We’ll start with this map of states colored based on an analysis of2012 and 2016 presidential election resultscalled thePartisan Voter Index(PVI).
Next, let’s line those states up from most Democratic to most Republican. They range from solidly Democratic Hawaii on the left, all the way to safely Republican Wyoming on the right. In recent decades, many have shifted further into one camp or the other.
Now let’s look at the political affiliation ofeach state’s two senators—Democratic,independentandRepublican.
Next, we’ll measure senators’ ideologies, from liberal to conservative, using a measure calledDW-Nominate.