# blue state

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/blue-state
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A state of the United States voting Democratic in a given election, or tending to vote Democratic in general.

## Examples

- California is a blue state.
- My cousin lives in a blue state on the East Coast.
- The news reporter says this region is no longer a blue state.
- She moved from a blue state to a red state and noticed the political culture was very different.
- Local leaders in this blue state are currently debating new laws to increase the minimum wage and expand public healthcare.
- If you want to work in environmental policy, you might find more job opportunities in a blue state with strict green regulations.
- Though he had grown up in a blue state where progressive values were taken for granted, he found himself in heated debates with his new neighbors in rural Texas.

## Origin

A compound of blue + state, derived from the use of the colour blue to represent the Democratic Party of the United States. It identifies a state that votes Democratic, serving as a subnational division or province-level designation within the American electoral map.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.