My random rants on the list:
1) Delaware is unusually high - I can't believe such an economically free state would vote consistently liberal Democrats nationally for presidents and senators. But then again Luxembourg is economically very free but politically it is enthusiastically in the weasels camp.
2) Montana is unuually low - I would have guessed all most great plains states and all Rocky mountain states to be economically the freest. Similarly Alaska should be in the top 10 by an uninformed guess.
3) There is not necessarily a positive correlation between economically free and votes going for Bush (eg New Hamphire and Delaware both went to Kerry, and Colorado, 2nd place, almost went to Kerry as well), but all the dead last 5 were Kerry states, and 9 out of the last 10 save Ohio.
4) I would never have guessed yeterday's-swing-to-moderate-Rep-that-have-turned-blue states like Connectitcut, Rhode Islands, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois would come among the last 10 in economic freedom. Does wealth necessarily create a class of rich leftists intent on squandering that wealth?
Delaware is a very low tax state. No sales tax, and very low corporate taxes to attract corporate headquaters (in many cases just "post office box" headquarters.) Been that way as long as I can remember.
Rich leftists have no intention of sqandering their wealth. They want the rest of us to pick up the Welfare State tab. They want to help the less fortunate but with your money.
Delaware is one of the corporate capitals of the world. It is a huge corporate law and corporation headquarter center. And most of DE is red. Just the innner city Wilmington, and parts of it's suburbs are blue. Many corporations have full fledged headquarters here (MBNA/Dupont/Astrazenica) and many many more have small office headquarters here as well. Not to mention all the PO Boxes!!!! And due to all of that, most of the corporate law cases take place here as well.