Directions: You will select 2 states from the teacher provided list to research the presidential election results from six of the past US presidential elections. Choose two states from this list: Alaska, Texas, Illinois, Wyoming, Tennessee, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri. *** NOTE: If you select any state that is not on the list above, you will receive a zero. Complete the chart using the research that you conducted. Each state is worth 25 points, for a total of 50 points.

Question

ALASKA

ARIZONA

COLORADO

ILLINOIS

MASSACHUSETTS

MICHIGAN

MISSISSIPPI

MISSOURI

NEW JERSEY

TENNESSEE

TEXAS

WYOMING

State 2: ________________ (25 points)

Who became President?

Identify the Presidential candidate who won the overall election & their political party
Identify the # of Electoral College Votes given to the winning candidate by putting that number in the correct column.
What was the margin of victory?
(in percentages)

The difference between the republican and democrat % for the state.
Identify the # of Electoral College Votes given to the winning candidate by putting that number in the correct column.
What was the margin of victory?
(in percentages)

The difference between the republican and democrat % for the state.
Dem
Rep
Dem
Rep
Presidential Candidate
Political Party
2020

2016

2012

2008

2004

2000

Answer 1

Let's conduct research on the presidential election results for Michigan and Texas from the past six U.S. presidential elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020).

State 1: Michigan

| Year | Presidential Candidate | Political Party | Electoral Votes (Winner) | Margin of Victory (%) | Difference (Dem - Rep) (%) | |------|-----------------------|-----------------|--------------------------|------------------------|-----------------------------| | 2020 | Joe Biden | Democratic | 16 | 2.8 | +2.8 | | 2016 | Donald Trump | Republican | 16 | 0.2 | -0.2 | | 2012 | Barack Obama | Democratic | 16 | 9.5 | +9.5 | | 2008 | Barack Obama | Democratic | 17 | 17.4 | +17.4 | | 2004 | George W. Bush | Republican | 17 | 3.0 | -3.0 | | 2000 | Al Gore | Democratic | 17 | 3.4 | +3.4 |

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State 2: Texas

| Year | Presidential Candidate | Political Party | Electoral Votes (Winner) | Margin of Victory (%) | Difference (Dem - Rep) (%) | |------|-----------------------|-----------------|--------------------------|------------------------|-----------------------------| | 2020 | Donald Trump | Republican | 38 | 5.6 | -5.6 | | 2016 | Donald Trump | Republican | 38 | 9.0 | -9.0 | | 2012 | Mitt Romney | Republican | 38 | 16.0 | -16.0 | | 2008 | Barack Obama | Democratic | 34 | 11.0 | +11.0 | | 2004 | George W. Bush | Republican | 34 | 23.0 | -23.0 | | 2000 | George W. Bush | Republican | 34 | 5.5 | -5.5 |

Summary

• Michigan: Leaning Democratic in recent elections, particularly notable margin in 2008, emphasizing a significant shift towards Democrats in 2020.
• Texas: Strongly Republican, but margins have narrowed in recent elections, indicating a potential trend towards a more competitive state.

This table aggregates data on each state's presidential voting history, including the margin of victory and the difference in percentage points between the Democratic and Republican candidates.