I decided to do North and South Dakota together because they're so similar.
North Dakota/South Dakota
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1988: R+2.53/D+0.76
1992: R+10.57/R+5.85
1996: R+9.9/R+7.03
2000: R+14.79/R+13.67
2004: R+12.11/R+9.26
2008: R+7.69/R+7.81
Except in 2008, South Dakota was generally more moderate, but these two states are similar. Does anyone know if the Clinton campaign targeted South Dakota in 1992 given that Dukakis actually did BETTER than his national average? Like Nebraska, these states are farm states and less affected by the swings in the economy that caused the two Clinton wins.
I wonder if the oil boom in North Dakota* will cause it to diverge from South Dakota.
*340% increase in production from 2007-2011 and recently passed Alaska to become the 2nd largest oil producing state:
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_crd_crpdn_adc_mbbl_a.htmhttp://www.adn.com/2012/05/15/2465480/n-dakota-passes-alaska-to-become.html
