Stereotype smasher
Democrats are elitist, latte-drinkers while Republicans are evangelicals that shop at Sam’s Club, right? Not according to a new book that argues that a state’s income is a more accurate way in predicting its citizens’ voting behavior. “We need to clear our heads of our cartoon views,” said Andrew Gelman, author of “Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State,” at the Cato Institute on Thursday.
Gelman argues that the typical Republican voter is a rich person in a poor state, while a typical Democratic voter is a poor person in a rich state. In other words, the wealthiest in the wealthiest states tend to go against the standard norm of voting Republican and go Democratic. So the paradox remains, “rich states vote Democratic, rich people vote Republican,” he said.
