Since at least the 2000 presidential election, pundits, scholars, and the general public have conceptualized the country’s partisan landscape using the blue states, red states, and swing states framework. But despite its ubiquity, this structure ignores how intrastate regional tensions and political competition imbue the divisions between red and blue America. Differences within states also anchor the long-standing urban-rural divide—a salient feature of American politics since the country’s founding.

Since at least the 2000 presidential election, pundits, scholars, and the general public have conceptualized the country’s partisan landscape using the blue states, red states, and swing states framework. But despite its ubiquity, this structure ignores how intrastate regional tensions and political competition imbue the divisions between red and blue America. Differences within states also anchor the long-standing urban-rural divide—a salient feature of American politics since the country’s founding.

Nevada has no publicly funded community colleges.

Nevada has no publicly funded community colleges.

As lawmakers discuss how to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for his role in inciting an attack on the heart of democracy, President Joe Biden must prioritize solving the broader issues that increasingly plague our nation: right-wing terrorism and white supremacy.

Two UNLV professors find little to like about a Pahrump attorney's call to create a new state out of rural Nevada--excluding Clark County and Las Vegas.

Two UNLV professors find little to like about a Pahrump attorney's call to create a new state out of rural Nevada--excluding Clark County and Las Vegas.

The 2020 census will not add a congressional seat to Nevada’s delegation, but steady population growth and increased representation for neighboring states forecast the possibility of greater political influence in the near future.

Empty stages. Spotlights collecting dust. The fate of live entertainment in Las Vegas, one of the city’s most prominent industries, is yet again a high wire act.

The complex Nevada economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession can be explained by one letter of the alphabet – the letter K. The “K-shaped recovery” describes how white-collar jobs are able to prosper during the COVID-19 pandemic, while blue-collar workers are forced out of the labor market or subjected to unsafe working conditions for minimal compensation. Those on the upper half of a K distribution recover at a much quicker pace than those on the lower half. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, sectors on the upper half of the K include technology, retail, and software services; sectors on the lower half include hospitality, travel, and food services.

Typically these summary articles open with a statement something like “it’s been an eventful and challenging year”, or something. We will not, hopefully, have to resort to such hyperbole in future years – because in 2020, it has been true. Here in the Center on Children and Families, we continued to develop our work under the Future of the Middle Class Initiative – and there’s lots more to come over the next few months. (Check out in particular our New Contract with the Middle Class, a synthesis of big ideas to help the middle class and featured below.)

The Electoral College meets today, and Nevada's six electoral votes are set to go to President-elect Joe Biden, despite attempts by the Trump campaign to overturn the results.