State-By-State Roundup
How each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia are leaning for the presidential election. Electoral votes are listed in parentheses.
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Commentary by CBSNews.com's Amanda Maria Straniero.
ALABAMAcolor> (9): Bush. Alabama voted Republican in the last two presidential races, but not by much. George W. Bush has held the lead over Al Gore in polls for months.
ALASKAcolor> (3): Bush. Alaska traditionally votes Republican and shows no sign of doing anything different this year.
ARIZONAcolor> (8): Bush. Arizona voted for President Clinton last election, but only by 3 percent. Bush has the lead in polls in the home state of his former rival Sen. John McCain.
ARKANSAScolor> (6): Tossup. The home state of President Clinton, Arkansas voted for him in the last two elections. But that tide may be turning as Bush has an edge in polls.
CALIFORNIAcolor> (54): Gore. California traditionally votes Democratic and is a must-have for Gore. Bush has been campaigning in the Golden State but has yet to make a significant dent in polls – or in his campaign war chest – despite his promise not to concede the state like his father did in 1992.
COLORADOcolor> (8): Bush. Bob Dole won Colorado in 1992 by only 2 percent, but the Gore camp isn’t making it a priority to campaign here. Bush has held the lead in polls for months.
CONNECTICUTcolor> (8): Gore. Connecticut voted Democratic in the last two presidential elections. With the addition of native son Sen. Joseph Lieberman to the ticket, Gore should carry the state in November.
DELAWAREcolor> (3): Gore. Delaware voted Democratic in the ’96 and ’92 presidential elections and is leaning towards Gore this year. The First State has the distinction of voting for the winner in every presidential election since 1948.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIAcolor> (3): Gore. President Clinton won the nation's capital by a landslide in the last two elections.
FLORIDAcolor> (25): Tossup. Initially viewed as a sure win for Gov. Jeb Bush's brother, Florida recently became a close race. Polls show the contest is much tighter than expected. Carrying this state is key for George W. Bush.
GEORGIAcolor> (13): Bush. Bush hangs onto the lead in Georgia.
HAWAIIcolor> (4): Gore. Hawaii traditionally votes Democratic and gave President Clinton strong supporin the last two elections. Gore is leading there, but the RNC claims Bush still has a chance.
IDAHOcolor> (4): Bush. Bush is carrying a strong lead in the polls in this traditionally Republican state.
ILLINOIScolor> (22): Gore. Thought to be a tossup in the spring, Illinois, which went Democratic in the last two general elections, is now leaning towards Gore.
INDIANAcolor> (12): Bush. Bush holds a solid lead in this traditional GOP stronghold.
IOWAcolor> (7): Tossup. Iowa traditionally votes Democratic, but this year the state is not a sure thing for Gore as Bush creeps up in polls.
KANSAScolor> (6): Bush. Kansas traditionally votes Republican and is expected to support Bush.
KENTUCKYcolor> (8): Bush. Kentucky has picked the winner in the last nine presidential elections. So far the race remains close, but Bush has the edge.
LOUISIANAcolor> (9): Bush. President Clinton won this state twice, but Bush holds the lead in polls.
MAINEcolor> (4): Tossup. The state is known for its large number of independents and high voter turnout. Maine has voted Democratic in the last three elections.
MARYLANDcolor> (10): Gore. Maryland voted Democratic in the ’96 and ‘92 presidential elections and Gore is still enjoying a post–convention bounce in polls here.
MASSACHUSETTScolor> (12): Gore. Massachusetts is a Democratic stronghold. Bush originally refused to even debate in the state.
MICHIGANcolor> (18): Tossup. Michigan has been a bellwether of national voting patterns in past years because its voters are a cross-section of the nation's diversity. Recent polls give Gore a slight lead, but a strong presence of swing voters makes it anybody's race.
MINNESOTAcolor> (10): Tossup. Minnesota voted for President Clinton in the last two elections. The state has been in Gore's column, but recent polls show Bush and Gore in a statistical tie.
MISSISSIPPIcolor> (7): Bush. Mississippi has voted Republican in the last two presidential elections and looks like it will again this year.
