Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama in 2012 in both Arizona and Georgia by a comfortable margin.  Now many analysts are labeling Arizona and Georgia as swing states in 2016.  Why? 

In this episode, we try to get some answers.

For Arizona, we talk to ABC 15 Phoenix’s Christopher Sign.  According to polls, Arizona is a dead heat.  Sign breaks down the issues and trends that are making the Grand Canyon State so close.

Sign is the anchor who first reported that Loretta Lynch had a secret meeting with Bill Clinton at the Phoenix airport just as the FBI was wrapping up its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server she used as secretary of state.  In this episode, Sign even provides a small update on that story – Sign confirms that Clinton did not play golf during his June trip to Arizona.  Loretta Lynch claimed at the time that she and Clinton discussed the “golf he played in Phoenix” in their meeting, among other topics.

For Georgia we talk to Greg Bluestein, a political reporter for Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Donald Trump has a fairly comfortable lead in Georgia, yet the Peach State is no longer a guaranteed win for Republicans.  Bluestein explains why. 

Arizona – Eleven electoral votes (270 electoral votes needed to win the election)

Arizona Census Data:

·         Voting population: 5.1 million (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   18-to-44 years old: 47.1%  (47.1%)

o   45-to-64 years old: 32.0% (34.1%)

o   65 years and older: 20.9%  (18.9%)

·         Racial demographics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   White: 62.4%  (66.3%)

o   Hispanic: 26.5%  (15.3%)

o   Black: 4.4%  (12.5%)

o   Asian: 3.7%  (6.0%)

·         Economics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   Median household income: $50,068  ($53,657)

o   Poverty rate: 15.9%  (13.6%)

·         Education

o   Bachelor’s degree or higher: 27.6%  (30.1%)

·         2012 presidential election result – Mitt Romney (R): 53.65%; Barack Obama (D): 44.59% (source: Federal Election Commission)

Georgia – Sixteen electoral votes (270 electoral votes needed to win the election)

Georgia Census Data:

·         Voting population: 7.6 million (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   18-to-44 years old: 49.6%  (47.1%)

o   45-to-64 years old: 33.9% (34.1%)

o   65 years and older: 18.9%  (18.9%)

·         Racial demographics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   White: 58.1%  (66.3%)

o   Hispanic: 7.8%  (15.3%)

o   Black: 30.3%  (12.5%)

o   Asian: 4.2%  (6.0%)

·         Economics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   Median household income: $49,321  ($53,657)

o   Poverty rate: 15.6%  (13.6%)

·         Education

o   Bachelor’s degree or higher: 29.1%  (30.1%)

·         2012 presidential election result – Mitt Romney (R): 53.30%; Barack Obama (D): 45.48% (source: Federal Election Commission)