But nuance is hard to convey in headlines

This 100%. I'd also like to bring up that population distribution has a lot to with it. Across America, rural communities tend to agree with each other and urban communities agree with each other. A person living in Miami and someone living in LA would probably agree with each other politically than someone from LA and someone living in a rural community in North California.

The main issue comes from whether or not the majority of the state's people live in cities or the countryside. I live in a mid-size city in TN and almost everyone I know, including our governor mayor and local leaders, are very left-leaning. But because most of the state lives outside the cities, it doesn't really matter. Sorry, this comment turned into a rant haha 😅