MISSOURIcolor> (11): Tossup. Missouri has voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1960. The Show-Me State's voters reflect the nation’s diversity and recent polls indicate a neck-and-neck race here. As testament to the important role Missouri is expected to play in the fall, the presidential debate scheduled for St. Louis by the nonpartisan commission is the only one Bush agreed to from the start.
NEBRASKAcolor> (5): Bush. This GOP stronghold has voted Republican by large margins in the last two elections and is expected to support Bush this year.
NEVADAcolor> (4): Tossup. Nevada narrowly voted Democratic in the last two elections and even though past polls have placed Bush in the lead, recent reports say the race may be much closer.
NEW HAMPSHIREcolor> (4): Tossup. Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats in New Hampshire, but Gore may have the advantage if he can decisively win over independents. A recent poll placed the two candidates in a statistical dead heat, but independent voters overwhelmingly picked Gore.
NEW JERSEYcolor> (15): Gore. Gore is expected to win in a state where independent voters outnumber both Democrats and Republicans.
NEW MEXICOcolor> (5): Tossup. New Mexico supported President Clinton in the last two elections, but both parties claim the candidates are neck-and-neck this time. The deciding factor in this race may be the Hispanic vote.
NEW YORKcolor> (33): Gore. Along with California, New York is a must-win state for Gore. The vice president is ahead in polls in this Democratic stronghold.
NORTH CAROLINAcolor> (14): Bush. North Carolina voted Republican in the last three elections and although Democrats claim they have a shot here, Bush has a strong lead.
NORTH DAKOTAcolor> (3): Bush. North Dakota voted Republican in both ’96 and ’92, and it looks like Bush will carry the state for the GOP in this election, too.
OHIOcolor> (21): Bush. No Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio. The most recent polls show Bush ahead here, though not by much. Ohio is considered the most Republican state in the Midwest and its swing voters tend to lean in that direction.
OKLAHOMAcolor> (8): Bush. Oklahoma voted against President Clinton by large margins in ’96 and ’92. Bush is favored in this traditionally Republican state.
OREGONcolor> (7): Tossup. Though Oregon has voted Democratic in the last two elections, polls show Green Party candidate Ralph Nader is popular here, cutting into Gore's base.
PENNSYLVANIAcolor> (23): Tossup. The nation's fifth largest electoral prize, the Keystone State is a key state for Gore.
RHODE ISLAND color> (4): Gore. Rhode Island, where 90 percent of registered voters are Democrats, voted for President Clinton in the last two elections. A reent poll shows Gore leading here.
SOUTH CAROLINAcolor> (8): Bush. Ever popular in the South, Bush has a strong lead in this Republican stronghold.
SOUTH DAKOTAcolor> (3): Bush. South Dakota voted Republican in the last two presidential elections, but not by much. But analysts say Bush has a decisive lead here.
TENNESSEEcolor> (11): Tossup. All of Bush's hard campaigning is paying off in Tennessee. Gore's home state was once in the vice president's column, but now the race here is too close to call.
TEXAScolor> (32): Bush. Gore has thumbed his nose at Bush by campaigning throughout the Texas governor's home state, but Bush remains the hands-down favorite here.
UTAHcolor> (5): Bush. A GOP stronghold, Utah is Bush's all the way.
VERMONTcolor> (3): Gore. Although Republicans talk about taking back Vermont, Gore is favored to win here, as President Clinton did by wide margins in ’96 and ’92.
VIRGINIAcolor> (13): Bush. Virginia is part of Bush’s Southern stronghold.
WASHINGTONcolor> (11): Gore. Washington traditionally votes Democratic but the candidates have been close in the polls. Green Party nominee Ralph Nader could play a role in undoing Gore here.
WEST VIRGINIAcolor> (5): Tossup. West Virginia is a Democratic bastion but Gore's stance on environmetal issues has not pleased the large mining industry here. Recent polls show a tight race.
WISCONSINcolor> (11): Tossup. Wisconsin voted for President Clinton in ’96 and ‘92 and usually goes Democratic. But thrice-elected Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson could give George W. Bush an unexpected boost here.
WYOMINGcolor> (3): Bush. Wyoming voted Republican in the last two presidential elections and is supporting Bush this time.