Jeff the Great Points Out the Obvious

Was thinking about the presidential election we just wrapped up and how we've become a country of red and blue states. I realized that, like most republicans, Romney got his votes in the south and midwest. Then, I started wondering how the economies of those states looked. The results were not surprising, but still eye-opening.

Of the 10 states with the lowest GDP per capita, 8 of them voted Republican in the 2012 presidential campaign. Similarly, of the 10 highest GDP per capita states, 8 of them voted Democratic.

Interpret how you please, but to me it says that GOP policies do not work for the average American. Furthermore, it appears that voters in the poorest states tend to vote against their own interests. Here is the data:

State	2010 GDP per capita	2012 Blue/Red
Mississippi	$32,967	Red
Idaho	$34,250	Red
West Virginia	$35,053	Red
South Carolina	$35,717	Red
New Mexico	$35,952	Blue
Alabama	$36,333	Red
Arkansas	$36,483	Red
Montana	$37,200	Red
Kentucky	$37,535	Red
Michigan	$37,616	Blue
Tennessee	$39,730	Red
Florida	$40,106	Blue
Maine	$40,923	Blue
Missouri	$41,117	Red
Indiana	$41,169	Red
Georgia	$41,711	Red
Utah	$41,750	Red
Ohio	$42,035	Blue
Oklahoma	$42,237	Red
North Carolina	$42,884	Red
Vermont	$44,000	Blue
Wisconsin	$44,105	Blue
Kansas	$44,310	Red
Oregon	$44,447	Blue
Rhode Island	$45,000	Blue
Pennsylvania	$45,323	Blue
Texas	$45,940	Red
Nevada	$47,222	Blue
New Hampshire	$47,385	Blue
Louisiana	$47,467	Red
North Dakota	$47,714	Red
Iowa	$49,067	Blue
Hawaii	$49,214	Blue
Nebraska	$49,778	Red
South Dakota	$49,875	Red
Illinois	$50,328	Blue
Minnesota	$50,396	Blue
Maryland	$51,724	Blue
California	$51,914	Blue
Colorado	$51,940	Blue
Washington	$52,403	Blue
Virginia	$53,463	Blue
New Jersey	$56,477	Blue
New York	$57,423	Blue
Massachusetts	$58,108	Blue
Wyoming	$63,667	Red
Connecticut	$64,833	Blue
Alaska	$65,143	Red
Delaware	$69,667	Blue
D. C.	$174,500	Blue