On the night of the 2000 presidential election, Americans watched on television as polling results divided the nation’s map into red and blue states. Since then the color divide has become symbolic of a culture war that thrives on stereotypes — pickup-driving red-state Republicans who vote based on God, guns, and gays; and elitist blue-state Democrats woefully out of touch with heartland values. With wit and prodigious number crunching, Andrew Gelman debunks these and other political myths.
This expanded edition includes new data and easy-to-read graphics explaining the 2008 election. Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State is a must-read for anyone seeking to make sense of today’s fractured political landscape.
About the author
Andrew Gelman is professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University. His books include
Teaching Statistics: A Bag of Tricks. He received the Presidents’ Award in 2003, awarded each year to the best statistician under forty.
David K. Park is a member of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia.
Boris Shor is associate professor of political science at the University of Houston.
Jeronimo Cortina is associate professor of political science at the University of Houston.