Those supposed 242 electoral votes that couldn't go to Republicans ever?
Well, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and ME-02 all just fell- while (likely) losing the popular vote
And Minnesota almost went too.
People concluded that these states couldn't flip because it had been decades since they flipped. These same people forget that elections occur once every 4 years. Hence, a state that has not gone Republican since 1992 only signifies that that state has not gone Republican in 5 elections -- hardly an overwhelming amount.
We should also remember that Bush almost won Wisconsin twice, and he came close in PA and MI.