idaho...

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Do you guys even know anything about Idaho outside of generalities? No, Idaho will never vote like Oregon. At the same time, it is certainly "trending" towards the Democrats as long as the Democrats keep the same building blocks of their coalition over the next few decades. The Latino population in Idaho is actually fairly average but their turnout levels are some of the lowest in the country. Once this changes, Nampa and Caldwell will become swingy suburbs (if you want to call them that, they're more like core cities that have been amalgamated into Boise overtime and attract working class and lower middle class residents). This also bodes true for Twin Falls to an extent and the outlying agricultural areas of the "Magic Valley".

The other trend, that if anything is accelerating, is the growth of Boise's urban professional and "alt" population. If you've ever been to Boise, you'd understand what I'm talking about: the city is distinctly different from other mid-sized inter-mountain west cities and its new residents reflect this. The core of the city and its outlying neighborhoods are more similar to Portland than Spokane. Chances are that Boise will continue to have increasing property values due to the increased desirability of living there (it's second only to Colorado when it comes to outdoorsy activities) and its attraction of new businesses. It will take a while for these trends to manifest themselves fully but Boise is an emerging latte liberal metropolis. Many of the old residents just don't realize it yet.