swing state

noun

plural swing states
US politics : a U.S. state in which Republican and Democratic candidates have similar levels of support and which is considered to play a key role in the outcome of presidential elections
The politics of immigration in Florida, a key swing state, are not as clear as they are in California.Tom Masland et al.
If he is so polarizing, how was he elected five times in a swing state?Nancy Gibbs et al.

Examples of swing state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The Democratic Party has faded in relevance and strategy over the last few election cycles, making way for super PACs to take the lead in highly specific swing states, according to NPR's Stephen Fowler. Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 Dec. 2024 Beyond that, Michigan swung just 4.2 points to the right, and the other four swing states — Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — all swung right by fewer than 3 points. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2024 Trump’s mandate arises not just from the raw vote total, but also from the fact that every swing state, every part of the country, and major demographic groups swung toward Trump. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 7 Dec. 2024 Musk's contributions included $40.5 million in controversial daily $1 million payments to Trump supporters in seven swing states. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for swing state 

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swing state was in 1952

Dictionary Entries Near swing state

Cite this Entry

“Swing state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swing%20state. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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