Well, it's official. I heard today that Utah, my state of origin, is officially the fastest growing state in population in the United States. It's population grew 2.5% between July of '07 and July of '08. Nevada, the state that grew the most last year, was only at 1.8% this year.
California remains the most populous state, although it also had the highest shift of population - or people leaving California to move to other states. Also, Michigan and Rhode Island were the only two states to decrease their total population.
So, why do I care about this? First, it's one of those random things that is fun to claim - "I'm from the fastest growing state in the US!". Second, Electoral Numbers are NOT static. The amount of votes a state gets in the Electoral College are based on their population, and there are great changes afoot. You would think, with Texas gaining this highest number of people (don't get "number" mixed up with "percentage", which is what Utah has), that conservatives near and far would be celebrating. However, the demographic of people that are moving so rapidly into the Lone Star State are NOT a demographic that strongly supported Republics. In fact, it is quite the opposite. So, come 2010, things could get real interesting. And, in order for them to survive, Republicans are going to have to figure out exactly what they want their message to be and how they are going to deliver it without alienating even more people. And they are going to have to do it quickly, because we are not a sedentary nation!
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