Blue metros, red states: The fight for the suburbs

Democratic-leaning urban areas in states that otherwise vote Republican is an increasingly important phenomenon that will shape American politics for decades to come. The tensions between blue metros and red states not only animate the divisions between red and blue America, but also affect election outcomes and policy agendas at the national, state, and local levels.

What are the origins of the blue metros, red states concept? How has COVID-19 and the Trump presidency reinforced the differences between the Sun Belt and the Rust Belt? How are suburbs shifting the divide between red and blue? What do these tensions mean for the 2020 presidential election and beyond?

On October 22, Brookings hosted a discussion among authors of the new book  “Blue Metros, Red States: The Shifting Urban-Rural Divide in America’s Swing States,” which examines the demographic trends, voting patterns, economic data, and social characteristics of 27 major metropolitan areas in 13 swing states.

Viewers submitted questions for speakers via email to [email protected] or via Twitter at #BlueMetros.