Most liberal and conservative states

[Husker]

In no particular order:

10 Most Conservative:

Alabama
Mississippi
Louisiana
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Utah
Idaho
Wyoming
Texas
Tennessee

10 Most liberal:

Vermont
New York
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
Hawaii
Connecticut
California
Maine
Washington
Oregon

[Husker]

I would agree that Vermont is the most purely liberal state in the country. That's not to say Massachusetts isn't liberal but VT seems to be a step above it. I have always admired VT for their independence and liberalism.

Actually, Oklahoma is probably the most conservative if you combine economic and social conservatism. I wouldn't say it is tops at either, but it is probably the best combination. Texas is very close but I'll give the edge to Oklahoma in conservatism. Texas does have Austin after all :-)

If you talk old-school conservatism, Nebraska certainly would be close to the top. There are many people like Chuck Hagel around here... I consider myself to be on the left end of the republican spectrum and used to vote mostly republican and will again when the republican party allows a seat for moderates and left leaners like me.

[Husker]

NY as one of the most liberal? Why?

New York City, particularly Manhattan, makes New York one of the most liberal states. Or at least it sure seems that way at the surface..

[Husker]

It's interesting to see what we consider conservative and liberal. For instance, upstate NY is by no means liberal, while most of NYC is far-left. Yet because of the size of the liberal urban areas, the state votes solidly DEM. When we look at Massachusetts, there is actually more diversity then you guys seem to think. Even within Boston there is much division: You have the Harvard and MIT intellectuals who are very socially liberal (though more economically libertarian), but you also have the blue-collar southies who are some of the most reliable Democratic voters in the country who would not consider themselves to be liberal (they have yet to elect a pro-choice congressman). If we look at the old Yankee GOP, many of those are actually more liberal than the working class Democrats in South Boston (and the Irish Suburbs) and Springfield.  What would be interesting would be to average out the lib/conservative ratings for all of the congressmen in a state, and then see how the list might change. Of course ole Bernie Sanders in Vermont might swing that state quite a bit to the left!!!

I've decided to make a top ten social liberal, economic liberal, social conservative, and economic conservative instead.

Social Liberal
1-Vermont
2-Rhode Island
3-Hawaii
4-Connecticut
5-Massachusetts
6-Maryland
7-California
8-Minnesota
9-Oregon
10-New York

Economic Liberal
1-Massachusetts
2-New York
3-Maryland
4-West Virginia
5-Michigan
6-Wisconsin
7-Rhode Island
8-Vermont
9-California
10-Illinois

Social Conservative
1-Utah
2-Oklahoma
3-Mississippi
4-Louisiana
5-Alabama
6-Texas
7-Wyoming
8-Idaho
9-North Dakota
10-South Carolina
Economic Conservative
1-Texas
2-Idaho
3-Wyoming
4-Utah
5-New Hampshire
6-Oklahoma
7-Arizona
8-South Carolina
9-Alaska
10-Connecticut

Pretty good lists. I would argue that the Deep South and southern plains are more socially conservative than Utah. You are also spot on when you mention that there are many blue-collar democrats who aren't  particularly liberal on social issues. Likewise, there are many republicans that may be quite moderate overall and liberal on social issues, but vote republican because their job is greatly helped by the republican party- or so they think. I am quite liberal by today's standards for the GOP and sometimes vote democrat (like Obama) or 3rd party but remain a republican because I believe in the Rockefeller-type republican values just a bit more than the values of the modern democratic party. Anyway, my point is that I agree with you that republican and democratic voting doesn't necessarily imply conservatism and liberalism.

[Husker]

The only states I would see abortion bans passing in would be OK, AR, WV, KY, MS, and AL. The other states are too urban or are moderate/liberal enough on the issue not to ban it. Also, state legislatures (particularly in this region) tend to be more pro-life than the citizens. South Dakota's legislature has twice tried to eliminate it and twice it failed when put to a vote of the people. I think Philly and its suburbs would squash any hopes of a similar ban passing in PA.