The Nation's Battlegrounds

In one year, every American born in or before 1998 will be eligible to cast their vote for the 45^th president of the United States. Regardless of political affiliation, November 2016 and the months leading up to D-Day will be one exciting political whirlwind especially for this year’s batch of college students as it will be their first major election. Although the thrill of wearing an “I voted” sticker may be a very new sensation for many young Americans, knowledge of the nation’s political divide certainly is not.

It is no secret, even for the youngest of voters, that there are good handful of states that will always, always, always vote red and the other handful that will always, always, always vote blue. Political affiliation and party loyalty has deep roots in American history, so much so that it has become part of a region’s identity so logically, many states are hard pressed to swing. According to an article by TampaBay Times, eighteen states and the District of Columbia have voted democratic in the last six consecutive elections compared to thirteen that have voted conservative. Along with these eighteen states? 242 electoral votes out of 538. With the magic winning number being 270 electoral votes, a win should be cake for a Democratic candidate. According to conservative pundit George Will of Fox News Sunday, “if the Democratic presidential nominee can assume those [eighteen] states, he or she will spend the autumn of 2016 looking for 28 electoral votes, and he or she will find them.”

And that is why Governor Chris Christie holds very commanding power in the right wing. As governor of New Jersey, one of the eighteen states that has voted blue since Bill Clinton in 1992, being the republican representative for five years and counting is no small feat.

So what states will play battleground for the upcoming presidential election? Who will be the most valuable voters of 2016?

Here come the big players.

According to The Washington Post, the last presidential election of 2012 had nine “truly” crucial swing states: Colorado, Florida (no surprise there), Iowa (also no surprise), Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Given that there is currently only one official candidate for 2016, the battleground states have yet to be set in stone but sources tend to agree on a handful of the same states from election to election with the National Journal including Michigan and Pennsylvania (yay!) in the mix. Regardless of source however, Iowa is almost always one of the biggest players.

Looks like we’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. As one of the nation’s whitest states (91% according to Huffington Post), it is quite surprising that this whitewashed, very wealthy, un-diverse state could play such a critical role in elections. So why is Iowa so important? The simple answer? It is the first state to weigh in during the presidential campaign. Iowa, along with New Hampshire, are so important that it is said that “losing both New Hampshire and Iowa can destroy a candidacy. Winning a sure path to nomination.”

With so much media attention (and we all know how influential the media is), it can be safely said that the ballots of Iowa hold significant power especially for the other swing states.

The bottom line for future voters who don’t want to stay up and watch all the votes come in? Wait for Iowa’s results (and New Hampshire if you want) and call it a day. It’s a 50-50 shot so might as well put the money on the Iowans.

For those hoping to put in a presidential bid in the future? You better work fast and build some roots in the Hawkeye State.