swing state
noun
plural swing states
US politics
: a U.S. state in which Republican and Democratic candidates have similar levels of support and which is considered to play a key role in the outcome of presidential elections
The politics of immigration in Florida, a key swing state, are not as clear as they are in California.—
Tom Masland et al.
Tom Masland et al.If he is so polarizing, how was he elected five times in a swing state?—Nancy Gibbs et al.
Nancy Gibbs et al.Examples of swing state in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Newsom’s moratorium might not play well with voters in some swing states in a potential presidential campaign, adding to perceptions that leftist California and the Democratic governor are soft on crime and misaligned with the rest of the nation.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2024
Morehouse is located in Atlanta, the largest city in the swing state of Georgia, which Biden flipped from then-President Donald Trump four years ago.
—CBS News, 16 May 2024
Obviously, if those turn out to be the final margins in November, Trump would win every swing state and the presidency.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 15 May 2024
Other tariffs will affect industries in important swing states, including heavy metals.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 14 May 2024
The first lady is one of many White House surrogates who have recently visited Arizona, a swing state in this year’s presidential election.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2024
Pennsylvania The GOP has targeted two tossup seats in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
—Lucas E. Wright, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024
Latino voter turnout is expected to swell in swing states like Arizona, a trend that voting data indicates should help Democrats like Gallego in his bid for the U.S. Senate.
—Ben Giles, NPR, 8 May 2024
And Fetterman – still four years away from another Senate campaign of his own – will put his message to the test this fall as an on-the-ground supporter for President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, and well beyond it too.
—Bruce Siwy, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2024
Morehouse is located in Atlanta, the largest city in the swing state of Georgia, which Biden flipped from then-President Donald Trump four years ago.
—CBS News, 16 May 2024
Obviously, if those turn out to be the final margins in November, Trump would win every swing state and the presidency.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 15 May 2024
Other tariffs will affect industries in important swing states, including heavy metals.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 14 May 2024
The first lady is one of many White House surrogates who have recently visited Arizona, a swing state in this year’s presidential election.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2024
Pennsylvania The GOP has targeted two tossup seats in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
—Lucas E. Wright, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024
Latino voter turnout is expected to swell in swing states like Arizona, a trend that voting data indicates should help Democrats like Gallego in his bid for the U.S. Senate.
—Ben Giles, NPR, 8 May 2024
And Fetterman – still four years away from another Senate campaign of his own – will put his message to the test this fall as an on-the-ground supporter for President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, and well beyond it too.
—Bruce Siwy, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swing state.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Swing state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swing%20state. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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