In a recent column, I noted that for all the upheaval of the 21st century, 43 states voted the for the same party’s presidential candidate in 2024 and 2000. “That’s remarkable stability,” I wrote. “Only 25 states had voted for the same party in the 1976 and 2000 elections.”

I picked those three elections to compare because they were all relatively close, thus giving a sense of underlying alignments undisturbed by landslides.

Reader Tom Terwilliger has done a more thorough study:

I also note that 35 states voted for the same party in ALL 7 elections from 2000 to 2024, totally unprecedented in our history.  I first noted this after 2016 when it was 40 states the same way (2000-2016), also unprecedented for elections dividing 2-2.  (Its obviously more likely if one party wins all 4.)  But we just beat that, as now its 41 over the past 4, also dividing 2-2.

The reverse actually occurred in my lifetime, as from 1956 through 1968 only 1 state voted the same way all 4 times (and many feel it might have bean 0 had the 1964 Republican nominee not been from AZ).  (One other state voted the same way 3 times and a 3rd party the 4th, so maybe I should have said 1.5 states.)  A different era, for sure.