washington (+1).
Obama won three of those states in 2008: Florida, Washington state and Nevada.
States losing votes are Illinois (-1), Iowa (-1), Louisiana (-1), Massachusetts (-1), Michigan (-1), Missouri (-1), New Jersey (-1), New York (-2), Ohio (-2) and Pennsylvania (-1).
Obama won eight of those states in 2008: Illinois, Iowa, Mass. Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania
So what does this mean for 2012? Had this been the landscape in 2008, President Obama would have received six less Electoral College votes, while Republican candidate John McCain would have picked up six.
Obama won the election with 365 electoral votes to McCain's 173.
That six-point swing is hardly enough to have changed the results, but it could give Obama a tighter playing field next time around.
- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story
From CNN Politics
- Trump removes independent watchdog tasked with overseeing coronavirus emergency funds April 7, 2020 07:42 pm
- New White House press secretary downplayed pandemic threat and said Democrats were rooting for coronavirus April 8, 2020 02:45 am
- Acting secretary of the Navy resigns after calling ousted aircraft carrier captain 'stupid' April 7, 2020 10:38 pm
- Top public health official says number of dead could be lower as Americans practice social distancing April 8, 2020 05:58 am
- Biden describes his phone call with Trump about coronavirus response April 8, 2020 03:31 am
- Fact check: Trump makes misleading claims about the WHO and his record on the coronavirus April 8, 2020 04:38 am
Just because more people moved to these states that gained electoral votes, does not mean they have RED NECKS!!!
[That six-point swing is hardly enough to have changed the results, but it could give Obama a tighter playing field next time around.]
Wow – six POINTS – Obama should be "shaking in his boots".....................NOT!!!
Support the current leader, President Obama, as he continues to MOVE AMERICA FORWARD!!
Most of the population shift to Repub states are minorities. While they gain seats, these are the seeds of democratic infiltration and will shift these states to "ourple" and aventually "blue" in the next twenty years. We have to remember, our population growth is in immigration, consisting of minorities....a true representation of the United States of America. As much as the repubs want to take the country back to the 50's, a time and place long gone, our new direction will make us more diverse and competitively stronger. While it looks like our population growth has slowed, its still nearly 10%, double those of European countries. We have only slowed because of the bad economic times resulting from the conservative policies of the first 8 years of the decade. Good times are coming.....ride the wave.
Obozo is a lame duck President, PERIOD. This incompetent fool won't be re-elected no matter what. The countrys survival counts on it.
This is a small concern about what could happen for Obama in 2012. It really depends upon what else going on between now and November 2012. It could be that Obama could be like Reagan that won a bigger amount in 1984 than 1980.
Great – more red-neck, right-wing whackos – just what we need. The only saving grace there is Washington.
People moving from Blue to Red just turns it PURPLE – ha ah ha ha ha a ha ha ha
Just like Blacks and Whites marrying, makes TAN BABIES. ha ha ha ha ha
Purple states with tan populations might create a more constitutional country. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
This is utterly ridiculous! The 2012 election will be decided on WHO'S running! If ti is Palin or Santorum, the Dems will win. In fact, I don't see anyone in the Republican Party who will inspire people to vote for them. Gingrich? Thune? Barbour? Yeah, right.
I see the purpose of having a cencus, but it's highly unaccurate because it doesn't account for the people whose right to vote has been taken away, but may have moved to a more populated area. Also, it doesn't account for cencus forms that were filled out falsely.
and wasn't it Michelle Bachmann that was trying to urge the voters in her district NOT to fill out the census forms? Yet they give her a special seat in Congress.
My question is "how can ANYONE ever vote for a GOP/ TEAPARTY Candidate after witnessing the overwelming favortism by the GOP for the MEGA RICH"? They don't give a hoot about you and me. Use 'google search" folks so you can see right through their lies for their CORPORATE MASTERS. You want be be part of the Kings and Servant era? Then continue to be DUPED and STAY STUPID.
Too bad more people didn't follow Michelle Bachmann's advice to tear up their census form so the big bad Federal Government couldn't take away their freedom.
Thanks to the Right-Wing Supreme Court, the Chamber of Commerce and all the BLIND FOLLOWERS of the GOP, WE ARE DOOMED.
Don't forget – a lot of this drift to the states named are Liberal Democrats who are moving due to job or retirement. We tend to take our political beliefs with us when we go someplace, so just because the Republicans think these will be guaranteed gains for themselves, they better be careful. We older Boomers are more likely to change the balance in some of these RED states, and not for their benefit!
Did anyone think that maybe the folks moving to the Red States are Blues?
I'm seeing more purple states in the future.
Obama-McCain was not remotely close. The interesting question is, what would have been the outcome of Bush-Gore under this electoral landscape? Would the Supreme Court still have had the deciding vote?
Ba-Bye Obama.... Unemployment in 2011 and 2012 will mandate election of a proven LEADER.