Are the Midwest and the Northeast slowly slipping away from the Democrats?

[RFayette]

Illinois trended even more D, Sanders in the primary and Johnson did a lot towards Minnesota, NH remained D despite the rest of its history. Massachusetts went more D too.

What's next, The Southwest is a lost cause for Republicans?

It is, hadn't you heard?  The Southwest and Sunbelt include areas now worthy of liberals' vacation weeks PLUS some people there have college degrees, so they HAVE to be trending D at a rapid rate.

Don't forget all those affluent white suburbs which have gone Republican again and again, but they'll vote Democrat eventually! Any day now!

That happened last year.

Not really.  Some did, but Trump won the suburban vote overall and his vote share increased DIRECTLY with a higher income.  Literally a direct correlation.

Yes, but Hillary improved MASSIVELY over Obama's performance. She won further out, less-densely-populated suburbs that went 60% for Romney. Sure, there were a bunch of suburban areas she didn't win, but you're talking about areas where Mitt won 3:1 going for Trumo by low teens or even single digits.

This is true, but the point is that was probably the high watermark for performance in those wealthy outlying suburbs.  A Democrat who is further left economically will most likely win the 2020 nomination, and Trump will likely salvage at least a few Never-Trump votes in those precincts, I'd imagine.  Do you think that those areas will continue to trend Democratic?   I have my doubts.