Not A Red America, Not A Blue America, But A Purple America

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 14, 2012 10:30PM

Image Credit: Kirk Goldsberry/KK Outlet

Michigan State University assistant professor of geography Kirk Goldsberry specializes in spatial reasoning, visual communication, and geographic representation. Goldsberry tried to put the 2010 presidential election into better context than the simplistic “red state/blue state” dichotomy into which it’s normally broken down with a handy map showing county-level vote volume and population proportion across the country that shows unequivocally that the vote is a bit more complex than that and, as President Obama has stated in countless speeches, there is only the United States of America. That doesn't mean there aren't shades of pure blue or red within that purple: NBC Chicago reports Mitt Romney received no votes in 37 Chicago precincts, proving that old habits—in this case voting straight Democratic— die hard.

Goldsberry also applied his talents and analysis to breaking down how growing ethnic groups are slowly changing the vote in Texas, which makes for an even deeper read. His maps lend credence to theories that Texas could become a "blue state" within a generation.

Check out the full map here and see the breakdown of the greater Chicago area below.