In United States presidential politics, a swing state (also, battleground state or purple state) is a state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state's electoral college votes. Such states are targets of both major political parties in presidential elections, since winning these states is the best opportunity for a party to gain electoral votes. Non-swing states are sometimes called safe states, because one candidate has strong enough support that he or she can safely assume that he or she will win the state's votes.
Read more about Swing State: Origin of Swing States, Determining Swing States, Historical Swing States, Other Terms For swing State, Criticism and Proposed Reform
Famous quotes containing the words swing and/or state:
“The bells, I say, the bells break down their tower;
And swing I know not where.”
—Hart Crane (1899–1932)
“Feign then what’s by a decent tact believed
And act that state is only so conceived,
And build an edifice of form
For house where phantoms may keep warm.”
—William Empson (1906–1984)