Missouri bellwether

[1] Missouri was also considered a bellwether of U.S. views on hot-button social issues such as stem cell research[2] and school vouchers.

In 2004, the Chicago Tribune called Missouri the "bellwether state that almost exactly mirrors the demographic, economic and political makeup of the nation.

[10][11] In 2008, Missouri narrowly voted for the losing candidate, Republican John McCain, despite a sizable electoral college win for Democrat Barack Obama.

In 2012, Missouri favored losing candidate Mitt Romney by nearly 10 percentage points, despite another significant victory for Obama in the rest of the country.

Analysts and journalists in recent times have pointed to states like Ohio,[12] New Mexico,[13] and Pennsylvania,[14] as more accurate political and cultural bellwethers.

But shortly thereafter the population of St. Louis began a sharp decline, while that of Kansas City remained nearly static, such that the state is now dominated by rural, suburban, and small-city voters, who are generally more conservative.

This shift is a direct product of the small geographic size of St. Louis City, which is nearly unique among major urban centers in having locked its boundaries in 1876.