<P> In his address before the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama rejected the division of the United States into red states and blue states, saying: "The pundits like to slice - and - dice our country into red states and blue states--red states for Republicans, and blue states for Democrats . But I've got news for them, too . We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states . We coach Little League in the blue states and have gay friends in the red states....We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America ." </P> <P> In April 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain predicted that the 2008 presidential election would not follow the red state / blue state pattern, saying, "I'm not sure that the old red state, blue state scenario that prevailed for the last several elections works . I think most of these states that we have either red or blue are going to be up for grabs ." This eventually proved to be true, although not in McCain's favor, as Barack Obama took many "red" states that had not voted Democratic in many years, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana and almost Missouri, losing it by a 0.2% margin . </P> <P> A purple state refers to a swing state where both Democratic and Republican candidates receive strong support without an overwhelming majority of support for either party . Purple states are also often referred to as battleground states . </P> <P> The demographic and political applications of the terms have led to a temptation to presume this arbitrary classification is a clear - cut and fundamental cultural division . Given the general nature and common perception of the two parties, "red state" implies a conservative region or a more conservative American, and "blue state" implies a more liberal region or a more liberal American . But the distinction between the two groups of states is less simplistic . The analysis that suggests political, cultural, and demographic differences between the states is more accurate when applied to smaller geographical areas . </P>

Is arizona a red state or blue state