(Food for Thought: Some 'moderates' are fiscally conservative and socially liberal.  Other moderates are socially conservative and fiscally liberal.)

Red States Outnumber Blue for First Time in Gallup Tracking

20 states solidly or leaning Republican, 14 solidly or leaning Democratic

Wyoming most Republican state; Vermont, Hawaii most Democratic

Alabama and Idaho are most conservative states

by Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup.org (excerpts)

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Gallup's analysis of political party affiliation at the state level in 2015 finds that 20 states are solidly Republican or leaning Republican, compared with 14 solidly Democratic or leaning Democratic states. The remaining 16 are competitive. This is the first time in Gallup's eight years of tracking partisanship by state that there have been more Republican than Democratic states. It also marks a dramatic shift from 2008, when Democratic strength nationally was its greatest in recent decades….

Importantly, even though Republicans claim a greater number of states, Democrats continue to hold an edge nationally in partisanship. In 2015 Gallup Daily tracking data, 43% of all U.S. adults identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, compared with 40% identifying as Republican or leaning Republican. That is largely because many of the most populous states, including California, New York and Illinois, are Democratically aligned….

The Republican Party had its biggest advantage in state party affiliation in Wyoming in 2015 -- 60% of Wyoming adults identified as Republican or leaned Republican, while 28% identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic -- a 32-point gap. The GOP advantage was nearly as large in Idaho and Utah, at roughly 30 points each. Vermont and Hawaii were the most Democratic states, with advantages in favor of the Democratic Party in excess of 20 points.

Alabama, Idaho Most Conservative States

In addition to assessing party leanings, Gallup asks Americans whether they identify politically as liberal, moderate or conservative. Nationally, many more Americans say they are conservative than liberal, and consequently, conservatives outnumber liberals in all but three states -- Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The full data on ideology by state appear at the end of the article.

Partisanship and ideology are highly correlated. As a result, there is usually much overlap between the most conservative and most Republican states and, alternatively, between the most liberal and most Democratic states. Seven of the 10 most Republican states also rank among the most conservative, although Alabama, the fifth-most Republican state, ties Idaho as the most conservative. Vermont ranks as the most liberal state by a wide margin over second-place Massachusetts.

States that rank among the most conservative but not the most Republican include Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, three Southern states that recently have voted Republican but were strongly Democratic states decades ago. Oregon, New Jersey and Washington rank among the least conservative states, but not among the most Democratic. However, those three states rank just outside the 10 most Democratic…

read … Entire Report

2015: Gallup: Hawaii Liberals Outnumber Conservatives by Only 1.9%

2014: Gallup: Hawaii Liberals Outnumber Conservatives by Paltry 0.7%

2012:  Gallup: Hawaii Conservatives Outnumber Liberals

2011: Gallup: Hawaii is tops in moderates, has fewest conservatives in nation

2010: Gallup: Hawaii conservatives outnumber liberals, state tops in moderates

2009: Gallup: Hawaii is tops in 'moderates', conservatives outnumber liberals