Turning Blue to Red (or Purple, at least)

[rebeltarian]

To compete at the federal level, it is obvious that the GOP will have to make an effort to become more competitive in "blue state" territory.  Which of these three main Democratic regions should they focus on the most for making electoral gains?  Discuss.

[Bo]

Midwest is most likely.

[redcommander]

All three!

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

I think the GOP should work on making inroads in all three.

The upper Midwest has already been trending Republican despite the 08 aberration, so most of the GOP's resources should be poured into the other two. Focus on the more winnable states in each region at first, like Oregon and New Hampshire. But over all go with a 50 state strategy.

The Republican Party cannot allow itself to become a Southern regional party if it wishes to survive as a major party.

[Mechaman]

I say go for a "shock and awe" strategy: You must aim for the heart, the Northeast.
By all means try to make inroads in all three areas, but focus a greater amount on the Northeast to put the GOP in a position to score a moral victory against the Democrats that will crush their spirits. The Midwest is already trending GOP but it wouldn't hurt to spend some resources there to better the GOP's chances. The West Coast should've been GOP territory or at least swing territory in every election since 1988, but HW dropped the ball, so after the East Coast that would be the place to focus resources.

Just my thoughts.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

All 3 of them.

[Psychic Octopus]

If the immigration issue (amnesty) is settled under a Republican president, I can see Hispanics joining the Republican coalition. Really, when you get past that issue, they could be cornerstones for a new majority coalition. That would help us in California, not so sure about the Midwest. The Midwest's economic decline is likely to favor Republicans, however.

[Deldem]

Though obviously the GOP should moderate its stance so as to be able to compete in all 3 regions, the Midwest is probably the most realistic goal on their parts. It's by far the least liberal of the regions, and they still score state-level wins there fairly regularly.