Since COVID, Migration from large, expensive coastal cities to sparsely populated rural states is one of the greatest opportunity to permanently flip representation. Idaho was the largest percentage population gainer in the US since COVID and almost all of it coming from CA, OR, WA. Were this to continue you'd probably be looking at a blue state in an election cycle or two. I think this is one of the reasons, long with insane sadism, that Rs are trying to push such radical agendas t state levels--to scare moderates and progressives from moving there. Wyoming could be permablue with one year of concentrated migration.
Even states like Texas, thought of as Red stronghold are not that disproportionately voted Red; 2020 was a difference of 600k votes. 100k net Californians(only CA!) were moving to Texas a year during the pandemic, if you add in other states we might actually see it flip in a few cycles, though the radical agenda being pushed is going to kill those numbers perhaps. Very curious to see 2024 shifts.
Spent ALL day driving rural Mississippi and Alamba and has the same thoughts about WFH. I'm happy where I'm at, but what if I wanted to move or retire to one of the picturesque small towns in Alabama? How many people have done exactly that?
Same reason I may take my wife back to the Philippines when we retire. Money spends different when an apartment is $150/mo. and a loaf of bread is $.15.