Meaning & use
red state
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Meaning
nouncountableAmericaninformal
A US state whose voters mostly support the Republican Party in national elections, shown in red on election maps.
Grammar: Often used in the plural to talk about regional politics: red states and blue states.
Patterns
- a red state
- red states and blue states
Texas has long been considered a red state.
The candidate spent most of her time in red states trying to win over undecided voters.
Many red states have lower taxes than coastal states.
Word forms
| plural | red states |
|---|
Common combinations
- deep red state
- Wyoming is a deep red state.
- red state and blue state
- The red state and blue state divide shaped the campaign.
- flip a red state
- Democrats hoped to flip a red state in the Senate race.
- red state voters
- Red state voters turned out in record numbers.
- red state governor
- The red state governor opposed the federal rule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Republican state
- Republican state is the plain, formal phrase; red state is shorter and more common in news and conversation.
- GOP stronghold
- GOP stronghold stresses how safely a place votes Republican, whereas red state is simply the label.
Opposites
Word family
- blue state noun
- a state that usually votes Democratic
- purple state noun
- a state where support is divided and the result can go either way
- swing state noun
- a state that could be won by either party
Commonly confused: red state or battleground state?
red state vs battleground state
A battleground state is one that could vote either way, so it is not a red state, which reliably votes Republican.
Practice
A journalist says 'Kansas is a red state.' What does she mean?
Choose one answer.
In US media, red stands for the Republican Party. Blue is used for the Democratic Party, so the second option is the tempting but incorrect reading.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “red state”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.