According to USA Today, Red States are grwoing at the fastest pace, especially those in the West and South. This may create a power shift to red states in the future, especially in the House of Representatives. By 2010, Florida will be more populous than New York, and in three, New Jersey (10th largest), could be passed by North Carolina.

The population trends show that economic and political power is shifting to
states attracting suburbanites from congested, densely populated areas, says
William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. The
10 fastest-growing states — from No. 1 Nevada to No. 10 New Mexico — are all in
the West and South. President Bush won nine of them in November's election. The
exception was Delaware, ranked eighth. The Census Bureau classifies Delaware as
a Southern state.
Seats in the House of Representatives are reallocated every 10 years to
reflect population shifts. The next round will come after the 2010 Census.
Based on the latest population estimates, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Indiana each would lose a House seat, according to Kim Brace, president of
Election Data Services, a Washington D.C., consulting firm that specializes in
the Census and redistricting. Arizona, Florida, Texas and Utah each would gain a
seat, he says.
“It's the New America,” Frey says. “It's taking population and political
clout from the highly urbanized Old America.”

This doesn't necearrily mean that all the people flocking to red states agree with the politics, but either way, it will have an interesting effect on the politics. If they are conservative, however, or at least vote Republican, this could widen the gap in the House and also the Senate. If not, the regional gap closes. Only time will tell.

Posted by Ryan S. on Wednesday, December 22, 2004 at 7:53 PM | Permalink |