It wasn’t that long ago that the reverse was true, that it was the Democrats considered to be at a disadvantage. The GOP blurred the lines, erasing the differences and lost their edge.
Nothing lasts forever. Bush I crushed Dukakis. Bush II in 2004 won well. Reagan crushed it twice. In 2012 Obama vs Romney, if Romney won CO, OH, FL, NV and picked up 1 of ME’s Congressional Districts he would have defeated Obama 271 to 269.
Nothing really new, the same states hold the balance as always. But this could be seen as a positive for GOP because there are reasons why these states have not gone to the extreme like their neighbors IL, NY, CA. The more those states sink themselves into economic abyss the more their borderline neighbors should take a defensive posture. People living in OH and NV do not want to pay IL and CA style taxes. GOP does not do enough posturing in these battleground states but they should. People in PA should be reminded about the corruption that pervades Albany. People in OH should be reminded of the corruption in Springfield, and the insurmountable deficits that IL is facing. In 20 years Chicago may end up looking like Detroit because it has no choice but to crush residents with massive tax hikes to pay off its public service union obligations that the State Supreme Court ruled cannot be amended! IL is on a crash course with destiny it is just a matter of time and is a cautionary tale for its neighbors. Indeed, many will flee IL to these states which is another reason to make the case to both prevent new residents from importing their political views as well as to ensure current residents push back hard.
VA remains a mystery to me, too tied into DC and fancies itself part of New England corridor I suppose. But its 13 EC votes matter.