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Purple Voters Shade Right: Study

Posted Sep 15, 08 10:14 AM CDT in Politics 

(Newser) – A study by a marketing firm finds that swing voters tend to be older and lean conservative, reports Advertising Age. The study broke down the US into red, blue, and purple states; within each, researchers used marketing tools to examine voter characteristics. They found that “purple states” are those where none of the three voter groups dominates, but “purple voters” themselves lean right.

“Purple voters” tend to be older, more conservative than liberal, and most likely to watch Fox News. “A lot of people say this is a center, center-right kind of country,” said a manager at the marketing firm. The study suggests Republicans should appeal to purple voters based on their “conservative tendencies,” while Democrats should use economic issues.

Source Advertising Age

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So-called purple, or swing, states appear to lean more rightward than Democrat Barack Obama might find comforting, a new study shows.   (AP Photo)
2004 election map, distorted to represent population.   ((c) TheLawleys)
Though purple is the color associated with middle-of-the-road, swing voters (and states), a study finds that these voters lean rightward and have much in common with red/Republican counterparts.   (AP Photo)
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