Sneak Peek: Wed Feb 14, 2024 (Patreon)

Happy Valentine's Day to all who celebrate! For this post, I'm just going to give you the thumbnail for today's topic, which is all about places you might want to move to if you're super politically-engaged, have the wherewithal to move, and want to be in a place where your November 2024 vote can have the biggest impact. (Specifically, relatively affordable zip codes with great urban amenities!)

I realize this is NOT an actual option for most people -- you're tied to family, a job, etc., or you just flat out love the place you already live. I get all that! But I still think this is an entertaining thought exercise, and a chance to talk a bit about electoral politics, "purple" states, the dynamics of urban/rural divides, etc. I guess one thing that has really had an impact on me in the last couple years is living in Nevada during the 2022 campaign. I finally really grasped how vastly different it is to be in a competitive state that gets targeted for massive ad buys, campaigning, etc. (There was a hotly contested senate seat that ultimately gave D's a 50+1 advantage this term.) It's something I just never really saw in Oregon or Washington to anywhere near the same extent. It's kind of cool to feel how much more meaningful your vote is -- and depressing how little sway it has in most states (at least at the top of the ticket -- there's always lots of super-important stuff down-ballot).

Anyway, I don't want to get super political in the comments here, because that's annoying. But my question here is, have you ever lived somewhere where you feel politically out of step with the local population? And if so, is it alienating, or a bit energizing? (I had this experience somewhat living in the Henderson.) I suspect if you're someone whose rights are under attack, "alienating" is not nearly a strong enough word. Anyway, share stories as you see fit!

Happy Wednesday.